Thin Film Solar Panels Take A Giant Leap Toward Affordable Renewable Energy

solar.coolerplanet.com
April 01, 2010

Two drawbacks to solar power were cost and the bulk of the panels, but newer panels, called thin-film solar panels are lowering the cost of solar and allowing new types of solar panels to be made. Some are flexible and can either be rolled up or formed into roof tiles, so it's hardly noticeable that you're powering your home with the sun!

Over the past decade continual breakthroughs have made the manufacture of thin-film solar panels less expensive while improving their efficiency in producing electricity. Some are even capable of rivaling the power produced by their heavy silicone counterparts. Abound Solar, a Colorado based company, has claimed they can produce thin-film photovoltaics at $1 per watt. That makes it cost-competitive with fossil fuels. By comparison, crystalline silicone panels cost roughly $4 per watt to make.

Most home installed systems convert 10% or 11% sun's energy into electricity. But it ranges between 8% and 20%, according to the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL), which researches and tests new photovoltaic technologies. Traditional crystalline silicone photovoltaic panels (the ones on most homes) are more costly, partly because the silicone used in making them can comprise 40% to 50% of the total cost of the panel. Still, these silicone panels are the most efficient panels and can convert up to 20.3% of the sun's rays. Some thin-film photovoltaics are now reaching that level.

The lab set a world record in 2008 when it made a thin-film solar panel that was 20% efficient using a Copper Indium Gallium diSelenide (CIGS) semiconductor. The other promising technology is cadmium-telluride (CdTe), which has converted solar power at up to 16.8% efficiency. NREL scientist Ingrid Repins foresees that using the 20% efficient formula as the base, companies will be able to roll out kilometer-long sheets of solar cells that achieve 16% efficiency, while using the cheapest materials and emphasizing speed. Repins explains that the cost-savings achieved when the panels reach an average 16% efficiency is huge. The more efficient cells won't need to be as large and use less material. Both of which lower manufacturing and materials cost. And the smaller size also lowers installation costs, she says.

Since it takes less energy to make thin-film photovoltaics they should be able to make less-expensive solar panels for utility and residential uses, according to NREL. These new photovoltaics will be on the market soon. But thin-film solar is already available. Companies like Uni-Solar and SRS Energy are making thin-film solar panels in the form of roof shingles and tiles. And those backpacks and portable solar panels you buy to power your mobile devices while on the go are also thin-film photovoltaics.

Big companies are lining up to start producing thin-film photovoltaics. General Electric recently stopped making hard silicone panels and will begin producing cadmium telluride panels, based on PrimeStar Solar Inc.'s technology, a company GE owns most of.

The company plans to introduce the new panels in 2011. And it plans to be a high-volume producer of the new panels. "After having completed an exhaustive survey of the PV landscape, we determined that thin films were the optimum path for GE," said Danielle Merfeld, GE's solar research and development leader. The company thinks the cadmium telluride technology will allow it to produce low-cost, high efficiency solar cells.

Generation gap in rush of ideas - Research into sustainable energy technologies is powering ahead

Weekend Australian
Saturday 3/4/2010 Page: 4

IN the world of clean energy, it seems some researchers are working on a new generation of products even before their predecessors can establish a commercial foothold. Solar photovoltaic technology is a classic point. Australia has been the source of some of the best research and development in the world, particularly in the area of silicon panels and efficiency ratings. But just as new technology in the form of thin film solar is laying down a challenge for market dominance, a new and even cheaper form of solar PV, organic solar is being researched and developed in universities here and abroad.

The idea is to use organic compounds to capture the energy from the sun, using inexpensive and environmentally friendly materials that are portable and low cost. These can be used on flexible installations such as shade cloth, or painted on roof sheeting and window panels. Several research programs are being funded by state and federal governments in Australia and overseas.

