www.upi.com
1 Nov 2013
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, Nov. 1 (UPI) -- Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, two of the world's leading oil producers, are spearheading a Middle Eastern drive to develop solar power, with plans for projects requiring $1.5 billion in investment by the end of 2014.
The program, designed to free up for export increasing amounts of oil and gas being used domestically for power generation, got a major endorsement from the Arab Forum for Environment and Development Monday.
It urged Arab states to re-evaluate their relationship with oil, the economic mainstay of the Arab world since the 1950s, and phase out state energy subsidies to focus investment in developing renewable energy. "Oil and gas are important, they will continue to be important," said Najib Saab, the forum's secretary-general. "We call for more careful use of oil and gas and for more serious development of renewable energy."
Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter with declared reserves of 267 billion barrels, and the neighboring Emirates, a federation of seven gulf sheikdoms with reserves of 98 billion barrels, seek to add 1,000 MWs of solar capacity over the next few years to meet fast-growing industrial and social demand. That's enough to provide electricity for 200,000 homes.
While the producers want to conserve more of their oil output for exports, particularly with prices above $100 a barrel, Arab countries that rely on imported fuel see carbon-free power as a cheaper alternative.
From Morocco on the Atlantic Ocean eastward to the gulf sultanate of Oman on the Indian Ocean, governments are turning to alternative energy, driven primarily by a lack of gas for power generation, the fall in the cost of renewable technologies and their constantly improving efficiency.
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Showing posts with label Oil. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Oil. Show all posts
Thursday, 12 December 2013
Friday, 18 October 2013
Italian energy firm to accelerate wind investment
www.businessspectator.com.au
15 Oct 2013
Italian energy group ERG plans to invest in wind power in Brazil and Europe, accelerating its expansion in the sector after its recent decision to exit the refining sector.
ERG, over 60% controlled by Italy's Garrone family, completed the acquisition of wind power assets from France's GDF Suez this year to become Italy's largest wind power player and one of the top ten in Europe.
Presenting the group's strategy in Vienna on Saturday, ERG chief executive Luca Bettone said ERG planned to invest in countries and areas which had strong wind conditions and were less dependent on government subsidies, such as South America.
"This company must look to growth and, since we are now the biggest wind player in Italy, must try to move outside our national borders", Bettone said in comments that were embargoed until Monday. "There are opportunities in this country (Brazil) and we think we'll enter the market with acquisitions".
ERG has transformed itself in recent years into a renewable energy company in order to counter declining profits at its refinery business. Last week it struck a deal to sell its remaining stake in the ISAB oil refinery in Sicily to Russia's Lukoil for around 400 million euros-a sale Bettone said would yield no special dividend from the proceeds.
ERG, which is now targeting a 20% rise in core earnings next year to around 600 million euros ($813.75 million), intends to invest some 500 million euros to 2015 to focus on renewable energy.
In Europe, Bettone said, the company aimed to enter the Spanish market while strengthening its position in Bulgaria and Romania where it has wind power assets. He also confirmed that TotalErg-the joint venture between ERG and France's Total-was interested in the Italian petrol distribution network that Shell is selling. TotalErg has a market share in Italy of 12% which would rise to 18% with the Shell network.
15 Oct 2013
Italian energy group ERG plans to invest in wind power in Brazil and Europe, accelerating its expansion in the sector after its recent decision to exit the refining sector.
ERG, over 60% controlled by Italy's Garrone family, completed the acquisition of wind power assets from France's GDF Suez this year to become Italy's largest wind power player and one of the top ten in Europe.
Presenting the group's strategy in Vienna on Saturday, ERG chief executive Luca Bettone said ERG planned to invest in countries and areas which had strong wind conditions and were less dependent on government subsidies, such as South America.
"This company must look to growth and, since we are now the biggest wind player in Italy, must try to move outside our national borders", Bettone said in comments that were embargoed until Monday. "There are opportunities in this country (Brazil) and we think we'll enter the market with acquisitions".
ERG has transformed itself in recent years into a renewable energy company in order to counter declining profits at its refinery business. Last week it struck a deal to sell its remaining stake in the ISAB oil refinery in Sicily to Russia's Lukoil for around 400 million euros-a sale Bettone said would yield no special dividend from the proceeds.
ERG, which is now targeting a 20% rise in core earnings next year to around 600 million euros ($813.75 million), intends to invest some 500 million euros to 2015 to focus on renewable energy.
In Europe, Bettone said, the company aimed to enter the Spanish market while strengthening its position in Bulgaria and Romania where it has wind power assets. He also confirmed that TotalErg-the joint venture between ERG and France's Total-was interested in the Italian petrol distribution network that Shell is selling. TotalErg has a market share in Italy of 12% which would rise to 18% with the Shell network.
Friday, 11 October 2013
Albertans losing no sleep over wind power
www.theglobeandmail.com
8 Oct 2013
Controversy that has marked Ontario's rapid growth in wind power has been largely absent in Alberta, where the industry has operated for two decades and now has the third-largest installed generation capacity of the green energy source in Canada.
Wind farm operators in the Western province have had to work to solve environmental problems, notably bat and bird deaths, which have led to operational changes at some developments.
But public complaints about facilities, which are concentrated in the breezy and sparsely populated southern part of the province best known for fossil fuel development, are almost non-existent, according to recent research into what is seen as one of the most commercially viable forms of alternative energy.
That is in sharp contrast to Ontario, where groups have been established to oppose wind power and publicize potential human-health effects of facilities near homes. Government policies there aimed at promoting green energy have led to brisk activity in wind farm construction.
"We're not seeing the same type of organized push-back in Alberta", said Tim Weis, director of renewable energy and efficiency policy for the Pembina Institute, a non-profit environmental think tank.
Some of the wind farms in Alberta, especially in the southwest, are relatively close to population centres. Public attitudes may be more accepting because many Albertans already have experience living close to conventional energy facilities, Mr. Weis said. In addition, virtually all commercial wind developments in the province are on privately owned land.
Mr. Weis contributed to a Pembina study this summer that found the Alberta Utilities Commission, the provincial regulator governing commercial-scale wind farms, has not received a single complaint related to the facilities since 2000 in 31,000 "contacts" with the public. wind farm operators reported 10 complaints. By contrast, the oil-and-gas regulator has fielded more than 200 complaints per year about fossil fuel operations affecting residents.
Read More…
8 Oct 2013
Controversy that has marked Ontario's rapid growth in wind power has been largely absent in Alberta, where the industry has operated for two decades and now has the third-largest installed generation capacity of the green energy source in Canada.
Wind farm operators in the Western province have had to work to solve environmental problems, notably bat and bird deaths, which have led to operational changes at some developments.
But public complaints about facilities, which are concentrated in the breezy and sparsely populated southern part of the province best known for fossil fuel development, are almost non-existent, according to recent research into what is seen as one of the most commercially viable forms of alternative energy.
That is in sharp contrast to Ontario, where groups have been established to oppose wind power and publicize potential human-health effects of facilities near homes. Government policies there aimed at promoting green energy have led to brisk activity in wind farm construction.
"We're not seeing the same type of organized push-back in Alberta", said Tim Weis, director of renewable energy and efficiency policy for the Pembina Institute, a non-profit environmental think tank.
Some of the wind farms in Alberta, especially in the southwest, are relatively close to population centres. Public attitudes may be more accepting because many Albertans already have experience living close to conventional energy facilities, Mr. Weis said. In addition, virtually all commercial wind developments in the province are on privately owned land.
Mr. Weis contributed to a Pembina study this summer that found the Alberta Utilities Commission, the provincial regulator governing commercial-scale wind farms, has not received a single complaint related to the facilities since 2000 in 31,000 "contacts" with the public. wind farm operators reported 10 complaints. By contrast, the oil-and-gas regulator has fielded more than 200 complaints per year about fossil fuel operations affecting residents.
Read More…
Thursday, 12 September 2013
Polymer-based organic solar cells developed in UAE
www.business-standard.com
10 Jul 2013
A UAE-based university has claimed that its researchers have fabricated the very first polymer based organic solar cell, marking a technological breakthrough for the oil-rich country in the clean energy sector.
Mejd Alsari, a UAE national student, and Samuele Lilliu, a post-doctoral fellow working at the Nano-Optics and Optoelectronics Research (NOOR) Laboratory have fabricated the first polymer-based organic photovoltaic solar cell (OPV), which can also be conveniently printed on flexible substrates, Masdar Institute of Science and Technology said in a statement.
