New investment in clean energy worldwide rallied in the second quarter of 2009, reaching $24.3bn, according to figures published today by New Energy Finance. The data, based on actual deal and project transactions, show that Q2 was a big improvement on the first quarter of 2009, when investment was just $13.3bn, but it was nevertheless well down on the same quarter of last year, when the figure was $36.2bn. Behind the improvement compared to Q1 were two main changes – a jump in asset finance of projects such as wind farms and solar parks, and a sudden resumption of equity issuance on public market by quoted clean energy firms. Click here for full story

RWE Innogy, the renewables division of German energy giant RWE, has gotten the green light from Dutch authorities to build the 300-megawatt (MW) ‘Tromp Binnen’ wind farm off the northern coast of the Netherlands. Click here for full story

Coca Cola Enterprises signed a 10-year contract with UTC Power that will bring two fuel cells to its southern New York bottling plant. The UTC Power fuel cells will produce heat and energy that can satisfy nearly a third of demand at Coca Cola’s bottling plant in Elmsford, N.Y. The project received $2 million in funds from the state’s Energy Research and Development Authority.  Click here for full story

In just five months, the U.S. government has gone from being a casual supporter of renewable energy to the one of world's biggest investors in the space. Now the private sector is trying to figure out what role it will play in this new era of government involvement.  Click here for full story

Meteorology and oceanography (metocean) have a major impact on design and operations in all elements of the offshore industry. From a business perspective, it is imperative that users of metocean information in the offshore oil and gas and marine renewables industries are fully aware of the implications that the weather, waves, currents and water levels can have on their operations or design work. Experience has shown that if they are not, things can go wrong, with serious health and safety and economic consequences. Following the success of the first Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST) three-day Metocean Awareness Course, held earlier this year, the second in the series is to be held Tuesday 15-Thursday 17 September at IMarEST headquarters at 80 Coleman Street, London EC2R 5BJ in the heart of the City of London. Click here for full story

A cross-section of the motor industry representing volume manufacturers, niche vehicle producers and component suppliers met for the first time to form the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders' new Electric Vehicle Group. Seeking to interact with government, stakeholders and industry both in the UK and internationally, the Electric Vehicle Group will promote a collaborative industry-wide approach to the development of ultra-low carbon technologies. Click here for full story

The Department for Transport today announced a £30 million fund to encourage bus operators to purchase low carbon buses and support a UK-wide shift to low carbon transport. Government expects the fund to support the purchase of several hundred low carbon buses, thereby stimulating the development of the green technology industry. Low carbon buses use at least 30 per cent less fuel than conventional buses, but account for less than 0.2% of buses on the road today. The government initiative aims to lessen the impact of road transport on climate change as well as support the UK market for low carbon buses.  Click here for full story

A £25,000 award from Scottish Power’s Green Energy Trust has been put to good use at a residential centre in Arbroath. The Windmill Christian Centre in Millgate Loan has used the money granted last October to install new solar-powered water heating, a wood-fuelled boiler and improved insulation. The centre has provided accommodation and conference facilities for the last 11 years.  Click here for full story

Wave energy researchers in Devon and Cornwall have been given a £10m cash injection from the government. The money will allow the Peninsula Research Institute for Marine Renewable Energy (PRIMaRE) at Plymouth and Exeter Universities to take on more staff. Experts say it could make the area a global leader in wave energy research. PRIMaRE already has 15 academics and 60 researchers working on projects like the Wave Hub, a seabed socket to link wave machines to the National Grid.  Click here for full story

Britain led the first industrial revolution. In its 300th anniversary, you can become part of the second. By 2015, the UK Clean Tech sector could be worth £127 billion*. And employ over a million people. Taking the lead, the Carbon Trust is launching 15 Clean Tech projects this year to add to a portfolio of over 40. As an inventor, innovator, commercial partner, investor or opinion leader, you can be a part of it.  Click here for full story

The Carbon Trust will be launching 15 new R&D and technology acceleration projects this year, adding to 40 already in progress. Whether you see an opportunity to cut energy, or generate it – using wind, waves, tides, biofuels, solar, fuel cells – or something radically new – whether you see yourself as a leader or cheerleader, join the Clean Tech Revolution. Click here for full story