Biofuels are also leaping to the third generation before the first can prove its commercial bona fides. While much is written about the potential effect on food sources of using corn-based ethanol for fuel, much research has been put into so-called second generation biofuels. These include agricultural waste and specialty crops such as Jatropha, while a new generation in the form of algae-based fuels is also being developed. MBD Energy, working with James Cook University, is confident it can develop algae technology that will absorb much of the CO2 emitted by coal and gas-fired power stations, as well as create valuable by-products such as animal feedstock and oils.

One of the themes of the cleantech industry this year will be the development and rollout of electric vehicles, not just producing new models with longer range batteries but the creation of networks that challenge the business conventions that prevail in the multi-trillion-dollar industry. Allied to this is the development of smart grids. These will allow individual users to monitor usage and revolutionise the use and sourcing of energy and allow the grid to reuse energy stored in EV batteries, for example, at times of peak demand. Energy efficiency is also expected to be a focus. The University of Melbourne is part of a global project that aims to reduce the amount of emissions used in telephony and the internet across the world by 99.5%, by introducing smarter data coding.

Another focus will be on the use of waste heat as a secondary power source and of deep-lying geothermal heat as a source for industrial, commercial, and even residential heating and cooling. Energy storage technology for intermittent providers such as solar and wind are also a focus, along with the development of relatively simply storage concepts such as using little-needed night-time energy to make ice, which can then be used during peak periods. A similar concept is being developed in India, where solar energy is used to pump water uphill, where it is stored and used to drive hydro energy installations at times of greater need.

Some of the more mind boggling technology developments contemplated revolve around geo-engineering, defined by the Royal Society as the "deliberate large-scale manipulation of the planetary environment to counteract anthropogenic climate change". In short, it means that if a clean energy revolution and the decarbonisation of the economy don't do the job, then dramatic measures will be needed to reduce the amount of carbon in the atmosphere or reflect heat away from the planet.

Among those technologies canvassed by a year-long Royal Society investigation released late last year are the development of artificial trees, shooting tiny particles into the atmosphere to deflect sunlight, The Royal Society is somewhat sceptical about the potential success of geo-engineering, and the concept is a contentious one in environmental and scientific circles because many of the proposals have unknown side effects.

There are two broad strands to the idea. One is solar radiation management, such as the particles idea, painting lots of human structures white, covering deserts with reflective material and placing shields or deflectors into space. These measures could potentially act quickly, although they do not address the root cause of climate change. But the Royal Society says they could be useful in an emergency to avoid reaching a climate tipping point.

The Royal Society says CO2 removal methods, such as artificial trees, ocean fertilisation, and land use management of the type being championed by Opposition Leader Tony Abbott and many scientists, could be preferable because they are likelier to return the climate system to its natural state, and so involve fewer uncertainties and risks. But it notes that none of these technologies has proven effective at an affordable cost and with acceptable side effects.

Winds of change picking up pace

Weekend Australian
Saturday 3/4/2010 Page: 4

SIX companies are going head on in a global competition sparked by climate change fears in which Australia offers a small, but valued playing field. The name of the game is wind farming, which has emerged from the past decade with a large ramp-up in equipment production despite the effect of the global financial crisis. The six leading companies are Denmark's Vestas, the US's General Electric, Spain's Gamesa, India's Suzlon and two companies based in Germany, Enercon and Siemens.

All are prizewinners and any of them can grab the biggest share of a market that is worth more than $US60 billion ($65.5bn) a year and is set to double by 2014 and again by about 2020. Australia has more than $20bn worth of skin in this competition, according to the latest government estimates of investment plans.

However, these developments are intended to be spread over 10 years. On present estimates, wind power could account for 10% of total global electricity output in 2020. Well out in front of the manufacturers' race today is Vestas, with more than 33,000 units installed in 63 companies, solidly ahead of GE, the next largest. Vestas claims it installs a wind turbine somewhere in the world every four hours.

Industry attention, however, is on Siemens, which claims it passed Suzlon into fifth spot last year data is still being gathered across the world and says it aims to be third among wind turbine makers in 2012. Already the German engineering giant, a leader in other energy manufacturing sectors, has claimed first place in delivery of offshore turbines, the new growth area for the industry, and is building wind equipment factories in the US and China. It also plans to erect plants in India.

