China’s $323 billion renewable energy program
China outlines renewable energy splurge July 30, 2013 http://www.smh.com.au/business/carbon-economy/china-outlines-renewable-energy-splurge-20130730-2qx92.html#ixzz2amhMZ8XK
China may invest another 2.3 trillion yuan in key energy- aving and emission-reducing projects, Xie Zhenhua, vice chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, said Tuesday at a conference in Beijing. China stands by its pledge to cut carbon emissions per unit of economic output by as much as 45 per cent before 2020 from 2005 levels, he said.
The increased reliance on renewable sources of energy fits with efforts by China, the world’s biggest carbon emitter, to help mitigate the effects of pollution blanketing its major cities. Along with renewables investments, the environment ministry is considering stricter controls on vehicle and industry pollution.
The government aims to have 100 gigawatts of wind-power installed capacity and more than 35 gigawatts of solar power by 2015, Xie reiterated today. China’s targets have encouraged companies including China Petrochemical Corp., also known as Sinopec Group, to strengthen their commitment to protect the environment.
Sinopec Monday said it will invest 22.9 billion yuan on an environmental protection plan.
China asked seven cities and provinces last year to put in place regional caps and pilot programs for trading emission rights.
The country will gradually expand the regions falling under its carbon trading pilot program starting from 2015 in order to explore the potential for a national system, Xie said.
Renewable energy with Liquid Metal Batteries
Liquid Metal Batteries Would Make Renewable Energy Viable Engineering.com Tom Spendlove on July 26, 2013 Electricity demand has to be in constant balance with electricity supplied – this is the large scale problem Donald Sadoway wants to solve in this TED Talk. The constraints of this problem are immense. A solution would need to generate incredibly high power, have a long service life and come at a very low cost.
Energy storage is the solution. Giant batteries could address the problem of intermittency that prevents wind and solar from contributing to the grid like a coal burning power plant.
Donald Sadoway: The missing link to renewable energy
Sadoway knows that battery science is straightforward and that the first battery was simple. Alessandro Volta’s invention in the early 1800s only required two electrodes, metals of different compositions, and an electrolyte. ….
Through research at MIT, the battery designs evolved from a shot glass-sized cell storing 1 Watt-hour to a saucer-sized cell storing 200 Watt-hours. Sadoway started his own company to produce larger batteries that will stack to fill a forty foot shipping container.
These large scale batteries would contain 2 MegaWatt-hours, enough energy to meet the daily needs of two hundred American homes.
Wind energy- California’s quiet achiever
Wind, the ‘workhorse’ of renewable energy Oakland Press, July 26, 2013 By Dana Hull The San Jose Mercury News When it comes to renewable energy, Californians hear a lot about solar power. Massive solar power plants are under construction in the desert and will soon be online. Solar panels adorn the roofs of a growing number of homes and commercial buildings. PG&E alone has 90,000 solar customers. Gov. Jerry Brown recently spoke at Intersolar, the solar trade show that met in San Francisco this month, and the state’s solar industry lobby is increasingly influential.
100,000 solar panels installed by UK supermarket chain
UK Supermarket Chain Installs 100,000th Solar Panel by Energy Matters, 26 July 13 Sainsbury’s says it has now installed 100,000 solar panels, representing 22MW capacity across 210 of its UK stores.
Enough to cover 35 football pitches; the company says the modules will reduce its carbon impact by an estimated 9,785 tonnes per year.
The company has also extended its renewable energy efforts to other technologies, including solar hot water and ground source heat pumps. A recently installed heat pump at its Crayford store supplies 30 per cent of that supermarket’s energy requirements…..http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=3859
Big buildings with Solar Skins are on the way
Switched on: solar cladding takes off SMH July 24, 2013 From stadiums in Brazil to a bank headquarters in Britain, architects led by Norman Foster are integrating solar cells into the skin of buildings, helping the market for the technology triple within two years. Continue reading
World Bank to fund renewables, energy efficiency, in fight against poverty
World Bank fights poverty with renewable energy, EcoSeed 19 Jul 2013 The World Bank is now promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy, limiting its financial support for coal-fired power plants so as to reduce poverty and build shared prosperity.
