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Ways to make renewable energy competitive in USA

Two financial mechanisms that have driven investment in traditional energy projects — real estate investment trusts and master limited partnerships — could, with some help from Washington, be extended to renewable energy projects to lower their cost and make America’s energy future cleaner, cheaper — and more democratic

How to Make Renewable Energy Competitive, NYT By FELIX MORMANN and DAN REICHER June 1, 2012 STANFORD, Calif.Renewable energy needs help. Technological innovation has significantly reduced the cost of solar panels, wind turbines and other equipment, but renewable energy still needs serious subsidies to compete with conventional energy. Today, help comes mostly in the form of federal tax breaks.

These tax incentives, and the Congressional battle over extending them for wind projects beyond the end of this year, mean that other, more powerful policies to promote renewables are not getting the attention they deserve. If renewable energy is going to become fully competitive and a significant source of energy in the United States, then further technological innovation must be accompanied by financial innovation so that clean energy sources gain access to the same low-cost capital that traditional energy sources like coal and natural gas enjoy. Continue reading →

June 4, 2012 Posted by | renewable, USA | Leave a comment

Mainstream media waking up to Fukushima danger, and Germany’s renewables leadership

The second energy event of this past weekend was uplifting and extraordinary, due to an extremely sunny weekend, half of Germany’s electricity was generated by solar power two days. The decision to close down and eventually shut all of Germany’s nuclear reactors now appears to have been justified

Germany’s Solar Success and Fukushima’s Crisis: Intelligent Energy Priorities, HUFFINGTONPOST, Vivian Norris   06/01/2012 Last weekend, events took place which should make us think about the future of energy on this planet. Firstly, radioactive bluefish tuna was caught off the coast of California. The radioactivity, though in fairly small amounts, could be directly traced to the releases from the disasters at the reactors at Fukushima Daichi, following the devastating earthquake and tsunami.

And more importantly, the public finally received some answers from those supposedly in charge in Japan during the accident. Former Prime Minister Kan testified that the ties between regulators and TEPCO was so intertwined, and the accident so profound, that he called for Japan to stop all use of nuclear energy. For once, it appeared that mainstream media paid attention and published both Kan’s words, as well as articles on serious concerns about the status of fuel pools at Fukushima. Experts and more fringe elements on the internet had been publishing good information for over a year. It is to the New York Times’ credit that they acknowledged the role that the pressure from these groups played in forcing TEPCO and the Japanese government to admit they had not been forthcoming. Continue reading →

June 2, 2012 Posted by | Germany, renewable | 1 Comment

Solar smart grid a Middle East first for Bahrain

Bahrain Commits to Green Energy, Sacramento Bee, By Kingdom of Bahrain, Jun. 1, 2012 –  MANAMA, Bahrain, — /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ –– In one of the first major solar energy projects in the Middle East, Bahrain yesterday announced plans to implement a solar smart grid in Awali, paving the way for future smart cities in Gulf.

“The Middle East has for some time evaluated the integration of solar energy for reduction
of reliance on non-renewable energy sources. However, Bahrain is among the first in the region to implement a project of this kind, demonstrating a serious commitment to long term solutions,” Marty Youssefiani, CEO of Caspian Energy Holdings, said.

Bahrain’s National Oil and Gas Authority (NOGA) is implementing five megawatt solar
capacity into a wireless smart grid network in cooperation with Petra Solar, Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) and  Caspian Energy Holdings.

The grid circumvents common interconnection issues and costs of traditional solar systems because of its ability to install into the current transmission and distribution infrastructure. Bahrain intends to spread similar sustainable technology across the country in the future…… http://www.sacbee.com/2012/06/01/4531560/bahrain-commits-to-green-energy.html#storylink=cpy

June 2, 2012 Posted by | MIDDLE EAST, renewable | Leave a comment

Distributed solar power for millions of the world’s poor

Barefoot Power’s products are brightening up the lives of those with limited or no access to grid power.  Products range from single desk lamps to complete kits for use by homes, clinics and schools. With good links to microfinance organisations and exceptional customer care, Barefoot has sold more than 400,000 lanterns and lighting kits to two million rural poor in Africa,Asia Pacific, India and the Americas. 