This has been achieved using Masdar Institute's cleanroom facilities internally without any assistance from external fabrication facilities or expertise, the institute said.
"The OPVs with advanced aesthetic characteristics such as colours and design will be developed with inkjet-printing deposition techniques. These prototypes could be highly interesting for Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) applications and designers globally and in the region. ]
Further to the OPVs research, large area organic photo-detectors based on the same technology, with potential applications in the medical, security and entertainment industry could also be prepared", it said. These are also the very first solar cells fabricated at the Masdar Institute cleanroom. A start-up venture based in Masdar City to transfer prototypes into final products may also be set up at a later stage, it added.
"The outstanding feat of our researchers and faculty consolidates the status of Masdar Institute as a research-driven institution, continuously striving to contribute to the Abu Dhabi's long-term objectives in advanced technology", Fred Moavenzadeh, President, Masdar Institute, said.
The first bulk-heterojunction OPV solar cells fabricated at Masdar Institute are part of a new major research project on organic photo-detectors undertaken by Dr. Lilliu and Dr. Dahlem from the NOOR Laboratory.
Established as an on-going collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US, Masdar Institute integrates theory and practice to incubate a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, working to develop the critical thinkers and leaders of tomorrow.
10 Jul 2013
A UAE-based university has claimed that its researchers have fabricated the very first polymer based organic solar cell, marking a technological breakthrough for the oil-rich country in the clean energy sector.
Mejd Alsari, a UAE national student, and Samuele Lilliu, a post-doctoral fellow working at the Nano-Optics and Optoelectronics Research (NOOR) Laboratory have fabricated the first polymer-based organic photovoltaic solar cell (OPV), which can also be conveniently printed on flexible substrates, Masdar Institute of Science and Technology said in a statement.
This has been achieved using Masdar Institute's cleanroom facilities internally without any assistance from external fabrication facilities or expertise, the institute said.
"The OPVs with advanced aesthetic characteristics such as colours and design will be developed with inkjet-printing deposition techniques. These prototypes could be highly interesting for Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) applications and designers globally and in the region. ]
Further to the OPVs research, large area organic photo-detectors based on the same technology, with potential applications in the medical, security and entertainment industry could also be prepared", it said. These are also the very first solar cells fabricated at the Masdar Institute cleanroom. A start-up venture based in Masdar City to transfer prototypes into final products may also be set up at a later stage, it added.
"The outstanding feat of our researchers and faculty consolidates the status of Masdar Institute as a research-driven institution, continuously striving to contribute to the Abu Dhabi's long-term objectives in advanced technology", Fred Moavenzadeh, President, Masdar Institute, said.
The first bulk-heterojunction OPV solar cells fabricated at Masdar Institute are part of a new major research project on organic photo-detectors undertaken by Dr. Lilliu and Dr. Dahlem from the NOOR Laboratory.
Established as an on-going collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US, Masdar Institute integrates theory and practice to incubate a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, working to develop the critical thinkers and leaders of tomorrow.
Friday, 23 August 2013
Renewable energy use gaining worldwide:IEA
www.heraldsun.com.au
27 Jun 2013
RENEWABLES like solar and wind power represent the fastest-growing source of energy generation and will make up a quarter of the global power mix by 2018, the International Energy Agency IEA says. The IEA said that in 2016 renewable energy will overtake natural gas as a power source and will be twice that of nuclear, and second only to coal as a source of power.
The growth of renewables has been bolstered by increased competitiveness with conventional energy. It is "a bright spot in an otherwise bleak assessment of global progress towards a cleaner and more diversified energy mix", said IEA Executive Director Maria van der Hoeven. The report listed Australia as one of several countries where renewable energy was becoming more competitive.
It said Australian wind generation is cost-effective next to new coal and gas-fired plants with carbon pricing. It also noted the success of onshore wind turbines in Brazil and South Africa. Renewable energy is growing especially fast in China and other developing and emerging countries. The IEA said non-hydroelectric renewable power, mainly wind and solar photovoltaics, is projected to grow from 4% of all power generation in 2011 to 8% in 2018.
"As their costs continue to fall, renewable power sources are increasingly standing on their own merits versus new fossil fuel generation", said van der Hoeven. "This is good news for a global energy system that needs to become cleaner and more diversified, but it should not be an excuse for government complacency, especially among OECD countries".
Still, the IEA, an institute backed by major energy consuming countries, cautioned that the continued growth of alternatives to oil, gas and coal faces some important challenges.
These include uncertainty about long-term government policies that discourages investment, reduced subsidies in some countries because of economic problems, and tough competition from other energy sources, such as the US, where a boom in shale gas has made that fuel more competitive. The report comes on the heels of recent research suggesting the threat of climate change is greater than earlier estimates.
An IEA report released earlier this month warned the world is on track to surpass by more than double the two-degree Celsius warming goal set by the United Nations, unless urgent measures are taken. The IEA's recommendations include curtailing coal-fired power stations and phasing out fossil fuel subsidies.
27 Jun 2013
RENEWABLES like solar and wind power represent the fastest-growing source of energy generation and will make up a quarter of the global power mix by 2018, the International Energy Agency IEA says. The IEA said that in 2016 renewable energy will overtake natural gas as a power source and will be twice that of nuclear, and second only to coal as a source of power.
The growth of renewables has been bolstered by increased competitiveness with conventional energy. It is "a bright spot in an otherwise bleak assessment of global progress towards a cleaner and more diversified energy mix", said IEA Executive Director Maria van der Hoeven. The report listed Australia as one of several countries where renewable energy was becoming more competitive.
It said Australian wind generation is cost-effective next to new coal and gas-fired plants with carbon pricing. It also noted the success of onshore wind turbines in Brazil and South Africa. Renewable energy is growing especially fast in China and other developing and emerging countries. The IEA said non-hydroelectric renewable power, mainly wind and solar photovoltaics, is projected to grow from 4% of all power generation in 2011 to 8% in 2018.
"As their costs continue to fall, renewable power sources are increasingly standing on their own merits versus new fossil fuel generation", said van der Hoeven. "This is good news for a global energy system that needs to become cleaner and more diversified, but it should not be an excuse for government complacency, especially among OECD countries".
Still, the IEA, an institute backed by major energy consuming countries, cautioned that the continued growth of alternatives to oil, gas and coal faces some important challenges.
These include uncertainty about long-term government policies that discourages investment, reduced subsidies in some countries because of economic problems, and tough competition from other energy sources, such as the US, where a boom in shale gas has made that fuel more competitive. The report comes on the heels of recent research suggesting the threat of climate change is greater than earlier estimates.
An IEA report released earlier this month warned the world is on track to surpass by more than double the two-degree Celsius warming goal set by the United Nations, unless urgent measures are taken. The IEA's recommendations include curtailing coal-fired power stations and phasing out fossil fuel subsidies.
Thursday, 8 August 2013
Tata Power, Geodynamics commission 1 MW geothermal plant in Australia
articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com
20 Jun 2013
NEW DELHI: Strengthening its overseas footprint, Tata Power along with GeoDynamics have commissioned a 1 MW geothermal plant in Australia. Tata Power has a minority stake in Australia-based GeoDynamics, a leading player in Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) technology. In a statement, Tata Power said it has successfully commissioned 1 MW geothermal pilot plant in Australia.
"The commissioning of the 1 MW geothermal pilot plant is a significant milestone for the project and with this we plan to strengthen our footprint in the international markets", Tata Power Managing Director Anil Sardana said.
He noted that the company aims to have 20-25% of generation portfolio from clean energy. GeoDynamics has geothermal exploration interests in three Australian states including the license for exploring 2,000 km² of area in the Cooper Basin. According to the statement, GeoDynamics' tenements in the Cooper Basin contain the hottest granites on earth and are estimated to provide a thermal resource equivalent of 50 billion barrels of oil.
Besides Australia, Tata Power is implementing a 250 MW geothermal project in Indonesia in partnership with Origin Energy energy and PT Supraco. Geothermal energy is the natural heat found within the earth and in EGS technology, heat is extracted from granites located at a depth of a more than 4,000 metres. "EGS technology can potentially enable the setting up of base load power plants that are based on naturally heat and thereby making them a clean energy source for the future", the statement said.
20 Jun 2013
NEW DELHI: Strengthening its overseas footprint, Tata Power along with GeoDynamics have commissioned a 1 MW geothermal plant in Australia. Tata Power has a minority stake in Australia-based GeoDynamics, a leading player in Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) technology. In a statement, Tata Power said it has successfully commissioned 1 MW geothermal pilot plant in Australia.
