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How Japan’s nuclear lobby sabotaged renewable energy

Secret Weapons Program Inside Fukushima Nuclear Plant? Global Research, 12/4/11 by Yoichi Shimatsu“….Sabotaging Alternative Energy The cynical attitude of the nuclear lobby extends far into the future, strangling at birth the Japanese archipelago’s only viable source of alternative energy—offshore wind power.Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, a nuclear-power partner of Westinghouse, manufactures wind turbines but only for the export market.

The Siberian high-pressure zone ensures a strong and steady wind flow over northern Japan, but the region’s utility companies have not taken advantage of this natural energy resource. The reason is that TEPCO, based in Tokyo and controlling the largest energy market, acts much as a shogun over the nine regional power companies and the national grid. Its deep pockets influence high bureaucrats, publishers and politicians like Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara, while nuclear ambitions keep the defense contractors and generals on its side. Yet TEPCO is not quite the top dog. Its senior partner in this mega-enterprise is Kishi’s brainchild, METI.

The national test site for offshore wind is unfortunately not located in windswept Hokkaido or Niigata, but farther to the southeast, in Chiba Prefecture. Findings from these tests to decide the fate of wind energy won’t be released until 2015. The sponsor of that slow-moving trial project is TEPCO….. http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=24275

December 14, 2011 Posted by | Japan, renewable | Leave a comment

Tiny Pacific island Tokelau to go %100 renewable energy – Durban report

Tokelau to be first renewable energy nation Tokelau plans to use only renewable energy from next year. [ABC],  Australia Network News, 9 Dec 2011  The tiny Pacific nation of Tokelau has told a UN conference it plans to use only renewable energy within a year.   It would be the first country in the world to do so.

The head of the Tokelau Government, Foua Toloa, toldPacific Beat although his country is small, it has a powerful message.
“By September, 2012 – Tokelau will be the first nation 100 per cent renewable energy efficient, fulfilling our global obligation,” he said.

“We are making sure our voice is being heard here – especially the smallest of the small here in Durban”. Attending the UN conference in South Africa the Tokelau representatives have called for a legally-binding agreement of emission pledges from all countries. http://australianetworknews.com/stories/201112/3387536.htm?desktop

December 9, 2011 Posted by | OCEANIA, renewable | Leave a comment

The definitive answer to the myth of the “nuclear renaissance”

We’re Playing Nuclear Roulette, International to News,  06 December 2011   David Swanson The International Forum on Globalization has published the most concise, useful, readable, and damning denunciation of nuclear technology I’ve seen.  And it’s available for free as a PDF right here:  Nuclear Roulette: The Case Against a “Nuclear Renaissance”

Nuclear energy suffers from the following drawbacks: The energy put into mining, processing, and shipping uranium, plant construction, operation, and decommissioning is roughly equal to the energy a nuclear plant can produce in its lifetime.  In other words, nuclear energy does not add any net energy.

Not counted in that calculation is the energy needed to store nuclear waste for hundreds of thousands of years. Continue reading →

December 6, 2011 Posted by | 2 WORLD, climate change, ENERGY | Leave a comment

American Indians enthusiastic about potential for renewable energy industris

Indian Country welcomes renewable energy by Martin LaMonica  December 4, 2011  JEMEZ PUEBLO, N.M.–American Indian tribes see renewable energy as a way to capitalize on their natural resources.

The Department of Energy last week proposed a rule that would speed up decisions regarding land used for renewable energy projects, many of which have been derailed by bureaucracy. The rule would require decisions within a 60-day limit for business-related leases, such as developing solar and wind projects on Indian land.

“It will require the government to act,” said Interior Secretary Ken Salazar last Monday, according to reports. “The government cannot sit on its hands, as it has often done.”   Indian lands have significant resources, including solar and wind, but little has been developed, according to the National Congress of American Indians. “We’re ready to strengthen our economies now and jumpstart the clean energy economy in Indian Country. This is something the entire country can get behind,” said NCAI president Jefferson Keel in a statement….

For tribes with the resources, renewable energy holds the prospect of bringing in much-needed tax revenue, jobs, and potentially lower electricity costs, said Carolyn Stewart, managing partner at Red Mountain Energy Partners, which advises tribes on renewable energy.

“[Tribes] are very interested in controlling the pace of the development on the reservation, which they have not been able to do in the past for the most part with oil and gas, coal, or uranium mining [which] had significant environmental impacts,” she said….. http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-57335065-54/indian-country-welcomes-renewable-energy/

December 5, 2011 Posted by | indigenous issues, renewable, USA | Leave a comment

Arnold Schwarzenegger calls for renewable energy to get fair treatment from federal government

An unfair fight for renewable energies Washington Post, By Arnold Schwarzenegger,  December 4 More energy from the sun hits Earth in one hour than all the energy consumed on our planet in an entire year.
In those terms, it is absurd that our federal renewable energy to get government spends tens of billions of dollars annually subsidizing the oil industry, which pulls diminishing resources from underground, while the industry focused above ground on wind, solar and other renewable energies is
derided in Washington. Federal support for development of new energy sources is lower today than at any other point in U.S. history, and our government is forcing the ­clean-energy sector into a competitive disadvantage. To bring true competition to the energy market, ensure
our national security and create jobs here rather than in China or elsewhere, we must level the playing field for renewable energies. In this presidential primary, Americans need to hear where the candidates stand on this critical issue. Continue reading →

December 5, 2011 Posted by | renewable, USA | Leave a comment

Wind power growing in importance in South Korea

South Korea’s drive for renewable energy By Lucy Williamson, BBC News,1 Dec 11 South Korea “…..Wind power is becoming increasingly important to South Korea – not just as a way to help meet ambitious targets on greenhouse gas emissions, but also as a way to boost the economy.

