Daily Telegraph
Saturday 17/4/2010 Page: 12
Solahart has moved to reassure NSW homeowners that the Federal Government's $1000 solar hot-water rebate for the replacement of an electric hot-water system is still available under the new Renewable Energy Bonus Scheme despite the home insulation program being put on hold. Solahart's national manager Stephen Cranch says Solahart is pleased the Federal Government is continuing its commitment to assist homeowners.
"Right now, NSW homeowners can still get $1300 back through federal and state government schemes when replacing an electric storage water heater with an environmentally friendly solar water heater," he says "These rebates are on top of the renewable energy certificates, which are currently worth over 51000 for a typical Solahart 300-litre system"
Demonstrating the growing demand for residential land from Penrith residents and builders, the first 33 lots at Delfin Lend Lease's new Jordan Springs community have been sold "off the plan" in less than two weeks. Another 18 lots have been sold to builders taking part in the community's first display village. Jordan Springs at Penrith is a 230ha community that will feature up to 2450 homes for 6500 residents upon completion The community will also include a village centre with specialty shops, an education precinct, sports fields, community resource hub with library and two lakes.
The new 5500 million master-planned community is located 5km from Penriths city centre on The Northern Rd. The strong interest in Jordan Springs stems from rising demand for land in the region and from familiarity with the work Delfin had done at the nearby Ropes Crossing community.
Friday, 23 April 2010
Climate change programs lack credibility: Audit
Sydney Morning Herald
Wednesday 21/4/2010 Page: 6
THE federal government could provide "no documentation" on how it assessed the $4.45 billion "clean energy initiative" announced in last year's budget, according to an audit report detailing a litany of failures in both Howard and Rudd government greenhouse programs. "There was no documentation held by the department relating to advice on the costs and benefits of the proposal and the management of risks associated with implementing the program," the audit found. In another report the Audit Office reveals that federal and state governments have revised down by 15% the amount of greenhouse gas abatement their policies will achieve by 2012.
A spokesman for the Resources Minister, Martin Ferguson, whose department administers the clean energy initiative, said, "The department developed its policy advice using a large body of pre-existing documentation on carbon capture and storage"the technology for which more than half the clean energy money is earmarked.
The harsh assessment of Australia's climate change programs comes as a meeting of ministers from the world's major green house gas emitters failed to agree how global climate talks should proceed after the failure of last year's UN meeting in Copenhagen, and down played the chances of reaching a deal at this year's talks in Mexico.
The Climate Change Minister, Penny Wong, said she believed the Copenhagen accord - the political agreement thrashed out in the Danish capital last December - was "the best international consensus to date and the key to getting international action' on climate change". 'We need to do a lot more than throw a few grants around.'
But the Major Economies Forum meeting she has been attending in Washington was downbeat and the US climate envoy, Todd Stern, said afterwards that agreement in Mexico in December might not be possible. The audit report was also scathing about the greenhouse gas abatement program set up under the Howard government and continued in the early years of the Rudd government: a competitive grants program similar to Tony Abbott's planned "direct action" Climate change scheme. A previous audit had criticised the firs! two rounds of the scheme, but yesterday's report found the third round was not any better.
The three projects funded were "technically ineligible" because they did not meet the criteria, only one produced any greenhouse abatement at all, and even that project only reduced emissions by a third of the amount it had promised. The Greens senator Christine Milne said the report "should give Tony Abbott and [the opposition climate spokesman] Greg Hunt pause for thought". "Clearly the approach they have taken is not an effective or efficient way of delivering emissions cuts. We know we need to do a lot more than throw a few grants around if we are to stimulate the huge growth in green technologies we need," she said.
The report also criticised the original rebate scheme for solar roof panels, saying it achieved greenhouse gas abatement at a cost of about $447 each tonne of carbon, compared with the estimated costs ill the early years of an emissions trading scheme of about $20 or $30 a tonne. It also found that the impact of federal and state government rneasures had caused their greenhouse gas abatement impact to be revised down by 15% over the past two years.
Wednesday 21/4/2010 Page: 6
THE federal government could provide "no documentation" on how it assessed the $4.45 billion "clean energy initiative" announced in last year's budget, according to an audit report detailing a litany of failures in both Howard and Rudd government greenhouse programs. "There was no documentation held by the department relating to advice on the costs and benefits of the proposal and the management of risks associated with implementing the program," the audit found. In another report the Audit Office reveals that federal and state governments have revised down by 15% the amount of greenhouse gas abatement their policies will achieve by 2012.
A spokesman for the Resources Minister, Martin Ferguson, whose department administers the clean energy initiative, said, "The department developed its policy advice using a large body of pre-existing documentation on carbon capture and storage"the technology for which more than half the clean energy money is earmarked.
The harsh assessment of Australia's climate change programs comes as a meeting of ministers from the world's major green house gas emitters failed to agree how global climate talks should proceed after the failure of last year's UN meeting in Copenhagen, and down played the chances of reaching a deal at this year's talks in Mexico.
The Climate Change Minister, Penny Wong, said she believed the Copenhagen accord - the political agreement thrashed out in the Danish capital last December - was "the best international consensus to date and the key to getting international action' on climate change". 'We need to do a lot more than throw a few grants around.'
But the Major Economies Forum meeting she has been attending in Washington was downbeat and the US climate envoy, Todd Stern, said afterwards that agreement in Mexico in December might not be possible. The audit report was also scathing about the greenhouse gas abatement program set up under the Howard government and continued in the early years of the Rudd government: a competitive grants program similar to Tony Abbott's planned "direct action" Climate change scheme. A previous audit had criticised the firs! two rounds of the scheme, but yesterday's report found the third round was not any better.
The three projects funded were "technically ineligible" because they did not meet the criteria, only one produced any greenhouse abatement at all, and even that project only reduced emissions by a third of the amount it had promised. The Greens senator Christine Milne said the report "should give Tony Abbott and [the opposition climate spokesman] Greg Hunt pause for thought". "Clearly the approach they have taken is not an effective or efficient way of delivering emissions cuts. We know we need to do a lot more than throw a few grants around if we are to stimulate the huge growth in green technologies we need," she said.
The report also criticised the original rebate scheme for solar roof panels, saying it achieved greenhouse gas abatement at a cost of about $447 each tonne of carbon, compared with the estimated costs ill the early years of an emissions trading scheme of about $20 or $30 a tonne. It also found that the impact of federal and state government rneasures had caused their greenhouse gas abatement impact to be revised down by 15% over the past two years.
Lib climate schemes 'costly, inefficient'
Age
Wednesday 21/4/2010 Page: 2
KEY Howard-era climate change schemes worth more than $1.5 billion have failed to deliver promised cuts in greenhouse gas emissions and have proved massively expensive. In one notable case, a scheme similar to the "direct action" climate policy of Opposition Leader Tony Abbott achieved only 30% of the expected cut. An Auditor-General's examination of five climate schemes based on grants and rebates found some performed poorly and most lacked clear goals. The programs continued under the Rudd government, but funding rounds have finished.
The report renewed calls for an emissions trading scheme as a cheaper and more effective way to reduce CO2 than government handouts. It found emissions cuts from a solar panel rebate scheme backed by both major parties cost up to 20 times more than reductions from an emissions scheme: $447 for every tonne of CO2 compared with an expected $20-$30. Oversubscription to the program - initially worth $4000, later increased to $8000 - blew out the budget from $286 million to an estimated $1.053 billion. It was cancelled abruptly in June 2009, after prompting substantial growth in the uptake of renewable energy.
The $400 million "greenhouse gas abatement program", introduced in 1999 to fund projects that either cut or offset emissions, reduced CO2 emissions by just 15.5 million tonnes before being abolished. Its target was a cut of 51.5 million tonnes. The assessment process for the program was found to be inadequate. No project approved in its final round met the selection criteria of large-scale cuts at low cost. Greens climate change spokeswoman Christine Milne said the criticism of the greenhouse gas abatement program showed the flaws in the opposition's current policy. "Clearly the approach they have taken is not an effective or efficient way of delivering emissions cuts," she said.
An opposition spokeswoman said its policy was closer in design to a scheme used in New South Wales than the Howard era policy and included a much broader range of measures, including boosting the amount of carbon stored in soil and cleaning up power stations. The Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency said several of the programs had concluded, but it would consider the report's recommendations in relation to others.
Wednesday 21/4/2010 Page: 2
KEY Howard-era climate change schemes worth more than $1.5 billion have failed to deliver promised cuts in greenhouse gas emissions and have proved massively expensive. In one notable case, a scheme similar to the "direct action" climate policy of Opposition Leader Tony Abbott achieved only 30% of the expected cut. An Auditor-General's examination of five climate schemes based on grants and rebates found some performed poorly and most lacked clear goals. The programs continued under the Rudd government, but funding rounds have finished.
The report renewed calls for an emissions trading scheme as a cheaper and more effective way to reduce CO2 than government handouts. It found emissions cuts from a solar panel rebate scheme backed by both major parties cost up to 20 times more than reductions from an emissions scheme: $447 for every tonne of CO2 compared with an expected $20-$30. Oversubscription to the program - initially worth $4000, later increased to $8000 - blew out the budget from $286 million to an estimated $1.053 billion. It was cancelled abruptly in June 2009, after prompting substantial growth in the uptake of renewable energy.
The $400 million "greenhouse gas abatement program", introduced in 1999 to fund projects that either cut or offset emissions, reduced CO2 emissions by just 15.5 million tonnes before being abolished. Its target was a cut of 51.5 million tonnes. The assessment process for the program was found to be inadequate. No project approved in its final round met the selection criteria of large-scale cuts at low cost. Greens climate change spokeswoman Christine Milne said the criticism of the greenhouse gas abatement program showed the flaws in the opposition's current policy. "Clearly the approach they have taken is not an effective or efficient way of delivering emissions cuts," she said.
An opposition spokeswoman said its policy was closer in design to a scheme used in New South Wales than the Howard era policy and included a much broader range of measures, including boosting the amount of carbon stored in soil and cleaning up power stations. The Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency said several of the programs had concluded, but it would consider the report's recommendations in relation to others.
Thursday, 22 April 2010
ANZ centre goes green on top, giving it smarter power, heating and cooling
Australian
Tuesday 20/4/2010 Page: 33
ANZ Bank has invested nearly $9 million in smarter power generation technologies at its new Melbourne office, where a single plant now provides electricity, heating and cooling. The 320m² plant, on the roof of ANZ Centre in Docklands, is part of the bank's $35m investment into making the office as environmentally friendly as possible.
ANZ head of workplace development Agnieszka Aitken said the trigeneration plant and related green technologies developed by Bovis Lend Lease fulfilled a plan first set out in late 2006. natural gas turbines generate electricity and heat is produced as a byproduct. The waste heat goes through an absorption chiller, which converts it into "free" cooling. ANZ says the trigen system has four reciprocating engines that run on natural gas and produce about 36% of peak electricity demand for the base building.
