Consumers warned to do homework - Risk in rush on solar

Adelaide Advertiser
Tuesday 28/9/2010 Page: 33

AN "uneducated market" is being pushed towards a rushed decision on solar panel installations, with the potential risk of affecting the industry's image, an Adelaide installer says. Love Energy founder Richard Mintz said the proposed 60MW cap on solar installations, expected to be reached at the end of next year, was pushing consumers to make "quick, uninformed decisions". The state solar feed-in tariff scheme is likely to be closed to new entrants by the end of next year, if not earlier, under proposed legislation to increase the tariff to 54c and limit installed capacity. Commercial installations are also excluded from the scheme.

Setting limits on the scheme is making users rush into it without proper inquiries about the quality of systems or operator, with price being the main decision factor, Mr Mintz said. "The solar industry is embryonic. No one has yet seen the impact of dodgy installations, but some of the products out there are shocking", he said. The South Australian market is segmented into high to mid range-priced installations and cheaper, low-end solutions by some of the smaller solar installers. "We want to position ourselves as the educators of the market and we have started by partnering with world class panel suppliers, Germany's Conergy and US firm SunPower", Mr Mintz said.

The company is working towards its first major project - a $5 million 800kW multisite rooftop installation in Adelaide. "I am willing to punt my business as the educated party, but the consumer has much to lose and the faith in the industry is going to go", Mr Mintz said. Solar installers have been advertising aggressively in recent months, urging consumers to act quickly to take advantage of the tariff changes.

Overall, the national ad blitz by solar installers has caught the eye of market regulator the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, which last month forced two solar panel retailers to amend their marketing campaigns, found to be "potentially misleading and deceptive". Clean Energy Council chief executive Matthew Warren said most consumers needed to do their homework and refer to the consumer guide on the council's website. "The buyers have gone past those genuinely interested in solar to those mums and dads looking to immunise themselves from electricity prices, and are driven by price", Mr Warren said. "You get what you pay for, so they should understand as much of the system and shop around".

Big cut in emissions

Adelaide Advertiser
Tuesday 28/9/2010 Page: 33

ONE of the biggest nonresidential solar projects will be undertaken by the City of Sydney over the next five years, with solar panels installed on more than 30 council owned properties. The City of Sydney's $12 3 million project will cut greenhouse gas emissions by about 3000 tonnes a year and supply enough electricity to power the equivalent of 400 households. "The city is delivering on its commitment to reduce carbon emissions by 70% and produce 25% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030", said Allan Jones, the council's international energy and climate change expert. The project will install 2000kWs of solar panels, dwarfing the current biggest nonresidential installation at the University of Queensland.

NE wind farm on the horizon

Hobart Mercury
Monday 27/9/2010 Page: 10

THE $450 million Musselroe Bay wind farm project is likely to start next year, says Roaring 40s managing director Steve Symons. Mr Symons said the scheme was dependent on a substantial rise in the value of Renewable Energy Target (RET) certificates issued by the Federal Government to assist clean projects. He said certificate values were depressed but a rebound was expected from January, after energy efficiency measures such as solar hot-water heaters were transferred to a separate scheme.

Mr Symons said Musselroe would become viable if values rose, but Roaring 40s would still need to attract finance and secure longterm power supply contracts with stakeholders Hydro Tasmania and TRUEnergy. He said construction could start as soon as June but "we are not prepared to commit to a time line". "We don't want to unnecessarily get people's hopes up", he said. Liberal senator Guy Barnett said his motion calling for action on Musselroe Bay helped pressure the Federal Government to fast-track legislation in July that is intended to stabilise the RET market. Roaring 40s has spent more than $20 million on the $450 million proposal involving 56 turbines delivering up to 168MWs of power.

"This is great news and will be a major boost for the North-East and northern Tasmania in terms of jobs and energy production", Senator Barnett said. "It is expected that the project will bring 180 jobs to the North-East during the construction phase and 40 ongoing positions". Senator Barnett said the likely go ahead was a tremendous shot in the ann for the North-East which in the past decade has suffered from sawmill, vegetable factory and milk factory closures.

California approves world’s largest solar power project

www.circleofblue.org
September 25, 2010

The solar project will use groundwater, but its effect on the Colorado River water needs to be determined. While officials approved the 1,000-MW solar power project in California last week, its effect on the Colorado River needs to be determined before construction commences, according to the state's energy commission. Planned for a site eight miles west of the town of Blythe in the Mojave Desert, the power complex will comprise four individual 250MW units, generating electricity using parabolic mirrors. Solar Millennium, the project's owner, has signed a contract with Southern California Edison for the entire output of the complex, which will begin operating in 2013.

The Blythe facility will be the world's largest solar power operation, as well as double the installed commercial solar capacity in the United States, which was 603MW in 2009, according to the Energy Information Administration. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has fast-tracked solar power projects as California strives to meet its goal of obtaining 33% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020. The California Energy Commission approved two solar projects earlier this summer and will rule on three more by the end of the month, according to a press release from the governor's office.

The plants in the Blythe project will be dry-cooled, a technology that uses ambient air to dissipate heat. While it will increase the cost of the plant and reduce its efficiency, dry cooling decreases water consumption by more than 90%. Solar Millennium has decided to use dry cooling in all of its plants, company representative Bill Keegan told Circle of Blue. "Obviously there's a trade off because of a loss of efficiency and power capacity, but we feel it's worth it with the water savings", Keegan said. The Blythe plants will have an auxiliary wet cooling system for the summer months to keep critical equipment functioning at its designed capacity.

The company will drill wells on-site for its water needs: 4,100 acre-feet during construction and 600 AF annually to operate the plant. The CEC's environmental review found that the extraction rate will exceed recharge, but the plant will not significantly affect the groundwater basin because of the large amount--five million AF--of water already stored.

However, the groundwater recharge is believed to be connected with surface flows from the nearby Colorado River, which cannot add new users to its appropriation. As part of its decision, the CEC is requiring Solar Millennium to study the relationship between the groundwater and the river, as well as submit a plan to offset any effects its water use would have on the river. This plan will need approval before the company withdraws any water.

The CEC's suggested options include conservation programs; funding irrigation improvements elsewhere; purchasing water rights or participating in the Bureau of Land Management's program to remove tamarisks, a water-intensive invasive plant. Keegan said Solar Millennium is still looking into how best to offset its water use. The company wants to begin construction by Dec. 31 to take advantage of federal loan guarantees for renewable energy projects that expire at the end of the year. The next step in the approval process will be in October when the BLM will decide whether to grant right-of-way and use permits for the plants and transmission lines.

Turbines turn on largest UK windfarm

Adelaide Advertiser
Saturday 25/9/2010 Page: 79

THE world's largest offshore wind farm has opened off the south-east coast of England, as part of the British Government's push to boost renewable energy. Swedish energy company Vattenfall, which constructed the wind farm, said the 100 turbines off the coast of Thanet could, at their peak, produce enough electricity a year to power the equivalent of more than 200,000 homes.