Solar power pioneer wins global green energy award, PR Wire 1 June 12,  A company specialising in providing affordable solar power products to remote rural communities has won a coveted Ashden Award for its work in Africa.

Barefoot Power was awarded some £20,000 in prize money at a prestigious ceremony in London this evening after joining other Award winners at a meeting with His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales at Clarence House in the morning.

The Ashden judges said: “With its astonishing sales figures, Barefoot is a fantastic example of a market-led solution to bringing renewable electricity to Africa’s rural poor. Through its network of micro-entrepreneurs it is overcoming the barriers of how to access remote communities and how to make solar power affordable.” Continue reading →

June 1, 2012 Posted by | 2 WORLD, decentralised, Reference | Leave a comment

Germany’s dazzling success with small scale solar energy

the really meaningful story starts with a different number: 189.24 GWh. That’s the amount of electrical energy generated from more than a million PV solar systems spread all over the country on that record day. Not only was this almost 14% of Friday’s total electricity consumption in Germany, it was also, actually, not that unusual.

For the last couple of weeks, the output of PV solar peaked within an inch of the 20 GW line several times, and it never peaked very low throughout the month. The lowest peak load was 8 GW, while the average peak load of PV solar was 16 GW. So, it seems that solar is not as unreliable as conventional wisdom and media outlets often lead people to believe. Because I can tell you that we didn’t have 4 weeks straight of sunshine here in Germany, that’s for sure.

In-Depth: Germany’s 22 GW Solar Energy Record Clean Technica, MAY 31, 2012 BY THOMAS Last Friday, on the 25th of May 2012, Germany set a new world solar energy record in photovoltaic solar energy: 22.4 GW of photovoltaic energy on the grid covering over 30% of all energy demand! That’s the equivalent of 20 huge conventional fossil or nuclear power plants. This is clearly amazing news that made headlines around the world and was accompanied by either praise or the typical anti-solar bickering that is rather dominant in big media outlets even today (or especially today).

The latter didn’t mind even using this incredible clean energy accomplishment to repeat the usual ignorant talking points, disinformation, or flat out lies. Unfortunately, those news pieces and early articles praising the event didn’t fully exploit the opportunity to explain the true significance of having so much solar energy in the energy mix, especially when looking at the technological developments and opportunities of the coming years. Continue reading →

June 1, 2012 Posted by | decentralised, Germany | Leave a comment

Distributed solar energy, and distributed energy storage

In-Depth: Germany’s 22 GW Solar Energy Record Clean Technica, MAY 31, 2012 BY THOMAS“…….Millions of Batteries in Buildings — Utopian? …… it is very easy to show that it’s just a matter of time until the combination of energy storage for homes with rooftop solar energy and/or small-wind becomes viable and even profitable.

Today, there are still about 6.4 million oil tanks in homes and buildings all over Germany storing energy in the form heating oil. Installing such a tank costs several thousand Euros today. So, why shouldn’t independent power producers start putting up new forms of energy storage in the same numbers as soon as it makes economic sense?

How would 6 million home storage systems change the energy system? Well, 6 million 10 kW / 25 kWh would mean a distributed storage system with 60 GW maximum output/input and 150 GWh of capacity. That’s already enough storage for 10% of the current daily consumption, more than enough to power all German households through the night. It’s also coming a long way to fill the gap between renewable baseload power (hydro and biomass) and variable sources like wind and solar.

That 10-kW/25-kWh battery is not fiction by the way. It’s quite similar to the battery pack that powers the Nissan Leaf right now, Just one battery that will soon reach production volumes in the hundreds of thousands as factories in Japan, Europe, and the US crank up production by 2013.

It’s true that the $15,000 price tag for the battery is too high right now. But, since all kinds of competitors are investing in this market, economics of scale, innovation and optimization will certainly reduce the cost of such batteries in the coming years. In the case of multi-kWh batteries, this development is a lot more obvious than what happened with the price for solar cells just 7 years ago. The fall of prices surprised many analysts back then. Today, prices for solar cells are 70%-80% cheaper than what they were in 2007, putting the cost of solar systems well below $2 per Watt in Germany…. .. https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?shva=1#inbox/137a6ed1432cd545

June 1, 2012 Posted by | energy storage, Germany, Reference | Leave a comment

China’s campaign to cut greenhouse gases

China to spend $27bn on energy efficiency and renewables Country plans to promote solar and wind power and develop hybrid technologies to cut carbon emissions guardian.co.uk,   25 May 2012  China plans to spend $27 bn (£17bn) this year to promote energyconservation, emission reductions and renewable energy.