The World Bank released a paper back on July 16, titled “The Energy Sector Directions Paper,” which sets a principles-based course for the Bank Group’s work in the energy sector that will focus on expanding energy access and sustainable energy.
Based on the new course of the bank, the institution aims to expand access to energy, along with accelerating energy efficiency and renewable energy, Continue reading
Renewable energy up – nuclear down – Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Renewable Energy Sources On the Rise ENN,July 18, 2013 Each year the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) releases energy flow charts in an effort to track the United States’ consumption of energy resources. So what seems to be the trend from the past couple of years? Well, renewable energy is on the upswing.Compared to 2011, Americans used more natural gas, solar panels and wind turbines and less coal to generate electricity in 2012, according to the LLNL charts……
The reasons why we are turning to renewables isn’t purely environmental as the rise in renewables is tied to both prices (the underlying cost of solar panels and wind turbines has gone down) and policy (government incentives to installers of equipment or renewable energy targets in 
various states), Simon said.
Overall, Americans used 2.2 quadrillion BTU, or quads, less in 2012 than the previous year (BTU or British Thermal Unit is a unit of measurement for energy; 3,400 BTU is equivalent to about 1 kW-hr).
Out of the renewables, wind power saw the highest percentage gains, going from 1.17 quads produced in 2011 up to 1.36 quads in 2012. New wind farms continue to come on line with bigger, more efficient turbines that have been developed in response to government-sponsored incentives to invest in renewable energy.
Solar jumped from 0.158 quads in 2011 to 0.235 quads in 2012. This can be attributed to declining prices of photovoltaic panels.
The charts also show that 2012 is the first year in at least a decade where there has been a measurable decrease in nuclear energy.
“It is likely to be a permanent cut as four nuclear reactors recently went offline (two units at San Onofre in California as well as the power stations at Kewaunee in Wisconsin and Crystal River in Florida),” Simon said. “There are a couple of nuclear plants under construction, but they won’t come on for another few years.”…. http://www.enn.com/pollution/article/46227
USA farmers increasingly support renewable energy mandates
supporting renewable energy mandates, and thus ensuring that states uphold that portion of climate mitigation, makes sense for farmers, who are increasingly threatened by the effects of climate change.
Down On The Farm, Clean Energy Requirements Are Opportunities, Not Burdens http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/07/18/2320481/farmers-support-clean-energy-requirements/ By Katie Valentine on Jul 18, 2013 American farmers aren’t usually seen as champions of climate causes — in fact, they’re often known for their climate change skepticism. But farmers across the country have begun standing up for clean energy mandates in their states because they see them as an opportunity for profit in an increasingly uncertain industry.
This year, at least 14 of the 29 states with renewable energy mandates, which require utility companies to purchase a certain amount of their energy from renewable sources, have considered bills to weaken or repeal the requirements, none of which have passed. That’s due in part to farmers, who have teamed up with environmentalists and other pro-green energy groups to push legislators to keep the mandates. Their voices, along with the voices of some local businesses and the prospect of new clean energy jobs, have made it difficult for local lawmakers to repeal the standards.
“It’s hard to be conservative when it affects your district,” Rep. Mike Hager, the majority whip in the North Carolina House, told the Wall Street Journal. Continue reading
Britons can cut their electricity bills, even make money, in switching to renewable energy
if you feel like you’re getting taken for a ride every time you open up your energy bill then boycott the big six energy companies and switch to renewable energy today.
Battling the ‘Big Six’: The Best Way to Boycott Extortionate Charges from Energy Companies Greener Ideal, Gabriella Johnson is JULY 18, 2013 “……the recent 
publication of a new in depth investigation into renewableenergy, ‘The Offshore Valuation’, has thrown out the gauntlet to renewable energy nay-sayers by attempting a complete economic evaluation of the offshore renewable energy resource available in the
UK, which produced some startling results.
Transforming UK Energy
According to the study, the UK could become a net electricity exporter and be generating the equivalent of a million barrels of oil by 2050 by developing just a third of the total tidal, wind and wave power available around the country.
