nuclear-news

The News That Matters about the Nuclear Industry Fukushima Chernobyl Mayak Three Mile Island Atomic Testing Radiation Isotope

Huge solar energy installation in New York

sunBig New York install marks new era for renewable energy firm, Clean Energy Authority.com December 09, 2012  by Amanda H. Miller  While one of the largest rooftop solar installations in New York marks a shift in the state’s energy policy, it’s an even bigger milestone for the company that installed it.

The 1-megawatt solar installation that covers a rooftop the size of two football fields in Yonkers, New York, is Half Moon Ventures first solar installation ever.

The Illinois company decided a couple years ago to shift its course completely. It had been focused on utility-scale wind energy projects. “We decided strategically that it was time to exit that business,” said Half Moon CEO Michael Hastings.

Since then, the company has focused on developing smaller renewable energy projects for municipalities and corporations that are used to paying high rates for power. “The onsite generation market is markedly better than the utility-scale market,” Hastings said….. http://www.cleanenergyauthority.com/solar-energy-news/big-new-york-install-marks-new-era-120912

December 10, 2012 Posted by | renewable, USA | Leave a comment

Advance in solar clothing – solar fibre

Solar Fibre A Stepping Stone To True Solar Clothing by Energy Matters, 10 Dec 12 We’ve already seen clothing with embedded flexible solar panels, but soon the clothing itself may be the solar cell.

The solar vest and urban chic solar clothing‘s days may be numbered (some might say thankfully). Solar panels being woven onto fabric could become passé if a new silicon-based optical fiber with solar-cell capabilities works out.

An international team of chemists, physicists and engineers lead by Penn State’s Professor John Badding have created a fibre that can convert solar radiation into direct-current electricity.

The material, thinner than the width of a human hair, is created using high-pressure chemistry techniques to deposit layers of crystalline silicon semiconductor materials directly into tiny holes in optical fibers…… http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=3506

December 10, 2012 Posted by | 2 WORLD, decentralised | Leave a comment

In France, wind energy is now cheaper than nuclear

wind in France is paid only €0.08 per kWh ($0.10 per kWh) and clearly competitive with new nuclear.

Wind energy now cheaper than nuclear in France http://reneweconomy.com.au/2012/wind-energy-now-cheaper-than-nuclear-in-france-92181 REneweconomy, By Paul Gipe on 5 December 2012
Liberation reports that for the second time in a little more than a year the cost of a new reactor under construction at Flamanville, France has risen dramatically. Continue reading →

December 8, 2012 Posted by | France, renewable | Leave a comment

Stunning growth in solar energy employment in USA

The three year Census series paints a stunning picture of solar job growth. Since 2010, employment in the U.S. solar industry has grown 27percent – eight times faster than the overall economy during the same period

The Solar Foundation’s National Solar Jobs Census 2012 Finds Installers Leading the Way More than 8,500 installation jobs created in the past year, continued industry wide growth expected in 2013 ALBANY, N.Y. (PRWEB) November 14, 2012 The Solar Foundation (TSF), an independent nonprofit solar education and research organization, today released the full version of its third annual National Solar Jobs Census at the Interstate Renewable Energy Council’s Clean Energy Workforce Education Conference. In early November, TSF announced that the Census found that the U.S. solar industry now employs 119,016 Americans, a figure which represents the addition of 13,872 workers and a 13.2 percent employment growth rate over the previous year.

The three year Census series paints a stunning picture of solar job growth. Since 2010, employment in the U.S. solar industry has grown 27percent – eight times faster than the overall economy during the same period, Continue reading →

November 27, 2012 Posted by | renewable, USA | Leave a comment

Renewable Energy – a job provider for millions of Indians

Indian Renewable Energy Sector to Create 2.4 Million Jobs by 2020 http://theenergycollective.com/energyjobline/147291/indian-renewable-energy-sector-create-24-million-jobs-2020 by C. Dominguez November 24, 2012 India’s renewable energy sector is to create up to 2.4 million jobs by 2020, according to a report jointly commissioned by environmental group Greenpeace, the Global Wind Energy Council and the European Renewable Energy Council.
To date, the sector employs 200,000 people, but this could jump 14 times by 2030 with the right policies and investments in place, stated India Energy [R]evolution report.
By 2050, about 92 percent of India’s energy infrastructure will be based on renewable energy sources. Renewables such as wind, solar thermal energy and photovoltaic, will comprise 74 percent of electricity generation. Continue reading →