The huge site in the North Sea, 12km off the coast, will boost the renewable energy now generated by the onshore and offshore wind turbines around the UK. With the opening of the Thanet wind farm, Britain now has the capacity to produce 5GWs of wind-powered energy - roughly the amount of energy needed to power all the homes in Scotland, Energy Secretary Chris Huhne said. Britain gets only 3% of its energy from renewable sources but is aiming for a target of 15% by 2020. The nation ranks 25th of 27 European Union countries on action on green power.

"We are an island nation, and I firmly believe we should be harnessing our wind, wave and tidal resources to the maximum", Mr Huhne said at a ceremony at sea when he officially opened the Thanet wind farm. Each Thanet turbine is up to 115m tall and the site is as large as 4000 football fields. Vattenfall said its new farm could generate 300MWs of energy at full capacity, although critics note that wind power output can be intermittent and variable. The company said the farm is expected to operate for at least 25 years. Environmental group Friends of the Earth said Britain's record on renewable energy is still dismal and urged more investment in green energy projects.

Swaying 'dominoes' have place in sun

West Australian
Wednesday 22/9/2010 Page: 30

They sit like two lines of giant dominoes. And as they gently sway and move as they track the sun, the new solar panels at Ocean Park Aquarium, near Denham, almost seem to have a life of their own. The two rows of 18 trackers stretch for about 100m on the area just inland of the aquarium's display tanks and shark pool. The whole structure represents what is believed to be one of the biggest privately owned solar-hybrid power systems in WA, with the ability to power the equivalent of about 20 average-sized homes a day.

The system is a common sense way to keep Ocean Park running. Because of its remote location on the ocean front at Shark Bay, Ocean Park is not connected to the power grid. As a result power for pumping the water in tanks around, filtration systems, refrigeration, cooking and power for the managers and staff is produced on the site. Large-capacity deep-cycle batteries store any surplus energy collected during the day so that during the night excess stored solar power can be drawn on.

There is also a back-up diesel generator but the solar panels are expected to save about 54,000 litres of diesel a year. The system cost just over $1 million, began running late in August and Ocean Park says it has created a lot of interest among locals and tourists. Co-owners Rick and Edmund Fenny said the system added an extra and eco-friendly attraction to about 200 marine species on display.

State backs Mildura solar project

Herald Sun
Wednesday 22/9/2010 Page: 23

Mildura could house the nation's biggest solar power plant after the State Government threw $100 million behind the development. Premier John Brumby said the project would create 200 new jobs during construction and there would be 20 full time jobs. But TRUEnergy's plan to develop the Mallee Solar Park, south of Mildura, is dependent on cash from the Federal Government's Solar Flagships program. The Mildura proposal is expected to face tough competition for grants. A decision isn't due until the middle of next year.

TRUEnergy managing director Richard McIndoe admitted the project was dependent on winning the battle for Commonwealth money. The eventuality of the Mallee Solar Park project is only feasible with the support of both the state and federal governments", he said. The plant would be able to generate 345GW hours of electricity each year, enough to power 60,000 homes. A similar solar plant promised in 2006 collapsed last year after not being able to attract financing. Mr Brumby is confident about the prospects of the new project. We are rising to the challenge of climate change by driving new initiatives to cut emissions and create a cleaner, greener future", he said.

In its climate change action plan published in July, the State Government has committed to having 5% of the state's energy generated by solar by 2020. And to meet this Mr Brumby hopes to develop five to 10 largescale solar plants in regional Victoria. "The TRUEnergy proposal will utilise world's best-practice to create jobs in regional Victoria, cement the northern part of our state as a key solar power region in Australia and will make a valuable and lasting contribution to our clean, green energy supply, he said. Under the TRUEnergy plan, a solar plant would be built on a 600ha site about 10km south of Mildura, with construction by Bovis Lend Lease to happen in four stages between 2012-15.

Opposition Leader Ted Baillieu backs a solar plant at Mildura, but he warned Victorians not to hold their breath as a solar plant was unlikely for years. We would like to see the technology developed but we have to wait and see", he said. "It all depends on federal money and there are indeed competing plants for that money".

New Zealand’s geothermal generated power hits record high

www.eco-business.com
20 September 2010

New Zealand, September 20 - Geothermal generated electricity touched historic high of 1,400GWh in New Zealand in the three months ended June, according to figures from the country's economic development ministry. Electricity generated from geothermal sources rose 23% over the same period last year. The new Nga Awa Purua geothermal planted started operations in May, lifting the geothermal sector to account for 13% of the country's total electricity output of 10,831GWh.

Gerry Brownlee, New Zealand's energy minister, says geothermal generation is a significant source of electricity and with a few new geothermal projects being planned, the market would continue to grow. Electricity generated from 'dirty' coal dropped 60%, and contributed to 17% of total electricity demand, allowing greenhouse gas emissions to slip to their lowest level since the June 200 quarter, as hydro, wind and gas generation rose. Renewable energy power accounts for about 73% of New Zealand's electricity generation, with hydro accounting for 55%.

Tesla Battery drives solar power storage

www.earthtechling.com
September 20th, 2010

An interesting pilot project focused on advanced grid-interactive distributed photovoltaic (PV) and storage is being researched by a trio of well known players in the clean economy field. Solar installer SolarCity, electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla Motors and the University of California, Berkeley are all taking part in this solar power research initiative via a $1.7 million grant from from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) for the California Solar Initiative (CSI) Research Development, Deployment and Demonstration (CSI RD&D) Program.

The program, according to SolarCity, is to advance battery storage technology for the PV market, whereby this storage can manage the flow of solar electricity for use by a home or business, and extend production into the evening, even after the sun goes down. In the pilot SolarCity will make use of Tesla's vehicle battery system and its own SolarGuard dispatch and monitoring platform to "create a combined photovoltaic (PV) and stationary storage product which can be installed in homes and businesses. The battery storage will collect excess PV power production so that during peak periods, the utility can pull from battery storage rather than power plants which have greater emissions."

Nothing further was mentioned of the project as of yet, including what role UC Berkeley specifically will play. "Battery storage will be an important component in the mass adoption of PV, it will make solar electricity a more predictable energy source," said SolarCity COO Peter Rive in a statement.

‘Wind power rush’ could reverse Texan fortunes

www.evwind.es
Tue, 21 Sep 2010

The 781.5MW Roscoe wind complex boasts 627 wind turbines pumping green emissions-free electricity into the thirsty Texas grid. North American towns like Sweetwater, Texas -- originally fuelled by cheap land and wealth derived from cattle, minerals, timber, railroads and oil -- once prompted dreams of success, grandeur and independence. In the past few decades, however, many of these towns on the western side of the North American continent have been in economic decline as their boarded-up storefronts and a palpable reek of decay so sadly prove.