“Green Growth” has been a key national strategy since President Lee Myung-bak took office four years ago……..South Korea is relatively late to the green technology market. Europe is the established leader in wind turbines – and even China is judged to be steaming ahead.

Korea completed its first wind farm five years ago. Spread across a beautiful series of hills in Gangwon Province, near the country’s eastern coast, the wind farm produces an impressive 240MW per year….. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15984399

December 3, 2011 Posted by | renewable, South Korea | Leave a comment

Fukushima residents learn at first hand the success of renewable energy projects

“It is important for the Japanese to realize that renewable energy can work on a large scale, and that people can make money from it,” said Yamamoto, 

Fukushima residents tour German renewable village; learn about non-nuclear energy sources Washington Post, By Associated Press,  November 30 FELDHEIM, Germany — A group of residents from the radiation-stricken area around Japan’s tsunami-hit nuclear reactors and a Tokyo actor are visiting Germany to learn how renewable energy could work in their
homeland…..

The group, organized and led by representatives of Greenpeace Japan, arrived Wednesday in the northeastern German village of Feldheim to learn how its 145 residents have taken advantage of the energy generated by a nearby windfarm and a biofuel plant that burns the
waste from a local pig farm to become an entirely self-sustaining, energy-positive village….. Continue reading →

December 1, 2011 Posted by | decentralised, Germany | Leave a comment

Renewable energy investment in South Africa

South Africa Becoming a Renewable Energy Hub Afribiz, Dec 1 South Africa is fast becoming a preferred renewable energy investment destination for both private and public sector investors – good news for the country’s growing electricity demands, emerging clean energy sector and the economy.

The World Bank recently approved a $250-million (R1.5- billion) loan to South African power utility Eskom to develop a wind and solar plant, which will help the country reduce its reliance on coal-based power generation.

The World Bank, which granted the funding through its Clean Technology Fund, will finance a 100-megawatt solar power plant in Upington in the Northern Cape province and a 100-megawatt wind power project north of Cape Town in the Western Cape…. http://www.afribiz.info/content/south-africa-becoming-a-renewable-energy-hub

December 1, 2011 Posted by | renewable, South Africa | Leave a comment

Renewables, energy efficiency better options for India than nuclear power

Koodankulam struggle: Western nations are learning from their mistakes, India is not  The Weekend Leader,   By Nityanand Jayaraman & Sundar Rajan, 30 Nov Chennai  “…….Nuclear power is not the only option for generating electricity. There are a number of conventional and non-conventional sources of energy that can be explored for generating electricity.

It is a fact that in more than 60 years of post-independence industrialisation and modernisation, the contribution of nuclear energy to the total electricity generation is less than 3%.
Renewable energy sources already contribute more than 10% of India’s electricity and large hydro projects deliver about 22%. Large dams, though, have exacted a devastating toll on the environment and lives of adivasi communities. Continue reading →

November 30, 2011 Posted by | India, renewable | Leave a comment

Masdar home if International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)

Renewable energy to power growth Masdar symbolises the UAE leadership’s vision of sustainable economic progress and development of human capital By Sultan Ahmad Al Jaber,  Gulf News November 30, 2011 “…….Masdar is a growing global hub for clean technology companies and works across the renewable energy value chain; covering education, research and development, investment in clean technology, implementation of renewable energy projects, and reducing carbonemissions.
In just five years, Masdar has achieved a great deal and hosts the permanent headquarters of the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) at Masdar City. Irena is the first international organisation to be headquartered in the Middle East. … Continue reading →

November 30, 2011 Posted by | renewable, United Arab Emirates | Leave a comment

Renewable energy set to boom

“These results indicate that last year’s record renewable energy investment was no one-off despite the recent economic gloom. Big winners over the next 20 years will be the emerging renewable energy hubs in Latin America, Asia, the Middle East and Africa 

Bloomberg Predicts $7 Trillion Renewable Energy Spend By 2030, by Energy Matters, 29 Nov 11 New figures from Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) predict that by 2030, global spending on renewable energy installations will have hit $7 trillion.

     Bloomberg’s “Global Renewable Energy Market Outlook” report (PDF), the analysis company’s latest forecasts on the size of the world renewable energy markets out to 2030, shows a steady rise in the value of installed renewable capacity.

