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Massive solar power farm for Japan

SMA Solar Inverters To Be Used In Japan’s Biggest Solar Farm http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=3409 5 Oct 12 SMA has been selected as the sole supplier of inverters for Japan’s largest solar power plant.

The 70 megawatt solar panel based project operated by Kagoshima Mega Solar Power Corporation will utilise 140 Sunny Central 500CP–JP inverters. SMA will also supply 1,260 Sunny String Monitors for monitoring the massive solar farm. Continue reading →

October 5, 2012 Posted by | Japan, renewable | Leave a comment

Ubnited Nations’ drive for Sustainable Energy for All

Accelerating the Drive toward Renewable Energy    http://cleantechnica.com/2012/10/03/accelerating-the-drive-toward-renewable-energy-exclusive-article-from-adnan-z-amin/ OCTOBER 3, 2012    In 2011, while the cost of renewable energy technologies continued to fall, global total investment reached a record $257 billion, and global renewable power capacity exceeded 1,360 GW. With these investments, renewable energy has moved from a niche, environmentally driven option into an economically viable solution to meet the growing energy demand of a rapidly growing global population.
……    One way of increasing the global momentum of renewable energy technologies, whether in innovation or implementation, is by identifying the business case for renewables. We can do this by demonstrating the many situations where renewable energy has reached grid parity, or where it has created energy access, or reduced the costs of powering businesses. This will empower people to create solutions for the practical issues that are currently constraining uptake.

Fortunately, there are numerous international initiatives that are promoting and recognising practical contributions to renewable energy globally. I have the honour of being involved at a high level with several of these. One is the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s global initiative “Sustainable Energy for All ,” which aims to achieve universal access to modern energy services, double the improvement in energy efficiency, and double the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix by 2030. The Secretary-General has called on governments, private sector, and civil society to make commitments towards achieving these complimentary objectives, and many, including the International Renewable Energy Agency, have answered this call.

October 4, 2012 Posted by | 2 WORLD, renewable | Leave a comment

Small scale renewable energy promoted by California’s Governor

Governor signs bill to ease small-scale renewable energy generation http://westernfarmpress.com/government/governor-signs-bill-ease-small-scale-renewable-energy-generation
Oct. 1, 2012  California farmers, school districts and commercial energy users got a boost with the Gov. Brown’s signing of Senate Bill 594, which removes barriers to on-site renewable energy production. The California Climate and Agriculture Network (CalCAN), a coalition of sustainable agriculture organizations, supported the bill. Senate Bill 594, authored by Sen. Lois Wolk (D-Davis), will allow Net Energy Metering (NEM) customers to aggregate the electrical load of their meters.

The new law will ease the production of small-scale distributed renewable energy production in the state. “California farmers produce more renewable energy on their farms and ranches than their counterparts in other states, but obstacles still exist,” said Jeanne Merrill, policy director with CalCAN. “The governor’s action today moves us closer to developing more on-farm renewable energy production throughout California.”

Farmers and ranchers typically have multiple meters on their property. Current California law prohibits the power generated from an on-site renewable facility to be counted against other meters. Consequently, farmers would have to install a separate facility for each meter, which is extremely inefficient and cost prohibitive; thus limiting their ability to cost-effectively generate renewable energy. Senate Bill 594 addresses this issue and eliminates the need for multiple facilities.

“The governor just made it easier and more affordable for growers like me to produce renewable energy,” said Russ Lester, owner of Dixon Ridge Farms in Winters, Calif. “California agriculture can help the state reduce greenhouse gas emissions and produce clean energy. Senate Bill 594 is an important step forward.”

Senate Bill 594 will move California closer to meeting the governor’s goal of 12,000 megawatts of distributed renewable energy generation in the state.  For more information on Senate Bill 594, please see: http://bit.ly/oNr9fT .