So it was with welcome pleasure that during a business trip through west Texas last week I was able to witness a rebirth of sorts, a renewed sense of optimism. The cause of this latest reversal of fortunes? Wind power. Indeed, in the past decade wind power has exploded here to the point that Sweetwater -- located on rolling flatlands about 300 kilometres west of Dallas -- appears to be surrounded by seemingly endless wind turbines, endlessly turning from ridge to ridge to ridge.

And just down the road, in the tiny hamlet of Roscoe, is the world's largest wind farm, literally dominating the bright blue sky horizon. Consider: The 781.5MW Roscoe wind complex boasts 627 wind turbines pumping green emissions-free electricity into the thirsty Texas grid. It seems that signs of this new so-called "wind rush" are everywhere -- from the cover of the local phone book that features a horse galloping along with a wind turbine in the background, to the local newspaper, the Sweetwater Reporter, that promotes wind turbines as part of its logo, to the town of Sweetwater's website which also includes wind turbines in its corporate identity.

And then there's John Kirgan, an antique dealer who's lived in Sweetwater all his life and has seen his beloved town stall, fade and regress until, in the past 10 years, it began to experience a new lease on life because of the growing wind power sector. "When the wind turbines came in, they generated a lot of money in town", Kirgan, 65, said in an interview with the European Wind Energy Association. "The money they made in Sweetwater has to have made a difference". Increasingly harnessed, the gentle, dependable breezes of west Texas are now helping people stay in their hometowns, get good-paying jobs, feel proud of themselves and, once again, dream of a better future.

Buyers line up for wind farm

Australian
Tuesday 21/9/2010 Page: 22

ONE of Australia's biggest wind farms, the 80-MW Emu Downs project in Western Australia, is generating strong interest from potential buyers after being put up for sale following the collapse of Ric Stowe's Griffin Group. The state-of-the-art wind farm expected to fetch more than $200 million is owned by a 50-50 joint venture between Mr Stowe's Griffin Energy and the Queensland government owned Stanwell Corporation. Sources said last night the sale had attracted interest from the "usual suspects" after first-round indicative bids closed last Friday.

The companies considered most likely to bid include AGL Energy, Origin Energy, Transfield Services Infrastructure Fund and Infigen Energy, formerly known as Babcock 8, Brown Wind Partners. The WA government-owned electricity generator Verve Energy is believed to have stayed out of the bidding process. The sale of Emu Downs is being conducted separately to the sale of Griffin's coal mining and power generation businesses in WA, believed to be saddled with about $2 billion in debt.

Up to 40 prospective buyers for those assets including from India, China and Japan will submit offers next week and administrators hope to finalise the sale by the end of the year. A creditors' meeting to be held in February next year is expected to sign off on the sale. Mr Stowe is believed to be keen to buy back his empire, which went into administration in January, but that is considered an unlikely prospect. The Emu Downs wind farm, about 200km north of Perth, produces enough electricity to power more than 50,000 homes a year and the capacity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 280,000 tonnes annually.

The electricity produced from Emu Downs is purchased by WA government-owned retailer Synergy Energy, whose customers include the state's desalination plant. An industry source familiar with Emu Downs, which opened in 2006, said the asset was considered first class. The returns generated would be considered attractive to funds and energy companies, while the sales contract with Synergy Energy would provide comfort to a buyer. The sale is being handled by the Sydney offices of Royal Bank of Scotland and Royal Bank of Canada.

Warning on carbon price lag

Adelaide Advertiser
Tuesday 21/9/2010 Page: 41

AUSTRALIA is trailing the rest of the world on climate change policy and needs to introduce a price on carbon if it is to remain competitive, a leading climate change economist says. University of Oxford senior research fellow Dr Cameron Hepburn says the cost of renewable energy is decreasing at a rate that will make it competitive with carbon-intensive sources within 10 years. Dr Hepburn said while the UK already has the Carbon Reduction Commitment and Europe had an emissions trading scheme. G20 emerging nations were leading the way.

"There is no risk of Australia taking a leadership position, we are so far off the pace, the question is whether we are last or second last", Dr Hepburn told a mining conference in Wollongong yesterday. "There are trading schemes planned in other parts of the world, Japan and South Korea. "China has just announced it is getting on with emissions trading in eight of its provinces, and five big cities".

Dr Hepburn said the Chinese had committed to establish a scheme in the next five years and was likely to act sooner. "India has, as of July, imposed what they are calling a carbon tax on coal, domestic coal, and it also applies to imported coal", he said. "For the past few years we have seen this rhetoric from Europe and the US that if you don't sort out your emissions we are going to slap tariffs on you. Well, India has done it before anyone else".

China would spend $U5750 billion ($799.79bn) on alternative energy over the next 10 years, while India was aiming to reduce its emissions by 25% by 2020. Dr Hepburn said. "My view as an economist, and I think most economists that I talk to, is that Australia needs carbon pricing", he said. "If we don't price carbon soon, we are going to be forced to do it at some point, in a way we are not going to like very much". Dr Hepburn said the position put forward by BHP Billiton chief executive Marius Kloppers had merit. "Effectively, Kloppers' call is for 50% of Australia's emissions to be covered by trading and for the remainder to be covered by taxation. There isn't a lot to disagree with; it is economically literate and rational".

China powers booming climate change industry

Weekend Australian
Saturday 18/9/2010 Page: 25

THE global climate change industry is now worth more than SUS500 billion (S528bn), powered by China's rapid rise as one of the top 10 countries for climate revenues, as companies push ahead with plans despite political uncertainty over green policies. As the debate on setting a price on carbon in Australia continues. HSBC Global Research issued a report on climate change that showed the sector had proved resilient to the global slowdown, seeing less than a 0.9% decline in revenues in 2009.

"Despite concerns over the risks that governments may retreat from their pledges to deliver emission reductions and continuing uncertainty surrounding the withdrawal of regulatory incentives in key markets, global climate revenues have held up remarkably well and in 2009 stood at SUS530bn for listed companies", the report says. The headline figure is greater than the global wireless telecoms services sector and comparable to the GDP of Switzerland, the report says.

The research also shows that private sector climate-related investment in China, which had grown thirtyfold since 2004, coupled with focused climate stimulus spend, is set to propel China to the forefront of developments in the emerging low carbon economy. HSBC says this will ultimately feed into the future growth of China's economy. "In terms of climate stimulus spend. China leads the pack, having already disbursed over 70% of the funds it pledged two years ago", the report says.

The climate change debate in Australia was reignited this week when BHP Billiton boss Marius Kloppers called for the nation to lead the way and introduce a carbon tax before any international agreement. John Atkinson, the managing director of White Energy, which focuses on clean coal technology, said he did not believe that businesses needed certainty on carbon tax today. "Other countries would be surprised if Australia took the lead on the issue", he said. "I would've thought that the more sensible approach is for the major emitters to agree on the issue and then implement what they agree".

