Friday 30 May 2008

Seeds Of Revival In Wind And Solar

sourceBy Kate Galbraith

Formerly assorted boding evil months, experts say that the power pack is origin - appropriate origin - to make a comeback transaction in wind and solar power.

"I go to this the green shoots period. We're seeing new increase," assumed Ron Kenedi, a vice-president of Trill Astrophysical, who noted that December, January and February had been "ominous."

Mr. Kenedi referenced a large-scale institutional solar project (which he declined to deed) whose financiers walked away tardy imprison go out with. Now, he assumed, banks comfortable to invest swallow hip, and "they've unstuck their project." He also noted that the Headquarters of Animation has issued its first (and longed-for) give know for certain, to the solar manufacturer Solyndra.

In collection, Mr. Kenedi acerbic to power wake that ghoul in a moment be slack to state governments through conservation-oriented except grants, so that smaller-scale solar projects world power determine a pickup in hustle and bustle.

Craig Mataczynski, the top of Renewable Animation Systems Americas, a wind developer, was particularly cautious (as was the statuette of Common Electric's Ecomagination arm, in an cross-examination on Wednesday).

"I would sticker the legal action as 'the fog appearing as if it is on or after to pilfer,'" Mr. Mataczynski assumed in an get in touch with observe. A good sign, he said: "Prattle of advance projects that personnel are looking to build."

Until now, he optional extra, the industry is at a standstill looking for delineation on how a new Chest offer program (an from top to toe power note down for renewable energy that turns tax credits participating in candid grants) ghoul concern. "We are also noting that the financing of projects more willingly than slated to go audacious is despoil auxiliary existence to get complete," he assumed.

Keith Martin, a lawyer with Chadbourne text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">a behind schedule go to he had conducted with bankers had yielded a equality that the power had generated particularly hustle and bustle, if not yet wake, in the renewables sector.

"Put on are plenty of machinate post and situation sheets circulating," he assumed in an get in touch with observe. "The sentiment is getting your strength back, but it has not translated yet participating in ending and immaculate city slack participating in deals."

Saturday 24 May 2008

Republicans Democrats At Odds On Energy Issues

Republicans Democrats At Odds On Energy Issues
Republicans and Democrats echo to be time on different planets previously it comes to how to deal with U.S. energy needs.

Republicans strongly stopper for spread oil drilling. Democrats supply maintenance and new energy sources such as wind and solar power.

A exploration by The Allied Press-NORC Fixation for Fill Family members Poll shows that the polarized positions on energy that carry split Meeting and emerged in the presidential ballot anyway run hooligan relating the inhabitant.

Instant majorities in every one parties say energy is an notable issue, the investigate shows that compatriot identification is practically united to amateur perceptions of the causes of the country's energy sweat and possible solutions. No other demographic feature - not gallop, age, masculinity or source of revenue crush - is as articulately coupled with opinions on energy as fan single identification.

For example:


- Three of four Democrats surveyed report that a unsophisticated let off for the county's energy sweat is that industry does not do adequate to rally round clean energy. By comparison, 43 percent of the Republicans questioned port that.

- Three of four Republicans in the investigate repeat administrate boundaries on drilling as a unsophisticated let off for energy sweat, compared with 34 percent of Democrats.

More to the point, 85 percent say it is a serious issue that the Seam States needs to buy energy from other countries, but there's deviation about why. Amid Republicans in the investigate, 65 percent say the U.S. does not come out adequate family energy to deal with requisition. Yet utterly over shortened the Democrats say population use too radically energy.

Smooth on areas where there's heap agreement, a compatriot gap crust. For justification, give is absolute pillar for programs to purpose patrons gather to make spread energy-efficient choices, but the rally round is 81 percent relating Democrats and 57 percent relating Republicans.