Carbon Trust: “This is an executive summary of a study to examine why the UK should actively innovate Low Carbon Technologies, how the UK innovation system currently works and how it needs to evolve to meet new challenges. We conclude that the time is right for the UK to accelerate the move towards an innovation policy which is ‘technology focussed’, based upon customised, technology specific support for carefully prioritised LCTs. We believe this is the most cost effective way to meet climate change related targets and generate economic benefit for the UK.” [plus link to main report] Click here for full story

The Intermediary Technology Institutes scheme is involved in renewed controversy, with the programme set to incur hefty losses on a flagship battery project and facing a claim for unfair dismissal and victimisation from a former director. The energy arm of the commercialisation programme could lose around £4m after the American firm that bought the Plurion battery programme failed to make a deferred payment for the bulk of the purchase price that was due on July 1. The company concerned, Applied Intellectual Capital, had originally been due to make the payment to ITI energy in February. Click here for full story

Scotland's growing wind energy sector has been boosted by news that plans for a new facility in Aberdeenshire have been approved. Commercial power company Novera Energy has announced that it was granted planning permission for its proposals to construct a five-turbine facility in Turiff. It is expected that the Gordonstown Hill facility will have a total renewable energy capacity in the range of 10MW to 12.5MW, allowing it to provide electricity to thousands of homes in the local community.  Click here for full story

Scottish and Southern Energy plc is providing an update of its operations and investment opportunities in electricity generation, and gas storage, to coincide with the official opening this week of its new development at Glendoe, the UK's first large-scale conventional hydro electric station for over 50 years, and with a visit to the site today (1 July) by a number of sector analysts.  Click here for full story

UK start up QuantaSol has this week become the latest solar firm to stake a claim for the world record for photovoltaic solar cell efficiency, with the unveiling of a single junction cell with a conversion efficiency of over 28 per cent. The company said its cell had been independently assessed by solar research body Fraunhofer ISE and was found to deliver a 28.3 per cent efficiency at a solar concentration of greater than 500 suns. Click here for full story

Electronics giant Sony European has announced that all its 32 sites in the UK and across the Continent are now powered entirely from renewable resources. The corporate milestone was achieved as part of Sony’s wider global energy saving measures that have resulted in a reduction of 55,216 tons of CO2 emissions last year in Europe alone and 100,000 tons globally. Click here for full story

Carnegie’s CETO wave energy system – the only project of its kind being developed in Australia – is gaining momentum. After almost ten years developing the CETO technology, Carnegie’s proposed Commercial Demonstration Wave Power Project (CDWPP) is receiving recognition and investment. The site for CDWPP is expected to be announced by Carnegie in mid-2009. In the meantime, the company is continuing to carry out feasibility studies at its portfolio of potential project sites across southern Australia. Click here for full story

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev who within the framework of his trip to the Arkhangelsk region visited the Sevmash enterprise familiarised himself with the Prirazlomnaya ice-resistant stationary offshore platform that is being built here…… Kalistratov also told Medvedev about other spheres of Sevmash’s work. In particular, he demonstrated a model of a floating power generating unit of the Kislaya Guba tidal electric power station. This station is already undergoing tests in the experimental regime….. Kislaya Guba is a fjord on the Kola Peninsula near Murmansk, Russia. The fjord is connected to the Barents Sea to the north and is primarily known as the site of an experimental tidal power project. The Kislaya Guba tidal power station is an experimental project and has a relatively small output capacity….. There are plans for two larger scale projects based on this design near Mezen, on the White Sea and Tugur on the Sea of Okhotsk. Click here for full story

Today (1 July), Vattenfall and Nuon completed the transaction announced on 23 February 2009. Vattenfall acquires 49 % of the Nuon shares as of the first of July 2009, for an amount of EUR 4,833 million. This gives Vattenfall a 49 % share in Nuon, as well as operational control. Vattenfall will acquire the remaining 51 % of shares in the coming six years under fixed terms. Nuon forms the third regional business group within Vattenfall: Business Group Benelux. Click here for full story

