Top 10 green energy bright spots of 2012

A nice run of stories here from the Guardian -  Hope you are or have enjoyed the break so far, happy new year for later.

1 Africa's largest solar power plant to be built in Ghana

155MW plant being developed by a British company is expected to create hundreds of jobs, increase electricity capacity and cut emissions

2 The world-leading UK windfarm built with little British involvement

About 90% of the £1.5bn spent constructing the London Array, a huge windfarm off the coast of Kent, has gone to foreign firms

3 Windfarms on Ireland's bog of Allen could provide UK electricity

Company behind the £5bn proposals hopes to build more than 700 turbines and transport power in cables beneath Irish Sea

4 US Navy defends 'great green fleet' from Republican attacks

Navy secretary and Obama administration move to head off spending bill that would effectively shut down biofuels project

5 UK public favours wind turbines over shale gas wells, poll finds

More than two-thirds of people would rather have a wind turbine than a shale gas well near their home

6 Orkney, leader in green energy, launches wave power competition

Community of 20,000 expected to met 85% of its electricity needs by next year

7 Saudi Arabia reveals plans to be powered entirely by renewable energy

World's biggest oil producer says it wants to make a 100% switch from fossil fuels to clean energy

8 World's biggest offshore windfarm planned off Scottish coast

Scheme with enough capacity to power 40% of Scottish households has been submitted for planning permission

9 Cornwall and Scotland hold UK's wave power potential

Cornwall's Atlantic coast and the west coast of Scotland came top in a report which maps sites with the most promise

10 Wind energy could surpass global power demand – with huge hurdles

But installing enough wind turbines to power the world may not be practical or even feasible, says author of new report