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Small scale Wind- Solar hybrid system powering a whole village

Nepal’s Dhaubadi turns Asia’s first ‘renewable energy village’, Times of India Dec 17, 2011, |KATHMANDU: Dhaubadi, in remote Nepal has become Asia’s first ‘renewable energy village’ with the installation of mini wind-solar hybrid power system with the financial and technical support from ADB.

The two sets of 5 kw wind turbines complimented by 2 kwp of solar PV panels can generate 43.6 kwh per day electricity which can light 46 households of the village, according the Asian Development Bank country office in Nepal. The installation of this ultra-modern facility will allow women to cook and clean, and children to study or play after dark, ADB says in a press release issued at a function today.

The villagers are now able to see television, charge their cell phone sets, operate computers and read at night with the help of the wind-solar power system. Erecting greenhouses to absorb solar energy and manage water uses for high-value cash crop and vegetable production is also being planned which will augment income generation activities in the village community.

Energy fuels economic growth and poverty reduction. Reliable and efficient energy services underpin the expansion of economic and employment opportunities, the continuing progress in social development, and the sustained improvement in standard of living, observed S Hafeez Rahman, ADB’s director general for South Asia Development.

The Wind-Solar hybrid system was installed under ADB’s regional technical assistance (RETA) for Effective Development of Distributed Small Wind Power System in Asian Rural Areas of with the Alternative Energy Promotion Centre of the Ministry of Environment is the implementing agency in Nepal. The USD 3.8 million RETA will contribute to ADB’s Energy for All initiative by increasing access to energy in remote rural areas.

In view of the Nepal’s chronic energy shortage and its abundant wind and solar resources, as well as the government’s strong commitment towards a low-carbon economy, ADB has selected Nepal as the first pilot country for its small wind power initiative.

The lessons learnt from Nepal on the deployment of small wind power system in rural areas will be very useful in scaling up the systems in Nepal and replicating in other ADB member countries, said Kangbin Zheng, ADB’s senior investment specialist. Articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-12-17/developmental-issues/30528393_1_s-hafeez-rahman-solar-energy-small-wind-power

December 19, 2011 Posted by | decentralised, India | Leave a comment

Vermont’s comprehensive plan for renewable energy and energy efficiency

Vt. to seek 90 percent renewable energy by 2050 Bloomberg, By DAVE GRAM, 18 Dec 11 MONTPELIER, VT. Gov. Peter Shumlin wants the state to satisfy 90 percent of its energy needs from renewable sources by 2050, largely eliminating its reliance on fossil fuels.

Shumlin joined Public Service Commissioner Elizabeth Miller and other officials on Thursday to unveil a comprehensive energy plan that lifts what had been a moratorium on construction of renewable energy projects on state land; calls for more use of electric vehicles coupled with energy efficiency in the electric sector; says large-scale hydroelectric power like that imported from Canada should be considered renewable; and calls for expansion of piped natural gas
in the state. Continue reading →

December 19, 2011 Posted by | renewable, USA | Leave a comment

High renewable energy start up costs, later fall, because sun and wind are free

converting to a lower-carbon economy would increase electricity prices until around 2030, because renewable energy technology requires high start-up costs. They would fall after that, because fuel sources such as sun and wind are free.

Renewables need not cost more: EU energy chief By Barbara Lewis, BRUSSELS Dec 15, 2011  (Reuters) – A shift to renewable energy would ultimately cost around the same as business as usual and the EU needs to make progress on setting a 2030 target for greener fuel soon, the bloc’s energy commissioner said.

Guenther Oettinger was laying out the European Union’s latest road map for mostly eliminating carbon from the fuel mix by 2050 and guiding investors beyond the Commission’s existing set of energy goals. Continue reading →

December 16, 2011 Posted by | EUROPE, renewable | Leave a comment

Despite media coverage against renewable energy, British public supports it

Over at BusinessGreen, James Murray describes the survey results as “explosive”, especially given that they “follow months during which the right-wing press has waged an increasingly virulent campaign against climate change, wind farms, renewable energy, and the greenlevies that pay for it”. 

