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Switzerland to switch from nuclear energy to renewables

SWITZERLAND LOOKING TO REPLACE NUCLEAR ENERGY WITH SOLAR REVMODO, DAVID QUILTY | 24 JULY, 2012 In 2011, the Swiss parliament decided not to build any more nuclear power plants after the Fukushima disaster in Japan. As nuclear currently supplies some 40 percent of the country’s energy needs, they are in search of ways to replace the energy source with cleaner alternatives. Solar is being debated as the front-runner to use as a replacement and plans are in the works to use the technology to replace at least one half the nuclear power used now. Representatives from the solar and the electricity industries are at odds as to whether it is viable, with solar industry insiders saying they can meet 20 percent of needs by 2025 and electric companies saying gas-fired plants are the way to go. However, the government doesn’t want to go with gas-fired plants as it won’t allow it to meet carbon emission reduction goals.

Also up for debate is whether solar power should be fully subsidized by the government in order to expedite installations or if electricity providers should play a wait and watch game to see if prices of photovoltaics come down anytime soon. Germany is heavily subsidizing renewables and have so far succeeded in setting a world record for solar power production, generating nearly 50 percent of the nation’s midday electricity demand in May. That’s the energy equivalent of 20 nuclear power plants operating at full capacity…… it is some very welcome news that Switzerland wants to replace nuclear energy with clean renewables.

July 29, 2012 Posted by | renewable, Switzerland | Leave a comment

China Leads The World In Renewable Energy Investment Forbes, 27 July
12, According to a recently released United Nations report, global
investment in renewable energy reached a record $257 billion in 2011,
a 17 percent increase from the amount invested in 2010. Globally,
renewable energy covers approximately 16.7 percent of energy
consumption…. China was responsible for almost one-fifth of total
global investment, spending $52 billion on renewable energy last year.
The United States was close behind with investments of $51 billion, as
developers sought to benefit from government incentive programs before
they expired. Germany, Italy and India rounded out the list of the top
five countries.

According to China’s 12th Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social
Development (2011-2015), the country will spend $473.1 billion on
clean energy investments over the next five years. China’s goal is to
have 20 percent of its total energy demand sourced from renewable
energy by 2020.

In 2011, solar led the way as far as global investment in renewable
energy, with investment surging to $147 billion, a year-on-year
increase of 52 percent, due to strong demand for rooftop photovoltaic
installations in Germany, Italy, China and Britain. Large-scale solar
thermal installations in Spain and the United States also contributed
to growth during the year.

July 29, 2012 Posted by | 2 WORLD, renewable | Leave a comment

Japanese turning to clean energy, and energy efficiency, in a big way

The World’s Next Hot Solar Power Market May Be Japan HUFFINGTON POST: 07/25/2012  With its nuclear power plants virtually shuttered since the Fukushima disaster in March 2011, Japan is starting to turn to clean energy in a big way.

On July 1, one of the world’s most aggressive examples of a feed-in tariff (FIT) — a key government incentive for renewable energy — took effect in Japan. A FIT essentially requires utilities to buy kilowatt-hours of electricity from clean, renewable sources like solar, wind, and geothermal at a rate prescribed by the government. Such policies have been behind the rapid growth of solar energy in countries like Spain, Italy, and Germany. No one thinks of Germany for its sunshine, but it’s actually the largest solar energy market in the world, with 25 gigawatts of solar capacity installed (output comparable to about 20 large nuclear reactors) at the end of 2011…..

Japan’s future will be one of imported oil and natural gas, energy-efficiency measures, and an increasingly large share of clean energy. Already a world leader in grid performance and energy efficiency, Japan has aggressively ramped up those efforts since the Fukushima disaster. Many buildings are going without air conditioning in the hot and humid summer, launching a new business attire called Cool Biz (no jackets and ties) in Japan’s traditional buttoned-down business culture. One of my talks, at a prefectural building in Nagoya, was an official Cool Biz event, although not Super Cool Biz — that’s Hawaiian shirts and sandals. Continue reading →

July 26, 2012 Posted by | Japan, renewable | Leave a comment

Obama government’s solar energy project for public lands

Roadmap for Solar Energy Development on Public Lands Released to Public Loan Safe.org, BY ALEX FERRERAS   JULY 25, 2012 As part of President Obama’s all-of-the-above energy strategy, the Department of the Interior, in partnership with the Department of Energy, will publish the Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for solar energy
development in six southwestern states—Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah.