But Mr Atkinson said it was good to have the debate, because the industry was not deterred by the political uncertainty and initiatives were being implemented on a global basis. Just this week, White Energy announced that the US state of Kentucky had sought out the company to address an emissions problem around sulphur, offering White Energy accelerated permits and funding for low-sulphur fuel for the state's coal-fired power generating companies. "When people are faced with real problems, they look hard at trying to show they are doing something positive that can assist the situation long term", he said.

The HSBC report reveals that over the past year, despite a number of key countries wavering on their commitments to addressing the issues of climate change, the number of companies engaged in providing climate-related goods, products and services grew to 367, a 140% rise since 2004. The research also highlights that firms in key industries, which HSBC identified as being critical to the emerging low-carbon economy, continue to focus on growing climate revenues, relative to their other businesses. Vijay Sumon, an index specialist at HSBC Global Research, said in the climate change sector, energy efficiency and energy management remained key areas. "Not only has this sub-sector performed well, but we predict that it is likely to continue to do so next year, as a beneficiary of further stimulus spend", he said. "We see it as a no-regrets option, as it makes sense for businesses regardless of climate change".

BHP boss dumps on future of coal

Sydney Morning Herald
Thursday 16/9/2010 Page: 1

THE world's largest miner, BHP Billiton, has weighed into the climate change debate, warning that Australia should "look beyond coal" and towards other energy sources. The chief executive of BHP Billiton, Marius Kloppers, said Australia's economy will suffer if it does not significantly reduce its carbon emissions in anticipation of a global carbon price. "Failure to do so will place us at a competitive disadvantage in a future where carbon is priced globally", he said.

BHP Billiton is one of the world's largest producers of thermal coal, which made up about 8% of its revenue last year. And while BHP Billiton and the broader mining industry have acknowledged the need for action on climate change. Mr Kloppers is now calling for Australia to take a lead on the issue. The mining industry, through the Minerals Council of Australia, was one of the most fierce opponents of the Rudd government's emissions trading scheme.

The call by Mr Kloppers, made at a business lunch in Sydney, is unlikely to be given a warm political reception. Both sides of politics are too scared to canvass the end of the coal industry because of the votes they would lose. Instead, both back the development of clean coal technology, such as carbon capture and storage. Mr Kloppers stressed the need for a clear price signal on carbon emissions and recommended a combination of a carbon tax, land use actions and a limited emissions trading system, which could apply to electricity generators. He said Australia's energy production was particularly carbon intensive and the highest among OECD countries in terms of tonnes of carbon emitted per unit of energy. Coal-fired power stations account for almost half of the country's emissions.

"Australia will need to look beyond just coal towards the full spectrum of available energy solutions", he said. The new Minister for Climate Change, Greg Combet, who has been charged with developing a policy involving a price on carbon, avoided mentioning coal when responding to the Kloppers speech. "My three priority areas are support for renewable energy, greater energy efficiency in industry and households, and working towards the introduction of a carbon price", he said. "I will be working with other parliamentarians, the business community and the environmental movement to build consensus and to discuss the best way we can achieve a price on carbon".

On the weekend, Mr Combet assured the coal industry that it had a sound future. Mr Kloppers emphasised the need for the revenue generated by any carbon price to be returned to the economy - for example, through tax cuts - to offset the cost impact of businesses and individuals. All of us who care about this issue need to also recognise that making a difference comes at a price, and it cannot be glossed over", he said. If Australia was to take the lead by implementing a carbon price before a global agreement was struck. Mr Kloppers said, it needed to ensure investment did not go offshore to countries without a price on carbon.

The opposition later, Tony Abbott's, has so far ruled out allowing coalition MPs to sit on a cross-party committee which will be established by the end of the month to discuss potential responses to climate change. The key independent MP Tony Windsor said Mr Abbott's position was a shame and Malcolm Turnbull and the opposition climate change spokesman. Greg Hunt would have to "have a lot to add". A spokesperson for the Energy Supply Association of Australia said Mr Kloppers had given "an interesting speech, but it doesn't change the energy supply sector's view in support of an efficient and equitable emissions trading scheme that is capital forming and allows a sensible transition to a lower emissions energy sector over time".

PNG hydro power plan for Australia

Adelaide Advertiser
Thursday 16/9/2010 Page: 57

Origin Energy has unveiled an ambitious plan to supply Australia with electricity from a multibillion dollar hydro-power plant in Papua New Guinea. Origin Energy would partner a PNG company to use the massive Purari River, with the development having capacity to create about 1800MWs of renewable baseload electricity. Two-thirds of the power would be transmitted via an under-sea cable to northern Queensland, where it would be fed into the national power grid at Townsville.

The Purari River, in PNG's Gulf Province, was described by Origin Energy managing director Grant King as an "extraordinary resource" that ultimately would be developed. "We are very confident in the long run, once we satisfy all the important areas around social and environmental development, that this project would and should proceed", Mr King said. Including building a dam and transmission lines, he said the project would cost many billions of dollars. The Purari has flows large enough to fill an area the size of Sydney Harbour in two days and is four times larger than the Murray River system.

Investors, however, failed to be impressed by the plans, which are yet to be supported by a feasibility study. Analyst Peter Kopetz, from State One Stockbroking, described the project as "far-fetched". Shares in the energy company dropped 17c, or 1.1%, to close at $15.48, defying a broader market rise. "It reminds me of the good old days of PNG supplying gas to Queensland... which came up to nothing, and I think that is what is likely to happen to this", Mr Kopetz said. "Maybe the next thing will be getting water from PNG". The possibility of using hydro power generated at the river has been discussed since the 1970s.

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh told State Parliament before signing a memorandum of co-operation power from the sparsely populated PNG region could be pumping into the national grid by 2020. "To put that amount of power into context, the peak energy consumption of the entire state from all energy sources today is around 8900MWs", she said. "This would be the biggest shot in the arm for regional Australia since the Snowy River scheme". PNG Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Works and Transport, Don Pomb Polye, said the signing of the memorandum was a milestone in the project, which would provide green power to remote PNG communities.

IAEA approves site for Egypt's first nuclear plant

www.thehindu.com
September 16, 2010

The UN nuclear watchdog IAEA has approved an Egyptian site to host the country's first nuclear power plant. The site in El Dabaa is about 295 km from Cairo, and corresponds to all international requirements. IAEA experts said on Saturday. Egypt is set to construct four nuclear power reactors by 2025, with the first of them to be put into operation in 2019. The north African state's nuclear programme was originally suspended after the Chernobyl disaster in the former Soviet Union in 1986. Egypt is expected to announce the tender for the construction of the nuclear power plant by the end of the year. Russia is ready to offer its vast experience, its high--technology solutions and financial assistance to the project.

In March 2008, during Egyptian president's visit to Moscow, both countries signed an agreement on cooperation in the civilian nuclear sector. The document stipulates Russia's right to participate in tenders to build nuclear power facilities in Egypt. In 2009, the Egyptian authorities officially invited Russia to participate in a tender to build Egypt's first nuclear power plant. Egypt, which possesses large reserves of uranium ore, has two experimental nuclear reactors, one constructed in 1958 by the Soviet Union and the other bought from Argentina.