British public strongly support renewable energy, survey says, The Guardian, 14 Dec 11 56% of UK population wants to see more investment in wind power, finds a YouGov survey
Does the UK have a “silent majority” in support of further investment in renewables? You wouldn’t necessarily think so if you listen to the very vocal, media-driven opposition against, say, wind power, but a recent YouGov survey commissioned by the Sunday Times suggests the true picture might be a little different.

The Sunday Times itself chose not to report the YouGov findings related to renewables (you can draw your own conclusions as to why), but if you look beyond the headline polling about the 1,696 respondents’ political leanings you start to reach some rather intriguing environmentally themed results ….

But the real point of interest can be found on page nine, which asks: “Thinking about the country’s future energy provision, do you think the government should be looking to use more or less of the following?”
Solar power
More than at present – 74%
Less than at present – 6%
Maintain current levels – 12%
Not sure – 9%

Wind farms
More than at present – 56%
Less than at present – 19%
Maintain current levels – 15%
Not sure – 9%… Continue reading →

December 15, 2011 Posted by | media, renewable, UK | Leave a comment

How Japan’s nuclear lobby sabotaged renewable energy

Secret Weapons Program Inside Fukushima Nuclear Plant? Global Research, 12/4/11 by Yoichi Shimatsu“….Sabotaging Alternative Energy The cynical attitude of the nuclear lobby extends far into the future, strangling at birth the Japanese archipelago’s only viable source of alternative energy—offshore wind power.Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, a nuclear-power partner of Westinghouse, manufactures wind turbines but only for the export market.

The Siberian high-pressure zone ensures a strong and steady wind flow over northern Japan, but the region’s utility companies have not taken advantage of this natural energy resource. The reason is that TEPCO, based in Tokyo and controlling the largest energy market, acts much as a shogun over the nine regional power companies and the national grid. Its deep pockets influence high bureaucrats, publishers and politicians like Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara, while nuclear ambitions keep the defense contractors and generals on its side. Yet TEPCO is not quite the top dog. Its senior partner in this mega-enterprise is Kishi’s brainchild, METI.

The national test site for offshore wind is unfortunately not located in windswept Hokkaido or Niigata, but farther to the southeast, in Chiba Prefecture. Findings from these tests to decide the fate of wind energy won’t be released until 2015. The sponsor of that slow-moving trial project is TEPCO….. http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=24275

December 14, 2011 Posted by | Japan, renewable | Leave a comment

Tiny Pacific island Tokelau to go %100 renewable energy – Durban report

Tokelau to be first renewable energy nation Tokelau plans to use only renewable energy from next year. [ABC],  Australia Network News, 9 Dec 2011  The tiny Pacific nation of Tokelau has told a UN conference it plans to use only renewable energy within a year.   It would be the first country in the world to do so.

The head of the Tokelau Government, Foua Toloa, toldPacific Beat although his country is small, it has a powerful message.
“By September, 2012 – Tokelau will be the first nation 100 per cent renewable energy efficient, fulfilling our global obligation,” he said.

“We are making sure our voice is being heard here – especially the smallest of the small here in Durban”. Attending the UN conference in South Africa the Tokelau representatives have called for a legally-binding agreement of emission pledges from all countries. http://australianetworknews.com/stories/201112/3387536.htm?desktop

December 9, 2011 Posted by | OCEANIA, renewable | Leave a comment

American Indians enthusiastic about potential for renewable energy industris

Indian Country welcomes renewable energy by Martin LaMonica  December 4, 2011  JEMEZ PUEBLO, N.M.–American Indian tribes see renewable energy as a way to capitalize on their natural resources.