This removes the need to fully tap into Victoria's electricity grid. Other energy efficiency and recycling efforts at ANZ include roof mounted solar cells and wind turbines for renewable energy, and a system where employees need to swipe their staff card to collect printouts, saving energy and paper, Ms Aitken said. Last month, National Australia Bank said it expected to cut its annual power bill by almost $1 million by installing a trigen plant at its main data centre in Melbourne.
Tuesday 20/4/2010 Page: 33
ANZ Bank has invested nearly $9 million in smarter power generation technologies at its new Melbourne office, where a single plant now provides electricity, heating and cooling. The 320m² plant, on the roof of ANZ Centre in Docklands, is part of the bank's $35m investment into making the office as environmentally friendly as possible.
ANZ head of workplace development Agnieszka Aitken said the trigeneration plant and related green technologies developed by Bovis Lend Lease fulfilled a plan first set out in late 2006. natural gas turbines generate electricity and heat is produced as a byproduct. The waste heat goes through an absorption chiller, which converts it into "free" cooling. ANZ says the trigen system has four reciprocating engines that run on natural gas and produce about 36% of peak electricity demand for the base building.
This removes the need to fully tap into Victoria's electricity grid. Other energy efficiency and recycling efforts at ANZ include roof mounted solar cells and wind turbines for renewable energy, and a system where employees need to swipe their staff card to collect printouts, saving energy and paper, Ms Aitken said. Last month, National Australia Bank said it expected to cut its annual power bill by almost $1 million by installing a trigen plant at its main data centre in Melbourne.
New Projects Slow To Get Started
Australian
Monday 19/4/2010 Page: 26
AUSTRALIA'S environmental markets may well have surged in recent months, but this is yet to translate into m any of the new projects they are designed to finance. The price of renewable energy certificates has jumped to a recent high of $48, and closed last week around $46, nearly 60% above the lows reached last year as RECs from solar hot water heaters flooded the market. The price has recovered after the federal government flagged changes to the renewable energy target (RET), fixing the price of RECs for small-scale installations, but keeping them separate from the main market for utility-scale projects.
But developers are still unwilling to commit themselves to projects until the final legislation is seen and passed, and analysts are now concerned that the legislation may be held up by a packed budget session, the healthcare package, possible Henry tax review legislation, and the election. The upshot might be that the government has precious little to show for its efforts in renewable technology by the time the next election comes around.
Almost all the developments announced in the past two years have been driven by state-based desalination plants. Deutsche Bank noted last week that only two the 206 MW Collgar wind farm and the 27MW Racecourse Mill bagasse co-generation plant had reached financial close this year thanks to the RET.
Wind farm developers, particularly those independent of the major electricity retailers, will rely on high REC prices to generate a suitable return for capital invested, particularly in the absence of a carbon price. However, it was interesting to see industry fund REST and UBS Asset Management buy Collgar before it was even built. The investment is the first in the renewable sector for either firm.
There is still a big surplus of RECs but the price is being supported by the fact that in the long term, there may not be enough developments built to meet demand, a situation that would force energy retailers to pay a non-deductable penalty price of $ 65, effectively putting a relatively high floor price on the certificates. Analysts say there is also a perception that having intervened once to rescue a flailing REC price, the government would be prepared to do so again.
Monday 19/4/2010 Page: 26
AUSTRALIA'S environmental markets may well have surged in recent months, but this is yet to translate into m any of the new projects they are designed to finance. The price of renewable energy certificates has jumped to a recent high of $48, and closed last week around $46, nearly 60% above the lows reached last year as RECs from solar hot water heaters flooded the market. The price has recovered after the federal government flagged changes to the renewable energy target (RET), fixing the price of RECs for small-scale installations, but keeping them separate from the main market for utility-scale projects.
But developers are still unwilling to commit themselves to projects until the final legislation is seen and passed, and analysts are now concerned that the legislation may be held up by a packed budget session, the healthcare package, possible Henry tax review legislation, and the election. The upshot might be that the government has precious little to show for its efforts in renewable technology by the time the next election comes around.
Almost all the developments announced in the past two years have been driven by state-based desalination plants. Deutsche Bank noted last week that only two the 206 MW Collgar wind farm and the 27MW Racecourse Mill bagasse co-generation plant had reached financial close this year thanks to the RET.
Wind farm developers, particularly those independent of the major electricity retailers, will rely on high REC prices to generate a suitable return for capital invested, particularly in the absence of a carbon price. However, it was interesting to see industry fund REST and UBS Asset Management buy Collgar before it was even built. The investment is the first in the renewable sector for either firm.
There is still a big surplus of RECs but the price is being supported by the fact that in the long term, there may not be enough developments built to meet demand, a situation that would force energy retailers to pay a non-deductable penalty price of $ 65, effectively putting a relatively high floor price on the certificates. Analysts say there is also a perception that having intervened once to rescue a flailing REC price, the government would be prepared to do so again.
Integral, AEMO may face litigation over Jackgreen
Age
Monday 19/4/2010 Page: 3
Integral Energy and the Australian Energy Market Operator could face legal action over their role in the collapse of renewable energy company Jackgreen Energy. Jackgreen Energy, which was Australia's largest, specialist renewable retailer, toppled into voluntary administration in December after it failed to pay a $500,000 bill to the New South Wales government-owned Integral Energy. At the time the company said it was squeezed out of business by its bigger rival, which took most of its customers soon after the corporate paramedics were appointed.
Now its administrator, PKF, is mulling possible actions against state-owned power companies and AEMO, which suspended Jackgreen Energys power retail licence soon after administrators took charge. In a report to creditors of Jackgreen Energy International, a wholly owned subsidiary of the listed company, PKF recommended creditors put the company into liquidation at a meeting this week. This could pave the way for potential action against Integral, which is estimated to have gained 15,000 of Jackgreen Energys customers.
According to industry rules of thumb, acquiring Jackgreen Energy's customers would have been worth $10 million to $17 million to the government-owned retailer, which is for sale this year. The report estimated that trade creditors, which include Origin Energy and AGL Energy, will receive between 0.54¢ and 3.6¢ in the dollar. Most of its 100 staff have been sacked, and shares in the group are effectively worthless. In the concentrated industry of power retailing, Jackgreen Energy's collapse highlights the difficulties of small players trying to salvage value once they are in financial stress.
Administrators were required to move all Jackgreen Energy's customers to a rival because of restrictions to ensure power supply was unthreatened. This destroyed nearly all the value in the business. Administrator Atle Crowe-Maxwell said: "In my opinion there's a conflict between the Corporations Act and National Electricity Market Management Company rules, which don't allow for a company similar to Jackgreen Energy to appoint an administrator for the purpose of restructuring the company or maximising the chances of staying in existence." Separately, administrators said the listed parent company, Jackgreen Energy Limited, might have traded while insolvent from May last year until December.
Monday 19/4/2010 Page: 3
Integral Energy and the Australian Energy Market Operator could face legal action over their role in the collapse of renewable energy company Jackgreen Energy. Jackgreen Energy, which was Australia's largest, specialist renewable retailer, toppled into voluntary administration in December after it failed to pay a $500,000 bill to the New South Wales government-owned Integral Energy. At the time the company said it was squeezed out of business by its bigger rival, which took most of its customers soon after the corporate paramedics were appointed.
Now its administrator, PKF, is mulling possible actions against state-owned power companies and AEMO, which suspended Jackgreen Energys power retail licence soon after administrators took charge. In a report to creditors of Jackgreen Energy International, a wholly owned subsidiary of the listed company, PKF recommended creditors put the company into liquidation at a meeting this week. This could pave the way for potential action against Integral, which is estimated to have gained 15,000 of Jackgreen Energys customers.
According to industry rules of thumb, acquiring Jackgreen Energy's customers would have been worth $10 million to $17 million to the government-owned retailer, which is for sale this year. The report estimated that trade creditors, which include Origin Energy and AGL Energy, will receive between 0.54¢ and 3.6¢ in the dollar. Most of its 100 staff have been sacked, and shares in the group are effectively worthless. In the concentrated industry of power retailing, Jackgreen Energy's collapse highlights the difficulties of small players trying to salvage value once they are in financial stress.
Administrators were required to move all Jackgreen Energy's customers to a rival because of restrictions to ensure power supply was unthreatened. This destroyed nearly all the value in the business. Administrator Atle Crowe-Maxwell said: "In my opinion there's a conflict between the Corporations Act and National Electricity Market Management Company rules, which don't allow for a company similar to Jackgreen Energy to appoint an administrator for the purpose of restructuring the company or maximising the chances of staying in existence." Separately, administrators said the listed parent company, Jackgreen Energy Limited, might have traded while insolvent from May last year until December.
Six-star housing standard
Adelaide Advertiser
Monday 19/4/2010 Page: 5
ALL new homes in South Australia must have a six-star energy efficiency rating from September 1, to improve environmental sustainability. A minimum five-star energy rating for all new homes built in SA has been in force since 2006. Energy efficiency can be improved through better house design, such as taking advantage of natural light and shade, and insulating walls and ceilings. Urban Development and Planning Minister Paul Holloway said the new requirement would help residents reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and cut running costs for home owners. He said a six-star rating was relatively easy to achieve at minimal cost.
Monday 19/4/2010 Page: 5
ALL new homes in South Australia must have a six-star energy efficiency rating from September 1, to improve environmental sustainability. A minimum five-star energy rating for all new homes built in SA has been in force since 2006. Energy efficiency can be improved through better house design, such as taking advantage of natural light and shade, and insulating walls and ceilings. Urban Development and Planning Minister Paul Holloway said the new requirement would help residents reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and cut running costs for home owners. He said a six-star rating was relatively easy to achieve at minimal cost.
Tuesday, 20 April 2010
Ingenero sells sunshine to the Sunny Coast
Courier Mail
Friday 16/4/2010 Page: 46
A QUEENSLAND solar company is providing clean energy alternatives across Australia. Brisbane-based Ingenero has helped more than 300 Queensland schools generate their own electricity and has installed solar power to 1000 roofs on the Sunshine Coast. The company has recently installed solar power systems on the roofs of Woolworths petrol stations that feed energy into the ACT power grid. Chief executive officer Steve McRae is one of the founders of Ingenero and says that while Australia has great resources of solar energy, the marketplace is still underdeveloped.
"Even though solar has been around for a long time, people have not always considered it to be important," Mr McRae says. "However, that sentiment is changing and will continue to change due to the increasing prices of black electricity and environmental impact surrounding all that." He says government rebates have helped encourage residential customers to switch to solar. "Ingenero entered the marketplace over two years ago, originally in the commercial and industrial space, but a little over 12 months ago we broadened into the residential marketplace, which now makes up the majority of our customers."
Mr McRae says the market for residential and commercial solar energy systems is strong. "Certainly the Government reducing support for solar hot water had slowed the market down," he says. "However, the good news is that the Queensland Government has announced a state government rebate of $600 in addition to the Federal Government's $1000, which has taken the market up to what it was previously."