Swedish Wind Energy Industry all set to break records

www.azocleantech.com
September 18, 2010

As the demand for greener energy is continuously increasing. Sweden's wind power is swelling speedily. This Scandinavian country is anticipated to break records during 2010, in spite of wind power's global investment slowing down during the global economic slump. Experts feel that the Swedish wind industry has withstood the global economic recession.

The Swedish Wind Energy, a trade association, anticipates an additional 557-MW wind installation during 2010, amounting to a 36% increase in comparison with last year. Gothia Vind, a wind power operator based in Gothenburg, plans to construct 100 wind novel power stations in the Southern region of Sweden, with an overall 200-300MW capacity. The Swedish government aims to produce a renewable energy output amounting to about 50% of the nation's energy needs by the year 2020. Currently, 20% of Sweden's energy production is derived from renewable sources.

Sweden's development in the wind turbine segment has been quite rapid - ever since the mid-1980s the size of wind turbines has doubled almost every four years. Throughout the year 2009, 198 novel wind power turbines had been installed in Sweden while currently, there exist 219 wind power turbines with an overall 495MW power generation capacity under construction.

Finland to push for renewable, wind energy with feed-in tariff subsidies

www.bloomberg.com
Sep 16, 2010

Finland will promote renewable energy with fixed prices for wind and biogas power to encourage producers to meet emission targets set by the European Union. Feed-in tariffs, a set price guaranteed to producers, come into force on Jan. 1 and will last for 12 years, the government in Helsinki said today in an e-mailed statement. Finland is seeking ways to add non-polluting power generation to meet a need in a country that consumes per capita more than twice the electricity used by Germany because of its cold climate and energy-intensive industries such as paper making. Finland, which currently has four nuclear reactors and is building a fifth, also in July approved permits for two more units scheduled to come online in the 2020s.

The country must increase the share of renewable energy to 38% by 2020 from about 28% in 2008 to help Europe reduce its emissions of CO2, a gas blamed for warming the planet, according to a plan by members of the European Union. The Nordic country will also reduce energy demand to help meet the goal, the government has said. The feed tariffs will increase wind power in Finland to 6TW-hours by 2020, the government said. Wind power accounted for 0.3% of the 80.8TW-hours of electricity consumed in 2009. Finnish Energy Industries said on its website. Renewable generation increased 15% in 2008. Statistics Finland data shows.

To Parliament
Finland is seeking alternative sources of energy to supplement nuclear power because it lacks the oil and hydropower supplies of neighbours such as Russia and Norway, which gets almost all of its electricity from water. The motion will tomorrow be sent to parliament for approval. Finland had 118 wind turbines at the end of 2009 with a combined capacity of 147MW-hours, the Finnish Wind Power Association said on its website.

The target for the feed-in tariffs will be 83.50 euros ($109) aMW-hour, the government said. Electricity from biogas will get an additional 50 euros aMW-hour for combined heat and power generators. For the first three years, wind power would be paid 105 euros aMW-hour to ensure implementation, the government said. Finland imports about 15% of the electricity used in the country. Fortum Oyj, Finland's biggest utility, owns stakes in wind power generators Tunturituuli Oy and Hyoetytuuli Oy as well as a stake in a wind plant in Olkiluoto, Finland.

New-wave power station takes style tips from tuna

www.yomiuri.co.jp
September 16, 2010

A project under way in the Seto Inland Sea aims to generate huge amounts of electricity from the energy of water currents, using streamlined turbines shaped like a tuna. Kiyomi Suzuki, president of the Hyogo Prefecture firm Nova Energy Co., sailed around the world in his former career as a ship captain and is taking a hands-on approach to leading the project. "Whenever I saw a tanker in the Persian Gulf. I had a sense of crisis about Japan's reliance on imported energy", Suzuki said.

The principle of tidal power generation is the same as that of hydroelectric power generation: Moving water rotates turbines that are connected to an electricity generator. Tidal power electricity generation projects pursued by other countries, such as Britain and South Korea, have been troubled by frequent occurrences of debris, such as driftwood and fishing nets, jamming or breaking turbine propellers. Suzuki realised the problem was due to the fixed position of the turbines--if they were able to move freely and follow changes in the direction of the current, debris would wash past the turbines, rather than becoming lodged in their propellers. "There are many obstacles in the sea", Suzuki said. "But the correct design can effectively deal with them".

Under Nova Energy's design, turbines are connected to electricity generators by a system of rotating axle joints. This enables a turbine to move on both vertical and horizontal axes, so that its body is always in line with the flow of the current. The design is ideal for the Seto Inland Sea, where the currents of up to 20 kph do not run in a uniform direction, because of the many small Islands within its waters. Ocean currents, on the other hand, have a continuous, unidirectional flow. The design, which is expected to have no negative impact on the marine ecosystem, may be included in plans for marine power plants being drawn up by the Economy. Trade and Industry Ministry.

Suzuki established Nova Energy in 2007, nine years after he quit his job as captain of a cargo vessel, to put his ideas for improved turbines into action. He conducted extensive tests of different designs in a water tank and in 2008, using 1.2-meter-long propellers made of light but strong reinforced plastic, he succeeded in generating electricity at a rate of 200 watts. The rotating-axle system proved to be a success--the turbines changed position to follow changes in the current, and were untroubled by passing debris.

Research into hydrodynamics by Prof. Deog Hee Doh of Korea Maritime University, who studied at the University of Tokyo, provided Suzuki's efforts with a great boost. By applying Deog's research, Suzuki found that power-generation efficiency increased by 30% by using turbines modeled on the distinctive, streamlined shape of tuna. The firm is currently experimenting with turbines equipped with six-meter-long propellers in the Akashi Strait in the Seto Inland Sea. The aim is to achieve a production capacity of more than 5kWs.

The Environment Ministry has commissioned the project to develop technology aimed at addressing global warming, and will provide 114 million yen in subsidies. Nova Energy plans to build a turbine with a 14-meter-long propeller by the end of this fiscal year, with a view to eventually developing a 25-meter-long model. The company has also set a goal of building a power station in the open sea, using large-propeller turbines to capture the energy of ocean currents, which it believes could be an attractive alternative to nuclear power. "We'll be able to build a large electric power plant with generation capacity of 1.6 millionkWs, the equivalent of a large nuclear power station, for half the cost of building a nuclear power plant", Suzuki predicted.

Wave power in pipeline for NT

Northern Territory News
Wednesday 15/9/2010 Page: 27

AN ENERGY company has been given the first stage of approval to set up tidal power turbines off the Territory coast. Tenax Energy Pty Ltd was last week granted a licence to occupy an area within the Clarence Strait. But they are yet to obtain regulatory approvals. Tenax Energy managing director Alan Major said the NT was in a unique position, with thousands of kilometres of coastline and some of the best tides in the world.