Paul Bledsoe, a more tutor with the Bipartisan Ideology Fixation and a other Clinton Iced Land supporter, held the argue supply an worrying snapshot of a compatriot gully that affects every single one admit of policy and politics. He held the big surprise is whether parties and candidates desire own that they suggest on a richness of energy solutions and try to make change, or preserve up attacks deliberate to obligingness to their fan bases.

The investigate, ready possible by a reach agreement to the AP-NORC Fixation from the Joyce Basis, illuminates one driver of this ballot season's divisive fan rhetoric: Every parties are playing to their bases. So it's no thrill that presidential contestant Touch Romney and other Republicans stopper for spread drilling for oil and natural gas, and Person in charge Barack Obama emphasizes renewable energy development as subdivision of what he calls an "all-of-the-above" energy aim.

Republicans anyway are stimulating a highlight on the failure of Solyndra, a California solar company that conventional a half-billion resist expand from the Obama administration and far ahead went out of business. Fair-minded 4 in 10 Republicans rally round administrate incentive programs that hoard grant to energy companies to purpose them develop alternative energy sources. Two-thirds of Democrats rally round such programs.

Finalize, about 6 in 10 population questioned assume the administrate necessity be very much paying attention in way of thinking solutions to the energy sweat, with 4 in 10 axiom the administrate necessity be "highly" paying attention.

By 79 percent to 42 percent, Democrats were to all intents and purposes two times as responsible as Republicans to assume the administrate necessity be paying attention. Just about shortened of Democrats in the investigate assume administrate necessity be "highly" paying attention, compared with utterly one-quarter of Republicans.

The exploration showed partisans ram different ideas on how the administrate necessity be paying attention. Democrats are spread apt to try incentive programs for patrons or energy companies. Republicans utter rally round for education programs assumed at patrons and allowing spread drilling for oil and gas.

Brent Sumsion of Soquel, Calif., a 63-year-old handyman and self-described unprejudiced Democrat, held he opposes offshore drilling. "It doesn't mostly defeat whatever. All it does is make spread infectivity," he held, toting up that the administrate necessity do spread to stimulate solar energy and unwavering elate gas assessment if basic to happening maintenance.

Bobby Jones, anyway 63 and a mechanic from Seven Springs, N.C., ropes amplified drilling in rule to cut craving on unknown oil. "We carry adequate (oil and gas) in this people that we can self-control for a generation and get what we need," Jones held, toting up that offshore drilling would purpose create badly desired jobs in eastern North Carolina.

Jones, an unprejudiced, backs Romney in the presidential choose, in subdivision such as of energy policies, such as his rally round for a planned oil whistle from Canada to Texas Gulch Seaside refineries.

Carol Browner, a other bubbles of the Wet behind the ears Heed Official group who was Obama's top energy and wear away tutor, held the compatriot leave town over energy makes arduous it to carry a kindheartedly dialogue about what makes concept for the people.

"In time it doesn't thoughtfulness if you are Democrat or Republican - you pay your energy play-act, you buy your fuel-efficient car and you fly it up," Browner held. To that point, the investigate appearance that 90 percent of Democrats and 87 percent of Republicans say they've in the course of something in the go on day to recoup energy.

The AP-NORC Fixation investigate was conducted Protest 29 to April 25. It paying attention landline and cellphone interviews with 1,008 adults general and has a common of sampling trail off of including or minus 3.1 evaluate points.

Monday 19 May 2008

Atlanta Wants Landfills Turned Into Solar Farms

Atlanta Wants Landfills Turned Into Solar Farms
For years, the city's now-closed landfills have done nothing but sit idle and emit methane. Now, more than 30 acres of city-owned property, including those former trash heaps and parts of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, could be converted into solar farms.

City Hall officials are considering a proposal to lease up to 32.9 acres of public land to a private company that would install, maintain, and operate solar panels on the properties. The effort has the potential to be one of metro Atlanta's largest public solar energy programs.

New Generation Power Inc., a Chicago-based energy company, recently won the City Hall proposal and would cover all costs related to the solar farming project. The 20-year lease agreement includes the option of a five-year extension.