The recent overhaul of the Federal Government's Building and Education Revolution program has also had no impact as Ingenero is installing solar systems to existing schools, not new structures. Mr McRae credits the company's success to a strong management team and capital to invest in the business. "We were able to build a solar systems integration laboratory at Boonah, where we could bring products in from overseas and test them in an Australian environment," he says.
This testing laboratory is also available to students as part of a research agreement with the University of Queensland. Mr McRae warns people wanting to switch to solar to do their research to get the best deal. "There's currently a lot of noise in the solar industry so people considering solar should make sure that they compare the facts and the technology with an economic point of view," he says. "There's a certain level of education that needs to happen in the marketplace in general so people feel comfortable with the technology and., the economics surrounding it."
So why switch to solar? Apart from doing your bit for the environment, it can earn you money, as households are plugged into the energy grid. In Queensland, if your household produces excess energy (measured in kW hours) to what it uses, you can see a credit on your electricity bill. Finance plans with some solar energy suppliers ensure you earn money from day one without paying upfront charges for installations. Rebates are available and the Federal Government says it plans to improve subsidies to householders for solar power systems and solar hot water from January 1 next year.
Friday 16/4/2010 Page: 46
A QUEENSLAND solar company is providing clean energy alternatives across Australia. Brisbane-based Ingenero has helped more than 300 Queensland schools generate their own electricity and has installed solar power to 1000 roofs on the Sunshine Coast. The company has recently installed solar power systems on the roofs of Woolworths petrol stations that feed energy into the ACT power grid. Chief executive officer Steve McRae is one of the founders of Ingenero and says that while Australia has great resources of solar energy, the marketplace is still underdeveloped.
"Even though solar has been around for a long time, people have not always considered it to be important," Mr McRae says. "However, that sentiment is changing and will continue to change due to the increasing prices of black electricity and environmental impact surrounding all that." He says government rebates have helped encourage residential customers to switch to solar. "Ingenero entered the marketplace over two years ago, originally in the commercial and industrial space, but a little over 12 months ago we broadened into the residential marketplace, which now makes up the majority of our customers."
Mr McRae says the market for residential and commercial solar energy systems is strong. "Certainly the Government reducing support for solar hot water had slowed the market down," he says. "However, the good news is that the Queensland Government has announced a state government rebate of $600 in addition to the Federal Government's $1000, which has taken the market up to what it was previously."
The recent overhaul of the Federal Government's Building and Education Revolution program has also had no impact as Ingenero is installing solar systems to existing schools, not new structures. Mr McRae credits the company's success to a strong management team and capital to invest in the business. "We were able to build a solar systems integration laboratory at Boonah, where we could bring products in from overseas and test them in an Australian environment," he says.
This testing laboratory is also available to students as part of a research agreement with the University of Queensland. Mr McRae warns people wanting to switch to solar to do their research to get the best deal. "There's currently a lot of noise in the solar industry so people considering solar should make sure that they compare the facts and the technology with an economic point of view," he says. "There's a certain level of education that needs to happen in the marketplace in general so people feel comfortable with the technology and., the economics surrounding it."
So why switch to solar? Apart from doing your bit for the environment, it can earn you money, as households are plugged into the energy grid. In Queensland, if your household produces excess energy (measured in kW hours) to what it uses, you can see a credit on your electricity bill. Finance plans with some solar energy suppliers ensure you earn money from day one without paying upfront charges for installations. Rebates are available and the Federal Government says it plans to improve subsidies to householders for solar power systems and solar hot water from January 1 next year.
Solar parity by 2015
Courier Mail
Friday 16/4/2010 Page: 46
A SOLAR power plant developer investigating sites in Queensland says solar electricity generation costs could be similar to coal-fired power costs within five years. NSW-based Silex Systems recently completed its purchase of the assets and technology of Melbourne-based Solar Systems Group. SSG collapsed last year, taking with it plans to use Australian technology to build one of the world's largest and most efficient solar power stations - a 100-MW plant near Mildura in Victoria.
Silex Systems chief executive Michael Goldsworthy said yesterday that the company aimed to start building the Mildura plant next year and had separately lodged an application for federal funding for a solar plant of up to 180MW as part of the $1.5 billion Solar Flagships Program. "We've looked at sites in Queensland, NSW and Victoria and, hopefully, we'll make the candidate short-list and then get into the detail of site selection," Dr Goldsworthy said.
"No one could ignore the potential of a big solar installation in Queensland. It's the Sunshine State." Many governments are moving to slash planet-warming greenhouse gases from their electricity sector but need to provide policy support to help emerging, clean technologies compete against cheaper coal fired power until costs narrow. But Dr Goldsworthy said solar production costs were falling rapidly, largely as silicon wafer costs fell and efficiencies rose.
"Short-term government incentive is extremely important to allow the industry to gain the economies of scale and reduce costs down to grid parity," he said. "But the way it's tracking at the moment, you could reach grid parity in the cost between solar and baseload coal in the next few years, certainly within five years." A relative lack of government incentives for solar power in Australia had meant technology developers had struggled, while European, US and Asian solar companies had flourished under strong government policy settings.
Friday 16/4/2010 Page: 46
A SOLAR power plant developer investigating sites in Queensland says solar electricity generation costs could be similar to coal-fired power costs within five years. NSW-based Silex Systems recently completed its purchase of the assets and technology of Melbourne-based Solar Systems Group. SSG collapsed last year, taking with it plans to use Australian technology to build one of the world's largest and most efficient solar power stations - a 100-MW plant near Mildura in Victoria.Silex Systems chief executive Michael Goldsworthy said yesterday that the company aimed to start building the Mildura plant next year and had separately lodged an application for federal funding for a solar plant of up to 180MW as part of the $1.5 billion Solar Flagships Program. "We've looked at sites in Queensland, NSW and Victoria and, hopefully, we'll make the candidate short-list and then get into the detail of site selection," Dr Goldsworthy said.
"No one could ignore the potential of a big solar installation in Queensland. It's the Sunshine State." Many governments are moving to slash planet-warming greenhouse gases from their electricity sector but need to provide policy support to help emerging, clean technologies compete against cheaper coal fired power until costs narrow. But Dr Goldsworthy said solar production costs were falling rapidly, largely as silicon wafer costs fell and efficiencies rose.
"Short-term government incentive is extremely important to allow the industry to gain the economies of scale and reduce costs down to grid parity," he said. "But the way it's tracking at the moment, you could reach grid parity in the cost between solar and baseload coal in the next few years, certainly within five years." A relative lack of government incentives for solar power in Australia had meant technology developers had struggled, while European, US and Asian solar companies had flourished under strong government policy settings.
Solar panel factory sees the sun again
Sydney Morning Herald
Wednesday 14/4/2010 Page: 8
THE biggest solar-panel factory in the southern hemisphere is to open in Sydney this morning - after it was rescued by a nuclear energy research company. The Olympic Park plant will produce up to 10,000 rooftop solar panel systems a year, with the potential to make many more, filling more than 10% of Australia's demand for solar panels. SilexSolar, a subsidiary of the Australian uranium enrichment group Silex Systems, bought the plant cheaply from BP Solar last year after the latter decided to obtain its solar panels from China.
The revival is a boost for the Australian industry, which has been plagued by a lack of investment compared with China, the US, Spain and Germany. But the purchase leaves households interested in buying solar panels with a dilemma: by buying Australian-made panels, they are indirectly investing in nuclear energy as well. "Solar and nuclear energy are a great fit," the chief executive of Silex Systems, Michael Goldsworthy, said. "Looking down the barrel of climate change and global warming, we need to develop alternative electricity sources."
The plant will employ about 100 people by the end of the year. This is still short of the 200 skilled staff who worked at the plant when it was owned by BP Solar. But SilexSolar plans to make panels that convert a higher proportion of sunlight to stored energy. "We're looking at producing about 15 MWs of panels per year but we can expand that to 50 MWs," Dr Goldsworthy said.
The demand for rooftop panels has surged since 2006 when national solar rebates came into force, supplemented by state subsidies, including the solar tariff introduced this year in NSW. SilexSolar's acquisition of BP Solar's assets followed the takeover of Australian solar energy pioneer Ausra by the world's largest nuclear power company, Areva. The Premier, Kristina Keneally, said the development made Sydney the nation's solar power hub. The Australian PV Association said the revival of the factory was welcome addition to the Australian industry.
Wednesday 14/4/2010 Page: 8
THE biggest solar-panel factory in the southern hemisphere is to open in Sydney this morning - after it was rescued by a nuclear energy research company. The Olympic Park plant will produce up to 10,000 rooftop solar panel systems a year, with the potential to make many more, filling more than 10% of Australia's demand for solar panels. SilexSolar, a subsidiary of the Australian uranium enrichment group Silex Systems, bought the plant cheaply from BP Solar last year after the latter decided to obtain its solar panels from China.
The revival is a boost for the Australian industry, which has been plagued by a lack of investment compared with China, the US, Spain and Germany. But the purchase leaves households interested in buying solar panels with a dilemma: by buying Australian-made panels, they are indirectly investing in nuclear energy as well. "Solar and nuclear energy are a great fit," the chief executive of Silex Systems, Michael Goldsworthy, said. "Looking down the barrel of climate change and global warming, we need to develop alternative electricity sources."
The plant will employ about 100 people by the end of the year. This is still short of the 200 skilled staff who worked at the plant when it was owned by BP Solar. But SilexSolar plans to make panels that convert a higher proportion of sunlight to stored energy. "We're looking at producing about 15 MWs of panels per year but we can expand that to 50 MWs," Dr Goldsworthy said.
The demand for rooftop panels has surged since 2006 when national solar rebates came into force, supplemented by state subsidies, including the solar tariff introduced this year in NSW. SilexSolar's acquisition of BP Solar's assets followed the takeover of Australian solar energy pioneer Ausra by the world's largest nuclear power company, Areva. The Premier, Kristina Keneally, said the development made Sydney the nation's solar power hub. The Australian PV Association said the revival of the factory was welcome addition to the Australian industry.
Monday, 19 April 2010
Geodynamics delays Cooper Basin decision
Adelaide Advertiser
Wednesday 14/4/2010 Page: 34
GeoDynamics will make a final investment decision on a proposed $300 million, 25 MW geothermal demonstration plant in the Cooper Basin by early 2013 - two years later than previously stated. The delay is related to a production well breach incident in April last year, which caused the postponement of commissioning of its 1MW pilot plant at Innamincka.
The decision to invest will mean that GeoDynamics "is confident the geothermal resource is proven, the technical aspects of production are well defined, and the significant investment of approximately $300 million required to construct a commercial-sized power plant will be money well spent," the company said yesterday. "It (the delay) is essentially a result of not only the incident, but the learnings we have taken from it as well," GeoDynamics managing director Gerry Grove-White said. "I feel confident about the program. We now have a clear understanding of issues we are finding the answers to.., and we have a strategic advantage to other geothermal players," he said.