November 27, 2012 Posted by | employment, India, renewable | Leave a comment

Japan’s solar feed in tariff boosting renewable energy

The Land of the Rising Sun Goes Solar http://financialconservation.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-land-of-rising-sun-goes-solar.html#ixzz2D4daQDH6 Business Insider, Michael E. Douroux, Financial Conservation       | Nov. 22, 2012 “According to a new report from the Japan Photovoltaic Energy Association, domestic shipments of solar cells and modules have risen by 80% in the July-September quarter of this year.

This is on the heels of the Japanese government enacting an ambitious solar energy incentive initiative, a feed-in tariff (known as net energy metering in California) that aims to help support the adoption of solar energy throughout the country.

The feed-in tariff was introduced in the wake of the Fukushima disaster of 2011,  when a powerful earthquake and tsunami triggered a nuclear crisis in Northern Japan. After the disaster, the government made moves to abandon nuclear power. While moving away from nuclear energy has proven to be a slow and laborious process, the country has been keen to aggressively replace nuclear with other forms of alternative energy that are considered safer. Solar energy has, thus
far, become one of the country’s most favored forms of alternative energy for this purpose.”

November 23, 2012 Posted by | Japan, renewable | 3 Comments

The latest government research shows that onshore wind is supported by 66% of the public with 12% opposed, including 4% who are strongly opposed. However, there is evidence that communities become more supportive when they benefit directly from local wind farms. There is much greater public acceptance of renewables in Germany, where two thirds of all turbines and solar panels are owned by individuals, farmers and communities.

Good Energy announces local tariff scheme, Renewable Energy Magazine, Robin Whitlock, 22 November 2012 Local residents near the company’s wind farms will benefit from lower energy bills undera plan to ensure community interest remains at the heat of renewable energy generation in the UK

Good Energy has announced the UK’s first Local Tariff to reward households near its wind farms with lower electricity bills, pioneering a blueprint to put community interest at the heart of renewable energy generation across Britain. Customers who live within two kilometres of the company’s flagship 9.2MW Delabole wind farm in north Cornwall, will qualify for its new Local Tariff, offering a 20% discount on its standard electricity prices. It will currently save an average Good Energy customer in the area around £100 over a year.

The discount will be available to existing and new customers from early 2013. The tariff will also pay out a ‘windfall’ credit of up to £50 per household every year that the turbines exceed their expected performance….. Continue reading →

November 23, 2012 Posted by | renewable, UK | Leave a comment

India’s Renewable Energy Scheme could still do well

 it is vital for the government to ensure that RPO does not remain an
isolated initiative. Given the considerable renewable energy potential within India, a well-designed and workable RPO scheme, with the full support of state and Central policy makers, could result in promoting significant investment in this sector.

Renewed hope for alternative energy The mandate to buy electricity from renewable sources is not as stringent or unworkable as is commonly assumed ,Business Standard Ashwani Srivastava / Nov 23, 2012,  

The Central government, in its post-policy-paralysis avatar, has been actively promoting the Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO) scheme, which obligates electricity supply companies to ensure that a specified fraction of their electricity consumption comes from renewable sources.

The scheme was announced in April 2010, and, according to media reports, is currently facing “major hurdles”. Almost all state-owned electricity distribution companies (discoms),
and obligated entities have failed to meet their RPO obligation for 2011-12. This includes several large entities, including Reliance Industries and Steel Authority of India . Continue reading →

November 23, 2012 Posted by | India, renewable | Leave a comment

Algeria’s program; renewable energy at home and for export

Algeria Targets 22,000 MW Of Renewable Energy By 2030 http://cleantechnica.com/2012/11/22/algeria-targets-22000-mw-of-renewable-energy-by-2030/ NOVEMBER 22, 2012 BY ADAM JOHNSTON

North African country Algeria is upping the ante in the renewable energy game. According to a recent PV-Tech article, the country hopes to have 22 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy online by the year 2030, with a good part being exported on the international market. State-owned utility Sonelgaz, is expected to build 4.2 GW of renewables itself, providing underlying support towards Algeria’s goal.

