Green shipping blowing in the wind

Age
Thu, 3 Jan 08

ONE of the first large cargo ships in 100 years to cross the Atlantic Ocean with the help of the wind will set off from Europe this month on a voyage that is due to make maritime history.

When the 10,000-tonne Beluga SkySail is well clear of land, it will launch a giant kite, which wind tunnel tests and sea trials suggest will tug it along and save 10-15% of the heavy fuel oil it would normally burn. If the journey from Bremen in Germany to Venezuela and back is successful, it could become common to see some of the largest ships in the world towed by kites the size of soccer fields.

"This is a serious attempt to reduce bunker (fuel) costs and polluting emissions," said Christine Bornkessel, a spokeswoman for the Bremen-based Beluga shipping line, which has 52 merchant vessels. "The kite will be used whenever it is possible on the voyage, and we are convinced it will revolutionise cargo shipping. We would consider fitting them to all our ships."

The ship's maiden voyage will use a 160-square-metre kite which is expected to cut fuel consumption by 10-15%, but in time it will be fitted with much larger kites, saving up to 35% on fuel, she said. The largest kites could be as big as 5000 square metres and theoretically be capable of assisting giant container ships.

Shipping is now a booming global industry, with most manufacturing being concentrated thousands of miles from consumer centres in Europe and the United States. Nearly 100,000 cargo ships transport 95% of world trade by sea, and the world shipping industry is expanding rapidly as countries such as India and China become major players in the global economy. But the cost of shipping or "bunker" fuel has nearly doubled in the past two years, forcing the industry to consider alternatives. At the same time, concerns have grown about climate change and air pollution from shipping.

It is estimated that commercial shipping uses nearly 2 billion barrels of oil a year and emits as much as 800 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, or 4% of the world's man-made emissions. Shipping also releases more sulphur dioxide than all the world's cars and lorries. The industry has so far failed to harness renewable energy, either because conventional fuel has been cheap, or because modern cargoes, mostly carried in containers, need to remain stable on deck or in holds. Sails or spinnakers have been proposed for merchant ships, but these can take up storage space and cause vessels to keel.

The kite system, which has been developed over 10 years with help from the German Government, uses an automatic pilot, is controlled by computers and runs on a metal track around the ship. This allows the "sail" to move around to collect wind and also prevent tilting. But the kite is not designed to replace engines. There are still questions about how the system behaves in high winds and what would happen if the kite landed in the sea. The system could be applied to nearly two out of three boats registered at Lloyd's register of shipping in London.

Green thumbs up

Comment News
02/01/2008 Page: 1

A COLLABORATION between the cities of Armadale and Gosnells and the Shire of Serpentine-Jarrahdale to tackle climate change is achieving positive results, with the three councils collectively saving 45,268 tonnes of greenhouse gases in 2006/07. The results are reported in the latest annual tracking survey of the Cities for Climate Protection (CCP) Australia program, which helps councils to implement greenhouse action.

The program, a joint initiative of the Federal Government and Local Governments for Sustainability, reports each year on the progress of councils in reducing their greenhouse gas emissions and the initiatives they are putting in place to achieve their targets. The three councils are partners in the South East Regional Energy Group and established the award-winning regional environmental project Switch Your Thinking to educate the community about practical greenhouse action.

According to the latest report, the City of Gosnells saved 31,244 tonnes of greenhouse gases in 2006/07. Mayor Olwen Searle said initiatives such as the construction of energy efficient buildings like the Agonis, converting utility vehicles to LPG, purchasing a pool blanket for Leisure World and encouraging recycling had been the key to the result. The Switch Your Thinking program and an initiative to capture and flare methane at the old Kelvin Road tip site had also contributed to the greenhouse savings.

The City of Armadale saved 13,700 tonnes of greenhouse gases in 2006/07 through a range of corporate and community initiatives, including purchasing Green Power for council buildings, installing a new efficient air-conditioning system at the administration building and installing a pool blanket at the Armadale Aquatic Centre.

The council commissioned a solar hybrid wind turbine at the Serpentine-Jarrahdale Recreation Centre in Byford, purchased Green Power for the administration building, installed energy-efficient lighting and computers.