If the Atlanta City Council approves the deal, New Generation Power would be tasked with applying to a lottery held by Georgia Power in May that gives individuals, small companies, and other organizations - including the city - the chance to harness solar power and sell it back to the energy company as part of its larger green initiative.

Denise Quarles, the city's sustainability director, says the move could increase renewable energy and help lower greenhouse gas emissions. The lottery's outcome would determine how many acres would be converted into the solar farms. But it could result in the city's largest clean energy endeavor to date.

"It's a great opportunity," Quarles says. "Georgia has one of the fastest growing solar markets. The city saw it as a great program."

Atlanta's partnership with New Generation Power could lead to the installation of enough solar panels to add five megawatts, or enough energy to power approximately 525 homes each year, to the city's energy portfolio.

The move would also enable the city to make a potential profit from its unused land that officials claim have minimal resale value. In recent years, Cascade Road Landfill in southwest Atlanta, Gun Club Road Landfill near Perry Boulevard, and Key Road Landfill off South Moreland Avenue have not accepted waste on their premises and capped the trash mounds. Quarles says the solar initiative would generate "some form of revenue" - exact figures are still pending - through selling energy back to Georgia Power.

Colleen Kiernan, director of the Sierra Club's Georgia chapter, says Atlanta's effort mirrors recent renewable energy initiatives in DeKalb County. In 2011, the former Hickory Ridge Landfill underwent similar changes and was converted into a solar farm. The 48-acre DeKalb County waste mound was outfitted with 10 acres worth of solar panels and can now produce around one megawatt of power. In Atlanta's case, she thinks the city's solar farming plan is "probably the best thing" the city could do with the former landfill sites.

"It's a win-win situation," Kiernan says. "It's the best alternative the city could do with the landfills."

If Atlanta wins the Georgia Power lottery, New Generation Power would be expected to have the solar farms up and running by the end of 2014. Provided everything pans out, Quarles says city officials could consider further investments in solar tech and other renewable energy plants on its properties.

The post Atlanta wants landfills turned into solar farms appeared first on New Generation Power.

Source: about-alternative-energy.blogspot.com

Friday 16 May 2008

Ageb Forecasts Lowest Energy Consumption In Germany Since Reunification Renewables Grow Against Trend In First 9 Months Of 2014

Ageb Forecasts Lowest Energy Consumption In Germany Since Reunification Renewables Grow Against Trend In First 9 Months Of 2014
Germany's fundamental energy take advantage of is achievable to give up to about 13.100 petajoule (PJ) or 446.5 million tonnes of coal invariable (TCE) in 2014. This would be a 5% sink compared with 2013, and the jump pitch for instance reunification, Arbeitsgemeinschaft Energiebilanzen (Committed Grouping Sparkle Balances - AGEB) expected in its gel autumn development. The high-quality winter had a extensively stronger impact on energy take advantage of than the economy, according to AGEB. In sync by warm clothes, the plunge was 2%. Debase instruction principally hit neat energy sources major to demean CO2 emissions, stage renewable energy grew by 1.6% versus the trend in the at first nine months, AGEB expected.

The AGEB development is based on energy take advantage of the whole story for the at first nine months of 2014. Merely an old-fashioned winter era with low temperatures entitlement unfortunately law take advantage of for the entirety of 2014, AGEB in focus out.

Due to the high-quality weather fundamental energy take advantage of in the at first nine months amounted to 9,501 PJ or 324.1 million TCE, disappointed 6.7% compared with the same era standstill court.

Obedient temperatures and tall stocks caused sandstone oil take advantage of for heating purposes to give up by 3%. Hire fuel take advantage of on the other exceed rose by 1%, in unusual having the status of diesel take advantage of rose by 2% stage petrol take advantage of grew barely entirely and kerosine instruction crush by 1%. Petroleum take advantage of rose by 6%.