The Department of Energy last week proposed a rule that would speed up decisions regarding land used for renewable energy projects, many of which have been derailed by bureaucracy. The rule would require decisions within a 60-day limit for business-related leases, such as developing solar and wind projects on Indian land.

“It will require the government to act,” said Interior Secretary Ken Salazar last Monday, according to reports. “The government cannot sit on its hands, as it has often done.”   Indian lands have significant resources, including solar and wind, but little has been developed, according to the National Congress of American Indians. “We’re ready to strengthen our economies now and jumpstart the clean energy economy in Indian Country. This is something the entire country can get behind,” said NCAI president Jefferson Keel in a statement….

For tribes with the resources, renewable energy holds the prospect of bringing in much-needed tax revenue, jobs, and potentially lower electricity costs, said Carolyn Stewart, managing partner at Red Mountain Energy Partners, which advises tribes on renewable energy.

“[Tribes] are very interested in controlling the pace of the development on the reservation, which they have not been able to do in the past for the most part with oil and gas, coal, or uranium mining [which] had significant environmental impacts,” she said….. http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-57335065-54/indian-country-welcomes-renewable-energy/

December 5, 2011 Posted by | indigenous issues, renewable, USA | Leave a comment

Arnold Schwarzenegger calls for renewable energy to get fair treatment from federal government

An unfair fight for renewable energies Washington Post, By Arnold Schwarzenegger,  December 4 More energy from the sun hits Earth in one hour than all the energy consumed on our planet in an entire year.
In those terms, it is absurd that our federal renewable energy to get government spends tens of billions of dollars annually subsidizing the oil industry, which pulls diminishing resources from underground, while the industry focused above ground on wind, solar and other renewable energies is
derided in Washington. Federal support for development of new energy sources is lower today than at any other point in U.S. history, and our government is forcing the ­clean-energy sector into a competitive disadvantage. To bring true competition to the energy market, ensure
our national security and create jobs here rather than in China or elsewhere, we must level the playing field for renewable energies. In this presidential primary, Americans need to hear where the candidates stand on this critical issue. Continue reading →

December 5, 2011 Posted by | renewable, USA | Leave a comment

Wind power growing in importance in South Korea

South Korea’s drive for renewable energy By Lucy Williamson, BBC News,1 Dec 11 South Korea “…..Wind power is becoming increasingly important to South Korea – not just as a way to help meet ambitious targets on greenhouse gas emissions, but also as a way to boost the economy.

“Green Growth” has been a key national strategy since President Lee Myung-bak took office four years ago……..South Korea is relatively late to the green technology market. Europe is the established leader in wind turbines – and even China is judged to be steaming ahead.

Korea completed its first wind farm five years ago. Spread across a beautiful series of hills in Gangwon Province, near the country’s eastern coast, the wind farm produces an impressive 240MW per year….. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15984399

December 3, 2011 Posted by | renewable, South Korea | Leave a comment

Fukushima residents learn at first hand the success of renewable energy projects

“It is important for the Japanese to realize that renewable energy can work on a large scale, and that people can make money from it,” said Yamamoto, 

Fukushima residents tour German renewable village; learn about non-nuclear energy sources Washington Post, By Associated Press,  November 30 FELDHEIM, Germany — A group of residents from the radiation-stricken area around Japan’s tsunami-hit nuclear reactors and a Tokyo actor are visiting Germany to learn how renewable energy could work in their
homeland…..

The group, organized and led by representatives of Greenpeace Japan, arrived Wednesday in the northeastern German village of Feldheim to learn how its 145 residents have taken advantage of the energy generated by a nearby windfarm and a biofuel plant that burns the
waste from a local pig farm to become an entirely self-sustaining, energy-positive village….. Continue reading →

December 1, 2011 Posted by | decentralised, Germany | Leave a comment

Renewable energy investment in South Africa

South Africa Becoming a Renewable Energy Hub Afribiz, Dec 1 South Africa is fast becoming a preferred renewable energy investment destination for both private and public sector investors – good news for the country’s growing electricity demands, emerging clean energy sector and the economy.