Solar energy advocates hit the road

Adelaide Advertiser
02/01/2008 Page: 19

IF you have ever blistered your bare feet on a hot road, you know how asphalt absorbs the sun's rays. Now, a Dutch company is siphoning the heat from roads and parking lots to heat homes and offices. As climate change rises on the international agenda, the system built by civil engineering firm Ooms Avenhorn Holding BV does not look as wacky as it might have 10 years ago when it was first conceived.

solar energy collected from a 180m stretch of road and a small parking lot helps heat a 70-unit, four-story apartment building in the northern village of Avenhorn. An industrial park of 14,864sq in in the nearby city of Hoorn is kept warm in winter with the help of heat stored during the summer from 3344sqm of pavement. The runways of a Dutch air force base in the south supply heat for its hangar. And all that under normally cloudy Dutch skies, with only a few days a year of truly sweltering temperatures.

The Road Energy System is one of the more unusual ways scientists and engineers are trying to harness the power of the sun, the single most plentiful, reliable, accessible and inexhaustible source of renewable energy - radiating to earth more watts in one hour than the world can use in a whole year.

But today, solar power provides just 0.04 per cent of global energy, held back by high production costs and low efficiency rates. Solar advocates say that will change within a few years. Other renewable sources have drawbacks. Not every place is breezy enough for wind turbines; waves and tides are good only for coastal regions; hydroelectricity requires rivers and increasingly objectionable dams; biofuels take up land needed for food crops. "But solar falls everywhere," says Patrick Mazza, of Climate Solutions, a consultancy group in Seattle, Washington.

Compared with other energy sources,"solar comes out as the one with the real heavy lift. It's the one we really need to get at." Ooms' thermal energy system is too expensive and inefficient to solve the world's energy problems. In fact, it was a spin-off of investigations into reducing road maintenance.

A latticework of flexible plastic pipes, held in place by a plastic grid, is covered over by asphalt, which magnifies the sun's thermal power. As cool water in the pipes is heated, it is pumped deep under the ground to natural aquifers where it maintains a fairly constant temperature of about 20C. The heated water can be retrieved months later to keep the road surface ice-free in winter. The same system pumps cold water from a separate subterranean reservoir to cool buildings on hot days.

Though it doubles the cost of construction, the system's first benefits are a longer life for roads and bridges, fewer ice-induced accidents and less need to repave worn surfaces. "We found we were gathering more energy in summer than we needed, so we asked a building contractor what we could do with the extra energy," says commercial manager Lex Van Zaane. The answer was to construct buildings near the tarmac and pipe hot water under the floor. The water usually is not hot enough on its own, and must go through an electricity-powered heat pump for an extra boost.

The installation cost is about twice as much as normal gas heating, but the energy required is about half of what would otherwise be needed. That translates into lower monthly heating bills and a 50 per cent saving in carbon emissions.

Welcome for wind farm

Wimmera Mail Times
02/01/2008 Page: 13

NORTHERN Grampians and Ararat councils have thrown their support behind a second wind farm in the district. RES Australia is preparing a planning permit application for a $250-million wind fans seven kilometres north-east of Ararat. It will partly be in both municipalities. The project will include 50 turbines and produce clean green energy for about 40,000 houses.

Northern Grampians Shire Council chief executive officer Glen Davis said the council supported low-emission power generation. "With two national parks and large areas of crops, pasture, shrubs and forests, Northern Grampians is proud of its ecological contribution in burying carbon, creating carbon credits," he said. Mr Davis said the council supported the Federal Government emphasis on Australia's need to reduce greenhouse emissions.

"The proposed carbon trading regime will be a market in which both low emissions and carbon credits will be economically rewarded," he said. "And the Victorian Government seeks to use wind energy for water desalination plants." Mr Davis said the council also welcomed investments that would create new jobs and enhance employment opportunities. "The shire looks forward to receiving and reviewing the planning application from RES for a wind fame in the shire," he said.

Ararat Rural City chief executive officer Steve Chapple said the council welcomed responsible economic development investment. "Council has recently commenced discussions with RES Australia representatives seeking to investigate the establishment of a new 50-turbine wind farm in our municipality," he said. "The community will be provided ample opportunities to be consulted on the proposal. Our council and community are committed to clean renewable energy initiatives. As with all such wind fans applications of this size and scale, the Minister for Planning has final approval responsibility."

Council to decide on wind farm

Cobden Times
02/01/2008 Page: 1

The fate of a $50 million Newfield wind farm will be decided at Corangamite Shire Council's January meeting. The proposed wind farm would be situated on 300 hectares, eight kilometres inland from Port Campbell. Spanish company Acciona Energy is behind the development, which when fully operational could power 28,000 homes.