This could have a huge number of benefits including insuring against the volatility of fossil fuel prices, creating over 140,000 new jobs and generating more than £30 billion in revenue through exporting electricity to Europe. Continue reading
Free solar power to 2 million poor citizens in Peru
Peru to Provide Free Solar Power to its 2 Million Poorest Citizens http://inhabitat.com/peru-solar-power-program-aims-to-give-electricity-to-the-countrys-2-million-poorest-citizens/ by Timon Singh, 07/16/13 The country of Peru is looking to provide free electricity to over 2 million of its poorest citizens by harvesting energy from the sun. Energy and Mining Minister Jorge Merino said that the National Photovoltaic Household Electrification Program will provide electricity to poor households through the installation of photovoltaic panels.
The first part of the program aims to provide solar systems to 500,000 extremely poor households in areas that lack even basic access to the power grid. Unsurprisingly, it is a massive opportunity for domestic solar installers, and Merino has said that bidding for the contract will open later this year to fix the rest of the panels.
The project was first started in Contumaza, a province in the northeastern region of Cajamarca, where 1,601 solar panels were installed. The energy minister has said that when the project is finished, the scheme will allow 95% of Peru to have access to electricity by the end of 2016.
Speaking to the Latin America Herald Tribune, Merino said: “This program is aimed at the poorest people, those who lack access to electric lighting and still use oil lamps, spending their own resources to pay for fuels that harm their health.”
If Peru can do this for its people, it makes you wonder why more prosperous countries can’t do the same. Peru to Provide Free Solar Power to its 2 Million Poorest Citizens | Inhabitat – Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building
Fiji’s solar expert grandmothers show the way
AUDIO Fijian grandmothers educating locals on solar panel installation http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-17/fiji-grandmothers-educating-younger-generation-on-solar-pane/4826594 Jul 17, 2013 A group of grandmothers in Fiji are educating the younger generation on solar panel installation to generate electricity in their villages.
The elderly women underwent training at the Barefoot College in India, an NGO that provides rural communities with training and education. Fiji’s Womens Minister, Dr Jiko Luveni, has told Radio Australia’s Pacific Beat program the training programme was specifically for grandmothers.
“The idea behind it is that these women are already established in the villages,” Dr Luveni said.
“They have their homes and they are not likely to leave the village as soon as they come back with their skill. Dr Luveni says the elderly women are now celebrated as solar experts and are supervising their young trainees as they install the solar equipment.
“After the training, it was these young people who actually installed the equipment in each house,” she said.
“The grandmothers were merely supervising what they did.
She says the initiative is bringing about various other social benefits to the villages.
“In this particular village that I went into, I could see that the moral of the villagers were boosted as they have a product that is an evidence of development in their villages,” Dr Luveni said.
“That village has gone into some income generating activity…They are more development oriented in their thinking.
“That particular village now has established a canteen and he young people are being recruited to help in the assemblage and installation of the solar equipment in those villages. Thereby, gaining an income,” she said.
World Bank will no longer fund coal power
World Bank Shuns Funding Coal Fired Power, Renewable Energy news, 18 July 13 by Energy Matters The World Bank has affirmed it will only provide financial support for new greenfield coal based power generation in rare circumstances. Those circumstances will be where there are no feasible alternatives to meeting basic energy needs.
In a new Energy Sector Directions Paper (PDF), the body has stated it will make every effort to “minimize the financial and environmental costs of expanding reliable energy supply”.
It will continue to finance all forms of renewable energy and will support more expensive clean energy options where there is strong client ownership, or if concessional climate finance can be sourced.
Commenting on the Paper, World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim says affordable energy is needed to help end poverty and to build shared prosperity. “We will also scale up efforts to improve energy efficiency and increase renewable energy—according to countries’ needs and opportunities.”