Next year will see the first phase of the ambitious project, which will eventually include solar photovoltaic energy, concentrated solar power, and wind energy. As noted by PV Tech:

The first phase, which is expected to start in 2013, will include 1,228MW from PV power plants, followed by 2,475MW of concentrated solar (CSP) and 516MW of wind energy by 2022.

Besides Sonelgaz’s commitment to wind and solar, the utility also has a deal with the Desertec CHP project, to look at possibly exporting 1 GW to European countries.

With lots of sun to harness, Algeria, if it succeeds, could be a renewable energy market to watch out for in the years to come.

Clean Technica (http://s.tt/1uuid)
Read more at http://cleantechnica.com/2012/11/22/algeria-targets-22000-mw-of-renewable-energy-by-2030/#rZLuYkJV7RGcRxAr.99

November 23, 2012 Posted by | AFRICA, renewable | Leave a comment

New report on Ireland’s potential for renewable energy economy and jobs

Renewable energy surge called for, Belfast Telegraph, 22 November 2012 Ireland must embrace renewable energy sources before fossil fuels run out, the WWF has said

More than 70% of Ireland’s electricity could be produced from renewable resources by 2030, a new report out has claimed. The research commissioned by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Northern Ireland said the availability of energy from wind, wave and sustainable biomass was significantly larger than the projected demand for the next 18 years….

. Mr Campbell said Scotland was also blazing a trail by setting ambitious targets that could save £325 million a year by reducing energy levels by 12% by 2020. “We can save money by doing this,” he added. “Why are we not doing it?”

Delegates at the conference were told that previous research by the Carbon Trust suggested that investment in renewable energy could create more than 30,000 new jobs in Northern Ireland in a sector that could be worth almost £1 billion. http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/renewable-energy-surge-called-for-16241156.html#ixzz2D4m4sWB3

November 23, 2012 Posted by | renewable, UK | Leave a comment

Portable solar power generator saving the day still in New York

VIDEO: A Solar Thanksgiving for Battered Rockaways  http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2012/11/video-solar-thanksgiving-battered-rockaways?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+motherjones%2FTheBlueMarble+%28Mother+Jones+%7C+The+Blue+Marble%29
—By Tim McDonnell and James West,  Nov. 21, Since Hurricane Sandy, the historic Belle Harbor Yacht Club in the Rockaways—one of New York City’s hardest-hit neighborhoods—has become an indispensable hub for supplies, volunteers, and a much-needed round of drinks. Three weeks after the storm, the oft-maligned Long Island Power Authority still hasn’t re-connected this building, not to mention its neighbors, back to the grid, leaving locals to face the prospect of a cold, dark Thanksgiving.

But outside, the sun is shining, and a trio of local solar power companies have seen an opportunity to bridge the gap left open by the electric utility. The yacht club, among several area buildings, is now plugged into a portable solar power generator, which frees volunteers from the endless gas lines that plague those dependent on traditional generators and leaves them ready to dish out hot plates of turkey and stuffing to the beleaguered community.

November 22, 2012 Posted by | decentralised, Resources -audiovicual, USA | Leave a comment

The renewable energy revolution to take off, with energy storage

Energy storage systems signal arrival of ‘baseload’ renewables REneweconomy, By Giles Parkinson  21 November 2012 It has been widely thought that the arrival of cost-competitive rooftop solar PV systems would be the biggest game changer in the electricity market. But it may be that the emergence of affordable energy storage systems will have an even more profound impact.

There are predictions that the energy storage market is going to boom. One survey suggested that $30 billion will be spent on energy storage in the next decade in Australia alone. In the US, where $1 trillion is expected to be spent on electricity network infrastructure in the next 10 years, at least one fifth of that – or $200 billion – will be spent on energy storage.