The wind farm would have 15, 1.5 megawatt turbines, standing at 110 metres high and be located on a four kilometre ridge of farmland. Acciona Energy submitted a planning permit to council earlier this year. Shire building and statutory planning manager Michelle Grainger said locals were notified about the proposed development.

"The plans were publicly exhibited for five weeks in August and September and we had public meetings with members of the local community:" Council has received 15 submissions from the public about the development. Issues raised included noise, blade glint, landscape impact and the distance the wind farm would be from nearby homes. "We are currently considering issues raised by Acciona's application and the submissions and aim to make a recommendation to council at its January 22 meeting;" Mrs Grainger said.

Investors energised by wind power

Canberra Times
01/01/2008 Page: 13

China's emphasis on global warming and its encouragement of wind energy and other sources of renewable energy have finally made itself felt among Chinese investors.

This was confirmed last week by the spectacular opening of a stockmarket listing by China's biggest maker of wind energy generating equipment. Shares in Xinjiang province based Goldwind Science & Technology soared 264 per cent from their initial public offer price to close at 131 yuan ($A20.55 ) in their first day of trade on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, far exceeding analysts' forecasts of a range of $A14.10-$A15.65.

Smaller Chinese stocks routinely double in their debuts. Demand for Goldwind may have been boosted by a recent pull-back in the overall sharemarket, which has made Chinese investors see initial public offers as the safest path to quick profits. An energy analyst at United Securities in Shenzhen, Yang Jun, said,"The renewable energy theme is getting more popular." Mr Yang added that Goldwind's success and the support of China's Government for green energy could prompt more such firms to list.

The China-Belgium Direct Equity Investment Fund, run by Haitong-Fortis Private Equity Fund Management, a venture between China's Haitong Securities and Belgium's Fortis Fund Management, held 7.2 per cent of Goldwind before the offer, and has undertaken to hold its shares for at least three years. Goldwind, raised $A283 million by selling 10 per cent of its expanded share capital in the offer.

Oriental Securities estimated in a report that Goldwind's net profits might hit $A136 million this year, tip from an estimated $A98 trillion last year, though it also said the stock would start to look overvalued above $A18.80.

A spokesman for Haitong-Fortis said,"An increasing number of power firms in China are seeking to break out of the traditional generating methods into clean and green ways." Traders said Goldwind's debut helped to boost other power-related shares in China last week. Shares in Datang Power, a big generator which relies mainly on coal but is developing its wind energy capacity, surged 8.55 per cent to a two-month high of 18.79 yuan.

Experts from the Global Wind Energy Council said last year China was set to overshoot a 5 gigawatt target set for wind generation installed capacity in 2010 after it hit 2.6GW at the end of 2006. In the past, many of China's firths in high technology and clean energy have chosen to list overseas rather than in China in the hopes of finding more sympathetic investors abroad. Some analysts now feel that the strong demand for Goldwind's shares could encourage such firms to list domestically.

New Allco fund popular

Herald Sun
01/01/2008 Page: 24

ALLCO Finance Group says its new transport and infrastructure fund has proved popular with wholesale investors, attracting $200 million ahead of schedule. Allco General Transport and Infrastructure Fund got a $200 million commitment from a large, unnamed institutional investor, its parent company said. That meant the fund would launch in January - about three months earlier than expected.

Allco is targeting total contributions of up to $450 million for a fund that will invest in ships, aeroplanes, wind farms and other stable assets with reliable cash flow. "This is a fund investing in Allco's core asset classes," Allco said. Allco Finance Group shares were up 44c or 7.64 per cent to $6.20.

Wind farms add green touch to WA's energy mix

Prospect Magazine
01/01/2008 Page: 20

Western Australia's commitment to cleaner, greener energy has been boosted by the recent official opening of another wind farm project at Hopetoun, near the State's south coast, about 175 kilometres west of Esperance. The Hopetoun wind-diesel Project involved the construction of a new power station and a second 600 kilowatt wind turbine for the progressive town. The first turbine was commissioned in 2004.

Verve Energy undertook the $7.5 million project, with Horizon Power investing $1.5 million to connect the new power station to the local distribution network. The project was also supported by the Australian Government, through the Renewable Remote Power Generation Program. This program was funded from diesel excise paid in Western Australia.