October 3, 2012 Posted by | decentralised, USA | Leave a comment

Australian Government set up a Renewable Energy Package- a good model for USA

What America Can Learn from Australia’s New Clean Energy Future Package http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/09/29/929441/what-america-can-learn-from-australias-new-clean-energy-future-package/ Sep 29, 2012  by Jennifer Morgan, via WRI Insights  Australia, one of world’s most  carbon-intensive countries, recently began implementing a comprehensive national policy to address climate change and transition to a clean-energy economy. Yesterday, WRI had the pleasure of hosting Mark Dreyfus , Australian Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, who outlined his country’s plans to a group of business, congressional, and NGO representatives.

One point that came through at the event is that Australia’s recent energy and climate choices can be very instructive to the United States. This post provides a quick look at Australia’s new policy and explores how it can inform and inspire U.S. efforts  to move toward a low-carbon future.

Why Did Australia Adopt a National Climate and Energy Policy? Continue reading →

October 1, 2012 Posted by | AUSTRALIA, renewable | Leave a comment

Punjab goes all out for solar power

Punjab to set up solar photo-voltaic power packs across state: http://www.hindustantimes.com/Punjab/Chandigarh/Punjab-to-set-up-solar-photo-voltaic-power-packs-across-state/SP-Article1-937965.aspx  Majithia Punjab is all set to set up solar photo-voltaic power packs in households across the state in a major move to encourage use of solar energy for basic electricity needs, Non-Conventional Energy
Minister Bikramjit Singh Majithia said on Sunday. He said the government was making all
efforts to fulfill the gap in demand and supply of electricity by installing more generating capacity in the renewable energy sector as well as conventional sector.
Majithia said Punjab has considerable sun light available for more than 330 days in a year and this abundant energy could be utilised for generation of power during the day time through solar photo-voltaic power plants.

He said the state is endowed with vast potential of solar energy estimated at 4-7 KWH per one sq mt of solar insulation level and added that Punjab government was committed to tap this resource.

He also said the Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA) has planned installation of Solar Power Packs at households in the state of capacity 500Wp to 1000Wp.

Majithia said the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy has sanctioned the Central Financial Assistance of Rs. 3.03 crore as first installment and with total project cost of Rs. 10 crore.
He said that besides generating power, Solar Photo-voltaic Power Packs were environment friendly and carbon neutral and were easily produced and consumed.

The Punjab government has set up Akshey Urja shops in all districts of the state, where people can buy these at 30 % subsidy.

October 1, 2012 Posted by | decentralised, India | Leave a comment

France to develop tidal wave energy

Wind energy production in Europe, for example, just reached the 100 gigawatt mark, the equivalent of 39 nuclear power plants

French dive into tidal energy as nuclear plants bid adieu Smart Planet, By Bryan Pirolli | September 28, 2012,PARIS – French conglomerate Alstom is finalizing the purchase of Tidal Generation Ltd from Rolls Royce in the UK. Alstom , one of the largest energy-producing groups in the world, purchased the small company in an effort to expand its every-growing array of renewable energy.

The sale of TGL to Alstom comes just as the new French president, Francois Hollande, announced his commitment to renewable energy and decreasing France’s dependence on nuclear power.

Tidal Generation Ltd  (TGL), formed in 2005, specializes in designing turbines for generating electricity from ocean tides. Continue reading →

September 29, 2012 Posted by | France, renewable | Leave a comment

UK Renewable Energy Capacity has Grown by 42.4% Oil Price.com By Joao Peixe | Thu, 27 September 2012 The government has just released its latest quarterly energy statistics and the results are mixed.

Renewable energy has enjoyed a bountiful year, whereas coal power has also seen an increase in popularity. Continue reading →

September 28, 2012 Posted by | renewable, UK | Leave a comment

USA’s solar energy – a chequered history, but now resurging

the solar industry is actually expanding quickly in the United States, and under the Obama
administration solar is having a real resurgence, helping lift the cloud that has surrounded the industry.

Changing Cities: Where Are the Solar Panels Mr. President? By Carrie Halperin abc news, Sep 23, 2012   “…..In 1979, [President Jimmy] Carter predicted  at the dedication ceremony of the White House solar system that by 2000 solar panels like the one on the roof would either be supplying cheap, efficient energy or “a museum piece , an example of a road not taken or it can be just a small part of one of the greatest and most exciting adventures ever undertaken by the American people.”

