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Connecticut’s Solar City creating jobs and reducing greenhouse gases

SolarCity announces expansion day after successful IPOREM, Renewable Energy magazine, 14 December 2012 Just a day after its successful IPO on the Nasdaq exchange, Elon Musk-backed SolarCity has announced the expansion of its operations center in the US state of Connecticut and plans to hire 15 additional employees.

solar_city-Connecticut

With Connecticut Governor Daniel P. Malloy and CEO Lyndon Rive in attendance for the grand opening of SolarCity’s Hartford operations center, the company – which has grown its Connecticut workforce from zero to 45 in the last year – announced that it is now seeking hires for an additional 15 open positions in the state. Open positions include electricians, installers, sales staff, auditors, and project managers.

SolarCity officials said the expansion is due in large part due to the efforts of the state, through programs at Connecticut Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority (CEFIA) and the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) to promote, develop and invest in clean energy and energy efficiency projects Continue reading →

December 15, 2012 Posted by | renewable, USA | Leave a comment

Solar power plants for Japan

Sojitz Sees Beyond Rare Earths to LNG, Solar in Non-Atomic Japan, Bloomberg by Yuriy Humber & Ichiro Suzuki – Dec 13, 2012  “….Another way for Sojitz to meet the changing energy needs of Japan will be via renewables.

Solar Power

Sojitz wants to build five solar power plants totaling about 100 megawatts, including on the northern isle of Hokkaido and in Kagoshima prefecture, western Japan, Sato said. The trader aims to register the projects with the government by the end of March, he said.

Japan introduced this year the world’s highest payment rate for renewable energy, known as a feed-in tariff, as a way to stimulate investments in solar, wind and biomass generation and ease reliance on nuclear power. The tariff rate will be revised from April.

“With a fixed feed-in tariff the economics set up has become very easy to understand,” Sato said.

The current low cost of raw materials for solar panels and Sojitz’s experience with three solar energy projects in Germany should help the trader set up an efficient business in Japan, Sato said. The company has since sold one of the projects, he said.

Sojitz commissioned a 24 megawatt solar plant in Mixdorf in July 2011 and completed a 3 megawatt station in Betzweiler in May 2010, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance data……http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-12-14/sojitz-sees-beyond-rare-earths-to-lng-solar-in-non-atomic-japan.html

December 14, 2012 Posted by | Japan, renewable | Leave a comment

Wind energy taking off in a big way, in China

China’s Wind Power Sector Set for Rapid Development after Year of Stagnancy Renewable Energy World, By Liu Yuanyuan,  December 11, 2012   BEIJING — China’s wind power sector, after stagnating for nearly a year, is expected to experience rapid development as local governments launch favorable policies. Continue reading →

December 14, 2012 Posted by | China, renewable | Leave a comment

USA could get 99.9% of its energy from renewable sources

renewable-energy-pictureRenewables Could Provide 99.9% Of Power By 2030
http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=3509 by Energy Matters, 13 Dec 12, Scientists state a well-designed combination of wind energy, solar power, battery and fuel cell storage could almost always provide more electricity than required at a cost comparable to today’s electricity expenses.

Research carried out by the University of Delaware and Delaware Technical Community College determined renewables could economically fully power a utility scale electric grid 99.9 percent of the time by 2030 – and without government subsidies. Continue reading →

December 13, 2012 Posted by | renewable, USA | Leave a comment

New solar fabric will light up your clothes

Japan researchers invent solar-cell fabric, Herald Sun,  From: AAP  December 12, 2012 CLOTHES that could literally light up your life were unveiled Tuesday by Japanese researchers who said their solar-cell fabric would eventually let wearers harvest energy on the go. Continue reading →

December 13, 2012 Posted by | decentralised, Japan | Leave a comment

Solar power enables vegetables to be grown in the Sahara

Cucumbers In The Sahara – Thanks To Solar Powerby Energy Matters, 10 Dec 12The first cucumbers produced in the Sahara desert using seawater and solar power were served up to participants at UN Climate Negotiations in Doha.

Cucumber may be a warm-season vegetable, but the Sahara desert is a rather extreme environment even for this sun loving plant as it is also quite thirsty.

The Sahara Forest Project has combined saltwater-cooled greenhouses, concentrated solar power (CSP), solar panels and desalination technologies to produce the crop from what is otherwise barren land. Salt created from the process is on-sold to third parties. Key to the project is not so much any individual technology, but how they work together….. http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=3507

December 13, 2012 Posted by | AFRICA, renewable | Leave a comment

Saudi Arabia, Qatar to become, well, the Saudi Arabia of solar power

solar-concentratedGulf riches could supercharge concentrated solar, REneweconomy,  By Giles Parkinson   10 December 2012 The concentrated solar power (CSP) sector is expected to finally spring to life – and begin its long-awaited journey down the cost curve – as the oil and gas-rich Gulf nations deploy their massive sovereign wealth in solar technologies.

At the climate change talks in Doha, both Saudi Arabia and the host country Qatar reinforced their intentions to invest tens of billions of dollars into large-scale CSP – which includes solar thermal and concentrated solar PV technologies. The biggest oil and gas exporters in the world want to become, well, the Saudi Arabia and Qatar of the solar industry too. Continue reading →

December 10, 2012 Posted by | MIDDLE EAST, renewable, Saudi Arabia | 1 Comment

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

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