The country’s finance ministry said it wants to promote energy-saving products, solar and wind power and accelerate the development of renewable energy and hybrid cars…..

In the long term, China is targeting to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 40-45% by 2020, compared with 2003 levels and aims to boost its use of renewable energy to 15% of overall energy consumption.

Negotiators from over 180 nations are meeting in Bonn, Germany, until Friday to work towards getting a new global climate pact signed by 2015. The aim is to ensure ambitious emissions cuts are made after the Kyoto protocol expires at the end of this year. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/may/25/china-renewable-energy-carbon-emissions

May 26, 2012 Posted by | China, ENERGY | Leave a comment

Better ways than nuclear power to manage electricity

Nuclear is not the only option  The Guardian UK , Alan Mitcham, 25 May 12, I can’t understand why the government is pushing for more investment in nuclear power when Fukushima is so recent. I’ve also heard Ed Davey “squirming” on the BBC and saying we need investment to “keep the lights on”. Keep the lights on?

Maybe 50 years ago this was the primary use of electricity but now most goes on powering masses of superfluous appliances and gadgets. So we should ask ourselves how we might distinguish between essential (keeping the lights on) and luxury (frothing coffee) electricity?

One way would be to install a supplementary DC circuit in every home. Here batteries would be charged at cheap night-time rates or from solar panels, with them supplying a limited amount of essential electricity. The cost for daytime AC power could then be increased significantly so we all start to feel a real level of “financial pain” when we run the tumble-drier,
switch on air-conditioning or leave the TV running when we are not
really watching it.

Phil Booth It ill behoves those of us who have lived long lives of
profligate energy consumption to wring our hands as if nothing can be
done to rationalise UK energy policy. 0ur best efforts make little
impression on the global problem and may not impress India or China,
but to do nothing sends a message about the greed of arrogant
developed nations which they and others will seize with both hands.
And we don’t need to wait for Jenkins’s wise mathematician to deliver
answers. We should begin now by taking aggressive measures to cut
energy use; not a glamorous step but effective, and cost-effective
too….. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/may/24/nuclear-power-not-only-option?newsfeed=true

May 26, 2012 Posted by | ENERGY, UK | Leave a comment

Germany doing well with nuclear phaseout – despite the nuclear lobby’s lies about this

Busting the carbon and cost myths of Germany’s nuclear exit, Guardian UK  Damian Carrington, 23 May 12  Critics of the atomic phase-out said energy emissions, costs and imports would all rise. They were wrong.  it’s worth taking a look at what actually happens when you phase out nuclear power in a large, industrial nation.

That is what Germany chose to do after the Fukushima nuclear disaster, closing eight plants immediately – 7GW – and another nine by 2022. The shrillest critics predicted blackouts, which was always daft and did not happen.

But more serious critics worried that the three things at the heart of th eenergy and climate change debate – carbon, cost and security of supply – would all head in the wrong direction. Here in Berlin, I have found they were wrong on every count. Continue reading →

May 24, 2012 Posted by | Germany, renewable | Leave a comment

The transition to renewable s – American’s energy revolution under way

America’s renewables revolution, Climate Spectator , 24 May 2012 John Kemp  “……Speaking in his state of the union address to Congress in January, the president claimed, “We’ve subsidised oil companies for a century. That’s long enough. It’s time to end the taxpayer giveaways to an industry that rarely has been more profitable and double-down on a clean energy industry that never has been more promising.”

