Age
Tuesday 19/10/2010 Page: 5
AUSTRALIA lags far behind China and Europe in forcing industry to pay for its greenhouse gas emissions, according to research that will bolster the case for a carbon price.
A comparison of international climate policies found Australia is doing less than most of its major trading parties including the US and Japan to encourage a shift to a cleaner energy supply. Commissioned by the Climate Institute Australia, the study challenges claims from the federal opposition and some business groups that Australia will damage the economy if it introduces a carbon price via a tax or emissions trading scheme.
Australia's climate policies, such as the national renewable energy target, were found to be equivalent to forcing the power industry to pay $US1.70 ($A1.71) per tonne of CO2. By contrast, China has an underlying carbon price on its power sector of $US14.20 eight times higher. China's policies include the forced shutdown of its worst-performing coal-fired power stations, and the world's largest renewable energy program $US35 billion invested last year, compared with $US18 billion in the US. It is considering a carbon trading scheme.
Britain ($US29.30 a tonne), the US ($US5.10) and Japan (SU53.10) were each found to be ahead of Australia in encouraging a shift to cleaner power. Climate Institute Australia deputy chief executive Erwin Jackson said the world-first research showed companies in Asia and Europe were making a strategic decision to move ahead to reap the benefits of creating new jobs and industries in clean energy.
The report by British consultant Vivid Economics backs studies that have found a direct carbon price through a trading scheme or tax is the cheapest way to reduce emissions, and warns that Australia risks losing competitiveness if it is late in embracing clean technology. Economist and government adviser Ross Garnaut recently said convincing Australians how much other countries particularly China were doing to tackle climate change was one of the most important challenges facing the government.
"I am frankly shocked at how persistent the ignorance in Australia is of that", Professor Garnaut said. "It is as if a lead veil had been inserted around the brains of most Australians and made them impervious to information that is not secret, about what is going on in other countries". The Vivid analysis found Britain's high implied carbon price was due to the European emissions trading scheme, the British tax on fossil fuel power generation and its renewable energy target. In the US, the implied carbon price has been driven mainly by tax credits to encourage investment in renewable energy. The US Senate has rejected emissions trading.
Thursday, 21 October 2010
Transfield chases $300m in contracts
Adelaide Advertiser
Tuesday 19/10/2010 Page: 31
Transfield Services is bidding for about $300 million worth of contracts in South Australia, and is determined to raise its public profile. The diversified services provider employs about 1700 people in SA. However, it has generally flown under the radar. In a bid to rectify this, and to tap into the state's burgeoning economy, Transfield Services has set up its first state manager position in the nation here, which has been filled by general manager Adam Machon. The company is also consolidating its office workforce to a new site on South Tce, which managing director Peter Goode believes will help it attract staff.
Dr Goode himself is an SA expat, with a long career in oil and gas with companies such as Santos and Schlumberger. He is keen to see the brain drain from SA reversed, and says the company already has a number of staff who have returned because of the opportunities now available in SA. Transfield Services, which has operations globally in countries including Chile, Dubai, Qatar and the US, operates eight major contracts in SA already.
It has contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars with the Australian Rail Track Corporation, does work for rail company Genesee and Wyoming Australia, maintenance and capital works for Santos in the Cooper Basin, and coating work on the Collins class submarines for ASC. It also owns wind farm assets such as the Starfish Hill wind farm near Cape Jervois through the Transfield Services Infrastructure Fund, and has three other sites it might develop in the future.
Dr Goode says it is no mistake that SA was chosen as the site for the company to start raising its profile. He said he was shocked that the company was not better known here. 'We feel there's a lot of opportunity in this state, particularly around mining, but also around renewable energy", Dr Goode said. "We would like to be on a path across our business where we have recurring double-digit growth. "Once we get through the current economic environment we can get back to... sustained double digit growth and we'd like to see that in South Australia as well. "We do see South Australia as a particularly good destination for investment bias at the moment because of the opportunities that the state presents".
Dr Goode could not go into details about the contracts the company was bidding for, but said the company would be hiring "substantial" numbers of new employees depending on how successful these bids were. The company would be looking for people across the professions and trades and also had an indigenous employment program, Dr Goode said. It was reported this month that Transfield Services had already locked in $1.1 billion worth of contracts in the first quarter of the financial year, and it had contracted more than 80% of its forecast revenues.
Tuesday 19/10/2010 Page: 31
Transfield Services is bidding for about $300 million worth of contracts in South Australia, and is determined to raise its public profile. The diversified services provider employs about 1700 people in SA. However, it has generally flown under the radar. In a bid to rectify this, and to tap into the state's burgeoning economy, Transfield Services has set up its first state manager position in the nation here, which has been filled by general manager Adam Machon. The company is also consolidating its office workforce to a new site on South Tce, which managing director Peter Goode believes will help it attract staff.