The final Solar PEIS represents a major step forward in the permitting of utility-scale solar energy on public lands throughout the west. Continue reading →

July 26, 2012 Posted by | Reference, renewable, USA | Leave a comment

Japan Shifts from Nuclear Power to Renewable Power

International Support for Renewable Energy, Environmental Leader,  Jeff Colton, 24 July 12, “……As a result of the vulnerability and global scrutiny of nuclear power following the March 2011 earthquake in Japan and the resulting Fukushima nuclear disaster, Japan recently approved incentives for renewable energy, which will help the country decrease its dependence on nuclear power and increase clean energy programs, such as offshore wind farms . These incentives could result in billions of dollars in clean energy investment, expanding revenue from renewable generation and equipment, including wind turbine components such as ultracapacitors, to more than $30 billion by 2016…….. Just 1 percent of Japan’s power supply comes from renewable energy sources, apart from hydro-electric dams which account for most of the rest of the electric power.

Despite the low starting point, Japan has the potential to generate cleaner and safer energy from renewable sources such as the sun, wind and geothermal. Over the past decade, Japan’s wind power capacity has multiplied to 2.5 million kilowatts, and the Japan Wind Power Association estimates  the country can generate 740 million kilowatts of wind power on a commercial basis on land and offshore. With worldwide estimates suggesting 118,000 wind turbines installations through 2015 and nearly 75 percent of new turbines using electric pitch control systems, wind turbine design teams will turn to ultracapacitors as a reliable and cost-effective option. The newly approved incentives aim to spur growth in the renewable energy industry in Japan, just as subsidies have driven substantial renewable energy growth in Germany….. http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/07/24/international-support-for-renewable-energy/

July 25, 2012 Posted by | Japan, renewable | 1 Comment

Solar energy panels designed specifically for Japanese roofs

Global Solar Energy Brings Powerful Building Integrated Solar to Japan’s Growing Renewable Energy Market, Clean Technica, JULY 24, 2012 BY NICHOLAS BROWN Global Solar Energy Incorporated, a manufacturer of flexible solar panels, has announced that it is entering the Japanese solar market with flexible solar panels that are designed specifically for Japanese roofs. Continue reading →

July 25, 2012 Posted by | decentralised, Japan | Leave a comment

International Energy Agency recognises increasing role of renewable energy

This is the first time the IEA has devoted a medium-term report to renewable power sources and the agency says this is “a recognition of the dynamic and increasing role of renewable energy

Wind energy will grow by 100 terawatt-hours per year  reve,  By , 23 July 12,   – IEA  Wind power will be the second biggest contributor to global renewable electricity generation by 2017, according to a ground-breaking report by the International Energy Agency (IEA).

Despite economic uncertainties in many countries, global power generation from renewable sources including wind turbines will increase by more than 40% to almost 6,400 terawatt hours (TWh) – roughly the equivalent of one-and-a-half times current electricity production in the US, predicts the Medium-Term Renewable Energy Market Report 2012. Continue reading →

July 24, 2012 Posted by | 2 WORLD, renewable | Leave a comment

It’s already happening – solar hot water, and solar energy cooling systems

According to the International Energy Agency, solar heating and cooling (SHC) could make a dramatic impact on the world’s electricity grids, providing 17 per cent of all energy required for heating in buildings, industrial processes, swimming pools, and 17 per cent of cooling needs. 

Solar cooling technologies are relatively new, and not widely deployed – only 711 systems were deployed in the world in 2011, according to the IEA …..The IEA suggests that solar cooling particularly useful in handling electricity peaks, because it produces at the time of  highest demand.  It says the technology is already competitive in tropical regions with high electricity costs, including a 1.47MW capacity installation installed at a college in Singapore, was reportedly fully cost competitive without subsidies.