"The commissioning of the 1 MW geothermal pilot plant is a significant milestone for the project and with this we plan to strengthen our footprint in the international markets", Tata Power Managing Director Anil Sardana said.
He noted that the company aims to have 20-25% of generation portfolio from clean energy. GeoDynamics has geothermal exploration interests in three Australian states including the license for exploring 2,000 km² of area in the Cooper Basin. According to the statement, GeoDynamics' tenements in the Cooper Basin contain the hottest granites on earth and are estimated to provide a thermal resource equivalent of 50 billion barrels of oil.
Besides Australia, Tata Power is implementing a 250 MW geothermal project in Indonesia in partnership with Origin Energy energy and PT Supraco. Geothermal energy is the natural heat found within the earth and in EGS technology, heat is extracted from granites located at a depth of a more than 4,000 metres. "EGS technology can potentially enable the setting up of base load power plants that are based on naturally heat and thereby making them a clean energy source for the future", the statement said.
After Fukushima, Japan beginning to see the light in solar energy
www.theguardian.com
18 Jun 2013
Across Japan, technology companies and private investors are racing to install devices that until recently they had little interest in: solar panels. Massive solar parks are popping up as part of a rapid build-up that one developer likened to an "explosion".
The boom was sparked by a little-noted government policy, implemented nearly a year ago, that guaranteed generous payments to anybody selling renewable energy, including solar power. Because of that policy, known as a feed-in tariff, investors and analysts say Japan has become one of the world's fastest-growing users of solar power. This year alone, Japan is forecasted to install solar panels with the capacity of five to seven modern nuclear reactors.
Before the 2011 meltdowns at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant, Japan had all but neglected renewable energy, instead emphasising atomic power. But the accident at Fukushima forced the shuttering of the country's 50 operable reactors, only two of which have been restarted. The remaining shutdowns could prove temporary, with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledging restarts of reactors that have been deemed safe. A majority of Japanese, though, remain opposed to atomic energy, and analysts say the solar takeoff highlights Japan's appetite for other options.
There is a downside to the rush for renewables: they are several times pricier than nuclear power or fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas. The rising use of solar power means energy bills will spike, potentially complicating Abe's plan to jump-start Japan's long-foundering economy.
Most consumers, so far, think that sacrifice is worthwhile, and they say nuclear power has hidden cleanup and compensation costs that only emerge after an accident. fossil fuels, meanwhile, release greenhouse gasses and must be imported. People here tended to support clean energy projects even before the nuclear disaster, but now there is "more interest in natural energy", said Moriaki Yoshikawa, the head of an environmental NGO, Eco Plan Fukui, which has helped build five solar plants in a region of Japan that hosts four nuclear plants.
Read more
18 Jun 2013
Across Japan, technology companies and private investors are racing to install devices that until recently they had little interest in: solar panels. Massive solar parks are popping up as part of a rapid build-up that one developer likened to an "explosion".
The boom was sparked by a little-noted government policy, implemented nearly a year ago, that guaranteed generous payments to anybody selling renewable energy, including solar power. Because of that policy, known as a feed-in tariff, investors and analysts say Japan has become one of the world's fastest-growing users of solar power. This year alone, Japan is forecasted to install solar panels with the capacity of five to seven modern nuclear reactors.
Before the 2011 meltdowns at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant, Japan had all but neglected renewable energy, instead emphasising atomic power. But the accident at Fukushima forced the shuttering of the country's 50 operable reactors, only two of which have been restarted. The remaining shutdowns could prove temporary, with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledging restarts of reactors that have been deemed safe. A majority of Japanese, though, remain opposed to atomic energy, and analysts say the solar takeoff highlights Japan's appetite for other options.
There is a downside to the rush for renewables: they are several times pricier than nuclear power or fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas. The rising use of solar power means energy bills will spike, potentially complicating Abe's plan to jump-start Japan's long-foundering economy.
Most consumers, so far, think that sacrifice is worthwhile, and they say nuclear power has hidden cleanup and compensation costs that only emerge after an accident. fossil fuels, meanwhile, release greenhouse gasses and must be imported. People here tended to support clean energy projects even before the nuclear disaster, but now there is "more interest in natural energy", said Moriaki Yoshikawa, the head of an environmental NGO, Eco Plan Fukui, which has helped build five solar plants in a region of Japan that hosts four nuclear plants.
Read more
Wednesday, 17 July 2013
CIG enters windfarm market
www.maritimejournal.com
30 May 2013
The Central Industry Group (CIG), a group of ten predominantly Netherlands companies which all provide goods and services to the international shipbuilding market, has come up with a unique new vessel for offshore wind installation.
Two subsidiaries of CIG, Shipkits and Vuyk Engineering Groningen, working under the collective name of CIG Shipbuilders, have developed a new vessel called the VG 6000 E-a multipurpose vessel for the offshore wind power market. CIG says that compared to the traditional use of tugs and jack-up barges on offshore wind farm operations the VG 6000 E is "faster, easier to handle and cheaper to run".
CIG's VG 6000 E is an unique twin-screw diesel-electric concept based on active front end and DC-bus technology. It's an extremely versatile multipurpose open topped special cargo vessel of 6000 dwt designed for open top and with a limited draught.
The vessel can be manoeuvred easily through a wind farm site and docked alongside a construction vessel and it can act as a wave breaker and create a lee for other small service or personnel craft. Its anti-roll and anti-heave abilities mean that more working days can be achieved. The vessel also uses a "smart" passive heave load and unload system.
Though the vessel is classed for worldwide trade and unrestricted services, CIG says it will initially be used for short sea services and offshore wind market support. The vessel can also be fitted out as a offshore feeder vessel, accommodation vessel, cable layer or platform supply vessel.
Hans Vogelzang, Central Industry Group, said to Maritime Journal: "We've anticipated the need for new development of specific types of vessel for the wind farm market and CIG is now now ready to enter into the market. Our background is in building dry cargo and short sea vessels and we have a lot of experience and knowledge of what operators and shipping companies want.
We think that we know what's important for these companies in terms of cost of ownership, service, power consumption, reliability, ease of use and greener emissions. At the moment there's still a large difference in transport concepts and compared to the oil & gas industry no real standards. We would like to set this new standard".
Read More…
30 May 2013
The Central Industry Group (CIG), a group of ten predominantly Netherlands companies which all provide goods and services to the international shipbuilding market, has come up with a unique new vessel for offshore wind installation.Two subsidiaries of CIG, Shipkits and Vuyk Engineering Groningen, working under the collective name of CIG Shipbuilders, have developed a new vessel called the VG 6000 E-a multipurpose vessel for the offshore wind power market. CIG says that compared to the traditional use of tugs and jack-up barges on offshore wind farm operations the VG 6000 E is "faster, easier to handle and cheaper to run".
CIG's VG 6000 E is an unique twin-screw diesel-electric concept based on active front end and DC-bus technology. It's an extremely versatile multipurpose open topped special cargo vessel of 6000 dwt designed for open top and with a limited draught.
The vessel can be manoeuvred easily through a wind farm site and docked alongside a construction vessel and it can act as a wave breaker and create a lee for other small service or personnel craft. Its anti-roll and anti-heave abilities mean that more working days can be achieved. The vessel also uses a "smart" passive heave load and unload system.
Though the vessel is classed for worldwide trade and unrestricted services, CIG says it will initially be used for short sea services and offshore wind market support. The vessel can also be fitted out as a offshore feeder vessel, accommodation vessel, cable layer or platform supply vessel.
Hans Vogelzang, Central Industry Group, said to Maritime Journal: "We've anticipated the need for new development of specific types of vessel for the wind farm market and CIG is now now ready to enter into the market. Our background is in building dry cargo and short sea vessels and we have a lot of experience and knowledge of what operators and shipping companies want.
We think that we know what's important for these companies in terms of cost of ownership, service, power consumption, reliability, ease of use and greener emissions. At the moment there's still a large difference in transport concepts and compared to the oil & gas industry no real standards. We would like to set this new standard".
Read More…
Thursday, 4 July 2013
Cherokee Nation developing largest tribal wind farm in U.S.
indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com
17 May 2013
The site of a former Indian boarding school in Kay County, Oklahoma will soon become the largest wind farm on tribal land in the United States. The Cherokee Nation has partnered with Chicago-based PNE Wind AG USA Inc, to develop a 90 turbine wind farm, which is estimated to generate $16 million over the next two decades. Development will start immediately on 6,000 acres of the former property of the Chilocco Indian School, which operated from 1884 to 1980. The 153 MW wind farm will power homes, businesses and farms of the southwest grid region.