The big question is who is going to benefit most from that investment – the customer, or the utility that delivers or sells the electricity. Or maybe even both. Most people are still trying to figure that out. Continue reading →

November 22, 2012 Posted by | 2 WORLD, Reference, renewable | Leave a comment

Solar System Backs Up Generator, Keeps Power On in Face of Sandy’s Fury

Phoenix Rising: Renewable Energy Good News Comes to Light After Hurricane Sandy By Jennifer Runyon, Managing Editor, RenewableEnergyWorld.com November 20, 2012

“…..When Sandy slammed into Bayonne, NJ, a one-of-a-kind solar electric system developed byAdvanced Solar Products of Flemington, NJ helped keep the power on at Midtown Community School, where 50 to 75 residents of this historic Hudson Riverfront city spent the night sleeping on cots in the warm, dry and well-lit community room.

Power from the grid was lost to all of Bayonne, including Midtown Community School (left), which also serves as a community emergency evacuation center, at about 9:00 on the evening of October 29. The lights at the school stayed on, however, because of its backup system. The large commercial-scale solar system, at the time part of the largest solar power project on the east coast, was designed and built with assistance from Advanced Solar Products (ASP) and installed in 2004.

The 272-kW PV array was designed to operate in conjunction with an uninterruptible power supply. The one at the school is a diesel generator according to Lyle Rawlings who has served as president of ASP since 1991. The generator is large enough to meet the electricity needs of the school during a power failure, but uses huge quantities of diesel fuel, which must be delivered by truck if supplies can be located at all during and after an emergency such as Sandy.

“Without our solar system on the roof of the school, we would have needed even more fuel, which would have been difficult to find because it was needed for all the repair trucks operating around the state,” said Rawlings.

In order to provide this capability, the school’s solar power system was specially modified with new controls, sensors and innovative software to enable it to automatically detect a power outage.  When it does, it immediately shifts its output from circuitry powering the school’s ordinary heating, cooling and lighting systems to the building’s emergency circuits. “Storms such as Sandy will become more frequent if we do not stem greenhouse gas induced climate change,” says Rawlings.  “Widespread adoption of solar power is an economically beneficial way to reduce greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels.” …. http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/11/phoenix-rising-renewable-energy-good-news-comes-to-light-after-hurricane-sandy?cmpid=WNL-Wednesday-November21-2012

November 22, 2012 Posted by | renewable, USA | Leave a comment

Caribbean and Southeastern Coastal Wind Turbines Fare Well During Sandy Phoenix Rising

Renewable Energy Good News Comes to Light After Hurricane Sandy By Jennifer Runyon, Managing Editor, RenewableEnergyWorld.com November 20, 2012

“……Just about a week after Hurricane Sandy,Northern Power Systems announced that 74 of its wind turbines, including three in the Caribbean, had been in the path of Hurricane Sandy and were undamaged by the high winds. Following Irene, a category 3 hurricane that hit in 2011, Sandy was the second powerful Atlantic storm to hit Northern Power turbines within a year and all turbines that were impacted performed safely as expected.

“The losses experienced from Hurricane Sandy are a tragic reminder of how powerful nature can be,” said Troy Patton, Northern Power Systems President and CEO. “Many of our turbines, from the Caribbean to the eastern seaboard of the U.S., were directly in the path of Hurricane Sandy, but none were damaged by the high winds. At Northern Power Systems, we have the experience and commitment to continue to make products that are safe and reliable.”

As a testament to the design of Northern Power’s turbines, as soon as each turbine detected Sandy’s hurricane force winds, it automatically entered safe mode. Once conditions returned to normal, each turbine started generating electricity again, said the company. http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/11/phoenix-rising-renewable-energy-good-news-comes-to-light-after-hurricane-sandy?cmpid=WNL-Wednesday-November21-2012

November 22, 2012 Posted by | renewable, USA | Leave a comment

In Lithuania – wind to take over from nuclear power?

Lithuania May Partly Replace Nuclear Power With Wind, Lobby Says Bloomberg, By Torsten Fagerholm – Nov 19, 2012 An expansion of wind power in Lithuania may help the country to improve its energy independence and offset a shortfall caused by closure of nuclear capacity.
Installed wind power capacity is likely double to 500 megawatts by 2015, five years ahead of schedule, paving the way for energy independence without nuclear power, Continue reading →

November 21, 2012 Posted by | EUROPE, renewable | Leave a comment

« Previous Entries     Next Entries »