The firm, with joint venture partner Origin Energy, yesterday outlined a new forward work program with updated timelines for commissioning of the pilot plant and decision on the demonstration plant. The firm plans to harness heat in granites underground to produce steam to drive turbines and has completed a proof of concept stage. The 25 MW plant has already won $90 million in funding under the Federal Government's Renewable Energy Demonstration Program, and is a step towards GeoDynamics' rollout of plants to generate 500MW by 2020. The 1MW plant is on track to demonstrate the first power produced from an enhanced geothermal system in Australia by 2012.
Before this happens however, two new wells - Habanero 4 and Habanero 5 - will be drilled to power the plant. A second drill rig, Rig 200, has been purchased by the company to drill the new wells and will be commissioned before the end of the year. An underground heat exchanger will also be created at Jalokia 1, located 9kms from Habanero, to prove underground reservoirs can be created across the company's tenement areas. "The successful completion of this work program will provide us with two potential sites to build the commercial demonstration plant, each site having demonstrated flow testing from multi-level heat exchangers within the granite," Mr Grove-White said.
Wednesday 14/4/2010 Page: 34
GeoDynamics will make a final investment decision on a proposed $300 million, 25 MW geothermal demonstration plant in the Cooper Basin by early 2013 - two years later than previously stated. The delay is related to a production well breach incident in April last year, which caused the postponement of commissioning of its 1MW pilot plant at Innamincka.
The decision to invest will mean that GeoDynamics "is confident the geothermal resource is proven, the technical aspects of production are well defined, and the significant investment of approximately $300 million required to construct a commercial-sized power plant will be money well spent," the company said yesterday. "It (the delay) is essentially a result of not only the incident, but the learnings we have taken from it as well," GeoDynamics managing director Gerry Grove-White said. "I feel confident about the program. We now have a clear understanding of issues we are finding the answers to.., and we have a strategic advantage to other geothermal players," he said.
The firm, with joint venture partner Origin Energy, yesterday outlined a new forward work program with updated timelines for commissioning of the pilot plant and decision on the demonstration plant. The firm plans to harness heat in granites underground to produce steam to drive turbines and has completed a proof of concept stage. The 25 MW plant has already won $90 million in funding under the Federal Government's Renewable Energy Demonstration Program, and is a step towards GeoDynamics' rollout of plants to generate 500MW by 2020. The 1MW plant is on track to demonstrate the first power produced from an enhanced geothermal system in Australia by 2012.
Before this happens however, two new wells - Habanero 4 and Habanero 5 - will be drilled to power the plant. A second drill rig, Rig 200, has been purchased by the company to drill the new wells and will be commissioned before the end of the year. An underground heat exchanger will also be created at Jalokia 1, located 9kms from Habanero, to prove underground reservoirs can be created across the company's tenement areas. "The successful completion of this work program will provide us with two potential sites to build the commercial demonstration plant, each site having demonstrated flow testing from multi-level heat exchangers within the granite," Mr Grove-White said.
Farmers turn green over mine
Sunday Mail Brisbane
Sunday 11/4/2010 Page: 35
FARMERS at war with a proposed open-cut coal mine will fight it by offering their land for wind and solar farms. In what they hope will be a model for other mining-affected communities, the people of Felton, 30km southwest of Toowoomba, have hired a consultant to investigate their green energy potential. The community will use the report to lobby the State Government to reject Ambre Energy's coal mine in favour of renewables. Friends of Felton spokesman Rob McCreath said farmers would welcome wind turbines and solar farms on their land.
"Faced with the prospect of a massive dirty open-cut mine we'd much rather have wind and solar," he said. Green energy consultant Trevor Berrill estimated 48 turbines could share Felton Valley's ridges with grazing cattle, and another 10sq km of land could host large solar thermal infrastructure, together producing enough green energy to power 160,000 homes. Mr Berrill said this community model could be extended throughout Queensland and negate the need to dig new coal mines. He said green energy was economical to produce if the carbon costs of coal energy were taken into proper account.
Sunday 11/4/2010 Page: 35
FARMERS at war with a proposed open-cut coal mine will fight it by offering their land for wind and solar farms. In what they hope will be a model for other mining-affected communities, the people of Felton, 30km southwest of Toowoomba, have hired a consultant to investigate their green energy potential. The community will use the report to lobby the State Government to reject Ambre Energy's coal mine in favour of renewables. Friends of Felton spokesman Rob McCreath said farmers would welcome wind turbines and solar farms on their land.
"Faced with the prospect of a massive dirty open-cut mine we'd much rather have wind and solar," he said. Green energy consultant Trevor Berrill estimated 48 turbines could share Felton Valley's ridges with grazing cattle, and another 10sq km of land could host large solar thermal infrastructure, together producing enough green energy to power 160,000 homes. Mr Berrill said this community model could be extended throughout Queensland and negate the need to dig new coal mines. He said green energy was economical to produce if the carbon costs of coal energy were taken into proper account.
Offshore wind farms should be linked, researchers say
Summaries - Australian Financial Review
Tuesday 13/4/2010 Page: 5
American academics have put forward a plan to link new wind farms on the United States' East Coast, as electricity authorities grapple with the issue of obtaining useful power from wind energy. University of Delaware researchers suggest making wind energy more viable by linking the wind farms. A professor at the university's College of Earth, Ocean and the Environment in Newark, Delaware, Willet Kempton, says linking wind farms would reduce power fluctuations when the wind stops in one area.
The World Wind Energy Association says the US had the most MWs of wind power capacity in 2009 at 35,139, while the US has no offshore wind farms. To reach an Energy Department target of obtaining 20% of US power from wind by 2003, the US will need about 300 GWs, with 54 GWs from offshore turbines, according to the American Wind Energy Association.
Tuesday 13/4/2010 Page: 5
American academics have put forward a plan to link new wind farms on the United States' East Coast, as electricity authorities grapple with the issue of obtaining useful power from wind energy. University of Delaware researchers suggest making wind energy more viable by linking the wind farms. A professor at the university's College of Earth, Ocean and the Environment in Newark, Delaware, Willet Kempton, says linking wind farms would reduce power fluctuations when the wind stops in one area.
The World Wind Energy Association says the US had the most MWs of wind power capacity in 2009 at 35,139, while the US has no offshore wind farms. To reach an Energy Department target of obtaining 20% of US power from wind by 2003, the US will need about 300 GWs, with 54 GWs from offshore turbines, according to the American Wind Energy Association.
Dialogue becomes a possibility with smart networks
Summaries - Australian Financial ReviewI
Tuesday 13/4/2010 Page: 4
The traditional approach to reading an electricity meter was to have an employee of a distribution network read meters at homes. However, smart meters can automatically acquire such information and identify issues before the consumer even notices. General Electric digital energy vice-president Bob Gilligan, who last month attended the National Smart Grids Forum in Sydney, says that smart grids allow users to sell their own electricity, which can be generated by wind or photovoltaic grids. Portuguese state-owned holding company Energias de Portugal is implementing a pilot grid project.
According to a case study by Logica, 50,000 energy boxes will be installed by the end of March. The head of the roll-out, Jose Antunes, is aware that Portugal has set a renewable energy target of 31% by 2020. Energy Networks Association chief executive Andrew Blyth says that Australia, which has set an RET of 20% by 2020, is neither behind nor ahead of other countries regarding to the so-called "digitisation of energy."
Smart network groups hope that Australia's national broadband network will reach some sort of synergy with their services. The head of global consulting services in Asia, Australia and Japan for Software AG, Steve Keys, says that smart networks can provide updates once in every 30 minutes. The Government last year called for tenders for a $100 million initiative called Smart Grid, Smart City.
Tuesday 13/4/2010 Page: 4
The traditional approach to reading an electricity meter was to have an employee of a distribution network read meters at homes. However, smart meters can automatically acquire such information and identify issues before the consumer even notices. General Electric digital energy vice-president Bob Gilligan, who last month attended the National Smart Grids Forum in Sydney, says that smart grids allow users to sell their own electricity, which can be generated by wind or photovoltaic grids. Portuguese state-owned holding company Energias de Portugal is implementing a pilot grid project.
According to a case study by Logica, 50,000 energy boxes will be installed by the end of March. The head of the roll-out, Jose Antunes, is aware that Portugal has set a renewable energy target of 31% by 2020. Energy Networks Association chief executive Andrew Blyth says that Australia, which has set an RET of 20% by 2020, is neither behind nor ahead of other countries regarding to the so-called "digitisation of energy."
Smart network groups hope that Australia's national broadband network will reach some sort of synergy with their services. The head of global consulting services in Asia, Australia and Japan for Software AG, Steve Keys, says that smart networks can provide updates once in every 30 minutes. The Government last year called for tenders for a $100 million initiative called Smart Grid, Smart City.
Friday, 16 April 2010
Scientists build trap for radioactive isotope produced by nuclear power plants
www.washingtonpost.com
April 13, 2010
Scientist Mercouri Kanatzidis calls it a Venus' flytrap for nuclear waste. He and colleague Nan Ding have developed a powdery material that traps cesium-137, a prevalent, stubborn radioactive contaminant. Essentially, the material's framework acts as a "very tiny, tiny building with rooms," Kanatzidis said. The cesium enters the building, then bonds to the sulfide walls of the interior. At that point, the building begins "making all the doors and windows smaller so the cesium cannot get out." In more-scientific terms, the flexible sulfide structure contains organic, positively charged ions that can change positions with cesium in a watery solution. That reaction prompts the structure of the framework to close only on the cesium ions, preventing them from escaping.
Kanatzidis, a professor at Northwestern University and a senior scientist at Argonne National Laboratory, and Ding, an assistant chemistry professor at Claflin University in Orangeburg, S.C., made the discovery in 2007. They published their work in the journal Nature Chemistry in January. "Nuclear waste is a big issue," Ding said, "and we need new.., mechanisms to get rid of it as soon as possible." Cesium-137 is produced by nuclear weapons testing and nuclear power plants. Scientists believe that cesium-137 is among the most dangerous radioactive isotopes, largely because the soft, silvery-white metal has a half-life of 30 years, easily enters the body and can bring on cancer decades after exposure.
April 13, 2010
Scientist Mercouri Kanatzidis calls it a Venus' flytrap for nuclear waste. He and colleague Nan Ding have developed a powdery material that traps cesium-137, a prevalent, stubborn radioactive contaminant. Essentially, the material's framework acts as a "very tiny, tiny building with rooms," Kanatzidis said. The cesium enters the building, then bonds to the sulfide walls of the interior. At that point, the building begins "making all the doors and windows smaller so the cesium cannot get out." In more-scientific terms, the flexible sulfide structure contains organic, positively charged ions that can change positions with cesium in a watery solution. That reaction prompts the structure of the framework to close only on the cesium ions, preventing them from escaping.
Kanatzidis, a professor at Northwestern University and a senior scientist at Argonne National Laboratory, and Ding, an assistant chemistry professor at Claflin University in Orangeburg, S.C., made the discovery in 2007. They published their work in the journal Nature Chemistry in January. "Nuclear waste is a big issue," Ding said, "and we need new.., mechanisms to get rid of it as soon as possible." Cesium-137 is produced by nuclear weapons testing and nuclear power plants. Scientists believe that cesium-137 is among the most dangerous radioactive isotopes, largely because the soft, silvery-white metal has a half-life of 30 years, easily enters the body and can bring on cancer decades after exposure.