The new power station will ensure that Hopetoun has a reliable power supply as it accommodates an increasing number of new houses, as well as commercial and industrial customers. Most of the town's growth stems from the development of BHP Billiton's nearby $2.8 billion Ravensthorpe nickel project. The Hopetoun project follows the commissioning of a $180 million wind farm at Emu Downs about 30 km inland from Cervantes in the State's Mid West region.

The wind farm is a joint venture between Griffin Energy and Stanwell Corporation Limited and comprises 48 turbines that are capable of producing 80 megawatts of electricity for the State's main power grid. That's enough to meet the power requirements of 50,000 WA homes.

There are now nine recognised wind farm sites in Western Australia which collectively produce 198 MW of electricity. Most of the energy is fed into Verve Energy's South West Interconnected System (SWIS) power grid. The State has a total electricity generating capacity of about 6700MW, including about 5300MW for the SWIS grid. Around 3 to 4 per cent of the State's electricity currently comes from renewable energy sources.

The Western Australian Government is on track to meet its renewable energy target of 6 per cent for the SWIS system by 2010, with the announcement of Synergy's decision to purchase power from a new bioenergy venture in Bridgetown. In addition, the State has set further targets for the SWIS of 15 per cent by 2020 and 20 per cent by 2025.

Victoria is currently the only State or Territory with a legislated renewable energy target scheme of 10 per cent by 2016, although the New South Wales parliament is considering a bill for a similar scheme.

China vow on clean energy

Adelaide Advertiser
27/12/2007 Page: 94

CHINA promised yesterday to develop renewable energy for its fast-growing economy. But it also warned coal consumption would grow dramatically and avoided setting binding limits on greenhouse gas emissions. In a report on its energy plans, the Chinese Government announced no new initiatives but said it wanted to curb reliance on oil and gas to drive an economy that is the world's second-biggest energy consumer after the United States.

"China gives top priority to developing renewable energy," said the 44-page report released by the Cabinet's press office. The report said Beijing would promote hydroelectric, nuclear, solar and wind energy, as well natural gas extracted from garbage dumps and coal mines. China's economic boom has sharply lifted its need for imported oil and gas, prompting complaints that Chinese demand is driving record-high world crude prices.

Cape Wind boss hopes for shift in attitudes

www.capecodonline.com
December 28, 2007

More than seven years have passed since Jim Gordon proposed a utility-scale wind farm for Nantucket Sound. In that time, Gordon, 54, and his company, Boston-based Cape Wind Associates LLC, have alternatively leapt forward and fallen back in the effort to build 130 wind turbines on Horseshoe Shoal, off Cape Cod's south coast.

In March, for example, the top environmental and energy official in Massachusetts, Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Ian Bowles, gave Cape Wind the thumbs up. Then, in October, the Cape Cod Commission denied a permit for the turbines' transmission lines. The next 12 months promise even more regulatory wrangling.

First, there is an important federal review for Cape Wind to survive. The U.S. Minerals Management Service plans to release a long-awaited draft environmental report on Cape Wind early next year. The final version, issued after a public comment period on the draft report, could be out by the end of 2008. Gordon expects the federal report to closely parallel the state's positive environmental impact report issued by Bowles. But even if the federal report is favorable toward Cape Wind, it does not mean an end to the fight, something Gordon readily admits.

"I don't want to be naive about legal challenges," he said in a telephone interview yesterday while on a family vacation in Vermont. But with public opinion polls indicating majority support for the project statewide, he imagines a day when even his detractors will come around. "I'm hoping that even the opponents, diehard opponents, will hopefully have a shift in their attitude and hopefully stop trying to delay and obstruct a project that is needed and enjoys growing support," he said.

The awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to former Vice President Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is a sign of support for efforts to combat global warming, Gordon said. And, he sees Cape Wind as one reason for the federal government's efforts to formulate new permitting and leasing regulations for offshore renewable energy projects. The rules are expected to be released in 2008. "I think that our efforts have helped sow the seeds for an industry in the U.S.," he said.

There also will be action on Gordon's project at the state level. Cape Wind has appealed the Cape Cod Commission's denial to the state Energy Facilities Siting Board, which has set a hearing for April 22. The ruling of the siting board, which has previously approved Cape Wind's transmission lines, is of "key importance," said state Rep. Matthew Patrick, D-Falmouth, a proponent of renewable energy projects, including Gordon's turbines. "That will give you an indication of just how important this is to the administration and the state in terms of renewable energy and moving forward with the first offshore wind farm."