China is the fastest growing market for the wind turbine manufacturers; it has jumped to fourth place in installed wind farm capacity behind the US, Germany and Spain, increasing development tenfold in four years. India, meanwhile, has moved to fifth place on the global wind development table. Still well behind these countries, Brazil, with a strong wind resource and 196 million people needing electricity, is tipped to become another big developer of the technology this decade.

Vestas is a substantial investor in wind factories in China, but its main target in the past few years is the US, where it has spent $US1bn on building factories. While ahead of Vestas in the US, where it has 40% of the market, GE is highly active in China, Europe and India. Spain's Gamesa, with a strong home base, is also hard at work pursuing market share in China and India.

Enercon, which is active in Australia, made headlines last year when it erected 6MW turbines at a wind farm in Belgium, the most powerful generating units by far in the industry. The company has strong footholds in North America and India as well as plants in Brazil, Sweden, Portugal and Turkey. The big six do not have the market to themselves. They are being strongly pursued by Sinovel, the Chinese manufacturer, which has had a meteoric entry to the field in the past decade, carried along by the growth of its domestic market and a burgeoning R&D facility.

Winds of change to power up state

Adelaide Advertiser
Saturday 3/4/2010 Page: 21

SOUTH Australia will have up to 1000 MWs of windpower being generated across the state by July. A study also has indicated that Eyre Peninsula has the potential to provide up to a further 2000MW of power, which is more than enough to meet Adelaide's daily average power consumption of just over 1500MW. Premier Mike Rann said yesterday the installed capacity on Eyre Peninsula potentially could be much higher using new, high-yield turbines.

A consortium headed by the Macquarie Bank is examining the potential for renewable energy projects in SA, especially Eyre Peninsula, in an attempt to capture an estimated $6 billion in green-energy funds. During his visit to California late last year, Mr Rann met green-energy groups interested in investing in SA projects involving wind, solar, wave and geothermal power Mr Rann said yesterday the combined investment by private energy companies in wind farms across the state since 2002 was now nearly $2 billion. "There are currently two more wind projects under construction with a combined capacity of 150 MWs," Mr Rann said.

The latest projects are Infigen Energy's 39MW project at Lake Bonney and the Roaring 40s 111MW stage-one project at Waterloo. "These wind farms will add to the 868MW veneration already installed - which means that total wind generation will pass the 1000MW mark in July," Mr Rann said. Mr Rann said the Macquarie Green Grid study indicated Eyre Peninsula had the sites and wind resources to add a further 2000MW of wind generation turbines operating above 35% capacity - the threshold needed to operate economically. "However, we must first have the ability to link these extra farms to the national electricity grid," he said.

Obama oil deal upsets all sides - Concessions aimed at bolstering climate bill

Age
Friday 2/4/2010 Page: 11

PRESIDENT Barack Obama's about-turn on offshore oil exploration drew scathing criticism yesterday from environmentalists and congressional representatives who argued that his policy would do little to secure the energy future of the United States.

It was a calculated stove to win political support for comprehensive climate legislation aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions while mandating a switch to renewable energy "Drilling alone can't come close to meeting our long-terns energy needs, and for the sake of our planet and our energy independence, we need to begin the transition to cleaner fuels now," Mr Obama said at his policy launch at Andrews Naval Air Facility in Maryland, just outside Washington, DC.

"I know that we can come together to pass comprehensive energy and climate legislation that's going to foster new energy, new industries, create millions of new jobs, protect our planet, and help us become more energy independent." But green groups and some Democrats said plans to expand drilling for oil along vast lengths of the North American coastline threatened marine life and coastal environs, and sent the wrong signal in the face of climate change. Republicans labelled the President's concession as too cautious. They said the additional exploration would do little to reduce US dependence on foreign oil.