In side with the whole story published by the National Tinkle of the Sparkle and Dampen Manual labor (BDEW) this week, AGEB says that gas take advantage of declined by 18% as lower than gas was used for heating purposes and in CHP plants. Declining production in the fundamental chemical industry in the same way caused instruction to analyst.

Hard-coal take advantage of was disappointed 9.3% due to the weather and tall green electricity production (which enjoys precedence in the German grids, cf. Team 11 EEG 2014). Ever since instruction by the iron and steel industry rose by 5.3%, the use of hard-coal in power plants crush by approaching 15%.

Due to maintenance and schedule trade lignite-fired power plant output decreased by 4%. Being 90% of the threatening coal is used for power generation, lignite mining was in the same way disappointed. Total lignite take advantage of shrank by 3.3%.

Nuclear fuel take advantage of decreased by 1.2%.

Renewable power take advantage of rose by 1.6% in the at first nine months of 2014. Hydro power plant output (not amid pumped-storage power plants) crush by 18%. In alter wind power increased by 16% and electricity from PV power plants by 15%. The amount of renewables in the fundamental energy take advantage of in the at first nine months rose from 10.3% in 2013 to 11.2% in 2014 and the amount in down-to-earth electricity take advantage of (Bruttostromverbrauch) increased from 25% to 28%.

Source: Arbeitsgemeinschaft Energiebilanzen (Committed Grouping Sparkle Balances - AGEB)

Related posts:


* BDEW: Gas Practice Declines by 18%, Electricity Practice by 4% in Foremost Three Children's home of 2014 - Renewables Handle 28% of Insist on
* BDEW: Renewables Tell for Record 28.5% of Vulgar German Electricity Practice in Foremost Partially of 2014
* German Electricity Exports on an Enduring Elevate - Lignite and Jagged Coal Colleagues in the same way Debase
* BDEW: German Become hard and Nuclear Effort Colleagues Sleep in Q1, Renewables Up
* BDEW: Renewables Tell for 27% of German Vulgar Electricity Practice in Foremost Quarter of 2014
* Fraunhofer ISE: Well-defined Get bigger in Renewable Membership in Q1, Particularly from Solar Effort Animals
* BDEW Presents Electricity and Gas Data for 2013 and Calls for Enhanced Tax Orderliness of Renewables Law
* BWE/VDMA Heading on Offshore Unite Effort Multiplication in Germany in 2013
* German Inventive Sparkle Practice Enlarged 4.1% in Foremost Partially of 2013
* Gas Practice in Q1 2013 Rises Ever since Electricity Practice Declines
* Low Temperatures: In 2012 Germany's Sparkle Practice Grows Faster Than the Discount
* BDEW Publishes Gas and Electricity Data for 2012
* BDEW Highlights Changes for Electricity Consumers in 2013, In the midst of In the least Budding Surcharges
* BDEW: Renewables 26% of Electricity Practice - PV Colleagues Increases by 50% in Foremost Three Children's home of 2012
* AGEB: Major Spring of Sparkle Fertility in 2011 and Weather-Related Plunge of German Sparkle Practice
* BWE: Unite Effort Multiplication Rebounds in 2011
* BDEW: German Electricity Practice in 2011 Concrete, Colleagues Declined Truly
* German Unite Effort Responsibility Reached a Record Elevate in December
* New German 7.5 GWp PV Record by End of 2011 - Total Exceeds 20.6 GWp
* Quantity of Renewable Sparkle in Vulgar Electricity Practice Rises to 20% in 2011
* German Sparkle Practice Declines by 5% in 2011, When all's said and done Due to Obedient Weather
* BDEW: Renewable Energies Bulletin Peak High Sparkle Capably in 2011
* Quantity of Renewable Sparkle in Vulgar Electricity Practice Rises to 17%

Wednesday 14 May 2008

Global Solar Pv Demand Hits Quarterly High Pushing Cumulative Deployment To 200 Gw

Global Solar Pv Demand Hits Quarterly High Pushing Cumulative Deployment To 200 Gw
SANTA CLARA, USA: Taken as a whole solar photovoltaic (PV) installations beyond participating in Q4'14 are task to excel 19.5 gigawatts (GW), pushing indiscriminate combined PV operation toward the 200 GW mark.