The World Bank recognises the rapidly declining costs of wind and solar power are making these technologies competitive with fossil fuel based power generation in some settings. …. http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=3846
India: wind energy production is beating nuclear
“Since 2007, with almost 100% investment from the private sector, wind energy production is more than that of nuclear energy,”
Why nuclear when wind energy is better? http://www.dnaindia.
com/bangalore/1861294/report-why-nuclear-when-wind-energy-is-better , Jul 15, 2013, : Bangalore | Agency: DNA Malavika Velayanikal Members of Parliament interact with renewable energy experts at the Climate Parliament meet in the city. What happens when a bunch of intelligent and well-informed Members of Parliament get thrown into a room full of renewable energy experts?
This, in nutshell, is what happened at the first day on Climate Parliament meet in Bangalore on Saturday.
“When both nuclear energy and wind energy each contribute 3% of the total energy production in the country, why is the government promoting and investing in nuclear energy, and not wind energy, which is almost entirely funded by the private sector?” This was one of the hard questions that came up during the meet. Continue reading
UK’s new solar feed-in tariff will pay off for homeowners
UK Launches Renewable Heat Incentive http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=3839 16 July 13 UK households are set to reap big rewards under a new feed-in tariff scheme for energy generated by solar thermal panels, biomass boilers and heat pumps.
The new Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) will pay homeowners the equivalent of AU$0.12c/kWh for air-to-water sourced heat pumps, AUS0.20/kWh for recycled biomass pellet boilers, AU$0.30/kWh for ground and water-sourced heat pumps, and a minimum of AU$0.31c/kWh for homes with installed flat plate and evacuated tube solar hot water systems.
The scheme is designed to assist in the uptake of renewable energy systems in the UK, cut carbon emissions and help drive down the cost of electricity bills for working families. Only technologies that help Great Britain meet its European Union renewable energy target obligations will be eligible under the new tariff arrangements.
“The Coalition is committed to helping hardworking families with the cost of living. Investing for the long term in new renewable heat technologies will mean cleaner energy and cheaper bills. So this package of measures is a big step forward in our drive to get innovative renewable heating kit in our homes,” said UK Energy and Climate Change Minister Greg Barker.
The RHI is being hailed as a world first by parent agency, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). The DECC says lessons learned from Renewable Heat Premium Payment – a one-off payment to assist households with the cost of installing renewable energy systems – has helped the DECC design a scheme in which people “can now invest in a range of exciting heating technologies knowing how much the tariff will be for different renewable heat technologies and benefit from the clean green heat produced.”
The RHI is open to households that have installed an eligible renewable heat technology since 2009. Payments will be made quarterly for seven years – the expected payback time of a renewable heating system, taking into account the falling cost of solar thermal and heat pump technologies.
The Maldives: imperative that it moves to renewable energy
Maldives and its renewable energy sector The Frontier Post, Muhammad Omar Iftikhar, 14 July 13 The island of the Maldives is facing an energy crisis, which if left unimpeded, can jeopardize the proper functioning of the island. Although the island has enough resources to generate alternate energy, there seems to be lack of private sector funding, a dearth of international investment, and the Maldivian government’s inefficiency to promote the sector, which is only serving to accentuate the energy crisis.
The Maldives is focusing on generating renewable energy and becoming less dependent on fossil fuel and carbon fuel because of the Maldivian government’s plan to become a carbon neutral country by 2020. If the country realizes its carbon neutral dream, then it will become the second South Asian country after Bhutan to imply carbon free strategies. Bhutan is on the verge of becoming an organic country by banning the use of pesticides and herbicides and relying on its animals and farm waste for fertilizers. With the same thought in mind to use natural resources, the Maldives is moving forward with a single-minded approach to become a carbon free country. ……
In order to develop its renewable energy sector, the Maldives is searching for international investment and it has received a positive response from the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank as both financial institutions have assured to provide the Maldives with the needed monetary assistance. They have already funded the $138 million renewable energy project in the Maldives, which began in October 2012. According to the plan, the project will produce nearly 26MW of energy and will benefit fifty islands. How successful will this project be is yet to be seen. …..http://www.thefrontierpost.com/article/26861/
1 This Month
26 September – International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons
PLEASE OPPOSE HR 8255 AND S.3639 – bills would accelerate satellite deployment, with no environmental review or safeguards – https://ncstd5li.quorum.us/campaign/169331/
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