The new drilling opportunities fall well short of the expansion proposed by George Bush in 2008, when Mr Obama, then a presidential candidate, condemned the plan as backWard looking. But he defended his change of heart, saying it was part of an interim solution as the US moved to tap new energy sources. The US had less than 2% of the world's known oil reserves, he said, but consumed more than 20% of current world production. "We are going to need to harness traditional sources of fuel even as we ramp up production of renewable home-grown energy." Mr Obama raised offshore drilling as a prospect for compromise on energy and climate legislation with Republicans in his January State of the Union address.

The Senate may now craft a new version of the stalled legislation. "The cynical view is that this is an attempt to buy a few more votes for a bill that would introduce carbon regulation," a spokesman for the American Gas Association, a Washington based trade group, said. The Republican leader in the House of Representatives, John Boehner, called on the President to lift the drilling ban on the west coast of the US. "Keeping the Pacific Coast and Alaska, as well as the most promising resources off the Gulf of Mexico, under lock and key makes no sense at a time when gasoline prices are rising and Americans are asking, 'Where are the jobs?'," he said.

A long approval process, which would demand time consuming environmental assessments, could delay drilling beyond 2012, however. Some Democrats, including long-time drilling opponent and New Jersey senator Robert Menendez, pledged to fight the exploration plan, describing it as dangerous. Environmentalists, too, complained. "While China and Germany are winning the clean energy race, this act furthers America's addiction to oil," Greenpeace executive director Phil Radford said. "Expanding offshore drilling in areas that have been protected for decades threatens our oceans and the coastal communities that depend on them with devastating oil spills, more pollution and climate change."

A cross-party group of senators are expected to introduce a new energy and climate bill to the Senate within weeks, after an earlier bill failed to win bipartisan support. Mr Obama has already backed the construction of eight nuclear power plants with $US8 billion ($A8.7 billion) of loan guarantees and promoted coal" target="_blank">clean coal technology in an attempt to broaden support for his climate proposals.

Japan plans nuclear power expansion

www.nature.com
31 March 2010

Proposal for eight new reactors and nuclear fuel reprocessing faces public opposition.

Like most countries that embraced nuclear power decades ago, Japan has soured on the technology in recent years. But prompted by worries about climate and energy security, the country's industry ministry last week placed a big bet on a rapid expansion of its nuclear power capability. When the draft energy plan is finalized and signed by the Japanese cabinet in June, it will stand as a roadmap for the country's new government, which campaigned on a platform of reducing carbon emissions by 25% below 1990 levels by 2020 - a promise that is unpopular with the business community. But despite the government's nuclear ambitions, individual reactors will still need approval from local authorities, which is far from certain.

Japan relies on imports for more than 80% of its total energy needs; the plan aims to reduce that figure to just 30% by 2030. "With the balance of energy demand changing dramatically we really have to think about energy security," says Ken Sasaji, director of the ministry's energy planning office. Japan already has 54 reactors with a total generating capacity of 49 GWs, accounting for about a quarter of its electricity supplies (see 'Japan's energy mix'). But following a series of accidents between 1997 and 2007, growing public resistance meant that only five reactors were built in the past decade. The new plan proposes building eight reactors by 2020 to supply an additional 11.4 GWs of electricity.

To ensure that those reactors have fuel, Japan forged a nuclear-energy deal in March with Kazakhstan, which holds the world's second-largest uranium reserves and mines about 20% of the world's uranium ore, making it the world's biggest producer. Japan has promised to supply nuclear-energy technology to Kazakhstan in return for a stable supply of uranium. And last week, Itochu, a Tokyo-based trading company backed by the government, bought a 15% stake in Kalahari Minerals, headquartered in London, which is developing a large uranium mine in Namibia. The mine is expected to begin producing more than 5,000 tonnes of uranium per year in 2013 - roughly 10% of the total uranium mined around the world in 2008.

Japan is also counting on its nuclear recycling programme, which recently started after years of failed efforts to convince local residents of its necessity and safety (see Nature 440, 138; 2006). In December 2009, a reactor on the southern island of Kyushu started burning mixed oxide fuel, made by mixing uranium with plutonium from spent fuel. And in February, the Japanese Nuclear Safety Commission gave its approval for a restart of the Monju fast-breeder test reactor in Tsuruga, which will use some of the neutrons generated during the fission process to turn non-fissile uranium isotopes into plutonium that can be extracted from the spent fuel.