Solar Insights: Is solar hot water (and cooling) the next big thing? REneweconomy, By Giles Parkinson  19 July 2012 Amid the dramatic cost reductions and soaring demand for solar PV (photovoltaic) technologies in Australia and across the world, the long established idea of using the sun to heat water has taken a back seat.  In Australia, where SHW once dominated the local rooftop industry, installations were outpointed by rooftop PV by a factor of 5 in the last year.

But now SHW it is tipped to make a return to centre stage, along with relatively new solar thermal technologies that use the sun to provide heating and cooling for office and building spaces, district heating and under-floor heating in cooler climates, as well as for industrial processes and in hybrid systems with solar PV (known at PV-T). At a larger scale, it could one day be used for water treatment and desalination. Continue reading →

July 19, 2012 Posted by | 2 WORLD, decentralised | Leave a comment

Renewable energy more efficient than gas, coal, nuclear

Study Finds Renewable Energy Sources are more Efficient than Traditional Ones Oil Price. com By Climate Progress  By. Zoë Casey, 17 July 2012  Wind energy opponents who say that producing electricity using the power of the wind is not efficient would do well to take a look at a new graphic published on the Guardian’s data blog  using UK Government data. ‘Up in smoke: how energy efficient is electricity produced in the UK?’ shows that thermal sources of electricity – gas, coal, nuclear, waste/biomass, oil and other – lose massive amounts of energy as waste heat, compared to almost 0% for renewables.

Gas accounts for 48% of the UK’s electricity supply and, of the 372 Terra-Watt hours of electricity it produces per year, 54% of this is lost as heat. Coal, meanwhile, accounts for 28% producing 297 TWh, loses an even higher proportion – 66%. Nuclear – accounting for 16% of the energy supply with 162 TWh, loses 65% and oil – 3% of the supply with 51 TWh – loses 77%.

Contrast these figures with renewable energy – which all together account for 4% of the UK’s electricity supply producing 14 TWh – they lose less than one percent. So, under this measure, renewable energy is 100% efficient.

Wind energy opponents centre their arguments on the ‘capacity factor’ of a wind farm. The capacity factor of any power plant is a measure of the amount of energy it actually generates compared to its theoretical maximum output in a given time. No power plant operates at 100% of its capacity…..  http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Renewable-Energy/Study-Finds-Renewable-Energy-Sources-are-more-Efficient-than-Traditional-Ones.html

July 18, 2012 Posted by | 2 WORLD, renewable | Leave a comment

Japan moving towards renewable energy

the Japanese Wind Power Association has put the longer-term wind potential at over 200 GW, on and offshore, even taking account of locational constraints. That is similar to Japans total present energy generating capacity.

the aim would be to create a 50 trillion yen ($628 billion) green energy market by 2020 through deregulation and subsidies to promote development of renewable energy and low-emission cars.

Greening Japan’s energy  http://environmentalresearchweb.org/blog/2012/07/greening-japans-energy.html  15 July 12 As part of its policy of moving away from nuclear power, the Japanese government is pushing ahead with renewables and improved energy efficiency. Given the urgent need to cut energy demand, following the shut down of all its nuclear plants in May, it encouraged voluntary energy saving initiatives, with some success. Continue reading →

July 16, 2012 Posted by | Japan, Reference, renewable | 1 Comment

Morocco’s ambitious renewable energy plan

Morocco plans to become 40% renewable by 2020 http://www.evwind.es/noticias.php?id_not=19690 July 16, 2012 The 160-megawatt project is part of the larger, 500 megawatt Concentrating Solar Power Ouarzazate site. Morocco starts an ambitious plan to build out 6 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2020, along with a variety of technologies, including wind power, solar energy, biomass, hydro and other technologies as the country currently imports
90 percent of its energy. Continue reading →

July 16, 2012 Posted by | AFRICA, renewable | Leave a comment

Decentralised renewable energy is the answer to USA electricity outages

Renewable energy sources are the answer to power outages.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/readersrespond/bs-ed-power-outages-20120713,0,5572931.story  Brent Flickinger Much has been said about the power outages caused by recent storms, but one thing rarely mentioned is the importance of getting people off the electrical grid.