But the rhetoric obscures an unprecedented push to cut energy consumption  and increase the share of renewable energy generation underway at all levels of government as well as in the private sector.
Federal, state and local governments, coupled with local power and gas utilities, are pouring billions of dollars a year into a vast range of initiatives to boost efficiency and renewables.
Support for efficiency and renewables is split across thousands of
different programs, which has tended to hide the scale of the overall effort. As a result, many energy analysts fail to appreciate the scale of the shift underway. However, the sheer amount of support being given to clean technology and energy efficiency programs suggests a revolutionary transformation of the energy system will likely occur in the next two decades. Continue reading →

May 24, 2012 Posted by | renewable, USA | Leave a comment

Small scale renewable energy for millions in Sub-Saharan Africa

Solar energy enterprise to provide 10 million with access to renewable energy, PR Wire 24 May 12 The BCtA is a global initiative that encourages private sector efforts to fight poverty, supported by several international organizations including the UN Development Programme (UNDP).

Ten million low-income people living in rural communities in Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, will gain access to low-cost solar energy by 2015, in part due to a commitment made by solar energy provider Barefoot Power   to the Business Call to Action  (BCtA).

The BCtA is a global initiative that encourages private sector efforts to fight poverty, supported by several international organizations including the UN Development Programme (UNDP). Continue reading →

May 24, 2012 Posted by | 2 WORLD, decentralised | Leave a comment

South Africa’s renewable energy becoming cheaper

Renewable energy ‘getting cheaper’ Business Report, By Londiwe Buthelezi.  May 22 2012 The cost of renewable energy for South African businesses and homes is coming down. Projects chosen in the second bidding window of the renewable energy independent power producers (IPP) programme would offer power at lower prices, the Department of Energy announced yesterday. Continue reading →

May 23, 2012 Posted by | renewable, South Africa | Leave a comment

Majority of Americans want renewable energy, see USA politics as corrupt

the public has clearly picked up on the fact that corrupt politics is a key reason we don’t have more of that. 82% of Americans (69% of Republicans, 84% of Independents, and 95% of Democrats) agree with this statement: “The time is now for a new, grassroots-driven politics to realize a renewable energy future.

76% of Americans Want Clean Energy Instead of Nuclear, Natural Gas, & Coal Clean Technica MAY 15, 2012 BY ZACHARY SHAHAN  Yet another recent poll showed that Americans really support clean energy, across political affiliations (though, there’s clearly more support on the left).

The ORC International survey, conducted for the nonprofit and nonpartisan Civil Society Institute (CSI), found that 76% of Americans (58% of Republicans, 83% of Independents, and 88% of Democrats) want to see ”a reduction in our reliance on nuclear power, natural gas and coal, and instead, launch a national initiative to boost renewable energy and energy efficiency.” (And who knows what the remaining 24% are smoking?) Continue reading →

May 18, 2012 Posted by | ENERGY, opposition to nuclear, politics, Reference | Leave a comment

Communities benefiting from distributed renewable energy

It’s possible to reduce today’s energy consumption for street and road lighting by as much as 60% with new technologies – LED, smart lighting, distributed wind energy and even lights out programs. 

The distributed energy market refers to small-scale energy produced primarily for on-site energy consumption meaning street lights, roof tops and ledges anything that requires a direct power source. In 2011, the size of the distributed renewable energy market was estimated around $70 billion dollars globally. It’s expected to top $150 billion by 2015. Because distributed energy is generated at the source of where energy is needed, the inefficient transmission lines are eliminated, creating a more direct source of  renewable energy, with the traditional grid being used as a supplemental energy source.


Small Wind Energy Goes Urban In Italy, Korea, Brazil And Texas ,  by Jennifer Hcks, 18 May 12, http://www.forbes.com/sites/jenniferhicks/2012/05/17/small-wind-energy-goes-urban-in-italy-korea-brazil-and-texas-yes-texas/?ss=innovation-science  Streetlights usually operate at electricity rates like the ones we pay in our private homes. About one-third of a municipality’s electrical costs are for street lighting. So having that energy provided by some form of renewable energy, means that every cent is saved and for municipalities, whose budgets are being squeezed, that’s something serious to consider. Continue reading →

May 18, 2012 Posted by | 2 WORLD, decentralised | Leave a comment

Apple going renewable energy

Apple to power main data centre using renewable energy, Technology Spectator, 18 May 2012 Apple plans to power its main US data center entirely with renewable energy by the end of this year, taking steps to address longstanding environmental concerns about the rapid expansion of high-consuming computer server farms. Continue reading →

May 18, 2012 Posted by | renewable, USA | Leave a comment

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