There are also plans to squeeze extra energy from the country's existing reactors, some of which are around 40 years old. At a 19 March meeting of the US–Japan Nuclear Energy Steering Committee in Washington DC, the partners agreed to collaborate on studies aimed at extending the life of old reactors. But the Japanese government will face a struggle to secure public acceptance of its nuclear ambitions, which are open for public comment until 7 April. Confidence in nuclear power was shaken in 2007 when a magnitude-6.8 earthquake caused a shutdown of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant in Niigata after radioactive cooling water leaked into the sea (see Nature 448, 392–393; 2007).

And fresh objections are being raised about Monju. After decades of experimentation, most countries with significant nuclear capabilities have given up on fast-breeder technology, partly because of safety concerns. Monju itself has been closed since 1995 when leaking coolant damaged the plant, and a cover-up attempt damaged the plant's reputation. With safety and earthquake-resistance tests completed in February, the Japan Atomic Energy Agency, which runs Monju, now only needs the local Fukui government to sign on.

On 11 March, however, 29 scientists opposed to restarting Monju released a letter on the Citi Investment Researchzens' Nuclear Information Center website claiming that checks of key pipes have been inadequate and that the current reactor set-up does not serve as a useful prototype for future fast-breeder reactors. The group argues that because Monju's construction costs were five times greater than a conventional reactor, a full-scale plant would have to be very different from the Monju protoype to be commercially viable.

Japan's situation contrasts with that of its neighbour, China, where more than 20 reactors are under construction and face little public opposition. China aims to reach at least 70 GWs of nuclear power by 2020. For Japan, eight new reactors over the next decade will be a struggle, says Takuyuki Kawauchi of the industry ministry's nuclear-energy policy division. "We can't just start putting reactors wherever we want," he says. "We have to get the understanding of the local residents, and that takes time."

USA and Vietnam agree to nuclear cooperation

www.world-nuclear-news.org
31 March 2010

The USA has signed with Vietnam for increased cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy. Meanwhile, it has moved closer to opening nuclear trade with India with an agreement on nuclear fuel reprocessing. America's memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Vietnam was signed in Hanoi yesterday by Le Dinh Tien, Vietnam's deputy minister of science and technology, and Michael Michalak, US Ambassador to the country. In a statement, the US Department of State said, "This MoU will open the door for increased cooperation in such areas as the development of human resources and safety and security infrastructure, access to reliable sources of nuclear fuel, and the management of radioactive waste and used fuel."

It added, "Vietnam has demonstrated its commitment to the responsible expansion of nuclear power through careful steps taken in cooperation with the United States, among other international partners, towards the development of the robust nuclear infrastructure needed to oversee the deployment of its first nuclear power plants over the coming decades."

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Michalak commented: "Pursuant to the MoU, the United States and Vietnam will continue our current efforts to develop the regulatory and physical infrastructure needed for a safe and secure Vietnamese civilian nuclear power sector. This MoU will facilitate our two nations cooperating in areas such as requirements for power reactor and fuel service arrangements, including the establishment of a reliable source of nuclear fuel for future Vietnamese civilian nuclear reactors, allowing Vietnam to rely upon international markets for nuclear fuel services." He noted that the signing of the MoU is "the culmination of many months of detailed negotiations, building on several years of ongoing cooperation."

Michalak added, "I anticipate that our signatures on the MoU will serve as a stepping stone towards negotiation of a legally binding government-to-government Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy Agreement, known as a Section 123 Agreement, which would allow even broader and deeper nuclear cooperation between our two countries and would facilitate the participation of the US companies in the Vietnamese nuclear sector." Tien noted that Vietnam is "willing to cooperate with international partners in the field on the basis of respect to national independence, sovereignty and mutual benefits."