It’s a national security issue when so many people are rendered helpless in a neighborhoods because their electrical power all comes from the local utility. The government should continue to offer incentives for households to install solar panels, wind turbines or geothermal systems of whatever size. It would help if even one or two people on a block had an energy
source besides the grid.

Generators are one option, though they are noisy and still depend on fossil fuel. But renewable energy sources such as solar and wind give communities a measure of both energy independence and resilience. Our future depends on as swift a transition to renewables as possible.

July 14, 2012 Posted by | decentralised, USA | Leave a comment

Rapid growth of China’s solar sector as solar panel prices plummet

The global solar sector has witnessed some extraordinary growth in the past couple of years. According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, the prices of solar panels have fallen by almost 42% in a single year to $0.87 per watt.

CHINA SETS 2015 SOLAR ENERGY TARGET AT 21GW Solar PV Investor,  BY SARFARAZ KHAN     |       12 JULY 2012   Although the massive target might seem overly ambitious to some, most of the industry analysts believe that it is still very modest. China’s local media has revealed that the National Energy Administration (NEA) has decided to quadruple the country’s 2015 solar energy target to 21GW. Continue reading →

July 13, 2012 Posted by | China, renewable | Leave a comment

An community solar energy scheme is paying off

How a community solar scheme is turning sunshine into dollars REneweconomy, By  on 11 July 2012 Rocky Mountain Institute Years ago, a Basalt native Paul Spencer set out to build an off-grid home not far from RMI’s Snowmass office. Through the process of designing and building his house, he developed a passion for real estate, and became well versed in renewable energy technologies. He began looking into the option of a green development in the Roaring Fork Valley: super-efficient homes powered by renewable energy.

But, due to trees shading the proposed building sites, rooftop solar didn’t work. Instead, Spencer proposed to build a shared solar array that would power the neighborhood. While the development didn’t go through, the community solar concept remained.

Now, Spencer is the president and founder of Carbondale-based Clean Energy Collective (CEC) an LLC that builds, operates, and maintains community-based clean energy facilities, currently all solar PV……..

Here’s how it works:  Continue reading →

July 11, 2012 Posted by | decentralised, USA | Leave a comment

Tsunami affected areas can redevelop with renewable energy

The goal of the Kesen project is to generate at least 50 percent of the region’s electricity through solar and other renewable-energy sources

Rice paddies that were inundated with seawater in March 2011 can yield more profit if they’re covered with solar panels than if they’re rehabilitated as agricultural land.

Tsunami Cities Fight Nuclear Elites To Create Green Jobs By Stuart Biggs – Jul 10, 2012  Bloomberg  Rikuzentakata, like many cities on Japan ’s rugged northeast Pacific coast, was in decline even before last year’s tsunami killed 1,700 of its 24,000 inhabitants and destroyed most of its downtown buildings.

With two-thirds of the remaining residents homeless, Mayor Futoshi Toba questioned whether the city could recover, Bloomberg Markets magazine reports in its August issue. Damage to infrastructure and the economy, he said, would force people to move away to find jobs. Sixteen months later, the city is trying to rebuild in a way that Toba says would reinvent the region and provide a model to overcome obstacles that have hobbled the Japanese economy for more than 20 years: the fastest-aging population in the developed world, loss of manufacturing competitiveness toChina  and South Korea  and reliance on imported fossil fuels.

Rikuzentakata is part of a government program to create one of the country’s first so-called ecocities.

They would be smaller and more self-sufficient and would lower costs through technology and create new jobs in renewable energy to replace those lost to the decline of agriculture and fisheries……. Continue reading →

July 11, 2012 Posted by | Japan, renewable | Leave a comment

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