"The Cherokee Nation has an opportunity to be a leader among Indian nations in renewable energy", said Cherokee Nation Deputy Speaker Chuck Hoskin, Jr. "The tribe will be able to utilize an underutilized resource. We talk a lot about protecting our environment and conserving our resources, so this is a prime opportunity to put words into action".
The Cherokee Nation owns half of the land on which the wind farm will sit. Chilocco was ideal because of its wind resources, and environmental studies show it will not curtail the migratory bird population. The entire Chilocco wind farm will encompass 6,000 acres total. The other 3,000 acres is owned by four other tribes, the Kaw, Otoe-Missouria, Pawnee and Ponca nations. The tribal council voted 14 2 to approve the wind farm.
"The Cherokee Nation is playing a significant role in creating new green jobs and expects to play a key role in Oklahoma's emerging wind power industry", Principal Chief Bill John Baker said in a press release. "The Cherokee Nation is committed to growing the Oklahoma economy, helping reduce the nation's dependence on foreign oil and creating sustainable jobs for our people in the renewable energy sector".
17 May 2013
The site of a former Indian boarding school in Kay County, Oklahoma will soon become the largest wind farm on tribal land in the United States. The Cherokee Nation has partnered with Chicago-based PNE Wind AG USA Inc, to develop a 90 turbine wind farm, which is estimated to generate $16 million over the next two decades. Development will start immediately on 6,000 acres of the former property of the Chilocco Indian School, which operated from 1884 to 1980. The 153 MW wind farm will power homes, businesses and farms of the southwest grid region.
"The Cherokee Nation has an opportunity to be a leader among Indian nations in renewable energy", said Cherokee Nation Deputy Speaker Chuck Hoskin, Jr. "The tribe will be able to utilize an underutilized resource. We talk a lot about protecting our environment and conserving our resources, so this is a prime opportunity to put words into action".
The Cherokee Nation owns half of the land on which the wind farm will sit. Chilocco was ideal because of its wind resources, and environmental studies show it will not curtail the migratory bird population. The entire Chilocco wind farm will encompass 6,000 acres total. The other 3,000 acres is owned by four other tribes, the Kaw, Otoe-Missouria, Pawnee and Ponca nations. The tribal council voted 14 2 to approve the wind farm.
"The Cherokee Nation is playing a significant role in creating new green jobs and expects to play a key role in Oklahoma's emerging wind power industry", Principal Chief Bill John Baker said in a press release. "The Cherokee Nation is committed to growing the Oklahoma economy, helping reduce the nation's dependence on foreign oil and creating sustainable jobs for our people in the renewable energy sector".
Tuesday, 2 July 2013
Funnel Wind turbine generates jaw-dropping power
news.discovery.com
15 May 2013
In order to get off oil as our main energy source, renewable energy needs to be cost-competitive with natural gas and coal. Innovations in solar and wind power are making strides toward that goal, but it will take a major paradigm shift to bring them both down in cost.
The Chaska, Minn.-based company Sheer Wind thinks it has a design that could bring the cost of wind power down to a price competitive with natural gas. Daryoush Allaei, Sheer Wind's chief technical officer, told DNews that a utility-scale system of these wind turbines--that is a 100 to 500 MW power plant--the cost could be as low as 1¢ per kW. For comparison, conventional tower and blade wind power plants cost about 45 to 80¢ per kW and natural gas plants cost about 2 to 3¢ per kW.
The company's Invelox captures wind using wide-mouthed funnels. Inside, passageways turn the wind horizontally and taper it into a narrow space, which naturally accelerates the flow. The higher speed wind is then channeled into a turbine positioned at ground level. According to the company, the system works even if wind speeds are slow at the top. For example, a wind entering at 10 mph is increased to 40 mph by the time it enters the turbine. After passing through the turbine, the wind is exhausted back into the environment at 15mph.
The unit is about 50% shorter than traditional wind towers and the turbine blades on the generator are 84% smaller--as a result, equipment and maintenance costs are lower.
Read More…
15 May 2013
In order to get off oil as our main energy source, renewable energy needs to be cost-competitive with natural gas and coal. Innovations in solar and wind power are making strides toward that goal, but it will take a major paradigm shift to bring them both down in cost.The Chaska, Minn.-based company Sheer Wind thinks it has a design that could bring the cost of wind power down to a price competitive with natural gas. Daryoush Allaei, Sheer Wind's chief technical officer, told DNews that a utility-scale system of these wind turbines--that is a 100 to 500 MW power plant--the cost could be as low as 1¢ per kW. For comparison, conventional tower and blade wind power plants cost about 45 to 80¢ per kW and natural gas plants cost about 2 to 3¢ per kW.
The company's Invelox captures wind using wide-mouthed funnels. Inside, passageways turn the wind horizontally and taper it into a narrow space, which naturally accelerates the flow. The higher speed wind is then channeled into a turbine positioned at ground level. According to the company, the system works even if wind speeds are slow at the top. For example, a wind entering at 10 mph is increased to 40 mph by the time it enters the turbine. After passing through the turbine, the wind is exhausted back into the environment at 15mph.
The unit is about 50% shorter than traditional wind towers and the turbine blades on the generator are 84% smaller--as a result, equipment and maintenance costs are lower.
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Monday, 1 July 2013
Denham invests in Australian wind power
www.stockjournal.com.au
9 May 2013
US PRIVATE equity firm Denham Capital Management has strengthened its commitment to Australia's renewable sector, investing $US75 million in a portfolio of wind power projects forming the basis of new entity OneWind Australia. Denham, which has more than $US7.3 billion in assets, is joining the Australian arm of Portugal's Enersis Group, National Power and Kato Capital to create OneWind.
The new venture will develop and finance several wind farms in NSW, South Australia and Tasmania with a total capacity of one GW, The Australian Financial Review reports. The projects, which would cost hundreds of millions of dollars to develop, would help meet Australia's 2020 renewable energy target, which is expected to be almost entirely filled by wind power.
The investment follows Denham's decision last year to set up a new office in Perth, where it has been scouting for opportunities in metals and mining. The firm already backs international solar power developer Fotowatio Renewable Ventures, which is developing solar ventures in Australia.
Denham co-founder Carl Tricoli said last November that the firm may invest up to $US600 million of its latest $US3 billion fund in Australia across its three key sectors: metals and mining, oil and gas, and power and renewables.
Scott Mackin, co-president of Denham and head of the firm's power and renewables team, said on Tuesday that Denham's investment would accelerate the pipeline of projects, which has been developed by the other partners.
"We believe that the combined skills, capital and projects that we collectively bring to the table create exciting opportunities for the partnership", Mr Mackin said. He said late last year that he was particularly interested in solar and wind projects that could undercut the cost of "brown" coal-fired power, including remote mining sites.
The portfolio of projects in OneWind includes the 100 MW Glen Innes wind farm in NSW, the 250 MW Lincoln Gap project in South Australia, and the 240 MW Cattle Hill venture in Tasmania.
9 May 2013
US PRIVATE equity firm Denham Capital Management has strengthened its commitment to Australia's renewable sector, investing $US75 million in a portfolio of wind power projects forming the basis of new entity OneWind Australia. Denham, which has more than $US7.3 billion in assets, is joining the Australian arm of Portugal's Enersis Group, National Power and Kato Capital to create OneWind.
The new venture will develop and finance several wind farms in NSW, South Australia and Tasmania with a total capacity of one GW, The Australian Financial Review reports. The projects, which would cost hundreds of millions of dollars to develop, would help meet Australia's 2020 renewable energy target, which is expected to be almost entirely filled by wind power.
The investment follows Denham's decision last year to set up a new office in Perth, where it has been scouting for opportunities in metals and mining. The firm already backs international solar power developer Fotowatio Renewable Ventures, which is developing solar ventures in Australia.
Denham co-founder Carl Tricoli said last November that the firm may invest up to $US600 million of its latest $US3 billion fund in Australia across its three key sectors: metals and mining, oil and gas, and power and renewables.
Scott Mackin, co-president of Denham and head of the firm's power and renewables team, said on Tuesday that Denham's investment would accelerate the pipeline of projects, which has been developed by the other partners.
"We believe that the combined skills, capital and projects that we collectively bring to the table create exciting opportunities for the partnership", Mr Mackin said. He said late last year that he was particularly interested in solar and wind projects that could undercut the cost of "brown" coal-fired power, including remote mining sites.
