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.
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/
Nuclear industry in decline- World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2013,
Report: Renewable energy overtaking declining nuclear http://www.pv-tech.org/news/solar_overtakes_nuclear_in_global_energy_output 12 July 13, Only 1.2GW of nuclear generation capacity was installed last year globally compared to 32GW of solar, according to a report proclaiming the end of the “nuclear renaissance”.
The World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2013, published yesterday, was written by numerous academics and independent energy consultants as a “reality check” on global use of nuclear energy.
It claims that with global electricity generation from nuclear decreasing “historically” by 7% last year, nuclear power is in decline as a power source compared to renewable energies.
The report singled out solar and wind as energy forms that were beginning to rival nuclear. It said that 80% of those it surveyed thought renewables would be able to compete with major power and utilities sectors, and that “all forms of solar will not need subsidies to compete” by 2030.
The largest investment in renewable energy was in utility-scale renewable energy parks, and second was in rooftop solar PV installations. Continue reading
Wind farm development going ahead in Fukushima
Wind farm takes shape off Fukushima as Japan seeks non-nuclear energy http://www.euronews.com/2013/07/12/wind-farm-takes-shape-off-fukushima-as-japan-seeks-non-nuclear-energy/ The first phase is complete of a plan to build the world’s largest offshore wind farm near the Fukushima nuclear plant that was crippled by an earthquake and tsunami in March 2011.
The first turbine has been delivered to the area and the facility is due to become operational in October.
It is part of plans by Fukushima Prefecture to ditch nuclear energy and move towards total reliance on renewable sources over the next 25 years.
By 2020 scores of giant turbines 200 metres high should produce twice as much power as the world’s current biggest offshore windfarm at Greater Gabbard off the UK’s Suffolk coast.
“First and foremost, we want to make this a symbol of Fukushima’s recovery. Secondly, this floating wind farm concept is the ace up our sleeves for the next stage of renewable energy development,” said Keisuke Murakami, Head of New and Renewable Energy at the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry. There have been concerns about radioactive water leaking into the sea from Fukushima, and official accounts have given conflicting evidence over whether fish are safe to eat.
The disaster all but shut down Japan’s nuclear industry, forcing the country to rely heavily on imported gas.
It is hoped that wind turbines will be more resistant to earthquakes, typhoons and tsunamis.
Renewable energy, energy efficiency drive by NATO armed forces
NATO Armed Forces Embrace Renewable Energy BRUSSELS, Belgium, July 11, 2013 (ENS) – The 28 member countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization are reducing the energy footprint of their defenseoperations as a priority, top NATO officials said this week.
NATO as a military and political organization, as well as individual allies, are working with alternative energy sources and developing multinational “smart energy” projects……. The DoD is seeking to develop solar,
wind, geothermal and other distributed energy sources on its bases both to reduce their $4 billion-a-year energy bill and to make them less dependent on the commercial electricity grid. Such on-site energy generation, together with energy storage and so-called smart-microgrid technology, would allow a military base to maintain its critical operations “off-grid” for weeks or months if the grid is disrupted, the DOD says…….. Continue reading
Global renewable energy investment has risen rapidly in 2013
Rise in global clean energy investment Renewable Energy Focus 12 July 2013 Global investment in clean energy in Q2 was up 22% from Q1, due to upturn in the financing of wind and solar projects and a 170% surge in equity funding for specialist companies on public markets.
The investment rose to US$53.1 bn, led by the US, which saw investment jump 155% compared to a weak first quarter, to reach US$9.5 bn, and China (up 63% at US$13.8 bn) and South Africa (up from almost nothing in Q1 to US$2.8 bn in Q2).
China was the largest investor in clean energy in Q2, followed by the US. Third on the list was Japan, Continue reading
Impressive graphs tell the success story of Germany’s renewable energy
I highly recommend this article. It shows with several excellent graphs, just how successful German counties are being in developing renewable energy and energy efficiency. The example below is of just one county
One of the most important details being missed by most of those common limited observations is the fact that the renewable energy success of the last decade was mainly driven by some pioneering regions, counties, and municipalities. Those local communities moved forward with conviction, while many others have remained dormant willingly or hindered by state governments that blocked investments by passing arbitrary anti-renewable regulations in favor of conventional power companies.
To showcase what we know about what is at least possible, here are the top 3 out of 295 Landkreise (Counties / administrative districts) in terms of the renewable share in their regional power mix. Most of their success is based on investments during the last 10–15 years based on technology that is now outdated
Germany: 100% renewable energy and beyond http://reneweconomy.com.au/2013/germany-100-renewable-energy-and-beyond-78310 By CleanTechnica on 8 July 2013 While many countries still discuss whether or not a 100% renewable energy system – or “just” a 100% renewable electricity supply – is even theoretically possible, Germans seem no longer bothered by such unscientific doubts. To make matters “worse,” some of them (including myself) are even convinced that a transition to a 100% renewable energy system can and should be accomplished within only a few decades’ time.
Some people might find this different perception of the problems we face to overcome the energy crisis of the 21st century so puzzling that they would rather choose to believe that the Germans have simply gone mad. Luckily, nothing could be further from the truth, and I’ve got a few nice examples that might explain the German mindset……
Another popular myth among so called “professional journalists” is that what is happening in Germany is due to on some kind of “big government” program. Obviously, this domestic narrative-driven reporting is not very interested in looking at important details that could explain the big picture. Continue reading
Solar powered plane’s successful flight across America
Solar-Powered Plane Lands At JFK in a Sweeping Victory For Renewable Energy http://www.policymic.com/articles/53209/solar-powered-plane-lands-at-jfk-in-a-sweeping-victory-for-renewable-energy Maggie O’Neil , 7 July 13, Last night, at approximately 11:09 PM, co-pilots Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg safely landed at JFK International Airport on a plane operated by nothing but solar energy.
New York was the final destination of a transcontinental journey that began in San Francisco, followed by Phoenix, then Dallas, then St. Louis, and then Washington, D.C. Continue reading
1 This Month
petition to oppose the rapid increase of space-military industry threatening Jeju Island and the region.
[Petition by April 19th (KST)] Stop the joint military-Hanwha Systems-Jeju Provincial Government Sea Launch!
Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes – A good documentary on Chernobyl on SBS available On Demand for the next 3 weeks– https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/tv-program/chernobyl-the-lost-tapes/2352741955560
of the week–London Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
Tell the Ukrainian Government to Drop Prosecution of Peace Activist Yurii Sheliazhenko
To see nuclear-related stories in greater depth and intensity – go to https://nuclearinformation.wordpress.com
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