Breakthrough in quest for cleaner energy production
www.gulf-times.com
12/4/2010
The prospects for cleaner energy has become brighter with a researcher at Texas A&M University at Qatar (TAMUQ) achieving a breakthrough in the production of hydrogen and carbon black from natural gas using a unique solar reactor. The work of TAMUQ's mechanical engineering assistant professor and Sustainable Energy Research Laboratory principal investigator, Dr Nesrin Ozalp, has already won the Excellence in Environmental Technology distinction from the Offshore Arabia 2010 Environmental Awards.
"We have done the simulations and successfully validated the findings in the lab, and now we are in the process of manufacturing (the reactor) and testing it in real weather conditions," Dr Ozalp told QF Radio's John Bullock in an interview, made exclusively available to Gulf Times. The researcher who has received many honours, was working at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology on cracking natural gas into hydrogen and carbon black, before joining TAMUQ.
"I had the chance to continue and further develop this technology at TAMUQ. Now my research is completely on developing a reactor that can produce hydrogen and carbon black without emitting CO2, regardless of the weather conditions," she explained. If other reactors, made elsewhere, face problems of carbon accumulation on the wall and clogging at the exit, Dr Ozalp's lab model overcomes them with minimised clogging at the exit and complete elimination of carbon particles on the wall. "Currently the research is at the lab scale, but it can be scaled up to industrial scale or to meet the demand of a city like Doha or New York," Dr Ozalp observed.
The salient feature of the solar reactor is an aperture, which she designed drawing inspiration from the human eye's pupil which shrinks and dilates in proportion to the light falling on it. "When the sky is very clear and sunshine is abundant, the opening of the aperture will be small, but when it is cloudy or if it is raining or there is a dust storm, the aperture would open up automatically so as to keep the temperature inside the reactor constant," she said.
Although it sounds very easy, the idea is highly complicated, Dr Ozalp cautioned by pointing out that it involves lots of changes in the fluid dynamics, heat transfer, and thermodynamics warranting a highly advanced control of the system. "But our results show very successful outcomes and we have published a lot on this technology in top journals, including the international journal of hydrogen energy and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers' journal of heat transfer," the researcher said. Dr Ozalp believes the technology she has developed at TAMUQ will be applied everywhere in the near future to produce not only hydrogen and carbon, but also electricity.
"Hydrogen can be used as a fuel in an internal combustion engine, like the ones used in vehicles, or in power generation instead of natural gas, or as a commodity, whereas carbon black carbon is needed to support the economic demands of the production of tyres, printer ink, pigments and plastics, among many applications," she said.
Dr Ozalp stated that by splitting natural gas into hydrogen and carbon three times, more revenue could be obtained, apart from replacing the current technology with a cleaner and greener solution that combats global warming. "Right now I have about 10 journal and conference papers on this technology and the results," said the researcher who has been invited to the US in May to give talks at Nasa Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio, and Stanford University's Department of Energy Resources Engineering.
12/4/2010
The prospects for cleaner energy has become brighter with a researcher at Texas A&M University at Qatar (TAMUQ) achieving a breakthrough in the production of hydrogen and carbon black from natural gas using a unique solar reactor. The work of TAMUQ's mechanical engineering assistant professor and Sustainable Energy Research Laboratory principal investigator, Dr Nesrin Ozalp, has already won the Excellence in Environmental Technology distinction from the Offshore Arabia 2010 Environmental Awards.
"We have done the simulations and successfully validated the findings in the lab, and now we are in the process of manufacturing (the reactor) and testing it in real weather conditions," Dr Ozalp told QF Radio's John Bullock in an interview, made exclusively available to Gulf Times. The researcher who has received many honours, was working at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology on cracking natural gas into hydrogen and carbon black, before joining TAMUQ.
"I had the chance to continue and further develop this technology at TAMUQ. Now my research is completely on developing a reactor that can produce hydrogen and carbon black without emitting CO2, regardless of the weather conditions," she explained. If other reactors, made elsewhere, face problems of carbon accumulation on the wall and clogging at the exit, Dr Ozalp's lab model overcomes them with minimised clogging at the exit and complete elimination of carbon particles on the wall. "Currently the research is at the lab scale, but it can be scaled up to industrial scale or to meet the demand of a city like Doha or New York," Dr Ozalp observed.
The salient feature of the solar reactor is an aperture, which she designed drawing inspiration from the human eye's pupil which shrinks and dilates in proportion to the light falling on it. "When the sky is very clear and sunshine is abundant, the opening of the aperture will be small, but when it is cloudy or if it is raining or there is a dust storm, the aperture would open up automatically so as to keep the temperature inside the reactor constant," she said.
Although it sounds very easy, the idea is highly complicated, Dr Ozalp cautioned by pointing out that it involves lots of changes in the fluid dynamics, heat transfer, and thermodynamics warranting a highly advanced control of the system. "But our results show very successful outcomes and we have published a lot on this technology in top journals, including the international journal of hydrogen energy and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers' journal of heat transfer," the researcher said. Dr Ozalp believes the technology she has developed at TAMUQ will be applied everywhere in the near future to produce not only hydrogen and carbon, but also electricity.
"Hydrogen can be used as a fuel in an internal combustion engine, like the ones used in vehicles, or in power generation instead of natural gas, or as a commodity, whereas carbon black carbon is needed to support the economic demands of the production of tyres, printer ink, pigments and plastics, among many applications," she said.
Dr Ozalp stated that by splitting natural gas into hydrogen and carbon three times, more revenue could be obtained, apart from replacing the current technology with a cleaner and greener solution that combats global warming. "Right now I have about 10 journal and conference papers on this technology and the results," said the researcher who has been invited to the US in May to give talks at Nasa Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio, and Stanford University's Department of Energy Resources Engineering.
Thursday, 15 April 2010
US wind-power industry blowing hot
Adelaide Advertiser
Saturday 10/4/2010 Page: 81
THE wind-power industry in the US showed record growth in 2009, and could see dramatic expansion if there was a national "renewable electricity standard", the American Wind Energy Association said in a report released yesterday. The industry association says more than 10,000 MWs of new wind power were installed throughout the US in 2009, generating as much electricity as three large nuclear power plants. And 14 states are now included in what the industry calls the "GW club", which means they have more than 1000 MWs of wind power installed. One MW is enough to power between 750 and 1000 homes.
Wind now generates more than 35,000 MWs of power in the US. The three top wind-power states are Texas with 9405 MWs installed, Iowa with 3670MW and California with 2723MW. The American Wind Energy Association advocates for a nationwide renewable electricity standard, a policy that would require utilities to procure a set amount of power from renewable sources like wind and solar by a certain date. AWEA wants a national target of 25% by 2025.
California and 29 other states have their own renewable standards, but wind advocates are calling for a US wide federal policy. California's Renewable Portfolio Standard, established in 2002, calls on utilities to procure 20% of their power from renewable resources by 2010. "When the RPS MetOcean law was passed, that really spurred developer interest in the state," said Nancy Rader, executive director of the California Wind Energy Association. "There are a lot of projects in the works and we expect about 800 MWs to be installed in 2010."
Later this month, federal officials are expected to rule on Cape Wind, a controversial project off the coast of Cape Cod which, if approved, would be the largest offshore wind farm in the US. The project is backed by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and renewable energy advocates, but is opposed by native American tribes who say the wind turbines would disturb ancestral underwater burial grounds and spiritual ceremonies.
Saturday 10/4/2010 Page: 81
THE wind-power industry in the US showed record growth in 2009, and could see dramatic expansion if there was a national "renewable electricity standard", the American Wind Energy Association said in a report released yesterday. The industry association says more than 10,000 MWs of new wind power were installed throughout the US in 2009, generating as much electricity as three large nuclear power plants. And 14 states are now included in what the industry calls the "GW club", which means they have more than 1000 MWs of wind power installed. One MW is enough to power between 750 and 1000 homes.Wind now generates more than 35,000 MWs of power in the US. The three top wind-power states are Texas with 9405 MWs installed, Iowa with 3670MW and California with 2723MW. The American Wind Energy Association advocates for a nationwide renewable electricity standard, a policy that would require utilities to procure a set amount of power from renewable sources like wind and solar by a certain date. AWEA wants a national target of 25% by 2025.
California and 29 other states have their own renewable standards, but wind advocates are calling for a US wide federal policy. California's Renewable Portfolio Standard, established in 2002, calls on utilities to procure 20% of their power from renewable resources by 2010. "When the RPS MetOcean law was passed, that really spurred developer interest in the state," said Nancy Rader, executive director of the California Wind Energy Association. "There are a lot of projects in the works and we expect about 800 MWs to be installed in 2010."
Later this month, federal officials are expected to rule on Cape Wind, a controversial project off the coast of Cape Cod which, if approved, would be the largest offshore wind farm in the US. The project is backed by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and renewable energy advocates, but is opposed by native American tribes who say the wind turbines would disturb ancestral underwater burial grounds and spiritual ceremonies.
France helps Italy up nuclear power generation
www.presstv.ir
10 Apr 2010
Europe's largest atomic energy producer, France, says that it will cooperate with Italy more closely to increase nuclear power generation in its southwestern neighbor. France was ready to share its nuclear power expertise, said French President Nicolas Sarkozy in a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on Friday. During their meeting at the Elysee presidential palace, seven agreements were signed to bolster cooperation in the nuclear sector.
France's Areva, the world's biggest nuclear reactor maker, signed a memorandum of understanding on reactor projects with Italian engineering group Ansaldo Nucleare. A statement from Areva said the company will contribute to the development of new nuclear industrial skills in Italy. Last year, the two European nations signed a partnership agreement bringing together major industrial players from both countries for Italy's plan to build the new reactors.
10 Apr 2010
Europe's largest atomic energy producer, France, says that it will cooperate with Italy more closely to increase nuclear power generation in its southwestern neighbor. France was ready to share its nuclear power expertise, said French President Nicolas Sarkozy in a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on Friday. During their meeting at the Elysee presidential palace, seven agreements were signed to bolster cooperation in the nuclear sector.
France's Areva, the world's biggest nuclear reactor maker, signed a memorandum of understanding on reactor projects with Italian engineering group Ansaldo Nucleare. A statement from Areva said the company will contribute to the development of new nuclear industrial skills in Italy. Last year, the two European nations signed a partnership agreement bringing together major industrial players from both countries for Italy's plan to build the new reactors.
Wednesday, 14 April 2010
Full steam ahead for energy
Canberra Times
Wednesday 7/4/2010 Page: 15
A geothermal energy company has struck the environmentally friendly equivalent of oil in South Australia's south-east, in doing so putting the Federal Government on track to meet its green energy targets. Panax Geothermal's drilling rig at its Salamander-1 geothermal well in the Otway Basin near Penola has hit steam. Geothermal energy is heat from the earth's crust that has zero emissions and is an environmentally sustainable, natural resource ready for electricity production. Unlike other renewable energy sources, such as wind or solar, geothermal energy is continuous rather than reliant upon the weather.