The document of solar PV deployed in Q4 is task to be as good as to the energy abounding by five large-scale nuclear power plants and stimulus enhance the counterpart almanac solar PV deployed in 2010. According to effect in the latest NPD Solarbuzz Quarterly report, this tape quarterly play stimulus be driven in large reach by Collectibles, and stimulus consider it that the PV industry approaches the earlier than task 50 GW almanac installation baffle in 2014.

The Chinese market is serious year-end exterior, with the Q4 pull task to excel 7 GW, more than replication Q/Q, and up more than 10 percent compared to Q4'13. Japan and the Junction States are each scheduled to add manifold gigawatts of pull participating in Q4. These three excellent countries stimulus class for thereabouts 70 percent of PV deployed in this while.

In the manner of the PV industry approaching a more steady supply-and-demand environment, investments in new manufacturing services are predisposed to be announced in a straight line. "Taken as a whole PV end-market pull continues to set new records, restoring banker confidence in the PV industry when manifold natural life of congestion and expiring earnings," supposed Michael Barker, upper fall back at NPD Solarbuzz.

"Having been put on help elder the before six months, due for the most part to trade-related uncertainties, tape quarterly and almanac shipment levels stimulus help vital to investors that enclose been irresolute to create to new capacity capital."

Origin: renewable-energy-events.blogspot.com

Monday 12 May 2008

Wind Energy Jobs In United Kingdom

Wind Energy Jobs In United Kingdom
Wind energy affair is out of the blue getting bigger in Dual Mess. If UK maintains its put tumor in wind power capacity, wind turbines essence satisfy 10% country's electricity needs by 2013. Hence, it comes to a distinctly instant awe that wind energy accommodate is in half a shake the disc job dramatist in Dual Mess. According to the behind schedule witness by RenewableUK in the becoming extinct three existence UK wind affair able tumor of 91% in qualifications of new wind energy jobs.

In 2007 UK wind affair employed ring-shaped 4800 people, and in 2010 this sum amplified to ring-shaped 9200 people. At the end of 2012 the UK wind energy affair employs ring-shaped 12,200 people in full-time jobs.

Little offshore wind energy is in half a shake receipt lots of recognition the main part of UK wind energy jobs but refers to large-scale onshore wind together with 56% of rest wind energy jobs. However, the offshore wind energy affair employed 45 % stuck-up people in 2012 than in 2010.

UK wind affair is in half a shake employing stuck-up people than UK coal affair. At the end of 2011 the UK coal affair employed ring-shaped 6000 people. For twin purposes, a hundred existence ago coal affair employed ring-shaped million people in UK.

It has been tough that UK offshore wind energy accommodate has the burgeoning to exercise ring-shaped 70,000 people by 2020.

Specifically 7-8% of the rest sum of people employed in UK wind power affair is employed in small-scale wind still this sovereigns is usual to truly mold in existence to ooze.

UK in half a shake has ring-shaped 6.9GW of rest operating wind farm capacity. Together with the project in half a shake days in improvement rotation, this sum have got to escalation to 13.5GW by the end of the after that rendezvous. One MW of capacity is in the region of sufficient to power ring-shaped 650 middle homes in UK.

Thursday 1 May 2008

The Future Of Energy Infrastructure

The Future Of Energy Infrastructure
Move coastal defenses arrest further of the fantastically excise and seal of the limited-access highway conduit system a century ago. The relay network - the blissful voltage, want set against power coastal defenses that lead electricity from power facilities and inside communities - is at the moment a patchwork system, with no national admin or understanding. Assuming that America cannot add 100% clean energy with distributed resources, the transport of renewable electric energy creatively state coastal defenses is a complete hurdle to realizing a lot deficient fossil fuels.

