"Our deep understanding of complex protective schemes and, utility-specific SCADA requirements enables effective automation and management of substations as a center of intelligence within the grid," said Dermot O’Leary, EVP and GM of Substation Solutions for BPLG. "The substation is key to managing the growing complexity of distributed energy resources in the distribution grid and the connectivity of our distribution grid solutions with our substation automation offers unique value to utilities as they execute their intelligent grid roadmaps."

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The research team behind the project is designing a prototype system which will forecast sunlight and solar power every 15 minutes over specific solar facilities thereby enabling utilities to continuously anticipate the amount of solar energy available. The project is funded with the help of a $4.1 million US Department of Energy (DOE) grant and will draw on cutting-edge research techniques at leading government labs and universities across the country, in partnership with utilities, energy companies and commercial forecast providers.

Much of the work will be focussed on generating detailed predictions of clouds and atmospheric particles that act to reduce incoming solar energy.

The initial strike price for the first generation of tidal arrays should be set at £280-300/MWh, RenewableUK says. For wave technology, the initial strike price should be £300-320/MWh. “This will catalyse the marine energy industry, leading to economies of scale and learning through experience, which will lower the strike price for the second generation of arrays in 2018.” Meantime, under EMR, contracts would only last for 15 years – the report says this should be extended to 20 years to give investors an adequate return – otherwise the strike price would have to be higher.

“The wave and tidal energy industry has reached an exciting period as it moves from single device demonstrator projects to the first small proving arrays,” says Krohn. “However, there are significant hurdles that need to be overcome to ensure the sustained growth of the industry. It’s time to get real about the potential risks so that we can work with Government and others to find the solutions as early as possible.”

Some industry analysts expressed concerns around the government’s goal of reaching an installed offshore wind power capacity of 5 gigawatts by 2015. Yi Yuechun, deputy general engineer at China’s Design General Institute of Hydropower and Water Resources Planning, dismissed these concerns, saying that in addition to concession projects, several demonstration and other projects are on the verge of going live. All that is needed is for the government to be clear about its policies and for the preparatory work in process to come to a state of completion, and the sector should see a huge acceleration in the development of the industry.

The restructuring is necessary to adapt to the “profound crisis” in the wind power sector in Spain, according to the company. Citing an economic crisis and absence of a stable regulatory framework slowing down internal demand as well as limited exports to other markets because of local production requirements and global overcapacity, the company said the changes the changes will help its wind power energy business in Spain adapt to “the new market reality” and guarantee its future sustainability.

London-based analyst Bloomberg New Energy Finance estimates onshore wind currently has a global average levelized cost of energy of about $85.11 per megawatt-hour, a level similar to coal and about 10 percent higher than gas. It puts the cost of offshore wind at $225.80.

Offshore wind power, with its more expensive infrastructure, is still likely to be close to grid parity in the Asia-Pacific region in 2020, according to Make. In Europe, it may reach that benchmark in 2023, and in the U.S., it’ll take until 2026, Make said.

"We lost about 10-20 thousand (dollars) a month from people stealing this oil from behind our restaurant," Lesperance said.  Lesperance said the women use a special apparatus to siphon the used oil from the top of a barrel.  "We call it an octopus, which has small tubes that go in between the grates to then extract the oil," he said.