The USA and Vietnam have signed several agreements to boost nuclear cooperation over the past few years, including a 2007 agreement between the US Department of Energy's (DoE's) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and Vietnam's Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) for cooperation and information exchange on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. A similar agreement was signed in 2008 between the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the Vietnam Agency for Radiation and Nuclear Safety (Varans). The DoE and NRC have also provided technical assistance to Vietnamese drafters of the new Atomic Energy Law passed in June 2008.

In addition to the USA, Vietnam has signed nuclear cooperation and assistance agreements with countries including Japan, France, China, South Korea and Canada. The Vietnamese government approved a nuclear power development plan in 2007, aiming for a 2000 MWe nuclear power plant to be online by 2020, and a general law on nuclear energy was passed in mid 2008. The plan calls for two reactors with a combined capacity of 2000 MWe to be constructed from 2014 at Phuoc Dinh in the southern Ninh Thuan province and come into operation from about 2020, followed by another 2000 MWe at Vinh Hai in the Ninh Hai district.

Inquiry call into waste from Anglesey nuclear power

news.bbc.co.uk
30 March 2010

A call for a public inquiry into how to deal with waste from a planned Anglesey nuclear power station has been backed by the Welsh Assembly Government. Proposals for a new reactor at Wylfa are welcomed by local politicians like AM Ieuan Wyn Jones and MP Albert Owen, but condemned by environmentalists. However, the assembly cabinet has been, and remains, generally opposed to nuclear power. But an assembly government spokesperson said it would engage with the project. She said this would ensure maximum local and regional benefit from the building and operating of the new power station.

The decision on Wylfa will be a matter for the UK government and the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) planning process. The assembly government spokesperson said: "We have a way to go in justifying to the public what must be done in dealing with future nuclear waste. "We therefore support the call for a public inquiry on dealing with the waste arising from new nuclear build on the grounds of concern over the safety and security of its management."

It also remained of the view that exploiting potential for renewable energy "reduces the need for other, more hazardous, forms of low carbon energy and obviates the need for new nuclear power stations in Wales." Mr Jones, who is also Plaid Cymru leader, and deputy first minister and the economy and transport minister, said it would be "essential" that local businesses benefit from contracts on the site and supply chain opportunities. He said these would need to "built into" any planning consents. Mr Jones added: "Given the job losses that we have had on the island during the last 18 months this economic boost would be very welcome."

Waste concern
However, his view is in contrast to the position taken by his party, and a Plaid spokesman said: "Plaid remains opposed to nuclear power." But the Plaid spokesman added that the party "understands" that Mr Jones, the prospective general election candidate, Dylan Rees, and party members on the island have to "give full consideration to the needs of its communities and economy" when taking a view on any developments. Albert Owen MP said the announcement by Horizon Power Nuclear Power that Anglesey was its "number one site" for a new station was "a vote of confidence" in the island's community and workforce.

He said: "It is also a vote of confidence in the UK government's energy policy on new nuclear and its vision in developing a low carbon future. "Getting to this point did not happen by accident, but by design; through strong campaigning." Mr Owen added: "Safety is, of course, top of the agenda, as is the economic impact with the new skills and thousands of new jobs such a development would bring, in creating apprenticeships, jobs for life in construction and generating jobs through the supply chain.

"Being the number one site means additional benefits. For example, a stimulator can be based on the island and used as a model for other locations and become a centre of excellence for the industry". Gordon James, director of Friends of the Earth Cymru, condemned the scheme and Mr Jones's support for it. He said it would be a "dangerous distraction", diverting political attention and scarce resources from better solutions.

He said no-one had yet "convincingly addressed the massive problems of hazardous waste, terrorism and nuclear proliferation" and said that "allowing this nuclear power station to go ahead would seriously undermine democracy in Wales". "This decision would be imposed upon us by the unelected and unaccountable Planning Infrastructure Commission (IPC), against the wishes of the Welsh Assembly Government. "We find it incredible that Ieuan Wyn Jones can support this."

Legal threat
Greenpeace said the nuclear industry could not change the fact that nuclear power is "eye-wateringly expensive" and that there's "no solution to dealing with nuclear waste". "These are very real problems to which the nuclear industry has no answers," he said. Friends of the Earth warned the UK government it was likely to take legal action against what it calls "the seriously flawed IPC process." Conservatives said the development would "of course be welcome news" for the local economy, but "we should not pretend it will provide a quick fix to the current economic difficulties facing the island.