Dr Goode himself is an SA expat, with a long career in oil and gas with companies such as Santos and Schlumberger. He is keen to see the brain drain from SA reversed, and says the company already has a number of staff who have returned because of the opportunities now available in SA. Transfield Services, which has operations globally in countries including Chile, Dubai, Qatar and the US, operates eight major contracts in SA already.
It has contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars with the Australian Rail Track Corporation, does work for rail company Genesee and Wyoming Australia, maintenance and capital works for Santos in the Cooper Basin, and coating work on the Collins class submarines for ASC. It also owns wind farm assets such as the Starfish Hill wind farm near Cape Jervois through the Transfield Services Infrastructure Fund, and has three other sites it might develop in the future.
Dr Goode says it is no mistake that SA was chosen as the site for the company to start raising its profile. He said he was shocked that the company was not better known here. 'We feel there's a lot of opportunity in this state, particularly around mining, but also around renewable energy", Dr Goode said. "We would like to be on a path across our business where we have recurring double-digit growth. "Once we get through the current economic environment we can get back to... sustained double digit growth and we'd like to see that in South Australia as well. "We do see South Australia as a particularly good destination for investment bias at the moment because of the opportunities that the state presents".
Dr Goode could not go into details about the contracts the company was bidding for, but said the company would be hiring "substantial" numbers of new employees depending on how successful these bids were. The company would be looking for people across the professions and trades and also had an indigenous employment program, Dr Goode said. It was reported this month that Transfield Services had already locked in $1.1 billion worth of contracts in the first quarter of the financial year, and it had contracted more than 80% of its forecast revenues.
Community ownership could herald a gust of green power.
Sunday Age
Sunday 17/10/2010 Page: 6
Australia's first community-owned wind farm. The Hepburn Community Wind Park Co-operative held its official ground-breaking ceremony last week at Leonard's Hill, 10 kilometres south of Daylesford. Vicki Horrigan, a director of Hepburn Wind, says the turbines should be ready and rotating by mid-2011. "It's over five years since the local community here had the idea. And now we're building a project worth just under $13 million".
The wind farm comprises two turbines with a combined capacity of
4.1MWs. They will be built by German company REpower Systems AG and connected to the grid. "The turbines are estimated to produce about 12,200MW hours each year", Ms Horrigan says. "That's enough to power 2300 homes, which is more than the number of households here in Daylesford and Hepburn Springs". Hepburn Wind was set up as a cooperative.
Membership is open to all Victorians, but there's a lower minimum investment threshold for locals. All members get one vote, regardless of the size of their shareholding. Once they're whirling, the turbines will generate a return for members and contribute funding for local projects. "The structure has been a real bonus for engaging the local community because they can see the idea came from here and they can participate in it easily" Ms Horrigan says. "It's a good financial model, but it's also a good philosophical model it's socially responsible investment.
People often feel powerless about climate change on a global scale. This project shows that local communities can set up systems that really go towards making ourselves sustainable". Precinct-scale power generation can also be much more efficient than a house-by-house approach. The Hepburn wind turbines will cost far less per household in the area than a comparable rollout of rooftop solar photovoltaic panels. The group's success has turned heads. "We get a couple of requests every week from other communities wanting to find out about what we're doing and how they could start something similar", Ms Horrigan says.
There's a lot of advice to pass on. Among the thorniest impediments have been raising the capital, estimating costs and gaining planning approval. For this reason, a spin-off organisation, called Embark, has been founded to support other communities through the process. Embark's executive director, Mary Dougherty says the organisation is already in contact with about 10 groups, including some working on proposals for mini-hydro and solar schemes, as well as wind turbines. "We're trying to break down the steps involved and provide practical advice and templates, like business plans, financial models and landholder lease agreements. It's much easier than starting with a blank slate".
There are scores of articles on the Embark website, covering everything from the ins-and-outs of the energy market, to how to run effective public meetings, together with case studies from both here and abroad. In Denmark, co-operatives own more than a quarter of the country's wind farms. "In the European countries where these community projects started out, they have a far greater uptake of renewable energy overall. These small projects lead to large ones", Ms Dougherty says. "In 10 years, we'd love to have started 100 projects. Through all the investors, that translates to about a million people who are exposed to the benefits of renewable energy first hand. That's really powerful".
Sunday 17/10/2010 Page: 6
Australia's first community-owned wind farm. The Hepburn Community Wind Park Co-operative held its official ground-breaking ceremony last week at Leonard's Hill, 10 kilometres south of Daylesford. Vicki Horrigan, a director of Hepburn Wind, says the turbines should be ready and rotating by mid-2011. "It's over five years since the local community here had the idea. And now we're building a project worth just under $13 million".
The wind farm comprises two turbines with a combined capacity of
4.1MWs. They will be built by German company REpower Systems AG and connected to the grid. "The turbines are estimated to produce about 12,200MW hours each year", Ms Horrigan says. "That's enough to power 2300 homes, which is more than the number of households here in Daylesford and Hepburn Springs". Hepburn Wind was set up as a cooperative.