The portfolio of projects in OneWind includes the 100 MW Glen Innes wind farm in NSW, the 250 MW Lincoln Gap project in South Australia, and the 240 MW Cattle Hill venture in Tasmania.
Wednesday, 29 May 2013
THE Desert Kingdom; desalination from oil power to solar power?
www.saudigazette.com.sa
15 Apr 2013
Saudi Arabia finds itself in an interesting economic cleft stick. While blessed with oil that it can currently sell at around $104 per barrel on the world market, it is compelled to burn a sizable proportion of that potential income to produce desalinated water. Cost of production of water fluctuates, but a fair guess is between 40 and 90¢ a barrel, depending on fuel price.
To produce water, the Kingdom uses approximately 1.5 million barrels of oil a day across its 30 or so desalination plants to meet the demand for domestic and industrial water. Little of this water--if any is used for agriculture. The water for agriculture--some 85 to 90% of the total water use in the Kingdom--comes from non-replaceable resources, underground aquifers that are drying out rapidly. For every 100 liters per annum withdrawn, only one liter or less finds itself back into the aquifer.
The government has wisely decided that food security, once an unquestionable shibboleth of policy, is no longer worth the use of resources and has taken up the idea of virtual water. This refers to the hidden flow of water if food or other commodities are traded from one place to another.
Virtual water is best defined as "the volume of freshwater used to produce the product, measured at the place where the product was actually produced". It refers to the sum of the water use in the various steps of the production chain. It is 'virtual' for when the product arrives at its destination, the water is no longer contained in it, and was used only to produce it. An example of the saving of such imports is wheat, which takes 1,600 tons of water on average to produce one ton of grain.
It has resolved that the Kingdom will rely entirely on imports for food by 2016. Starting in 2008, the government has been reducing wheat purchases from local farmers by 12.5% a year and plans eventually to withdraw all agricultural subsidies to these farmers. Having addressed the issue of water supply and use and effectively engaged the biggest user of water, agriculture, positively, desalination for the balance of life in the Kingdom remains a huge challenge on several levels.
A major issue, the use of expensive oil that could produce income for making water, has spawned a slew of projects based on solar power for water production. The Kingdom might, and probably is, considering nuclear power as another option, but this introduces the political aspect of the importation of nuclear fuels and technology to the region, which is already under the baleful gaze of the West.
Happily, Saudi Arabia is one of the sunniest places on earth, averaging between 200 and 300 hours per month. Solar power therefore is an environmentally friendly, infinitely renewable (well, for the next seven billion years or so and the earth will have dried out and life gone in 3.5 billion) and very available alternative. Moreover it is harmless, both politically and environmentally.
The Kingdom seems to have opted so far for the expensive option of photovoltaic cell electricity generation to run the new solar desalination plants rather than the simpler, longer lasting and lower maintenance Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) alternative. Commercially viable CSP plants are already in operation in California, France and Spain--all with lower sunshine hours--and are feeding electricity into the grid.
The government is tackling the building of desalination capacity actively and has allocated $6.4 billion for water and sanitation projects in 2013.
Saline Water Conversion Corp. SWCC, (which supplies 50% of the municipal water in the Kingdom and produces 18% of the global total) for example plans to build the world's largest water desalination plant in Rabigh and will have the ability to pump 600,000 cubic meters of desalinated water per day. The conventionally fueled plant should be completed by 2018. State-owned National Water Co, plans to spend $66 billion on plants and upgrades over the next 10 years.
In October 2012, Abdul Rahman Al-Ibrahim, governor of SWCC announced plans to establish three new solar-powered desalination plants in Haqel, Dhuba and Farasan in addition to the one under construction in Khafji.
The Khafji solar desalination project will be the first large-scale solar-powered seawater reverse-osmosis (SWRO) plant in the world. It was due for completion at the end of 2012 and designed with a capacity of 30,000 cubic meters of water per day for the 100,000 customers.
The Khafji desal plant is the first step in King Abdullah City for Science and Technology's solar power program to reduce desalination costs. Phase two of the project is the construction of a new plant to produce 300,000 cubic meters of water per day is planned by 2015, and phase three will involve Haqel, Dhuba and Farasan by 2018.
The Kingdom is not alone in the search for a clean, effective and cheap means of producing water. The UN classifies around 700 million people in 43 countries as suffering from water scarcity today. By 2025 the figure is forecast to rise to 1.8 billion.
With the global population expected to reach nine billion by 2050 and the US secretary of state openly discussing the threat of water shortages leading to wars, the production of desalinated water has never been more important.
15 Apr 2013
Saudi Arabia finds itself in an interesting economic cleft stick. While blessed with oil that it can currently sell at around $104 per barrel on the world market, it is compelled to burn a sizable proportion of that potential income to produce desalinated water. Cost of production of water fluctuates, but a fair guess is between 40 and 90¢ a barrel, depending on fuel price.To produce water, the Kingdom uses approximately 1.5 million barrels of oil a day across its 30 or so desalination plants to meet the demand for domestic and industrial water. Little of this water--if any is used for agriculture. The water for agriculture--some 85 to 90% of the total water use in the Kingdom--comes from non-replaceable resources, underground aquifers that are drying out rapidly. For every 100 liters per annum withdrawn, only one liter or less finds itself back into the aquifer.
The government has wisely decided that food security, once an unquestionable shibboleth of policy, is no longer worth the use of resources and has taken up the idea of virtual water. This refers to the hidden flow of water if food or other commodities are traded from one place to another.
Virtual water is best defined as "the volume of freshwater used to produce the product, measured at the place where the product was actually produced". It refers to the sum of the water use in the various steps of the production chain. It is 'virtual' for when the product arrives at its destination, the water is no longer contained in it, and was used only to produce it. An example of the saving of such imports is wheat, which takes 1,600 tons of water on average to produce one ton of grain.
It has resolved that the Kingdom will rely entirely on imports for food by 2016. Starting in 2008, the government has been reducing wheat purchases from local farmers by 12.5% a year and plans eventually to withdraw all agricultural subsidies to these farmers. Having addressed the issue of water supply and use and effectively engaged the biggest user of water, agriculture, positively, desalination for the balance of life in the Kingdom remains a huge challenge on several levels.
A major issue, the use of expensive oil that could produce income for making water, has spawned a slew of projects based on solar power for water production. The Kingdom might, and probably is, considering nuclear power as another option, but this introduces the political aspect of the importation of nuclear fuels and technology to the region, which is already under the baleful gaze of the West.
Happily, Saudi Arabia is one of the sunniest places on earth, averaging between 200 and 300 hours per month. Solar power therefore is an environmentally friendly, infinitely renewable (well, for the next seven billion years or so and the earth will have dried out and life gone in 3.5 billion) and very available alternative. Moreover it is harmless, both politically and environmentally.
The Kingdom seems to have opted so far for the expensive option of photovoltaic cell electricity generation to run the new solar desalination plants rather than the simpler, longer lasting and lower maintenance Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) alternative. Commercially viable CSP plants are already in operation in California, France and Spain--all with lower sunshine hours--and are feeding electricity into the grid.
The government is tackling the building of desalination capacity actively and has allocated $6.4 billion for water and sanitation projects in 2013.
Saline Water Conversion Corp. SWCC, (which supplies 50% of the municipal water in the Kingdom and produces 18% of the global total) for example plans to build the world's largest water desalination plant in Rabigh and will have the ability to pump 600,000 cubic meters of desalinated water per day. The conventionally fueled plant should be completed by 2018. State-owned National Water Co, plans to spend $66 billion on plants and upgrades over the next 10 years.
In October 2012, Abdul Rahman Al-Ibrahim, governor of SWCC announced plans to establish three new solar-powered desalination plants in Haqel, Dhuba and Farasan in addition to the one under construction in Khafji.
The Khafji solar desalination project will be the first large-scale solar-powered seawater reverse-osmosis (SWRO) plant in the world. It was due for completion at the end of 2012 and designed with a capacity of 30,000 cubic meters of water per day for the 100,000 customers.
The Khafji desal plant is the first step in King Abdullah City for Science and Technology's solar power program to reduce desalination costs. Phase two of the project is the construction of a new plant to produce 300,000 cubic meters of water per day is planned by 2015, and phase three will involve Haqel, Dhuba and Farasan by 2018.
The Kingdom is not alone in the search for a clean, effective and cheap means of producing water. The UN classifies around 700 million people in 43 countries as suffering from water scarcity today. By 2025 the figure is forecast to rise to 1.8 billion.