Cape Wind supporters see the project as inevitable and current events only propelling it forward. "I think its only a matter of time before it's approved," Patrick said. "Most of my colleagues — including the Senate — are in favor of it," he said. "I think the momentum has shifted already in terms of public opinion."

But Gordon's opponents, including the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound, are also looking toward the new year. "The alliance is looking forward to deeper scrutiny of Cape Wind's project either at (the siting board) or in the court system," said Glenn Wattley, chief executive officer for the Hyannis-based group.

Between the appeal to the siting board and the draft report from Minerals Management, the next year could be the "perfect storm" of events in the Cape Wind debate, Wattley said. "The truth will be known in 2008."

Banks urged to invest in world's best interest

Canberra Times
26/12/2007 Page: 12

Carbon capture and underground storage of emissions is a "false solution" to climate change that the world's banks should refuse to finance, according to a new international report. The technology remained unproven, sanctioned the "continued lock in" of fossil fuel use and provided a disincentive to limit greenhouse emissions, financial sector watchdog BankTrack said.

Banks should also refuse to finance emission-intensive activities such as logging tropical forests and "industrial scale" cattle farming, as well as large dams, biofuels and nuclear energy stations. Instead, banks should "vigorously start to compete to become the bank of choice for the clean-teach, renewable energy, and energy efficiency industries", the global network said.

BankTrack's latest report estimates about 20 per cent of global GDP is now affected by "climate events" such as violent stories, floods and droughts, and climate risk is now more important than the risks posed by "interest rates or foreign exchange risk."

Banks must take a leading role in the fight against global warming by supporting investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies, insisting commercial real estate clients meet rigorous energy efficiency standards, and offering lower mortgage rates on energy efficient homes, the report said.

Banks should develop climate policies to assess and report on all greenhouse gas emissions associated with their loans, investments and financial services, and establish strict portfolio and business-unit emissions reduction targets. Earlier this year, British economist Sir Nicholas Stern warned the global power sector must reduce its carbon emissions by 60 to 75 per cent by 2050. But banks were continuing to invest in new coal-fired electricity plants and oil and gas exploration, the BankTrack report said.

"Last year, global oil and gas companies spent approximately $US200 billion developing new energy projects, pushing the oil and gas frontier into every remote corner of the world in order to reach hitherto economically unviable reserves... Commercial banks are often key financiers of these highly lucrative undertakings.

"Yet, if banks are to play a positive role in facilitating a transition to a low carbon economy, they must gradually, based on clearly defined timelines and targets, terminate their support for new oil, coal and gas extraction and associated delivery projects such as pipelines and loading stations." Deutsche Bank recently claimed government efforts to tackle climate change were creating a "megatrend" investment opportunity, and has appointed a climate change planning strategist to investigate investment opportunities in renewable energy, water and agriculture.

The German bank has already attracted more than $US8.5 billion into climate change funds which target firms with products that cut greenhouse emissions. "We believe the shift away from a carbon-based economy is a megatrend that will shape the asset management industry for many years," the bank's global head of asset management, Kevin Parker, said.

BankTrack's recommendation that banks steer clear of financing Carbon Capture and Storage could have repercussions for the Federal Government's plans to set interim emissions cuts after Australian National University economist Professor Ross Garnaut delivers his review of climate change policies in June 2008.

During the recent United Nations climate summit in Bali, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said carbon capture had "a rich future" as a solution to curbing Australia's greenhouse emissions. Garnaut has also flagged Carbon Capture and Storage will feature prominently as a solution in the climate change policy review he will present to the Federal Government next year.

During a public lecture in Canberra earlier this month, Garnaut said Australia had "an exceptional endowment of favourable sites for Carbon Capture and Storage" and also suggested Australia's coal industry would benefit from global greenhouse mitigation schemes.

Last year, CSIRO scientists told a Federal Government inquiry that capture and storage of greenhouse emissions from Australia's coal-fired power stations would double the cost of producing electricity and could increase carbon dioxide emissions from power plants by about 30 per cent. They told the inquiry at least 3500 large-scale geosequestration sites across the world would be needed to cut global greenhouse emissions by one billion tonnes of carbon dioxide a year. So far, Australia has only located 100 sites that could be suitable for underground storage of carbon dioxide.