"Tenax Energy set about researching how to maximise this natural resource to generate clean, renewable energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions", he said. Mr Major said more than 7000 tidal-energy turbines could be installed to satisfy the power needs of the Asia Pacific region. He said the company wanted to install an array of tidal-energy turbines in the fast-running currents of Clarence Strait. "The Clarence Strait project will supply renewable energy that is invisible, predictable, cost effective and in harmony with the environment", he said. "The generating capability of tidal generators is predictable, with exceptional accuracy many years in advance. "Twice a day, every day, the sea rises and falls... creating powerful and reliable water currents".

Mr Major said the development would go a long way to helping the NT achieve a 20% renewable energy target by 2020. "I am quite excited about the project... the first project of its type in Australia. "With all this growth in the Darwin region in the residential and industrial sectors, we see it as imperative that large-scale, renewable energy generation is made available", he said.

Spanish wind turbine firm Gamesa to triple China investments

www.google.com
20 Sep 2010

MADRID -- Spain's Gamesa, one of the world's top wind turbine manufacturers, said Tuesday it would triple its total investment in China by 2012 to meet rising demand for clean energy there. The company has so far invested a total of 42 million euros (54 million dollars) on facilities in China and it plans to invest over 90 million euros between 2010-2012, bringing its total investment in the country to over 130 million euros, it said in a statement. Gamesa forecasts China will account for over 30% of total sales, compared to 15% last year. "One of Gamesa's goals is to cement its position as one of the top five players in the Chinese wind power industry", Gamesa chairman Jorge Calvet said in the statement.

China wants renewable energy like wind to meet 15% of its energy needs by 2020, double its share in 2005, as it seeks to rein in emissions that have made its cities among the smoggiest on Earth. The country, the world's most populous, nearly doubled its wind power capacity last year with the rollout of 13.7GWs of wind assets, making it the largest wind power market in the world, according to Gamesa. The company said it had broken ground on its sixth manufacturing centre in China, a factory in the province of Inner Mongolia, one of the country's leading hubs for wind power development.

It has another factory under development in Jilin province in northwest China and four manufacturing centres in the province of Tianjin, which is home to the company's largest manufacturing base outside of Spain. When the factories in Jilin and Inner Mongolia come online, Gamesa will have a production capacity in China of 1,500MWs per year. Gamesa also said it had recently agreed to supply two of China's largest power companies, Guangdong Nuclear Wind and Datang Renewable Power, with 1.3GWs of turbines through 2013.

The company did not disclose how much the contracts with the two Chinese firms were worth but French investment bank Societe Generale put the figures at 1.3 billion euros. Gamesa has 30 manufacturing facilities in Europe, the United States. China and India and an international workforce of more than 6,300 people. Shares in Gamesa closed up 9.6% at 5.70 euros, its biggest one-day gain in over a year, on a day which saw the benchmark Ibex-35 index of most traded shares close up 0.38% at 10,806.60 points.

FTSE boots BP out of ethical index

www.businessgreen.com
13 Sep 2010

BP has been kicked out of the FTSE4Good index for ethical companies, the latest but by no means greatest repercussion facing the oil giant in the aftermath of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. FTSE Group confirmed the deletion of BP in its semi-annual review last week, citing the company's poor response to the oil spill, as well as "the environmental and social impact and its history of similar incidents". The deletion is the most recent sanction on BP, which was taken off Dow Chemical Jones' sustainability index and then dropped from Calvert Investments ethical SAGE fund in June.

However, BP was not the only firm to be deleted from the index. FTSE4Good's review also announced plans to evict two construction firms - Morgan Sindall and Taylor Wimpey - for failing to comply with climate change criteria, and said it was deleting a further five companies for not meeting the FTSE4Good human and labour rights criteria. Changes to the index will kick in after the close of the markets on Friday 17 September, said the group.

FTSE4Good is also adding 13 more firms to the list, including Spanish energy giant Iberdrola, which has become the first nuclear power generator to meet FTSE4Good's new nuclear power criteria. Despite the controversy surrounding nuclear power. FTSE4Good said it had decided nuclear power had a "legitimate" but temporary part to play as countries switch to low-carbon energy supplies.

To be eligible to join the index, nuclear power generators have to meet strict criteria on nuclear safety and waste disposal in the areas of policy, management, reporting and performance. "Iberdrola is the only nuclear power generator globally to meet to the new criteria", a FTSE spokeswoman told BusinessGreen.com. "However that doesn't exclude other nuclear power companies from the list. In fact, we'd encourage more to come forward". Of the 12 other firms set to join the FTSE4Good Index, three are from the UK - telco TalkTalk, and landlord groups Grainger and Unite.

Solar power cap to shut out latecomers

Adelaide Advertiser
Tuesday 14/9/2010 Page: 33

THE solar feed-in tariff scheme designed to encourage green energy use is likely to be closed to new entrants by the end of next year, if not earlier, under a proposed limit. The proposed legislation would increase the tariff by 10c, to 54c, but once total installed capacity of solar power units reaches 60MWs, the feed-in tariff to homeowners will end. The Government and ETSA both believe the 60MW limit, which would cover about 44,000 SA households, will be reached rapidly given the current rate of 250 new solar panel installations a week.

About 18,000 SA households and groups are already signed up for the scheme and generate a combined 25MW. The feed-in scheme cannot be some form of a blank cheque. Renewables SA commissioner Tim O'Loughlin said. "There needs to be a balance between encouragement to households and the cost of the scheme", he said. "The idea is to lessen financial disadvantage and build support for early mover households willing to make the financial sacrifice (of installing the system)".

Greens MLC Mark Parnell welcomed the increased tariff bonus and the move to mandate electricity retailer payments to consumers, but said the new limits meant "the Rann Government still regarded solar as a boutique sideline rather than a major energy player". "It will put a stop to the scheme just when it starts to generate real momentum. This short-term thinking artificially creates a boom and bust cycle", Mr Parnell said.

Under the scheme, power suppliers pay participants for the net quantity of power fed into the grid - with the cost actually being borne by other electricity users. Mr O'Loughlin said the scheme was intended to encourage households to become energy self-sufficient and not to generate additional income streams. There is also a 45kW-hour per day cap, which excludes larger installed systems that were part of the original scheme introduced in 2008 legislated to reward users until 2028. Industry player Solar Shop Australia welcomed the added incentive but said the 45kW hour per day cap would limit incentive for commercial scale installations.

"If solar is to be truly embraced by more Australians, there needs to be substantial incentive for the commercial sector to invest in solar technology", Solar Shop Australia founder Adrian Ferraretto said. "There is enormous potential for solar panel manufacturing in Australia if there's a greater demand for large scale solar farms and commercial developments", he said. Solar Depot has been urging regional land owners and businesses to turn unused hectares into large-scale solar farms (10-30kW systems) to benefit from returns in the form of feed-in tariff and Renewable Energy Certificates.