During his administration huge strides were taken in curbing the country’s dependence on foreign source of energy, including investing heavily in renewable power.  But with a shift of administrations and the new Reagan era, research and development budgets for renewable
energy were slashed and the Department of Energy eliminated tax breaks for solar and wind projects.
Carter’s worries about his solar panels ending up in the museum proved prescient. Half the panels were taken by the Unity College cafeteria in Maine, but the other half did indeed end up as  museum pieces, now housed in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History , the Carter Library , and the Solar Science and  Technology Museum in Dezhou, China.
Yes, that’s right China, which seems a bit symbolic, since China now produces close to 80 percent of the world’s solar water heaters. Continue reading →

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

France’s largest solar energy array built in just 6 months

France’s Biggest Rooftop Solar Array Using Hanwha Solar Panels by Energy Matters, 23 Sept 12 Hanwha Group has announced it delivered 7.7 MW of  solar modules for the largest rooftop installation in France.

A  Rion-des-Landes building designed for the cultivation of ginseng is now sporting 36,900 PV panels in total. The rooftop is massive, covering 9 hectares. The solar array is expected to generate 10,000,000 kilowatt hours annually, enough to supply the needs of 4,000 households.

Constructed  by Solvéo Energie, the project was finished in just 6 months.
“The cooperation with Hanwha Solar made the realization of this huge project possible,” said Jean-Marc Matéos, President of Solvéo Energie. “The professionalism and responsiveness of service that Hanwha Solar displayed during the process have significantly contributed to the successful construction.”

As well as commercial solar power installations; Hanwha SolarOne panels are also used in residential installs. Offering guaranteed power output, Hanwha SolarOne modules perform particularly well in low-light conditions..  http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=3391

September 24, 2012 Posted by | France, renewable | Leave a comment

Mecca to become a Mecca for Solar Energy

Mecca Seeks to Lead Saudi Arabia’s Solar Energy Expansion, Bloomberg News
By Wael Mahdi  September 23, 2012 Mecca, which hosts millions of pilgrims a year visiting Islam’s most holy shrine, is working toward becoming the first city in Saudi Arabia
to operate a utility-scale plant generating electricity from renewables. Continue reading →

September 24, 2012 Posted by | renewable, Saudi Arabia | Leave a comment

Renewable energy revolution is paying off in Germany

German Green on Wind Energy Benefits & Nuclear Phaseout SEPTEMBER 21, 2012 BY ZACHARY SHAHAN   Here’s a nice bit of a Guardian interview with Cem Özdemir, Chair of the German Green party , that was just published yesterday:
Clean Technica (http://s.tt/1nZNl)  “…….We are looking at a third industrial revolution, and just as there were once those who opposed the invention of the steam engine, there are now those who hark back to nuclear energy. In Germany we now have just over 20% of our energy coming from renewable sources. All predictions from the past have turned out not to be true: when I went to school, my teachers used to say that maybe, just maybe we might have 3% of renewable energy one day. Angela Merkel says we’ll have 35% by 2020; we at the Green party say it’ll be 45%. My guess is: we’ll both be wrong, because it’ll be even more than that….

don’t listen to what the Greens have to say, listen to what Siemens is doing. Siemens are not switching from nuclear to clean energy because they want to lose money: they want to make profit. And I’d warn anyone who questions whether they’ll manage: industrial policy, that’s one thing the Germans know how to get right. If the Brits would rather hand the first mover advantage down to us, then so be it – as a German, I thank them for it. We already cater for many of the markets for renewable energy around the globe, and our future competitors are more likely to come from China than from the other side of the Channel.
In Germany, industry is now starting to thank us for pestering in the past, because it forced them to go through the kind of innovations that the rest of the world is now catching up with. The Brits are still discussing whether they should insulate their houses better in the future, and we insulate them.  http://cleantechnica.com/2012/09/21/german-green-on-wind-energy-benefits-nuclear-phaseout/

September 23, 2012 Posted by | Germany, renewable | Leave a comment

Transparent solar cells – a revolution in solar energy

 every building could be designed with south-facing windows that would absorb some amount of electricity without impeding peoples’ views.