Europe’s largest conservation body, the National Trust, is carrying out feasibility studies to decide whether more of its historic buildings and castles are suitable for renewable energy developments. Perpetual Energy has been appointed to conduct some of the assessments, which will analyse the viability of Biomass and Solar Thermal technologies. Buildings being considered for the sustainable measures include: Chirk Castle in Wrexham, Clandon Park and Mansion House in Surrey, Compton Castle in Devon, Dyffryn Mymbyr Residential Farm in Snowdonia, and Stackpole Outdoor Learning Centre in Pembrokeshire. At some sites, renewable systems have already been implemented to lower carbon emissions. Click here for full story

The Dornoch Castle Hotel is to install a £75,000 biomass heating and hot water scheme in the historic 15th century building – believed to be the first on such a scale in the North Highlands. Installation of the state of the art system – which will cut carbon emissions at the hotel by 77 tonnes a year and save over £15,000 a year in gas, oil and electricity – is about to commence and will be completed by the autumn. The hotel has received a grant of £33,700 towards the cost from the recently announced Scottish Government Scottish Biomass Heat Scheme.  Click here for full story

Protesters are re-appropriating the climate and energy minister's name as the moniker for a day of action at the site of E.ON's proposed power station at Kingsnorth.  Click here for full story

The UK could benefit from 250,000 jobs and up to £70bn in revenue from offshore wind and wave technologies by 2050, according to a study by the Carbon Trust. This potential will only be realised, however, if the government gives clear signals to industry, so that investors know where to put their money, rather than leaving new technologies to face the market alone. The Carbon Trust, a government-backed agency that studies ways to promote low-carbon technologies, carried out economic analyses in six areas of low-carbon industry including offshore wind, wave, solid-state lighting and micro combined heat and power. Click here for full story

British Gas today promised to create 2,600 green jobs over the next three years by rolling out "smart meters" and installing wind turbines on peoples' homes. The move should help ministers meet targets of cutting carbon emissions through lower use of power, especially that generated by gas or other fossil fuels. About 1,700 of the recruits will be new to the industry, while 900 are expected to be brought in from rival metering organisations in time for a government-backed roll-out programme due to start in 2012. Earlier this year the company unveiled plans to take on an additional 1,500 staff to work in the clean technology sector. Click here for full story

An action plan to drive the development of renewable energy and capitalise on Scotland's natural resources to derive maximum economic benefit was published today (1 July). Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth John Swinney said that developing the right renewables infrastructure and boosting skills will help Scotland to meet its climate change targets. The Renewables Action Plan identifies collective actions by government, its agencies and partners, to ensure at least a fifth of Scotland's energy comes from renewables by 2020. Click here for full story

The Great Yarmouth offshore services firm, Seajacks UK, is urging money lenders to loosen their grip on funds so it can invest in further growth following a new $70 million plus contract. The deal for windfarm installation in the Irish Sea is the the group’s third major contract, taking the value of deals landed just shy of $180m (£108m). However, with only two ships currently available, expansion opportunities are limited until further funding comes in says managing director, Blair Ainslie.  Click here for full story

Scottish & Southern Energy PLC said on Wednesday it was scaling down capacity by 106 megawatts at its Clyde wind farm in southern Scotland. SSE said the wind farm will have a total capacity of 350 MW, instead of 456 MW initially planned. "Nevertheless, the design of the turbines, and their on-site configuration, mean the annual output of the wind farm, expected to be over 1,000 GWh, will be unaffected," it said."The construction cost, however, will be reduced to around 500 million pounds ($822 million)." Click here for full story

Why did the government dump its green building regulations plan?........ I've asked this question before, but the mystery seems only to thicken: how in God's name does the government intend to meet its obligations under the Climate Change Act? Its programme for cutting carbon through renewable energy is way behind schedule. It is expanding airports and motorways, while bailing out the car industry, ensuring that motor emissions stay high. The EU emissions trading scheme hardly touches the industries it is meant to regulate. Full carbon capture and storage will come too late to stop new coal-burning power stations from adding greatly to the problem. Click here for full story

REpower Systems AG and the French wind farm developer Valorem have signed agreements on the supply and construction of a total of 21 wind turbines. The REpower MM92 wind power plants, each with a rated power of 2.05 megawatts (MW) and a hub height of 80 meters, are intended for five wind farms projects in the Vendée and Loire Atlantique regions in the West of France and are to be supplied and erected between March and June 2010. Click here for full story