With the global population expected to reach nine billion by 2050 and the US secretary of state openly discussing the threat of water shortages leading to wars, the production of desalinated water has never been more important.
Friday, 24 May 2013
Hawaiian Governor welcomes new 5 megawatt solar farm
Power Engineering Magazine
The Governor of Hawaii, Neil Abercrombie, joined representatives of the Department of Hawaiian Homelands (DHHL) and Hawaiian Electric Company, to dedicate the new 5 MW Kalaeloa Solar Farm in West Oahu. The ceremony which took place on March 8, 2013 was hosted by Bright Plan Energy LLC, the solar farms management company, along with SunPower Corp who designed and constructed the project. Bright Plan Energy, in partnership with an affiliate of D.E. Shaw Renewable Investments, L.L.C., was responsible for the acquisition in November 2012. Governor Abercrombie applauded all of the partners involved stating that this will be the most productive Solar Farm, created to date, on the island. He based this on, not only the large renewable energy output capacity, but the abundant amount of sunshine on Oahu. "It will have significant positive impact on the states renewable energy portfolio standards goal of 40% by 2030." Abercrombie said.
SunPower installed their ultra efficient photo voltaic panels on a SunPower ® T0 Tracker system at the 36 acre site. The system positions the panels according to the location of the sun at any time of day resulting in a 25% increase of captured sunlight over typical fixed position units. This also permits less land usage per watt. According to SunPower CEO Tom Warner, the system will generate cost competitive power for at least 20 years. It is the first project of its type located on state lands.
The Kalaeloa Solar Farm is known as an on grid system which feeds the renewable energy directly into the power grid owned by Hawaiian Electric. The utility has agreed to purchase the power produced by the farm. The US Environmental Protection Agency has estimated that the production of solar power will reduce carbon emission by 9500 tons per year. That is the equivalent of over 400,000 barrels of oil being used over the 20 year purchase agreement period.
Hawaii was ranked third, right behind New Jersey and Arizona in solar rating per capita in January 2013. With the addition of this project Hawaii now leads the nation in per capita solar production according to Robbie Elm, Hawaiian Electric executive vice president. "This and other utility-scale projects will help Hawaii maintain our solar leadership and reduce our unsustainable and expensive dependence on foreign oil." Elm said.
The unchallenged US leader in the overall number of installations is still California, where a 4.2 MW installation brought the number to over 121,000 installs. That is over 15 times greater than number two ranked New Jersey with 7700. That top spot is not likely to ever be taken due to the geographical size, available land and number of sunny days in the Golden State and a very high ecological awareness of the population. You can read more about the installation at Power Engineering Magazine.
The Governor of Hawaii, Neil Abercrombie, joined representatives of the Department of Hawaiian Homelands (DHHL) and Hawaiian Electric Company, to dedicate the new 5 MW Kalaeloa Solar Farm in West Oahu. The ceremony which took place on March 8, 2013 was hosted by Bright Plan Energy LLC, the solar farms management company, along with SunPower Corp who designed and constructed the project. Bright Plan Energy, in partnership with an affiliate of D.E. Shaw Renewable Investments, L.L.C., was responsible for the acquisition in November 2012. Governor Abercrombie applauded all of the partners involved stating that this will be the most productive Solar Farm, created to date, on the island. He based this on, not only the large renewable energy output capacity, but the abundant amount of sunshine on Oahu. "It will have significant positive impact on the states renewable energy portfolio standards goal of 40% by 2030." Abercrombie said.
SunPower installed their ultra efficient photo voltaic panels on a SunPower ® T0 Tracker system at the 36 acre site. The system positions the panels according to the location of the sun at any time of day resulting in a 25% increase of captured sunlight over typical fixed position units. This also permits less land usage per watt. According to SunPower CEO Tom Warner, the system will generate cost competitive power for at least 20 years. It is the first project of its type located on state lands.
The Kalaeloa Solar Farm is known as an on grid system which feeds the renewable energy directly into the power grid owned by Hawaiian Electric. The utility has agreed to purchase the power produced by the farm. The US Environmental Protection Agency has estimated that the production of solar power will reduce carbon emission by 9500 tons per year. That is the equivalent of over 400,000 barrels of oil being used over the 20 year purchase agreement period.
Hawaii was ranked third, right behind New Jersey and Arizona in solar rating per capita in January 2013. With the addition of this project Hawaii now leads the nation in per capita solar production according to Robbie Elm, Hawaiian Electric executive vice president. "This and other utility-scale projects will help Hawaii maintain our solar leadership and reduce our unsustainable and expensive dependence on foreign oil." Elm said.
The unchallenged US leader in the overall number of installations is still California, where a 4.2 MW installation brought the number to over 121,000 installs. That is over 15 times greater than number two ranked New Jersey with 7700. That top spot is not likely to ever be taken due to the geographical size, available land and number of sunny days in the Golden State and a very high ecological awareness of the population. You can read more about the installation at Power Engineering Magazine.
Coal-fired power drops despite heatwave
www.smh.com.au
6 Apr 2013
The share of coal in eastern Australia's electricity generation network has continued to recede, along with carbon emissions, despite a March heatwave that lifted power demand for the first time in 16 months. The widespread and prolonged heat over the country's south-east early last month prompted the biggest peak in demand for the entire summer. It was enough to trigger a 0.01% annualised gain in electricity demand on the National Electricity Market Management Company for March, the first increase since November 2011, monthly research by consultants Pitt and Sherry shows.
Although coal-fired power plants raised output to meet the extra load on the peak day, March 12, their proportion of total generation eased another 0.2%age points to 74.6% for the month. In February, their share of the electricity market fell below 75% for the first time. Hydro, wind and solar edged higher to a record share of 12.6%, shows the Cedex report, while gas increased 0.1%age point to 12.8%. Carbon emissions intensity eased to 835kgs a MW, down from 837kgs in February. Carbon emissions for March for electricity from the NEM were down 10.1 million tonnes, at an annualised rate, since the start of the carbon tax in July.
Generator response
Hugh Saddler, principal consultant at Pitt and Sherry, said generators on the NEM-which supplies power to NSW, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT-were able to absorb large shifts in demand on the peak day. Wind generation on March 12 varied between 3 to 5% of demand. The change, though, was "between one and two orders of magnitude" less than the shift in power demand over a similar period, Dr Saddler said. "The notion that it's very hard to deal with the intermittency of wind is just ridiculous", he said.
Some energy companies have warned that an overly rapid increase in renewable energy-particularly from wind farms-could undermine the reliability of power supplies given the variability of wind strengths.
US drop
The US is reporting a similar trend in falling emission from the energy sector-for different reasons. Energy-related CO₂ emissions in 2012 were the lowest in the United States since 1994, at 5.3 billion tonnes, the US Energy Information Administration reported on Friday. With the exception of 2010, emissions have declined every year since 2007. Coal is being displaced in electricity generation by less carbon-intensive natural gas in the wake of a rapid expansion of so-called unconventional gas production from shale. A mild northern winter also curbed demand for heating oil, the government said.
Transport emissions jump
While emissions from the energy sector are in retreat in Australia, the opposite is true in transport-a sector largely unaffected by the carbon tax. Transport data suggest car fuel consumption has increased by less than 1% over the six years from 2005 06 to 2011 12. Fuel consumption by light commercial vehicles, though, has risen 14% over the period.
Bulk diesel consumption has also jumped, rising 31%%, alone lifting carbon emissions by 10.1 million tonnes a year. Aviation fuel use has risen by 40%, adding an additional 5.6 million tonnes of CO₂ annually to the atmosphere, the Cedex report found. expansion of unconventional gas production. A mild winter also curbed demand for heating oil.
6 Apr 2013
The share of coal in eastern Australia's electricity generation network has continued to recede, along with carbon emissions, despite a March heatwave that lifted power demand for the first time in 16 months. The widespread and prolonged heat over the country's south-east early last month prompted the biggest peak in demand for the entire summer. It was enough to trigger a 0.01% annualised gain in electricity demand on the National Electricity Market Management Company for March, the first increase since November 2011, monthly research by consultants Pitt and Sherry shows.
Although coal-fired power plants raised output to meet the extra load on the peak day, March 12, their proportion of total generation eased another 0.2%age points to 74.6% for the month. In February, their share of the electricity market fell below 75% for the first time. Hydro, wind and solar edged higher to a record share of 12.6%, shows the Cedex report, while gas increased 0.1%age point to 12.8%. Carbon emissions intensity eased to 835kgs a MW, down from 837kgs in February. Carbon emissions for March for electricity from the NEM were down 10.1 million tonnes, at an annualised rate, since the start of the carbon tax in July.