A Tory spokesperson said: "An earlier decision by the UK government on new nuclear power stations might also have saved jobs at Anglesey Aluminium which relied on the plant for power." Welsh Liberal Democrat environment spokesman Mike German said his party opposed nuclear power and believed "the massive investment required would be better spent on creating jobs that will deliver low carbon energy quickly, safely, cheaply and reliably for the area and Wales".

Mr German said: "We've seen a lack of ambition from this government in pushing for cleaner forms of energy production that can provide jobs for people in the area. "Nuclear power is not the answer to Wales' energy needs as there are plenty of unseen costs - the cost to people's health and the environment - which cannot be paid for." He said: "We've seen a lack of ambition from this government in pushing for cleaner forms of energy production that can provide jobs for people in the area."

Ohio plugs wind power on Lake Erie

www.businessweek.com
March 29, 2010

Ohio officials outlined plans Monday to put Lake Erie, the shallowest of the Great Lakes, at the forefront of offshore wind power development. Gov. Ted Strickland and U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown joined industry and education leaders to detail tax-cut and regulatory measures to jump-start wind power development on Lake Erie. The lake's comparatively shallow depth is seen as an advantage when erecting towers to produce wind power. Strickland said his proposal to eliminate the tangible personal property tax on wind and solar generation equipment would make Ohio competitive in developing wind power.

The measure, now before state lawmakers, would cover wind and solar facilities where ground is broken this year and energy is being produced by 2012. Last week regulators approved the state's first large-scale wind farms, all in western Ohio: two farms in Hardin County and an operation in Champaign County. Construction is scheduled to begin this summer. Under Ohio's alternative energy plan, 25% of electricity sold in the state must be generated from alternative energy sources by 2025.

Brown said legislation he is backing in Congress would expand federal tax incentives for offshore wind development. The measure will provide a guide for federal agencies coordinating the development of the industry, he said. Ohio already leads the nation in the number of clean-energy jobs funded by the federal economic stimulus package, Brown said at a news conference at the Great Lakes Science Center, which has a 150-foot tall wind turbine tower. He urged people to look beyond the upfront cost of developing wind power and other clean-energy sources, saying it could create jobs in the U.S, energy industry and Americans already are spending money to buy overseas oil.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, 57% of the petroleum used in the U.S, in 2008 was imported, with 45% of imports coming from the western hemisphere, 22% from Africa, 21% from the Persian Gulf and the remainder from other sources. "As we develop this industry, instead of importing wind turbines from China and other places, we're going to be doing the development in this country," Brown said. Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason, working with the Lake Erie Energy Development Corp., released a request Monday seeking proposals from developers for an initial wind-power project off Cleveland. The goal is to reduce startup costs for developers and make wind power attractive.

Pakistan in ‘civil nuclear deal’ with China

www.dailytimes.com.pk
March 30, 2010

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has entered a civil nuclear deal with China for the establishment of two nuclear power projects of 640 MWs in Chashma, Daily Times has learnt. The breakthrough deal – under which Pakistan would be provided a loan, technology and installation facilities – was finalised ahead of the latest round of the Pak-US strategic dialogue, as the federal cabinet granted financial approval at a meeting on March 24. Sources privy to the deal said the federal cabinet had approved an inter-government framework agreement on the financing of 'Chashma Nuclear Power Project 3' and 'Chashma Nuclear Power Project 4' with China. The sources said under the agreement, China would provide 82% of the total $1.912 billion financing to Pakistan as a 20-year soft loan, with an eight-year grace period.

In a bid to guarantee financing for the two plants, the inter-government framework agreement requires both countries to enter three loan agreements. Under the first loan agreement, Pakistan would be provided $104 million with an annual interest rate of 1%, management fee of 0.2% and a commitment fee of 0.2%. Under the second preferential buyer credit agreement, Pakistan would get $1 billion with an annual interest rate of 2%, a management fee of 0.2% and a commitment fee of 0.2% – while the third buyers credit agreement would provide Pakistan $474 million with an annual interest rate of 6%, a management fee of 0.75%, a commitment fee of 0.5% and an insurance rate of 7%.