The scale of public opposition to Europe's largest onshore wind farm proposed for the Shetland mainland has been underlined after about 70 campaigners handed in a petition of more than 3600 signatures demanding the plans be scrapped. A vociferous campaign against the 150-turbine, £800m development, led by the Sustainable Shetland Group, which has more than 600 members, culminated in the petition being handed into Lerwick Town Hall yesterday (1 July).  Click here for full story

Global investment in clean energy and climate-friendly technologies leapt in the last three months but full-year levels won't recover until 2010 or 2011, analysts said on Wednesday (1 July). Falling energy demand and more expensive debt have hurt large renewable projects for example in wind and solar power. Recession has cut risk appetite, curbing funding for clean technology start-ups. But global clean energy investment rebounded in the past three months, after a 44 percent collapse in the first quarter, and stimulus spending could spur a return to last year's funding levels in 2010, according to research group New Energy Finance. Click here for full story

Fredrik Reinfeldt, Sweden's prime minister, launched his country's six-month rotating presidency of the European Union by describing tackling climate change as his generation's central challenge. He intends to be the architect of a global warming breakthrough at a UN summit in Copenhagen this year. Sweden boasts the highest renewable energy record in Europe, pioneering carbon taxes, and in Stockholm, a city that boasts it is the greenest on the continent. Reinfeldt pledged to lead the effort to get the world on board for a climate change pact in Copenhagen in December. Click here for full story

Portugal announced a plan to install about 1,300 recharging sites for electric vehicles over the next two years, part of an effort to create a mass market for environmentally friendly electric cars expected to go on sale next year.  Click here for full story

Expectations are high in the lead up to All-Energy Australia – a free, business-to-business event – which will be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on 7 and 8 October, showcasing the latest clean energy technology and innovations. Organisers selected Melbourne as the first city outside the UK to host one of the world’s most highly-regarded renewable and clean energy exhibitions and conferences. All-Energy Australia will be hosted by the Victorian Department of Primary Industries and is endorsed by the Australian Clean Energy Council and the Western Australian Sustainable Energy Association. EcoGeneration magazine is partnering with All-Energy Australia, bringing you the latest news and updates. Click here for full story

Northern Ireland firm O'Kane Plumbing and Electrics has announced plans for more than 70 new jobs in ther Republic. The Co Tyrone-based company said the jobs will be created in its renewable energy division over the next three years. Forty jobs will be advertised this year — and a further 15 jobs will be created next year and the same number the following year for tradespeople, surveyors, administrative and managerial staff.  Click here for full story

Wind turbine prices have dropped 18 percent worldwide in late 2008 and 2009, affected by a decline in demand for the equipment and a decline in the cost of raw materials such as steel, consulting firm New Energy Finance reported on Monday. Analysts blamed the fall due to a decrease in turbine demand and a lack of financing. They also say a rapidly expanding supply chain has led to an over-supply in the global market. Click here for full story

Western Australia Sustainable Energy Association (WA SEA) Chief Executive Ray Wills is quick to describe the state’s enormous renewable energy potential. “Australia is the Middle East of renewable energy and Western Australia is the Saudi Arabia,” he says. Western Australia (WA) has the full mix when it comes to renewables. It has world-class solar resources, wind resources to rival those of its Australian neighbours, wave energy potential, land ripe for biomass production, as well as geothermal prospects. The southern half of the state has world quality wind resources on land. Click here for full story

The country aims to attract inward investment in technology and alternative energy. Wales is less well-known than its Celtic brethren Ireland and Scotland, but Rhodri Morgan, Wales' first minister for finance, is working to advance its profile. Morgan recently traveled to the U.S. on a trade mission with 80 Welsh companies. Forbes spoke with him about Wales' efforts to attract green and high-tech jobs. Click here for full story

As the Group of Eight (G8) countries prepare for the G8 summit in Italy next week, the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) has urged leaders to put meaningful climate change action at the top of the agenda, and issued the top industrialised nations with their ‘climate change scorecards’. Click here for full story