These types of applications would not necessarily require huge renovations either, simply requiring owners to apply the film on top of the existing glass window.

Transparent Solar Cells Could Make Windows Into A Power Source   http://why.knovel.com/all-engineering-news/1743-transparent-solar-cells-could-make-windows-into-a-power-source.html   July 24, 2012 Over the past few years, the U.S. has already become a growing player in the solar energy industry, with states like New Jersey and California seeing solar panels cropping up on rooftops from houses to warehouses.

Researchers at the   University of California at Los Angeles   are hoping to bring this revolutionary new power source down off the roofs specifically to where people will not see them – windows. Continue reading →

September 23, 2012 Posted by | decentralised, USA | Leave a comment

British female student awarded top prize by Nobel winners for solar-powered fridge invention DAILY MAIL  25 October 2010 A 23-year-old British inventor has become the only female – and the only  European – to be honoured by Nobel Prize winners in an international ceremony.
Emily Cummins was named among the top 10 most outstanding young people in the world and is receiving two major honours for her inventions which include a solar-powered fridge and a water carrying device designed for use in  Africa.
The Leeds University graduate was selected as an Oslo Business for
Peace Honouree by a jury of Nobel prize winners during an awards
ceremony in Norway…..
The solar-powered fridge, which she designed while still a schoolgirl,
is now  helping families in Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, Botswana
and Zimbabwe.
It works through evaporation and can be used to keep perishable goods
such as milk and meat cool for days.
Without using any power, temperatures stay at around 6C.
The fridge comprises two cylinders  –  one inside the other. The inner
cylinder is made from metal but the outer cylinder can be made from
anything to hand, including wood and plastic.  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1323646/UK-female-student-awarded-prize-Nobel-winners-solar-powered-fridge-invention.html#ixzz27E46eUB8

September 22, 2012 Posted by | decentralised, EUROPE | Leave a comment

San Francisco – pay a little more for 100% renewable energy?

San Francisco’s 100% renewable energy plan, Smart Planet,  By Tyler Falk | September 20, 2012, San Francisco is one step closer to offering residents the option to switch to 100 percent renewable energy  after the city’s Board of Supervisors voted 8-3 in favor of the program that would lead to significant cuts in carbon emissions.

CleanPowerSF , a $19.5 million program run by Shell Energy North America, will automatically opt-in half of San Francisco residents and then give them the option to opt-out. It’s a roundabout way of giving people choice, but the five-year program will need 90,000 of 375,000 residents to make the switch to make the program worthwhile.

If the city is successful at getting residents to buy into the program (and stick with it) CleanPowerSF could do more than previous efforts to reduce carbon emissions. According to the city, it would see a cut 10 times greater than the amount the city has already cut.

The program will also provide competition to Pacific Gas and Electric Company, which currently operates utilities in San Francisco. The city is able to do this because of a 2002 state law that allows municipalities to choose their electricity provider. A community-choice aggregation system, as it’s called, is also available in Marion, County California.

But choice and carbon emissions reductions will come at a price. Residents who stay in the program will see their utility bill rise by $9 a month while the commercial increase will be about $18 a month. If customers decide that’s too much then San Francisco could owe Shell as much as $15 million. If residents are willing to pay more for green power, the city will profit and use the money to build city-owned renewable energy facilities.

It’s a risk the city seems willing to take….. http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/bulletin/san-franciscos-100-renewable-energy-plan/658

September 21, 2012 Posted by | renewable, USA | 1 Comment

Solar lighting for Delhi’s historic sites

Delhi’s monuments will be lit by solar energy Zee News, September 16, 2012,  New Delhi: More and more of the capital’s best known monuments may now be illuminated through solarenergy.

Building on the experience gained over the last three years and keen on promoting the use of environment-friendly solar energy, the Delhi government plans to light up more of the capital’s historical sites through cheap and plentiful energy from the sun.

The 13th century Qutub Minar, the 17th century red sandstone Red Fort and the 16th century Humayun’s Tomb – all declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites – are among the six sites where the Delhi government plans to install solar power plants to replace conventional sources of electricity. Continue reading →

September 17, 2012 Posted by | decentralised, India | Leave a comment

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