Panax Geothermal managing director Bertus de Graaf said yesterday's announcement meant the company was one step closer to having a demonstration power plant in operation by May 2011, subject to the results of Salamander-1. "This has shown there is a reservoir that can flow and the temperature projections have been confirmed, so we were more or less spot on.., so far so good," he said. South Australian Premier Mike Rann said the hot sedimentary aquifer project was the most advanced in the country.
"South Australia's Otway Basin contains what geologists call anomalously high heat flows relatively close to the national electricity grid," Mr Rann said. "This means successful projects in the Otway Basin are mach closer to the electricity grid than the hot rock geothermal projects now being explored in the remote far north of the state." The Government hopes a success could eventually lead to renewable geothermal energy being tapped into the national electricity market. Dr de Graaf said the quality of the reservoir would be determined by mid-May. Federal Energy Minister Martin Ferguson welcomed the breakthrough.
At the well's official opening last month, Mr Ferguson said geothermal was the clean equivalent of a coal-fired power station. "The early growth is going to be in wind power but the real breakthrough we need is in areas such as geothermal because it's baseload reliable power that is akin to a coal fired power station," Mr Ferguson said. Dr de Graaf said the renewable energy sector was being let down because there was no price on carbon and a discrepancy in the price of renewable energy certificates. Panax Geothermal shares closed 1.5c higher at 14c yesterday.
Wednesday 7/4/2010 Page: 15
A geothermal energy company has struck the environmentally friendly equivalent of oil in South Australia's south-east, in doing so putting the Federal Government on track to meet its green energy targets. Panax Geothermal's drilling rig at its Salamander-1 geothermal well in the Otway Basin near Penola has hit steam. Geothermal energy is heat from the earth's crust that has zero emissions and is an environmentally sustainable, natural resource ready for electricity production. Unlike other renewable energy sources, such as wind or solar, geothermal energy is continuous rather than reliant upon the weather.Panax Geothermal managing director Bertus de Graaf said yesterday's announcement meant the company was one step closer to having a demonstration power plant in operation by May 2011, subject to the results of Salamander-1. "This has shown there is a reservoir that can flow and the temperature projections have been confirmed, so we were more or less spot on.., so far so good," he said. South Australian Premier Mike Rann said the hot sedimentary aquifer project was the most advanced in the country.
"South Australia's Otway Basin contains what geologists call anomalously high heat flows relatively close to the national electricity grid," Mr Rann said. "This means successful projects in the Otway Basin are mach closer to the electricity grid than the hot rock geothermal projects now being explored in the remote far north of the state." The Government hopes a success could eventually lead to renewable geothermal energy being tapped into the national electricity market. Dr de Graaf said the quality of the reservoir would be determined by mid-May. Federal Energy Minister Martin Ferguson welcomed the breakthrough.
At the well's official opening last month, Mr Ferguson said geothermal was the clean equivalent of a coal-fired power station. "The early growth is going to be in wind power but the real breakthrough we need is in areas such as geothermal because it's baseload reliable power that is akin to a coal fired power station," Mr Ferguson said. Dr de Graaf said the renewable energy sector was being let down because there was no price on carbon and a discrepancy in the price of renewable energy certificates. Panax Geothermal shares closed 1.5c higher at 14c yesterday.
Infigen offloads its French assets
Adelaide Advertiser
Wednesday 7/4/2010 Page: 55
AUSTRALIAN wind farm developer Infigen Energy has sold its French assets for $104 million to a European renewable energy fund, in what is the first step towards clearing debt and fast-tracking key Australian projects. The sale of the "non-core" business comprising 52MW of operational wind farms to ILP will result in an estimated accounting loss of $4.25 million.
Net sale proceeds of about $14.7 million, after debt repayment and transaction related costs, will be used to strengthen the company's Australian development pipeline. In South Australia, this pipeline includes the proposed 450MW project at WoakWine and another 177MW one at Lincoln Gap.
Infigen Energy already has a strong track record of wind farm development in the Limestone Coast region with the Lake Bonney wind farm, which comprises Lake Bonney 1 (80.5MW), Lake Bonney 2 (159MW) and the near-complete Lake Bonney 3 (39MW). Turbines are being commissioned for the Lake Bonney 3 development, which is due to be completed this month.
The sale of the French business will provide additional cash for equity investment in the pipeline, managing director Miles George said. "This is consistent with redirecting our future focus to the Australian renewable energy market, which is poised for strong growth over the next 10 years," he said. Infigen Energy also terminated the sale of its German assets because of lower "currently achievable prices, given the subdued state of European economies and capital markets". The company is in "the final binding bid phase" of its US asset sale process.
Wednesday 7/4/2010 Page: 55
AUSTRALIAN wind farm developer Infigen Energy has sold its French assets for $104 million to a European renewable energy fund, in what is the first step towards clearing debt and fast-tracking key Australian projects. The sale of the "non-core" business comprising 52MW of operational wind farms to ILP will result in an estimated accounting loss of $4.25 million.
Net sale proceeds of about $14.7 million, after debt repayment and transaction related costs, will be used to strengthen the company's Australian development pipeline. In South Australia, this pipeline includes the proposed 450MW project at WoakWine and another 177MW one at Lincoln Gap.
Infigen Energy already has a strong track record of wind farm development in the Limestone Coast region with the Lake Bonney wind farm, which comprises Lake Bonney 1 (80.5MW), Lake Bonney 2 (159MW) and the near-complete Lake Bonney 3 (39MW). Turbines are being commissioned for the Lake Bonney 3 development, which is due to be completed this month.
The sale of the French business will provide additional cash for equity investment in the pipeline, managing director Miles George said. "This is consistent with redirecting our future focus to the Australian renewable energy market, which is poised for strong growth over the next 10 years," he said. Infigen Energy also terminated the sale of its German assets because of lower "currently achievable prices, given the subdued state of European economies and capital markets". The company is in "the final binding bid phase" of its US asset sale process.
T. Boone Pickens Bringing Wind Power Plans to Minnesota
www.fastcompany.com
Apr 9, 2010
Oil magnate T. Boone Pickens gave up on his ambitious plan to build the world's biggest wind farm in the Texas panhandle long ago, but he never completely lost his interest in wind power. In January, Pickens announced a plan to cut the Texas wind turbine order in half to 334 GE-branded turbines. Originally, half of the turbines were supposed to go to a wind farm in Minnesota, and half were supposed to go to Canada. But now the all-American billionaire has nixed the Canada plan and decided to send all of his turbines to Goodhue, Minnesota--a plan that will create a 78 MW wind farm capable of powering 31,000 to 70,000 homes.
Earth2Tech reports National Wind will most likely develop the project, which will eventually sell electricity to Xcel Energy Energy. If everything goes as planned, the wind farm will go into operation next year. But we can't be too sure--Pickens has shuffled his plans around so much in the past that we're hesitant to say anything is a done deal. In any case, Xcel Energy still needs to get permission from state utility regulators to buy electricity from the Pickens project, and National Wind also has to contend with local residents concerned about the noise and health impacts of the turbines.
Apr 9, 2010
Oil magnate T. Boone Pickens gave up on his ambitious plan to build the world's biggest wind farm in the Texas panhandle long ago, but he never completely lost his interest in wind power. In January, Pickens announced a plan to cut the Texas wind turbine order in half to 334 GE-branded turbines. Originally, half of the turbines were supposed to go to a wind farm in Minnesota, and half were supposed to go to Canada. But now the all-American billionaire has nixed the Canada plan and decided to send all of his turbines to Goodhue, Minnesota--a plan that will create a 78 MW wind farm capable of powering 31,000 to 70,000 homes.Earth2Tech reports National Wind will most likely develop the project, which will eventually sell electricity to Xcel Energy Energy. If everything goes as planned, the wind farm will go into operation next year. But we can't be too sure--Pickens has shuffled his plans around so much in the past that we're hesitant to say anything is a done deal. In any case, Xcel Energy still needs to get permission from state utility regulators to buy electricity from the Pickens project, and National Wind also has to contend with local residents concerned about the noise and health impacts of the turbines.
Tuesday, 13 April 2010
Wind power grid could meet all electricity needs
content.usatoday.com
Apr 06, 2010
Offshore wind turbines, if spread out and connected to a power grid, could potentially produce enough electricity to meet global needs, says a new study. A grid that connects turbines could eliminate the unsteadiness that is currently wind power's biggest drawback, according to the study published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences. "Making wind-generated electricity more steady will enable wind power to become a much larger fraction of our electric sources," said lead author Willett Kempton, director of the University Of Delaware's Center for Carbon-free Power Integration.
The researchers from the University of Delaware and Stony Brook University looked at five years of wind speed data from 11 monitoring stations - - buoys and towers - - along the U.S. East Coast from Florida to Maine. They used this data to estimate the power output from a hypothetical five-MW offshore turbine. Each turbine, when operating individually, showed the expected power ups and downs, reflective of local weather patterns.
"But when we simulate a power line connecting them, called here the Atlantic Transmission Grid, the output from the entire set of generators rarely reaches either low or full power, and power changes slowly," the study says. "Notably, during the 5-year study period, the amount of power shifted up and down but never stopped." The authors recommend a coordinated approach for siting and connecting wind turbines, noting that electricity generation is now primarily a state matter. Currently, no wind turbines are located in U.S, waters, but several East Coast projects have been proposed.
Apr 06, 2010
Offshore wind turbines, if spread out and connected to a power grid, could potentially produce enough electricity to meet global needs, says a new study. A grid that connects turbines could eliminate the unsteadiness that is currently wind power's biggest drawback, according to the study published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences. "Making wind-generated electricity more steady will enable wind power to become a much larger fraction of our electric sources," said lead author Willett Kempton, director of the University Of Delaware's Center for Carbon-free Power Integration.The researchers from the University of Delaware and Stony Brook University looked at five years of wind speed data from 11 monitoring stations - - buoys and towers - - along the U.S. East Coast from Florida to Maine. They used this data to estimate the power output from a hypothetical five-MW offshore turbine. Each turbine, when operating individually, showed the expected power ups and downs, reflective of local weather patterns.
"But when we simulate a power line connecting them, called here the Atlantic Transmission Grid, the output from the entire set of generators rarely reaches either low or full power, and power changes slowly," the study says. "Notably, during the 5-year study period, the amount of power shifted up and down but never stopped." The authors recommend a coordinated approach for siting and connecting wind turbines, noting that electricity generation is now primarily a state matter. Currently, no wind turbines are located in U.S, waters, but several East Coast projects have been proposed.
