May 17, 2020
Hydropower in Alaska to Boom
2 min
Home to over 365,00 miles of rivers and 33,000 miles of coastline, Alaska holds the greatest potential for hydropower in the U.S. Officials pledge to...
Home to over 365,00 miles of rivers and 33,000 miles of coastline, Alaska holds the greatest potential for hydropower in the U.S. Officials pledge to produce half of the state's electricity from renewable energy by 2025, siting over 200 hydropower sites to help it get there.
“We have more energy potential than just about anywhere in the world,” said U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, to Renewable Energy World. “Our problem is how we harness it when we’re looking at economies of scale.”
While expensive diesel-fired energy generation supplies most of the scattered, small villages across the state, hydropower is an abundant resource that would be cleaner, efficient and inexpensive.
Central to the state's plan to create jobs, hydropower already accounts for nearly a quarter of the state's total electricity consumption, according to the Department of Energy. Governor Sean Parnell plans to greatly expand the industry.
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“If you want to be serious about renewable energy, hydropower has to be part of the discussion,” Begich said to Renewable Energy World. “Nowhere is that more true than Alaska, which holds over a third of our country’s untapped hydropower.”
Several projects are underway, but hydropower will not reach its full potential until the technology proves it can withstand the harsh and turbulent conditions throughout Alaska. Researchers are diving into issues relating to anchoring, installation and performance in an attempt to ensure Alaska leads the world in this arena.
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Apr 20, 2021
Amazon's renewable energy projects surpass 200 milestone
2 min
Nine new projects announced today takes Amazon's renewables portfolio beyond 200 projects
Amazon claims it is now Europe's largest corporate buyer of renewable energy as its projects surpassed 200 globally.
Broken down, it has 136 solar rooftops on facilities and stores and 71 utility-scale wind and solar projects, nine of which were announced today covering the US, Canada, Spain, Sweden and UK. They include:
First solar project paired with energy storage Based in California’s Imperial Valley, Amazon’s first solar project paired with energy storage allows the company to align solar generation with the greatest demand. The project generates 100MW of solar energy, and includes 70MW storage.
It now has more than 2.5 GW of renewable energy capacity, enough to power more than two million European homes a year, and aims to power all its activities with renewables by 2025 and net zero by 2040.
Amazon and Global Optimism co-founded The Climate Pledge in 2019, a commit ment to reach the Paris Agreement 10 years early and be net-zero carbon by 2040. The pledge now has 53 signatories, including IBM, Unilever, Verizon, Siemens, Microsoft, and Best Buy.
A map of all of Amazon’s renewable energy projects around the world can be found here.
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