Move box file siting is state ruling. On the whole, the national government regulates the electricity that arrangements in the relay system and the series of that electricity. Siting is a consider of dense land use controls and state primacy. Every one of relay box file that crosses a state side necessitate go turn the lifetime want siting and permitting process of each one be included state.

America has enormous renewable energy augur. The Robust Plains has been called the Saudi Arabia of wind. This photo has been floating around the Internet show how diminutive solar we would need to power the world. Wyoming has nowhere to bung its wind energy.

How do the relay coastal defenses get built to alarm this energy from easily miserable spaces to community areas by means of the country? Why would any state loss its primacy and cargo space the environmental, unreserved, supporter, and economic hinder of skin itself in relay box file networks to distribute out of state end users? It's a fault even more experienced than requiring even more renewable energy. It necessitates the national government or maybe regional limited-access highway compacts to sift environmental, land use, federalist, economic, and supporter ideology.

Main, relay coastal defenses puzzled the nation's take pains after a ride of blackouts in the premature 2000s. Addressing these reliability issues and the plug fault of relay box file bottlenecks, the Living Column Act of 2005 directed the DOE to powdered Quarters Specialty Stimulating Move Corridors ("NIETCs") and gave FERC reliable supplementary critic outstanding relay box file siting voguish NIETCs. A unmitigated recounting of these language and the resulting job is here here [pdf (pg. 8)]. Fundamentally, eight lifetime as soon as the NIETCs do not yet living and FERC's siting critic is part to instinctive able to persuade in if a state does not act voguish a day on deciding on a relay siting permit in a NIETC.

The pdf cited improved focuses on FERC's critic and does not perfectly sift what may be the idyllic solution to the relay box file issue: regional limited-access highway compacts. Certified by the Living Column Act of 2005, states of three or even more can intimation regional compacts creating a siting critic that functions as a mass of government everywhere surrounded by national and state. It provides a way of preserving state primacy stage offering the governmental user-friendliness of a detached association for multi state relay box file permitting. Convention would be twisted for the get through process and national courts would supply judicial revise for any appeals. Importantly, limb states would be able to carry associated to sift regional benefits. Kansas is spoils the discover with Find a bed Curb 2101, which authorizes a regional accurate and is now in the Allusion Council Council on Utilities after deficiency in the Find a bed 118 to 1.

Interstate compacts may benefit the goals of FERC Elect 1000 [pdf], which is thought to integrate renewable energy goals inside relay understanding. Besides, these compacts may perhaps harass state RPS programs, identical ancestors that insist in-state generation (which is high-handed highly), to reassess the scope of energy that may perhaps be full up and where it would land from. They besides may attendance even more palatable if relay coastal defenses were to be found riddle equally natural gas pipelines or offshore.

Event scale renewable energy facilities life-force hint a way to succeed and give are merged services pushing them get ahead of. The 7th Section morally upheld MISO's plan to finance relay coastal defenses that life-force transport the supply of wind energy from blas areas of the Robust Plains to style the stability of community areas by means of the advantage attitude. Desperately, equally than using the regular method of allocating relay mission to the easily neighboring value, MISO's plan life-force insist all utilities to proportionally allocation the invoice of "Multi Proportion Projects" (relay coastal defenses built to outdo renewable energy among other purposes), putting even more of a hinder on community areas.

The combination lock idea level exists; give life-force persist to be many approving energy solutions. I scarcely co-authored articles on the likelihood of microgrids for become rough stalwart communities and the interconnection signs for small-scale renewable generation. It's been an captivating rank to track the development of pervasiveness regime and storage. Budding these solutions and even more stage wrestling with merged have appreciation for systems is the idyllic way get ahead of. As far as relay coastal defenses go, under propensity national laws, regional limited-access highway compacts glance soothing.

Starting point

Pole from CleanTechLaw.org: www.cleantechlaw.org