Panax geothermal strikes steam in SA
news.smh.com.au
April 6, 2010
A geothermal energy company has struck the environmentally friendly equivalent of oil in South Australia's southeast, in doing so putting the federal government on track to meet its promised green energy targets. Panax Geothermal's drilling rig at its Salamander-1 geothermal well in the Otway Basin near Penola has hit steam. At the well's official opening in March, federal Energy Minister Martin Ferguson revealed the government's pledge to meet renewable energy would fall short if geothermal power was not realised. "The government set a target of 20% renewable energy by 2020," Mr Ferguson told reporters at the site in the Otway Basin. "That's pretty challenging because at the moment (only) about 8.2% of our energy actually comes from renewables."
Mr Ferguson says wind power is not reliable, whereas geothermal is the clean equivalent of a coal-fired power station. "This (geothermal energy) is where we have to make the breakthrough otherwise we will find it challenging to actually meet 20 per cent," Mr Ferguson said. "The early growth is going to be in wind power but the real breakthrough we need is in areas such as geothermal because its baseload reliable power that is akin to a coal-fired power station." The company plans to have a demonstration power plant in operation by next year, subject to the results of Salamander-1. Panax Geothermal's geothermal exploration has been bolstered by a $7 million federal government grant.
The well's proximity to the National Electricity Market Management Company grid (NEMMCO) also means the project could power thousands of homes without needing new grid connections. The Penola Project is the first geothermal well in Australia to test a Hot Sedimentary Aquifer (HSA), which extracts hot water from an existing aquifer or HSA reservoir. Panax Geothermal has a measured geothermal resource of 11,000 petajoules at the Penola Project which has the capacity to deliver hundreds of MWs of zero emission power. The project covers an area of 493 square kilometres and is part of Panax Geothermal's larger Limestone Coast Geothermal Project, which covers a total area of 3,127 square kilometres. Panax Geothermal's focus is on exploring existing reservoirs containing hot geothermal fluids which have fewer risks than hot fractured rock geothermal projects and a much shorter development time.
April 6, 2010
A geothermal energy company has struck the environmentally friendly equivalent of oil in South Australia's southeast, in doing so putting the federal government on track to meet its promised green energy targets. Panax Geothermal's drilling rig at its Salamander-1 geothermal well in the Otway Basin near Penola has hit steam. At the well's official opening in March, federal Energy Minister Martin Ferguson revealed the government's pledge to meet renewable energy would fall short if geothermal power was not realised. "The government set a target of 20% renewable energy by 2020," Mr Ferguson told reporters at the site in the Otway Basin. "That's pretty challenging because at the moment (only) about 8.2% of our energy actually comes from renewables."
Mr Ferguson says wind power is not reliable, whereas geothermal is the clean equivalent of a coal-fired power station. "This (geothermal energy) is where we have to make the breakthrough otherwise we will find it challenging to actually meet 20 per cent," Mr Ferguson said. "The early growth is going to be in wind power but the real breakthrough we need is in areas such as geothermal because its baseload reliable power that is akin to a coal-fired power station." The company plans to have a demonstration power plant in operation by next year, subject to the results of Salamander-1. Panax Geothermal's geothermal exploration has been bolstered by a $7 million federal government grant.
The well's proximity to the National Electricity Market Management Company grid (NEMMCO) also means the project could power thousands of homes without needing new grid connections. The Penola Project is the first geothermal well in Australia to test a Hot Sedimentary Aquifer (HSA), which extracts hot water from an existing aquifer or HSA reservoir. Panax Geothermal has a measured geothermal resource of 11,000 petajoules at the Penola Project which has the capacity to deliver hundreds of MWs of zero emission power. The project covers an area of 493 square kilometres and is part of Panax Geothermal's larger Limestone Coast Geothermal Project, which covers a total area of 3,127 square kilometres. Panax Geothermal's focus is on exploring existing reservoirs containing hot geothermal fluids which have fewer risks than hot fractured rock geothermal projects and a much shorter development time.
Carbon capture a "diversion"
Australian
Monday 5/4/2010 Page: 23
ANOTHER to support a more vigorous push into renewables is professor Stefaan Simons, one of the world's leading experts in low-carbon technologies. Professor Simons addressed a Santos-sponsored event in Adelaide last week. His message is that the focus on carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a "dangerous diversion" that is stalling the transition to renewable energy sources and a highly efficient, low-carbon energy system.
Professor Simons is a specialist in the chemical engineering at the University College London and director of its Centre for CO2 Technology. He is currently on a global research fellowship with the Royal Academy of Engineering that includes time at Australia's Co-operative Centre for Greenhouse Gas Technologies, which is leading research into CCS.
However, he says CCS research (which accounts for more than half of the funds promised by the Australian government for clean energy technologies) is soaking up time, resources and funding that could be better applied in securing a low carbon future. He says CO2, capture is not fit for post-combustion at a large scale and therefore most existing fossil fuel plants but the real problem lies in technical and legal issues around storage. There will be a role for CCS, he says, but not as broad as its supporters make out.
"I challenge our energy policymakers to reassess whether large-scale deployment of CCS makes sense and whether we should continue to use fossil fuels as our primary energy source, or use these fossil resources to produce higher value forms of energy and chemicals.
"We could then replace fossil fuel electricity production with that from renewable sources, at the same time reducing the need for CCS. We also need to mature our thinking, our innovation and our chemical industry so that CO2 becomes a valuable resource, rather than a waste product in need of disposal."
This, Professor Simons says, could provide an opportunity for Australia to use its expertise in coal and gas to lead in the development of to new and existing chemicals from CO2, so that CO2, becomes a valuable feedstock rather than a waste product. "It needs new business models, and policy and market support. If the coal and gas industries do not change, where will they fit into a renewable energy driven society?"
Monday 5/4/2010 Page: 23
ANOTHER to support a more vigorous push into renewables is professor Stefaan Simons, one of the world's leading experts in low-carbon technologies. Professor Simons addressed a Santos-sponsored event in Adelaide last week. His message is that the focus on carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a "dangerous diversion" that is stalling the transition to renewable energy sources and a highly efficient, low-carbon energy system.
Professor Simons is a specialist in the chemical engineering at the University College London and director of its Centre for CO2 Technology. He is currently on a global research fellowship with the Royal Academy of Engineering that includes time at Australia's Co-operative Centre for Greenhouse Gas Technologies, which is leading research into CCS.
However, he says CCS research (which accounts for more than half of the funds promised by the Australian government for clean energy technologies) is soaking up time, resources and funding that could be better applied in securing a low carbon future. He says CO2, capture is not fit for post-combustion at a large scale and therefore most existing fossil fuel plants but the real problem lies in technical and legal issues around storage. There will be a role for CCS, he says, but not as broad as its supporters make out.
"I challenge our energy policymakers to reassess whether large-scale deployment of CCS makes sense and whether we should continue to use fossil fuels as our primary energy source, or use these fossil resources to produce higher value forms of energy and chemicals.
"We could then replace fossil fuel electricity production with that from renewable sources, at the same time reducing the need for CCS. We also need to mature our thinking, our innovation and our chemical industry so that CO2 becomes a valuable resource, rather than a waste product in need of disposal."
This, Professor Simons says, could provide an opportunity for Australia to use its expertise in coal and gas to lead in the development of to new and existing chemicals from CO2, so that CO2, becomes a valuable feedstock rather than a waste product. "It needs new business models, and policy and market support. If the coal and gas industries do not change, where will they fit into a renewable energy driven society?"
Gas glut sparks concerns among 'clean coal' backers
Age
Monday 5/4/2010 Page: 3
A LOOMING natural gas glut is raising fears that investment in "clean coal", seen by some as the saviour of our coal and power industries, will be put on the back burner. Amid ballooning gas supply and with possible falls in gas prices, a big supplier to utilities says investors could shy away from backing carbon capture and storage (CCS), which involves burying power station emissions underground.
Philippe Paelinck, director of CO2 product at Alstom, a global supplier to utilities, called the gas bubble the biggest threat to the development of carbon capture in the next five years. "I think if you look at the main threat to GCS in the coming five years, it is really gas," Mr Paelinck said last week in Sydney.
In the past two to three years, global gas reserves have surged after technological advances and increased demand made "unconventional" reserves commercially viable. Soaring demand has also increased the world's yearly supply of liquefied natural gas by 50% in the past two years. In Australia, this trend has manifested in the coal seam gas boom, which has attracted tens of billions in investment dollars from the world's oil giants.
"All of a sudden gas becomes a lot more available at an affordable price," he said. "If you have low gas prices, there will be a clear temptation - it's already there - to switch to power generation from gas." Alstom produces power generation equipment for both fossil fuel and renewable power stations. It is backing several CCS projects in Europe and America.
In Australia, which generates more than 80% of its power from coal, gas is expected to meet a growing share of generation needs, with investment in gas plants expected to cost $15 billion in the next decade. Consecutive governments have talked up the potential of CCS as a solution to cutting carbon, but the technology requires hefty subsidies to be economic.
Mr Paelinck said making "clean coal" viable depended on significant investments in the developed world, as emerging nations such as China were not pouring enough funds into the technology: "If we don't develop CCS because of gas in the US and in Europe, we won't have any CCS in the rest of the world - that's the problem."
Monday 5/4/2010 Page: 3
A LOOMING natural gas glut is raising fears that investment in "clean coal", seen by some as the saviour of our coal and power industries, will be put on the back burner. Amid ballooning gas supply and with possible falls in gas prices, a big supplier to utilities says investors could shy away from backing carbon capture and storage (CCS), which involves burying power station emissions underground.Philippe Paelinck, director of CO2 product at Alstom, a global supplier to utilities, called the gas bubble the biggest threat to the development of carbon capture in the next five years. "I think if you look at the main threat to GCS in the coming five years, it is really gas," Mr Paelinck said last week in Sydney.
In the past two to three years, global gas reserves have surged after technological advances and increased demand made "unconventional" reserves commercially viable. Soaring demand has also increased the world's yearly supply of liquefied natural gas by 50% in the past two years. In Australia, this trend has manifested in the coal seam gas boom, which has attracted tens of billions in investment dollars from the world's oil giants.
"All of a sudden gas becomes a lot more available at an affordable price," he said. "If you have low gas prices, there will be a clear temptation - it's already there - to switch to power generation from gas." Alstom produces power generation equipment for both fossil fuel and renewable power stations. It is backing several CCS projects in Europe and America.
In Australia, which generates more than 80% of its power from coal, gas is expected to meet a growing share of generation needs, with investment in gas plants expected to cost $15 billion in the next decade. Consecutive governments have talked up the potential of CCS as a solution to cutting carbon, but the technology requires hefty subsidies to be economic.
Mr Paelinck said making "clean coal" viable depended on significant investments in the developed world, as emerging nations such as China were not pouring enough funds into the technology: "If we don't develop CCS because of gas in the US and in Europe, we won't have any CCS in the rest of the world - that's the problem."
Friday, 9 April 2010
Power stations operating `below capacity'
Sydney Morning Herald
Tuesday 6/4/2010 Page: 4
PROPOSED new baseload coal or gas-fired power stations in NSW may not be needed if existing plants were operated at higher capacity, according to the environment group Beyond Zero Emissions. State-owned Macquarie Generation and Delta Energy have received concept approval for new baseload power stations with combined capacity of up to 4000MW near existing plants at Bayswater in the Hunter Valley and Mount Piper in Portland, north-west of Lithgow.