The World Bank recently approved a $250-million (R1.5- billion) loan to South African power utility Eskom to develop a wind and solar plant, which will help the country reduce its reliance on coal-based power generation.

The World Bank, which granted the funding through its Clean Technology Fund, will finance a 100-megawatt solar power plant in Upington in the Northern Cape province and a 100-megawatt wind power project north of Cape Town in the Western Cape…. http://www.afribiz.info/content/south-africa-becoming-a-renewable-energy-hub

December 1, 2011 Posted by | renewable, South Africa | Leave a comment

Renewables, energy efficiency better options for India than nuclear power

Koodankulam struggle: Western nations are learning from their mistakes, India is not  The Weekend Leader,   By Nityanand Jayaraman & Sundar Rajan, 30 Nov Chennai  “…….Nuclear power is not the only option for generating electricity. There are a number of conventional and non-conventional sources of energy that can be explored for generating electricity.

It is a fact that in more than 60 years of post-independence industrialisation and modernisation, the contribution of nuclear energy to the total electricity generation is less than 3%.
Renewable energy sources already contribute more than 10% of India’s electricity and large hydro projects deliver about 22%. Large dams, though, have exacted a devastating toll on the environment and lives of adivasi communities. Continue reading →

November 30, 2011 Posted by | India, renewable | Leave a comment

Masdar home if International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)

Renewable energy to power growth Masdar symbolises the UAE leadership’s vision of sustainable economic progress and development of human capital By Sultan Ahmad Al Jaber,  Gulf News November 30, 2011 “…….Masdar is a growing global hub for clean technology companies and works across the renewable energy value chain; covering education, research and development, investment in clean technology, implementation of renewable energy projects, and reducing carbonemissions.
In just five years, Masdar has achieved a great deal and hosts the permanent headquarters of the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) at Masdar City. Irena is the first international organisation to be headquartered in the Middle East. … Continue reading →

November 30, 2011 Posted by | renewable, United Arab Emirates | Leave a comment

Renewable energy set to boom

“These results indicate that last year’s record renewable energy investment was no one-off despite the recent economic gloom. Big winners over the next 20 years will be the emerging renewable energy hubs in Latin America, Asia, the Middle East and Africa 

Bloomberg Predicts $7 Trillion Renewable Energy Spend By 2030, by Energy Matters, 29 Nov 11 New figures from Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) predict that by 2030, global spending on renewable energy installations will have hit $7 trillion.

     Bloomberg’s “Global Renewable Energy Market Outlook” report (PDF), the analysis company’s latest forecasts on the size of the world renewable energy markets out to 2030, shows a steady rise in the value of installed renewable capacity.

BNEF predicts doubling from 2010’s record-breaking $195 billion, to $395 billion in 2020, before reaching $460 billion in 2030. By 2030, the report states, 15.7 percent of the world’s energy (including hydropower) will come from renewable sources. Continue reading →

November 29, 2011 Posted by | 2 WORLD, renewable | Leave a comment

French company AREVA finding wind energy a better bet than nuclear?

Areva has looked to diversify away from nuclear energy and build up solar, wind and biomassbusinesses. …..Areva has teamed up with energy group GDF Suez SA and concessions company Vinci SA to bid for a part of the French government’s wind turbine project…The French government aims for a total of 1,200 wind turbines to be eventually built, costing a total of €10 billion.

In mid-December Areva is set to detail the financial impact of the nuclear disaster at Fukushima this March.

Areva Diversifies Further Into Wind, WSJ, 28 Nov, By MAX COLCHESTER And NOÉMIE BISSERBE, PARIS—Areva SA said Monday it is in advanced talks to build about 120 wind turbines at two offshore wind farms in Germany, as theengineering group continues to diversify away from nuclear energy…. Continue reading →

November 29, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, France, renewable | Leave a comment

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