BNEF predicts doubling from 2010’s record-breaking $195 billion, to $395 billion in 2020, before reaching $460 billion in 2030. By 2030, the report states, 15.7 percent of the world’s energy (including hydropower) will come from renewable sources. Continue reading →

November 29, 2011 Posted by | 2 WORLD, renewable | Leave a comment

French company AREVA finding wind energy a better bet than nuclear?

Areva has looked to diversify away from nuclear energy and build up solar, wind and biomassbusinesses. …..Areva has teamed up with energy group GDF Suez SA and concessions company Vinci SA to bid for a part of the French government’s wind turbine project…The French government aims for a total of 1,200 wind turbines to be eventually built, costing a total of €10 billion.

In mid-December Areva is set to detail the financial impact of the nuclear disaster at Fukushima this March.

Areva Diversifies Further Into Wind, WSJ, 28 Nov, By MAX COLCHESTER And NOÉMIE BISSERBE, PARIS—Areva SA said Monday it is in advanced talks to build about 120 wind turbines at two offshore wind farms in Germany, as theengineering group continues to diversify away from nuclear energy…. Continue reading →

November 29, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, France, renewable | Leave a comment

Feed-in Tariffs – the renewable energy way to go

Feed-in Tariffs the Way Forward for Renewable Energy, Peter Lynch with an introduction by Andrew DeWit, 28 Nov 11 Peter Lynch, an expert on the renewable energy sector, offers a concise introduction to the central role of feed-in tariffs (FITs) in fostering the ongoing transition from conventional, carbon-laden sources of generating electricity to renewables such as solar, wind and geothermal. As the author points out, FITs guarantee markets and prices for renewable power, and drive down their cost through deployment and the encouragement of yet more technical advance. FITs thus offer much hope to a world that seems unable to reach any sort of global agreement on cutting emissions which have continued to spiral since the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.

Last year, according to figures from Bloomberg New Energy Finance (link), investment in new generation capacity from renewable energy sources (excluding hydro) totaled USD 187 billion, outpacing the USD 157 billion new investment in natural gas, oil, and coal-fired generating capacity. This rapid ramping up of deployment of existing technologies is key for renewables, as Bloomberg notes. For example, since the mid-1980s each doubling of wind generation capacity has led to a 14% reduction in cost through technical improvements in production, better materials, learning by doing, and the like. Advances have come so rapidly that the Bloomberg New Energy Finance researchers “expect wind to become fully competitive with energy produced from combined-cycle gas turbines by 2016 in most regions offering fair wind conditions.”

The article highlights the role of the German FIT in driving this energy revolution. It notes that a decade ago Germany targeted a 12.5% share of electricity from renewables for 2010, but blew through the target in 2007 to achieve a 15.1% share……..

Feed-in Tariffs: The Proven Road NOT Taken…Why?

Peter Lynch……. http://japanfocus.org/-Peter-Lynch/3654

November 28, 2011 Posted by | 2 WORLD, renewable | Leave a comment

Economic, environmental, resources crises to be solved in Denmark through 100% renewable energy

Denmark faced three global crises which will hit it “with a force that is so far absolutely unheard of” — an economic and financial crisis, a climate crisis and a resources crisis. “This proposal will address all three crises.”

 Denmark aims for 100 pct renewable energy in 2050

* Proposes to get 52 pct of power from renewables in 2020

* Aims for entire energy supply from renewables in 2050

* Minister says investment in green energy can pay off

By Mette Fraende COPENHAGEN, Nov 25 (Reuters) – Danish government proposals on Friday called for sourcing just over half of its electricity from wind turbines by 2020 and all of its energy from renewable sources in 2050. Continue reading →

November 27, 2011 Posted by | Denmark, renewable | Leave a comment

Renewable energy now winning the race against fossil fuels

Renewable power trumps fossil fuels for first time L.A. Times, 25 Nov 11 Renewable energy is surpassing fossil fuels for the first time in new power-plant investments, shaking off setbacks from the financial crisis and an impasse at the United Nations global warming talks.

Electricity from the wind, sun, waves and biomass drew $187 billion last year compared with $157 billion for natural gas, oil and coal, according to calculations by Bloomberg New Energy Finance using the latest data. Accelerating installations of solar- and wind-power plants led to lower equipment prices, making clean energy more competitive with coal.
“The progress of renewables has been nothing short of remarkable,” United Nations Environment Program Executive Secretary Achim Steiner said in an interview. “You have record investment in the midst of an economic and financial crisis.” The findings indicate the world is shifting toward consuming more renewable energy even without a global agreement on limiting greenhouse gases. Delegates from more than 190 nations converge in Durban, South Africa, on Nov. 28 to discuss new measures for limiting emissions damaging the climate….

The New Energy Finance figures exclude investment that merely replaces existing plants, and its renewables tally excludes money spent on building large hydropower projects. Wind operators are likely to install 43 gigawatts of generating capacity this year and 48 gigawatts next year, up from 36 gigawatts in 2010, GWEC estimates…. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-renewables-20111125,0,2421278.story

November 27, 2011 Posted by | 2 WORLD, renewable | Leave a comment

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