The right to build these power stations, subject to final development approval, will be sold along with the electricity retailers EnergyAustralia, Integral Energy and Country Energy, and rights to the output of existing power stations, under the government's proposed energy reforms. But Beyond Zero Emissions' executive director, Matthew Wright, said many of the state's existing black coal-fired power stations were operated at lower capacity than Victorian brown coal-fired power stations, and the new baseload capacity was not needed.
"Since the establishment of the national energy market, Victorian generators have been able to dump cheap electricity into NSW," he said. "With a looming shortfall in national generating capacity, the NSW government is wanting to get in first, and crowd out potential new Queensland or Victorian generators, or emerging renewable energy supply." According to the most recent figures Macquarie Generation's 2640MW power plant at Bayswater is running at 69% capacity and its Liddell 2000MW plant at 57% capacity. Eraring Energy's 2640MW power plant operated at 67% and older power stations at Vales Point and Munmorah operated at even lower levels, 53% and 40% respectively.
On average, according to Beyond Zero, NSW coal-fired power stations are run at an equivalent of 63% capacity while Victorian plants operate at 85% capacity. Mr Wright said NSW had overcapacity of about 3000MW, roughly the equivalent of two Mount Piper power stations. The 2007 Owen inquiry into electricity supply found NSW would suffer a shortfall of generating capacity from 2013-14 and recommended privatisation of the state's generators and retailers to facilitate investment in new baseload capacity.
Tuesday 6/4/2010 Page: 4
PROPOSED new baseload coal or gas-fired power stations in NSW may not be needed if existing plants were operated at higher capacity, according to the environment group Beyond Zero Emissions. State-owned Macquarie Generation and Delta Energy have received concept approval for new baseload power stations with combined capacity of up to 4000MW near existing plants at Bayswater in the Hunter Valley and Mount Piper in Portland, north-west of Lithgow.The right to build these power stations, subject to final development approval, will be sold along with the electricity retailers EnergyAustralia, Integral Energy and Country Energy, and rights to the output of existing power stations, under the government's proposed energy reforms. But Beyond Zero Emissions' executive director, Matthew Wright, said many of the state's existing black coal-fired power stations were operated at lower capacity than Victorian brown coal-fired power stations, and the new baseload capacity was not needed.
"Since the establishment of the national energy market, Victorian generators have been able to dump cheap electricity into NSW," he said. "With a looming shortfall in national generating capacity, the NSW government is wanting to get in first, and crowd out potential new Queensland or Victorian generators, or emerging renewable energy supply." According to the most recent figures Macquarie Generation's 2640MW power plant at Bayswater is running at 69% capacity and its Liddell 2000MW plant at 57% capacity. Eraring Energy's 2640MW power plant operated at 67% and older power stations at Vales Point and Munmorah operated at even lower levels, 53% and 40% respectively.
On average, according to Beyond Zero, NSW coal-fired power stations are run at an equivalent of 63% capacity while Victorian plants operate at 85% capacity. Mr Wright said NSW had overcapacity of about 3000MW, roughly the equivalent of two Mount Piper power stations. The 2007 Owen inquiry into electricity supply found NSW would suffer a shortfall of generating capacity from 2013-14 and recommended privatisation of the state's generators and retailers to facilitate investment in new baseload capacity.
Australia `should lead' in solar energy push: Siemens
www.theaustralian.com.au
April 05, 2010
THE German industrial giant Siemens is urging Australia to build a massive renewable energy network to rival that of the Desertec Foundation project that will harness solar energy in northern Africa and deliver it to consumers in Europe. Siemens - - along with Deutsche Bank, Munich Re, ABB, and utility groups E.ON and RWE, among others - - has been one of the driving forces behind the $700 billion Desertec Foundation concept and the creation of energy "super-highways".
Siemens is active in Australia and has made four separate applications under the Australian government's Solar Flagships program, which aims to build two large-scale solar energy facilities by 2015. But chief financial officer Joe Kaeser believes Australia should be much more ambitious and consider its own "Austral-tec" project.
"Australia has everything it needs," Kaeser says, adding that Siemens has already held some preliminary discussions with the government and other corporates. "Australia should be in the lead (in solar energy) and showing the world how it works. If you source solar energy for nothing, and sell natural resources to other countries, it makes for a powerful business case."
Siemens is Europe's largest engineering group and is leading the push into green technology, from where it now sources some $25bn of annual revenues - - nearly one quarter of its global revenues. Kaeser says Siemens' push into green technology came in 2005 after the board analysed the global "mega-trends" and how the company might be placed in 50 years. "The push to sustainability is real. It is not a fashion."
Kaeser says Siemens' hunger for innovation is borne from need. Europe does not enjoy the rate of economic growth of China, or the natural resources of Australia. "Our natural resource is know-how." It spends $1bn on green-tech R&D each year. But Kaeser says the massive redistribution of wealth from new technologies, and the transformation of desolate solar-rich areas such as the Sahara into "economic treasures", will be fiercely resisted and the transition will not be easy.
"There is a lot of economic power behind the current technologies, behind coal-fired power plants, and the factories that produce CO2," he says. "These markets are threatened by a paradigm shift, and that can cause social problems. That is why the government needs to lead the way." He points to the experience of Denmark, which was burned by the oil crisis in the 1970s and supported massive investment in wind technology, where it now leads the world. He also points to Singapore, which with few natural resources in now turning itself into a "Smart City".
Carbon capture a `diversion'
ANOTHER to support a more vigorous push into renewables is professor Stefaan Simons, one of the world's leading experts in low-carbon technologies. Professor Simons addressed a Santos-sponsored event in Adelaide last week. His message is that the focus on carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a "dangerous diversion" that is stalling the transition to renewable energy sources and a highly efficient, low-carbon energy system.
Professor Simons is a specialist in the chemical engineering at the University College London and director of its Centre for CO2 Technology. He is currently on a global research fellowship with the Royal Academy of Engineering that includes time at Australia's Co-operative Centre for Greenhouse Gas Technologies, which is leading research into CCS.
However, he says CCS research (which accounts for more than half of the funds promised by the Australian government for clean energy technologies) is soaking up time, resources and funding that could be better applied in securing a low carbon future. He says CO2 capture is not fit for post-combustion at a large scale - - and therefore most existing fossil fuel plants - - but the real problem lies in technical and legal issues around storage. There will be a role for CCS, he says, but not as broad as its supporters make out.
"I challenge our energy policymakers to reassess whether large-scale deployment of CCS makes sense and whether we should continue to use fossil fuels as our primary energy source, or use these fossil resources to produce higher value forms of energy and chemicals. "We could then replace fossil fuel electricity production with that from renewable sources, at the same time reducing the need for CCS. We also need to mature our thinking, our innovation and our chemical industry so that CO2 becomes a valuable resource, rather than a waste product in need of disposal."
This, Professor Simons says, could provide an opportunity for Australia to use its expertise in coal and gas to lead in the development of to new and existing chemicals from CO2 so that CO2 becomes a valuable feedstock rather than a waste product. "It needs new business models, and policy and market support. If the coal and gas industries do not change, where will they fit into a renewable energy-driven society?"
April 05, 2010
THE German industrial giant Siemens is urging Australia to build a massive renewable energy network to rival that of the Desertec Foundation project that will harness solar energy in northern Africa and deliver it to consumers in Europe. Siemens - - along with Deutsche Bank, Munich Re, ABB, and utility groups E.ON and RWE, among others - - has been one of the driving forces behind the $700 billion Desertec Foundation concept and the creation of energy "super-highways".
Siemens is active in Australia and has made four separate applications under the Australian government's Solar Flagships program, which aims to build two large-scale solar energy facilities by 2015. But chief financial officer Joe Kaeser believes Australia should be much more ambitious and consider its own "Austral-tec" project.
"Australia has everything it needs," Kaeser says, adding that Siemens has already held some preliminary discussions with the government and other corporates. "Australia should be in the lead (in solar energy) and showing the world how it works. If you source solar energy for nothing, and sell natural resources to other countries, it makes for a powerful business case."
Siemens is Europe's largest engineering group and is leading the push into green technology, from where it now sources some $25bn of annual revenues - - nearly one quarter of its global revenues. Kaeser says Siemens' push into green technology came in 2005 after the board analysed the global "mega-trends" and how the company might be placed in 50 years. "The push to sustainability is real. It is not a fashion."
Kaeser says Siemens' hunger for innovation is borne from need. Europe does not enjoy the rate of economic growth of China, or the natural resources of Australia. "Our natural resource is know-how." It spends $1bn on green-tech R&D each year. But Kaeser says the massive redistribution of wealth from new technologies, and the transformation of desolate solar-rich areas such as the Sahara into "economic treasures", will be fiercely resisted and the transition will not be easy.
"There is a lot of economic power behind the current technologies, behind coal-fired power plants, and the factories that produce CO2," he says. "These markets are threatened by a paradigm shift, and that can cause social problems. That is why the government needs to lead the way." He points to the experience of Denmark, which was burned by the oil crisis in the 1970s and supported massive investment in wind technology, where it now leads the world. He also points to Singapore, which with few natural resources in now turning itself into a "Smart City".
Carbon capture a `diversion'
ANOTHER to support a more vigorous push into renewables is professor Stefaan Simons, one of the world's leading experts in low-carbon technologies. Professor Simons addressed a Santos-sponsored event in Adelaide last week. His message is that the focus on carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a "dangerous diversion" that is stalling the transition to renewable energy sources and a highly efficient, low-carbon energy system.
Professor Simons is a specialist in the chemical engineering at the University College London and director of its Centre for CO2 Technology. He is currently on a global research fellowship with the Royal Academy of Engineering that includes time at Australia's Co-operative Centre for Greenhouse Gas Technologies, which is leading research into CCS.
However, he says CCS research (which accounts for more than half of the funds promised by the Australian government for clean energy technologies) is soaking up time, resources and funding that could be better applied in securing a low carbon future. He says CO2 capture is not fit for post-combustion at a large scale - - and therefore most existing fossil fuel plants - - but the real problem lies in technical and legal issues around storage. There will be a role for CCS, he says, but not as broad as its supporters make out.
"I challenge our energy policymakers to reassess whether large-scale deployment of CCS makes sense and whether we should continue to use fossil fuels as our primary energy source, or use these fossil resources to produce higher value forms of energy and chemicals. "We could then replace fossil fuel electricity production with that from renewable sources, at the same time reducing the need for CCS. We also need to mature our thinking, our innovation and our chemical industry so that CO2 becomes a valuable resource, rather than a waste product in need of disposal."
This, Professor Simons says, could provide an opportunity for Australia to use its expertise in coal and gas to lead in the development of to new and existing chemicals from CO2 so that CO2 becomes a valuable feedstock rather than a waste product. "It needs new business models, and policy and market support. If the coal and gas industries do not change, where will they fit into a renewable energy-driven society?"
Monday, 5 April 2010
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.
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.
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