Generator response
Hugh Saddler, principal consultant at Pitt and Sherry, said generators on the NEM-which supplies power to NSW, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT-were able to absorb large shifts in demand on the peak day. Wind generation on March 12 varied between 3 to 5% of demand. The change, though, was "between one and two orders of magnitude" less than the shift in power demand over a similar period, Dr Saddler said. "The notion that it's very hard to deal with the intermittency of wind is just ridiculous", he said.
Some energy companies have warned that an overly rapid increase in renewable energy-particularly from wind farms-could undermine the reliability of power supplies given the variability of wind strengths.
US drop
The US is reporting a similar trend in falling emission from the energy sector-for different reasons. Energy-related CO₂ emissions in 2012 were the lowest in the United States since 1994, at 5.3 billion tonnes, the US Energy Information Administration reported on Friday. With the exception of 2010, emissions have declined every year since 2007. Coal is being displaced in electricity generation by less carbon-intensive natural gas in the wake of a rapid expansion of so-called unconventional gas production from shale. A mild northern winter also curbed demand for heating oil, the government said.
Transport emissions jump
While emissions from the energy sector are in retreat in Australia, the opposite is true in transport-a sector largely unaffected by the carbon tax. Transport data suggest car fuel consumption has increased by less than 1% over the six years from 2005 06 to 2011 12. Fuel consumption by light commercial vehicles, though, has risen 14% over the period.
Bulk diesel consumption has also jumped, rising 31%%, alone lifting carbon emissions by 10.1 million tonnes a year. Aviation fuel use has risen by 40%, adding an additional 5.6 million tonnes of CO₂ annually to the atmosphere, the Cedex report found. expansion of unconventional gas production. A mild winter also curbed demand for heating oil.
BP’s renewables plaything
www.businessspectator.com.au
4 Apr 2013
Overnight, BP announced it will abandon its wind farm business in the US. The oil and gas giant, its reputation still tarnished by the Gulf oil spill of a couple of years ago, will use the sale of the division to help pay off some of its spill liabilities. In other words, it's a clean energy sell-off to pay for the sins of its dirty energy division. Oh, the irony. Reuters suggested the sale of the division could reap around $1.5 billion, while Bloomberg provided a more optimistic number of $2.2 $3.1 billion.
As the rumoured sale price suggests, BP is far from a bit player in US wind, with 16 wind farms and a generating capacity of around 2,600 MW. It took five years for the company to go from 0 turbines in the US to 1,000 (and, incidentally, probably just a couple of months to go back to 0). It marks another sign in the transformation of a business that has moved from British Petroleum (the original name) to Beyond Petroleum (a monicker it gave itself in a long running marketing campaign) to Back to Petroleum.
While the Beyond Petroleum ads suggested otherwise, BP never fully committed itself to renewables, ploughing enough money in to look like it was a progressive company while not ploughing enough in to make a real fist of it. It exited solar at the end of 2011 after being the market leader around the turn of the century. Now, with the exit from wind power (and previous move away from carbon capture and storage), BP's alternative energy division now consists of just biofuels research and ethanol refining in Brazil.
Indeed, the funds it spent marketing itself as a company looking beyond fossil fuels mightn't be that far off how much it has actually spent on wind and solar. A Reuters article from April 2010 highlights the stunning speed of the about face for the company: London-based BP is principally involved in four types of alternative technologies: wind power, solar power, carbon capture and storage and biofuels. "We're absolutely holding these as core businesses", said (BP Alternative Energy chief executive Katrina) Landis. "All four of those technology areas have the opportunity to be very sizable". BP has since chucked three of these four technologies from "core" to scrapheap in just three years.
BP's renewables departure, however, is understandable given the solar sector's troubles (supply glut) and the company's need to pay off the debts of its past (hence the wind sale). But put simply, it's easy to see why many were cynical of the Beyond Petroleum campaign-and why the question must be raised: was it the greatest greenwashing exercise of all time?
4 Apr 2013
Overnight, BP announced it will abandon its wind farm business in the US. The oil and gas giant, its reputation still tarnished by the Gulf oil spill of a couple of years ago, will use the sale of the division to help pay off some of its spill liabilities. In other words, it's a clean energy sell-off to pay for the sins of its dirty energy division. Oh, the irony. Reuters suggested the sale of the division could reap around $1.5 billion, while Bloomberg provided a more optimistic number of $2.2 $3.1 billion.As the rumoured sale price suggests, BP is far from a bit player in US wind, with 16 wind farms and a generating capacity of around 2,600 MW. It took five years for the company to go from 0 turbines in the US to 1,000 (and, incidentally, probably just a couple of months to go back to 0). It marks another sign in the transformation of a business that has moved from British Petroleum (the original name) to Beyond Petroleum (a monicker it gave itself in a long running marketing campaign) to Back to Petroleum.
While the Beyond Petroleum ads suggested otherwise, BP never fully committed itself to renewables, ploughing enough money in to look like it was a progressive company while not ploughing enough in to make a real fist of it. It exited solar at the end of 2011 after being the market leader around the turn of the century. Now, with the exit from wind power (and previous move away from carbon capture and storage), BP's alternative energy division now consists of just biofuels research and ethanol refining in Brazil.
Indeed, the funds it spent marketing itself as a company looking beyond fossil fuels mightn't be that far off how much it has actually spent on wind and solar. A Reuters article from April 2010 highlights the stunning speed of the about face for the company: London-based BP is principally involved in four types of alternative technologies: wind power, solar power, carbon capture and storage and biofuels. "We're absolutely holding these as core businesses", said (BP Alternative Energy chief executive Katrina) Landis. "All four of those technology areas have the opportunity to be very sizable". BP has since chucked three of these four technologies from "core" to scrapheap in just three years.
BP's renewables departure, however, is understandable given the solar sector's troubles (supply glut) and the company's need to pay off the debts of its past (hence the wind sale). But put simply, it's easy to see why many were cynical of the Beyond Petroleum campaign-and why the question must be raised: was it the greatest greenwashing exercise of all time?
Tuesday, 9 April 2013
Large UAE solar project launched
www.upi.com
March. 18, 2013
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, March 18 (UPI)--Launching the largest concentrated solar power plant in the world in Abu Dhabi represents a milestone for Middle East energy, an executive said.
Abu Dhabi renewable energy company Masdar led a partnership that includes French supermajor Total and Spanish energy infrastructure company Abengoa to launch the Shams 1 concentrated solar power plant. The companies said it took $600 million and three years to build a project billed as the largest of its kind in the world. Masdar Chief Executive Officer Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber said the project is a milestone that has significance beyond the United Arab Emirates.
"Just like the rest of the world, the region is faced with meeting its rising demand for energy, while also working to reduce its carbon footprint", he said in a statement. "Shams 1 is a significant milestone, as large-scale renewable energy is proving it can deliver electricity that is sustainable, affordable and secure".
Shams 1 is designed to produce 100 MW of electricity by focusing the sun's rays on oil-filled pipes for steam generation. The project employs more than 258,000 mirrors on a 1 square-mile site. It would displace about 175,000 tons of CO₂ emissions per year.
March. 18, 2013
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, March 18 (UPI)--Launching the largest concentrated solar power plant in the world in Abu Dhabi represents a milestone for Middle East energy, an executive said.
Abu Dhabi renewable energy company Masdar led a partnership that includes French supermajor Total and Spanish energy infrastructure company Abengoa to launch the Shams 1 concentrated solar power plant. The companies said it took $600 million and three years to build a project billed as the largest of its kind in the world. Masdar Chief Executive Officer Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber said the project is a milestone that has significance beyond the United Arab Emirates.
"Just like the rest of the world, the region is faced with meeting its rising demand for energy, while also working to reduce its carbon footprint", he said in a statement. "Shams 1 is a significant milestone, as large-scale renewable energy is proving it can deliver electricity that is sustainable, affordable and secure".
Shams 1 is designed to produce 100 MW of electricity by focusing the sun's rays on oil-filled pipes for steam generation. The project employs more than 258,000 mirrors on a 1 square-mile site. It would displace about 175,000 tons of CO₂ emissions per year.
Wednesday, 20 March 2013
GE to increase focus on wind farm investment
www.businessspectator.com.au
27 Feb 2013
Global conglomerate General Electric Co is firmly committed to bankrolling new wind power and other energy projects in Australia, despite community opposition to wind farms, according to The Australian.
