nuclear-news

Global competition for modern clean energy is under way

The Great Renewable Energy Race  (excellent interactive graphics)  http://go.bloomberg.com/multimedia/the-great-renewable-energy-race/ BLOOMBERG MARCH 18, 2012   Global investment in renewable energy climbed to a record $260 billion last year, and the race for clean power is just getting started.

We reported last week how new solar and wind technologies are approaching price parity with traditionally cheaper coal- and gas-burning power plants. Today, the world’s regions go head-to-head….

Where the Wind Blows

The wind energy market started in the U.S. in the 1980s, in a drive for greater energy independence. Investment shifted to Europe  in the 1990s, drawn by grants, incentives and so-called feed-in tariffs,  which encourage cost reductions by locking in long-term prices  at favorable rates.

Turbine installations moved to Asia in 2009. By 2011, China, the world’s biggest wind investor, was installing 20 gigawatts of wind power a year, three times as much as the U.S., the second biggest investor. Asia will remain the most active region for wind investment until 2019, according to BNEF estimates.

Where the Sun Shines

Japan dominated solar installations in the 1990s, when the market remained small. In 2004, European feed-in tariffs abruptly shifted the solar focus to Europe, where it remains today.

The decline in crystalline solar silicon prices has been dramatic. As the cost of producing solar approaches parity with retail electricity purchased from the grid, installations are expected to shift from utility-scale solar fields to smaller-scale rooftop projects. The biggest share will move to Asia next year, according to BNEF: China’s total solar capacity is expected to climb to 272 gigawatts in 2030 from less than 1 gigawatt today. http://go.bloomberg.com/multimedia/the-great-renewable-energy-race/

March 21, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | renewable, Resources -audiovicual