However, according to the inter-government framework agreement, the annual composite interest rate would not exceed three% in any case. The sources said that frequent visits by President Asif Ali Zardar and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani helped secure the deal. They said the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) had already approved the two projects. The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission would be the executing agency for the establishment of the two plants – which would be completed in eight years. The sources said each 320-MW unit would contain a nuclear steam supply system, a turbine-generator set and the associated auxiliary equipment and installations.

U.S., India reach agreement on nuclear fuel reprocessing

www.washingtonpost.com
March 30, 2010

NEW DELHI - - India and the United States announced Monday the successful conclusion of negotiations granting rights to India to reprocess spent nuclear fuel, a new step toward opening nuclear commerce between the two countries, potentially worth billions of dollars. The accord is part of the historic civilian nuclear-energy agreement that ended more than three decades of nuclear isolation for India by facilitating its access to nuclear fuel and technology, even though it has not signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty. The agreement, negotiated for more than nine months, lays out conditions to safeguard against the diversion of American nuclear fuel into India's weapons program, but critics warned that the accord would create new dangers of spreading nuclear materials.

The U.S. State Department and India's Department of Atomic Energy released a short statement announcing the deal. Timothy J. Roemer, U.S, ambassador to India, said it was "part of the great, win-win narrative of the U.S.-India global partnership." Last year's agreement raised hopes of new business deals for U.S, companies, but so far those have not been fulfilled. Although the nuclear deal was signed in 2008, and two sites have been identified by India for U.S, reactors, no American company has signed contracts. India has yet to pass a controversial nuclear-liability law and give a letter of assurance on nonproliferation, a licensing requirement that governs all commercial nuclear exports. Meanwhile, India has signed deals with state-owned French and Russian nuclear companies.

Monday's announcement comes just two weeks before the Obama administration is scheduled to host an international summit on nuclear security. Sources in the Indian and American nuclear power industries said India has secured significant concessions in the reprocessing accord. The sources spoke on the condition of anonymity because the details have not been made public. One element is that the reprocessing will not be monitored by the United States directly, but by the watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, according to a source in the U.S. nuclear industry. "Indians did not want direct American oversight with an American flag on them. It is a symbolic, sovereignty issue for Indians," said the source, who is familiar with the negotiations.

The United States follows this model only with Europe and Japan. "India is now in a special circle. This is a big deal," said Ted Jones, director of policy advocacy at the U.S.-India Business Council. Another thorny issue that slowed negotiations was that India insisted on having more than one reprocessing plant, saying it was risky to transport fuel from one place to another through densely populated regions. American negotiators initially resisted, but the Indian argument prevailed, said an official in India's state-run nuclear power company.

Many nonproliferation advocates have expressed concern about how India would handle the plutonium that would be extracted from imported spent fuel, which can be used to make nuclear bombs. "At a time when nuclear terrorism and proliferation concerns are only increasing, the United States should be doing everything it can to stop existing reprocessing, not facilitate more," said Edwin Lyman, an expert on nuclear proliferation at the Union of Concerned Scientists.

He said it remains unclear what would be done with the plutonium produced by an Indian reprocessing plant. Although India has a breeder reactor capable of using plutonium as fuel, India has refused to put that reactor under the supervision of the IAEA. India has pledged not to use the plutonium for its weapons program, although it diverted civilian nuclear fuel to build its first nuclear weapons three decades ago.

The pact will go into effect unless Congress passes a resolution of disapproval. "We've debated and voted on this twice," said Rep. Gary L. Ackerman (D-N.Y.), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia. He said Congress would not do so again. But, he added, he was disappointed that India has not adopted measures to limit U.S. nuclear companies' liability. "We were hoping the Indians would be doing a lot better on that score," he said.