GE has significantly increased its exposure to the oil and gas industry over the past two years, but the company's global vice-chairman, John Rice, said GE plans to refocus on infrastructure projects, including "two or three" in Australia.
"We are having discussions with third-party financial institutions about partnering in ways that will help get wind projects developed and other important energy projects", Mr Rice said, according to The Australian.
"There is capital available but it is not coming from the same places (as) before the GFC. A lot of this is done by the European banks. So, if we want to be successful long-term in the infrastructure space, we have to be one of the groups that connects capital with those infrastructure projects. That may involve product development work, which we have done a lot of over time, but his is a new world".
27 Feb 2013
Global conglomerate General Electric Co is firmly committed to bankrolling new wind power and other energy projects in Australia, despite community opposition to wind farms, according to The Australian.
GE has significantly increased its exposure to the oil and gas industry over the past two years, but the company's global vice-chairman, John Rice, said GE plans to refocus on infrastructure projects, including "two or three" in Australia.
"We are having discussions with third-party financial institutions about partnering in ways that will help get wind projects developed and other important energy projects", Mr Rice said, according to The Australian.
"There is capital available but it is not coming from the same places (as) before the GFC. A lot of this is done by the European banks. So, if we want to be successful long-term in the infrastructure space, we have to be one of the groups that connects capital with those infrastructure projects. That may involve product development work, which we have done a lot of over time, but his is a new world".
Thursday, 14 March 2013
Japanese oil refiner seeks switch to solar cells
www.smh.com.au
19 Feb 2013
Showa Shell Sekiyu, a Japanese oil refiner, plans to become a global leader in solar cell output as it diversifies to benefit from clean-energy subsidies. Showa Shell Sekiyu will increase production efficiency and cost competitiveness to "top levels in the world", it said today in its five-year management plan. The company also intends to lead the development of solar modules, which use photovoltaic cells.
Japan began an incentive program in July to promote alternative power generation following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. That prompted companies such as mobile carrier Softbank Corp, and Tokyo-based Showa Shell Sekiyu to expand in solar power as demand climbed.
"Once we gain a foothold in Japan, we want to gain ground in the international market", Showa Shell Sekiyu President Jun Arai said today at a press briefing. The company is seeking to reduce the cost of CIGS solar panels-thin-film units using copper, indium, gallium and selenium-by about half in 2017, he said.
Showa Shell Sekiyu's Energy Solution business posted a 19% jump in 2012 sales to 78.2 billion yen ($815 million), while its operating loss narrowed to 15.4 billion yen from 28.8 billion yen, a February 14 filing showed. The division comprises solar cell production and sales, as well as wholesale power supply.
Japan is poised to become the world's third-largest market for solar power this year, according to forecasts from researcher Bloomberg New Energy Finance.
19 Feb 2013
Showa Shell Sekiyu, a Japanese oil refiner, plans to become a global leader in solar cell output as it diversifies to benefit from clean-energy subsidies. Showa Shell Sekiyu will increase production efficiency and cost competitiveness to "top levels in the world", it said today in its five-year management plan. The company also intends to lead the development of solar modules, which use photovoltaic cells.
Japan began an incentive program in July to promote alternative power generation following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. That prompted companies such as mobile carrier Softbank Corp, and Tokyo-based Showa Shell Sekiyu to expand in solar power as demand climbed.
"Once we gain a foothold in Japan, we want to gain ground in the international market", Showa Shell Sekiyu President Jun Arai said today at a press briefing. The company is seeking to reduce the cost of CIGS solar panels-thin-film units using copper, indium, gallium and selenium-by about half in 2017, he said.
Showa Shell Sekiyu's Energy Solution business posted a 19% jump in 2012 sales to 78.2 billion yen ($815 million), while its operating loss narrowed to 15.4 billion yen from 28.8 billion yen, a February 14 filing showed. The division comprises solar cell production and sales, as well as wholesale power supply.
Japan is poised to become the world's third-largest market for solar power this year, according to forecasts from researcher Bloomberg New Energy Finance.
Thursday, 14 February 2013
Saudi Arabia completes its biggest solar power plant
www.bloomberg.com
31 Jan 2013
Saudi Arabia completed its biggest ground-mounted photovoltaic plant as the world's largest crude oil exporter seeks to generate a third of its electricity with energy from the sun by 2032.
Germany's Phoenix Solar AG developed the 3.5 MW plant in Riyadh that uses 12,684 panels from China's Suntech Power Co. Ltd. and inverters from SMA Solar Technology AG, Phoenix Solar said in an e-mailed statement. "This project represents an important milestone in the development of the solar industry in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia", Ron Shen, Suntech Power's vice president of Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, said in a separate statement.
Saudi Arabia plans to boost renewable energy use as a way to pare back on oil consumption used for domestic desalination and power plants, potentially saving 523,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day over the next 20 years. The country aims to have 41,000 MWs of solar capacity within two decades, Maher al-Odan, a consultant at the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy, said last year.
31 Jan 2013
Saudi Arabia completed its biggest ground-mounted photovoltaic plant as the world's largest crude oil exporter seeks to generate a third of its electricity with energy from the sun by 2032.
Germany's Phoenix Solar AG developed the 3.5 MW plant in Riyadh that uses 12,684 panels from China's Suntech Power Co. Ltd. and inverters from SMA Solar Technology AG, Phoenix Solar said in an e-mailed statement. "This project represents an important milestone in the development of the solar industry in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia", Ron Shen, Suntech Power's vice president of Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, said in a separate statement.
Saudi Arabia plans to boost renewable energy use as a way to pare back on oil consumption used for domestic desalination and power plants, potentially saving 523,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day over the next 20 years. The country aims to have 41,000 MWs of solar capacity within two decades, Maher al-Odan, a consultant at the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy, said last year.
Tuesday, 9 October 2012
Makkah to build $640m solar energy project
www.arabianbusiness.com
30 Sep 2012
Authorities in the Saudi Arabian city of Makkah say they will build an SAR2.4bn (US$640m) solar power project capable of producing around 100MW of electricity, it was reported. According to Saudi daily Al-Eqtisadiah, the development is intended to meet growing energy requirements in the municipality and shave about SAR2.2bn off the holy city's electricity bill. "The project will be established on an area of about 2 million m². About 20 international consortiums consisting of about 100 companies will compete for the execution of the project", Osama bin Fadl Al-Bar, Mayor of Makkah, told the newspaper.
Al-Bar added that the location of the development would be chosen by the successful contractor, which would purchase the piece of land and then return it to Makkah authorities at the contract's close. Bids to build the project will open during the first week of next year, Al-Bar added. Depending on its success, he said, other municipalities in the Gulf's most populous nation could develop their own solar power strategy, which could save the kingdom up to 8m barrels of oil per day by 2030.
A report published by Citigroup last month said that Saudi Arabia, the world's largest exporter of crude oil, could become a net importer of oil by 2030 if domestic energy consumption continues to grow at its current rate. Oil demand for use in domestic electricity consumption is currently rising by about 8% annually, with around 3m barrels per day-or a quarter of total output-currently serving national energy requirements. All of Saudi Arabia's natural gas, the kingdom's other natural resource, is currently allocated for domestic consumption.
30 Sep 2012
Authorities in the Saudi Arabian city of Makkah say they will build an SAR2.4bn (US$640m) solar power project capable of producing around 100MW of electricity, it was reported. According to Saudi daily Al-Eqtisadiah, the development is intended to meet growing energy requirements in the municipality and shave about SAR2.2bn off the holy city's electricity bill. "The project will be established on an area of about 2 million m². About 20 international consortiums consisting of about 100 companies will compete for the execution of the project", Osama bin Fadl Al-Bar, Mayor of Makkah, told the newspaper.Al-Bar added that the location of the development would be chosen by the successful contractor, which would purchase the piece of land and then return it to Makkah authorities at the contract's close. Bids to build the project will open during the first week of next year, Al-Bar added. Depending on its success, he said, other municipalities in the Gulf's most populous nation could develop their own solar power strategy, which could save the kingdom up to 8m barrels of oil per day by 2030.
A report published by Citigroup last month said that Saudi Arabia, the world's largest exporter of crude oil, could become a net importer of oil by 2030 if domestic energy consumption continues to grow at its current rate. Oil demand for use in domestic electricity consumption is currently rising by about 8% annually, with around 3m barrels per day-or a quarter of total output-currently serving national energy requirements. All of Saudi Arabia's natural gas, the kingdom's other natural resource, is currently allocated for domestic consumption.
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