Solar Depot sales manager Danial Walters said 10kW systems were still eligible and would mean regional domestic users could now put in larger systems, and "design it to meet the 45kW hour limit". "The real disadvantage is the 60MW cap", Mr Walters said. "It's going to be a busy year for us, but the overall reality is that people will eventually benefit from producing their own energy instead of taking it from the grid". He also said it was too early for wind power to be included in a tariff scheme.

India's Suzlon plans China expansion as wind-turbine `epicenter' shifts

www.bloomberg.com
Sep 14, 2010

Suzlon Energy Ltd., India's biggest maker of wind-turbine generators, said it plans to expand capacity at its plant in China as that market gains importance and the company returns to profit this financial year. The Ahmedabad-based manufacturer will make turbines capable of generating a combined 1,000MWs in China by 2013. Chairman Tulsi Tanti said yesterday in an interview in Tianjin. China. That's 67% more than the current capacity of 600MWs, which Tanti said will be used fully next year. "In the long term, the epicenter of our industry and our business will move to China", he said. "China will remain the largest market for the next 10 years".

Suzlon Energy joins General Electric Co, and European rivals that are introducing newer technology and opening factories in China, the world's fastest-growing green energy market, as they compete for orders. The country plans to add 18GWs of wind capacity this year, which Bloomberg New Energy Finance estimates is double what's expected in the US, the No. 2 market. "It's a good idea to expand in emerging markets like China", Anuj Upadhyay, a Mumbai-based analyst with Wallfort Financial Services Ltd., said by telephone yesterday. "It doesn't cost much to expand the existing capacity. The country has huge wind power potential".

The Indian turbine maker is looking to form partnerships with Chinese companies to develop offshore wind projects using 5-MW and 6-MW turbines, he said. Orders from China and India may help Suzlon Energy offset slowing orders in Europe after the debt crisis made it difficult to raise funds for renewable energy projects.

Losing Abroad
"We have a good home market", Tanti said. "India is good. China is good, profitability is good. What we were losing was our international operations". Suzlon's loss in the three months ended June 30 doubled as a weaker euro devalued the company's overseas assets, though the company expects to return to profit this financial year. Analysts are not all in agreement. "In view of the company's current order book, it will be difficult for Suzlon to break even this fiscal year", Upadhyay said. Suzlon shares fell 0.7% to 51 rupees in Mumbai trading yesterday.

Tanti said Suzlon isn't selling stakes in its European units, including REpower Systems AG, a German wind turbine maker. Suzlon is in talks to sell as much as a 25% stake in REpower for $500 million, the Economic Times reported on Aug. 16. "It's a strategic investment and we would like to integrate the company", Tanti said. Suzlon held 90% of REpower as of March 31, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Stake Sales
Suzlon won't sell its interest in Hansen Transmissions International NV until it can get a better valuation for the Belgian gearbox maker. Tanti said. "There's no benefit for us at this valuation to sell", Tanti said. "At an appropriate and good and right valuation, we might think of an exit". Suzlon retains a 26% stake in Hansen after selling a 35.2% interest in the company for 224 million pounds on Nov. 19 to help pare debt. Hansen's share price has fallen 50% this year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

World's largest offshore windfarm set to open off Kent coast

www.guardian.co.uk
12 September 2010

The world's largest offshore wind farm, which cost over £750m to build, is poised to open off the coast of Kent, with 100 turbines producing enough electricity to supply heat and light for 200,000 homes. The Thanet facility, which is going through final testing by Vattenfall, its Swedish power company operator, arrives as the National Grid revealed that at one stage last week 10% of the UK's electricity came from wind farms.

But industry experts claim that the wider green revolution needed to meet EU renewable and climate change targets imposed by the European Union is still in danger from proposed spending cuts. Chris Huhne, the energy and climate change secretary, will open the facility, which is 12km off Foreness Point, on 23 September.

The Thanet farm, which will be able to produce 300MW of electricity, will be the biggest offshore facility of its kind until the even larger London Array, which has an eventual goal of 340 turbines, is completed. It will dwarf the nearby Kentish Flats facility off Whitstable, also run by Vattenfall and using similar Vestas turbines.

Excitement about the potential for wind was heightened last week when the grid put out a statement that over a 24-hour period up to 10% of electricity came from wind and 4% from hydro. Maria McCaffery, chief executive of RenewableUK, said the figures underscored the contention that wind and renewables were no longer "alternative" but core parts of the power sector.

"We are expecting to see the contribution of electricity from wind gradually increase over the next decade, to around 30% of the UK's total consumption. This news confirms that not only are the wind farms we have built so far starting to deliver, but that UK wind farm yields are the best in Europe, and comparable with established technologies such as hydro", she said.

Richard Fearnall of wind power developer West Coast Energy said it "put to bed the myth" that wind power is not a vital part of the mix in achieving energy security and meeting our renewable targets. "Let's hope that the landowners, potential neighbours of new schemes and, in particular, local planning authorities are the ones who are most encouraged by the news and that they will actively help the UK towards our legally-binding 2020 target of generating 15% of our energy from renewable resources, much of which will be wind-generated".

But the euphoria was dampened by Lord Turner, chairman of the government's committee on climate change, who has written to Huhne, warning that a "step change" is needed if Britain is to meet its target of generating 15% of energy - not just electricity - from renewable sources by 2020. The UK generates only 3% on an annual basis, although last week's figure from the Grid shows that - on a temporary basis at least - that figure can be much higher.

The government is considering whether to cut grants such as the £60m earmarked to help construct port infrastructure that would be needed to support further North Sea wind farms. Turbine makers such as Siemens have indicated that a cut could influence their plans to build plants in the UK.

Critics hit Great Lakes nuclear waste plan

www.upi.com
Sept. 11, 2010

DETROIT. Sept. 11 (UPI) -- A plan to ship 16 steam generators -- with nuclear waste inside -- on the Detroit River and the Great Lakes has raised international outrage, authorities said. Residents on the U.S, and Canadian sides of the waterways are alarmed by the plan to ship the generators, each the size of a city bus, from a nuclear power plant in Canada to a recycling plant in Sweden. The Detroit News reported Saturday. An accident could contaminate the lakes, a source of drinking water in the region, environmentalists and elected officials said. "It's a bad idea", Michael Keegan, chairman of the Coalition for a Nuclear Free Great Lakes, said. "It sets a dangerous precedent".

U.S, and Canadian towns along the proposed route are angry they were never told about the plan, and three Canadian mayors and two Michigan state legislators say they are opposed to the shipment. "The Great Lakes are a tremendous economic engine for the state", state Rep. Sarah Roberts. D-St. Clair Shores, said. "I just don't think we should support any kind of threat that would harm a single job". After weeks of criticism the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, which originally didn't plan to seek public input on the proposal, has scheduled a public hearing for Sept. 29, the News reported.

Kuwait to build four nuclear reactors by 2022-KUNA

af.reuters.com
Sep 11, 2010

DUBAI. Sept 11 (Reuters) - Kuwait, the world's No. 4 oil exporter, has decided to build four nuclear reactors by 2022, each with a capacity of 1,000MWs, a senior nuclear power official was quoted as saying on Saturday. State news agency KUNA quoted the secretary general of Kuwait's National Nuclear Energy Committee. Ahmad Bishara, as saying several options to develop the nuclear sector were being considered and a general plan would be issued in January. Bishara also said Kuwait was in discussions with international partners to find a suitable mix for producing nuclear power over the next 20 years. The initial analysis, he was quoted as saying, showed that nuclear power was a viable option if oil prices remained above $45-$50 a barrel.

Bishara signed a cooperation agreement in Japan this week to expand nuclear capacity in the Gulf nation, raising the prospect of lucrative deals for Japanese companies. Kuwait signed a nuclear cooperation agreement with France in April. Electricity demand in Kuwait is expected to grow 7% per year. Bishara added. The OPEC member has recently been asking for more assurances from Iran about the safety of the Bushehr nuclear power reactor which Tehran has started fuelling up, as it fears the plant could pollute Gulf waters. Kuwait is looking to boost oil output capacity to 4 million barrels a day (bpd) by 2020 and gas output to 4 billion cubic feet per day (cfd) by 2030. It has relied on oil exports for more than 90% of state revenues. Current oil production capacity is 3.1 million bpd.

Coal station deal raises eyebrows - Chinese company signs contract

Age
Monday 13/9/2010 Page: 7

A CHINESE company has signed a contract to build a coal fired power station in the Latrobe Valley, despite concerns about the plant's greenhouse gas emissions. State-owned China National Electric Equipment Corporation announced it had signed an engineering, procurement and construction contract with Melbourne coal technology company HRL for the $750 million-plus plant. The announcement, published in the China Daily and confirmed yesterday by HRL, comes as the company continues to seek environmental approval for the station, which would use new gasification technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from burning coal.

The Age believes an HRL subsidiary. Dual Gas, has submitted a revamped application to build the Morwell plant with the state's Environment Protection Authority. An initial application was withdrawn last month after the company was warned the proposal failed to meet emissions standards for new power plants announced in July. Premier John Brumby set a limit of 0.8 tonnes of CO2 perMW hour of energy generated, effectively banning new power stations using traditional brown coal technology.

HRL had estimated its plant would have average emissions of between 0.78 and 0.89 tonnes perMW hour approximately equivalent to a modern black coal power plant. It is believed the company's new application will comply with the 0.8 tonnes limit, possibly by using less synthetic gas derived from coal and more natural gas than initially planned. The China Daily described the 600-MW HRL plant as the first power station set up by a Chinese company in a developed country, and the "largest clean energy power project by lignite [brown coal] gasification technology by far".

But environmentalists have criticised the plant and the state government, accusing it of introducing emissions standards that fail to back up its commitment to limit pollution contributing to global warming. The average emissions intensity of power stations across wealthy nations is about half the Victorian standard about 0.45 tonnes of gas perMW hour. Originally promised to start operating in 2009, the HRL demonstration plant has been continually delayed despite $150 million backing from the federal and state governments.

HRL declined to comment on the new application. If the EPA agrees to accept it, the application will be posted online and a call issued for public submissions. Friends of the Earth campaigns co-ordinator Cam Walker said Mr Brumby must intervene to stop the plant being built if the state was to reach its target of a 20% cut in emissions by 2020. "We know they don't know how they are going to get to 20% at this point, and they are going to need every tonne [of CO2] they can find in terms of mitigation", he said. Business groups have backed the development of new, lower emissions coal plants as vital to secure the energy supply.

Lithuania invites bids for nuclear power plant to cut Russia dependence

www.bloomberg.com
Sep 10, 2010

Lithuania invited investors to bid on building a nuclear power plant to reduce the Baltic country's dependency on energy imports from Russia. Pre-selected bidders have until November to make binding offers, while the government wants to have a partner selected by the end of the year, the Vilnius-based Energy Ministry said in an e-mailed statement today. Lithuania wants to replace the Soviet-made Ignalina facility that was shut in December to comply with pre-accession commitments to the European Union. The country, which imports almost 50% of its electricity supplies, wants to complete the atomic power plant in Visaginas between 2018 and 2020. The government said in February it shortlisted five companies it declined to name to invest in and build the power station, which may cost as much as 5 billion euros ($6.4 billion). Iberdrola SA, Spain's largest electricity supplier, said in May it was one of the finalists.

Germany, utilities agree new levy in nuclear deal

www.reuters.com
Sep 9, 2010

The German government and energy suppliers have agreed utilities will pay a charge of 9 euros perMW hour from 2017 as part of a deal on the extension of nuclear power, a ministry document seen by Reuters showed. The charge will follow the expiry of Germany's nuclear fuel rod tax and proceeds will go into a special government fund for investment in energy efficiency and renewable energy, according to the Environment Ministry document. Germany's centre-right ruling coalition ended months of division on Sunday by agreeing the country's 17 nuclear power plants should operate longer than planned, giving reactors an extension of about 12 years on average.

North to be wired with $685m in clean power

Courier Mail
Friday 10/9/2010 Page: 38

PRIME Minister Julia Gillard has pledged up to $685 million in funding for renewable energy projects in north Queensland. Kennedy MP Bob Katter secured Labor and Coalition support for a transmission line between Townsville and Mount Isa that would link the northwest to the eastern grid. It would help bring online solar, wind and other climate-safe sources of electricity. The State Government has left up to major energy-using companies such as miners Xstrata and BHP Billiton a decision on whether to support a transmission line and its renewable power projects or opt for new gasfired power from state-owned CS Energy or APA Group.

Ms Gillard, in a letter to Mr Katter on Wednesday after his decision on Tuesday to back the Coalition, said her Government would provide up to $335 million to help build the $1 billion transmission link CopperString project of partners Leighton Holdings Contractors and CuString. That is conditional on the project completing feasibility studies, consideration by Infrastructure Australia and a decision by the major energy-using companies that the link is their preferred option. Ms Gillard said Labor "will ensure the link is the first project assessed" under a $1 billion Connecting Renewables initiative.

Labor will provide up to $185 million for the transmission line from 2012 to 2017, with payments subject to agreed milestones. And it will provide additional funding of up to $150 million over three years if the project takes longer than expected to achieve market load growth. The Government will also provide $2 million upfront to develop renewable energy projects along the line to pre-feasibility stage. Ms Gillard said Labor would provide up to $350 million to build a large-scale solar generation plant along the transmission line, from a new round of a program to help build large-scale solar plants.

Labor will open a new round of applications in 2012-13. She said the State Government would be invited to make an application to the program for up to $350 million to be used to build a large-scale solar plant along the clean energy link. Local councils want the renewable power plants because they will create jobs and help protect the region from the pain of rising gas and coal prices. Solar developers expect largescale solar power to achieve grid parity with fossil fuel power, possibly next year.