Membership is open to all Victorians, but there's a lower minimum investment threshold for locals. All members get one vote, regardless of the size of their shareholding. Once they're whirling, the turbines will generate a return for members and contribute funding for local projects. "The structure has been a real bonus for engaging the local community because they can see the idea came from here and they can participate in it easily" Ms Horrigan says. "It's a good financial model, but it's also a good philosophical model it's socially responsible investment.
People often feel powerless about climate change on a global scale. This project shows that local communities can set up systems that really go towards making ourselves sustainable". Precinct-scale power generation can also be much more efficient than a house-by-house approach. The Hepburn wind turbines will cost far less per household in the area than a comparable rollout of rooftop solar photovoltaic panels. The group's success has turned heads. "We get a couple of requests every week from other communities wanting to find out about what we're doing and how they could start something similar", Ms Horrigan says.
There's a lot of advice to pass on. Among the thorniest impediments have been raising the capital, estimating costs and gaining planning approval. For this reason, a spin-off organisation, called Embark, has been founded to support other communities through the process. Embark's executive director, Mary Dougherty says the organisation is already in contact with about 10 groups, including some working on proposals for mini-hydro and solar schemes, as well as wind turbines. "We're trying to break down the steps involved and provide practical advice and templates, like business plans, financial models and landholder lease agreements. It's much easier than starting with a blank slate".
There are scores of articles on the Embark website, covering everything from the ins-and-outs of the energy market, to how to run effective public meetings, together with case studies from both here and abroad. In Denmark, co-operatives own more than a quarter of the country's wind farms. "In the European countries where these community projects started out, they have a far greater uptake of renewable energy overall. These small projects lead to large ones", Ms Dougherty says. "In 10 years, we'd love to have started 100 projects. Through all the investors, that translates to about a million people who are exposed to the benefits of renewable energy first hand. That's really powerful".
Wednesday, 20 October 2010
'Return power GST to the poor'
Australian
Friday 15/10/2010 Page: 1
AUSTRALIA'S biggest energy retailer is demanding governments siphon part of an estimated $550 million yearly GST windfall from skyrocketing electricity prices into rebates for low-income households. In landmark modelling obtained exclusively by The Australian, AGL Energy finds that soaring power prices could lead to a GST windfall of between $400m and $550m a year from NSW and Queensland 'Return power GST to the poor' alone within five years.
The price increases threaten to tip 343,902 households in those states into "fuel poverty", where they are spending about 10% of their disposable income on electricity, according to the new research. AGL Energy chief economist Paul Simshauser urged Australia's governments to earmark a "significant" share of the extra GST raised from higher electricity prices into assistance measures such as rebates paid directly on to customer bills.
"If you accept that we have a large group of vulnerable households who will be exposed to fuel poverty, then you need to act on it and that is an important function and role of government in any society", Professor Simshauser said. "We have identified a significant windfall in GST revenue as energy prices rise in the next few years and it seems that's a logical starting point when considering how best to provide a safety net for the most vulnerable".
The company also wants federally commissioned modelling on the likely impact of electricity prices on low-income households, the creation of a national energy hardship committee to advise governments, and an "essential service credit" to help households upgrade to energy-efficient appliances. The push was backed by welfare groups, who warned that cost-of-living pressures would continue to mount.
Queensland Council of Social Service president Karyn Walsh backed tapping the GST pool to help vulnerable consumers. "It's important to look at all options", Ms Walsh said. "But we think it's essential that governments at every level really understand the higher cost of living". She pointed to rising costs for housing, food and transport. "We are talking about what will be the tipping point for people. It's not something that's going to be solved by telling people to budget better".
St Vincent de Paul policy and research manager Gavin Dufty described the GST on essential services as the "gorilla in the room that nobody is talking about". "The states have to make a statement about what they are going to do with that additional revenue", Mr Dufty said. The GST pool is carved up between the states and the federal government's insistence on seizing some of it back in return for health reform earlier this year was initially resisted by key states, particularly Western Australia.
The AGL Energy research found that power bills for a typical household in Sydney and Brisbane would rise from averages of $1076 a year in 2008 to about $2289 in 2015. Over that time, the GST paid by NSW and Queensland customers on their power bills would increase from about $410m in 2008 to between $880m and $1.04 billion, according to the research, which Professor Simshauser stressed did assume the price rises triggered no fundamental changes in other household expenditure.
Significantly, the work concludes that climate change and renewable energy policies would have a relatively minor impact on bills compared to other cost pressures. The big drivers of the price increases were multi-billion dollar upgrades to the energy network, which was built decades ago and needs work to meet the growing peak demand caused by energy-guzzling air conditioners.
As well, the coal and gas that fuel electricity generators are also getting more expensive as commodities producers pursue lucrative exports to Asia, while there has been a switch from cheap coal to gas electricity generation technology. Constructing new power plants also is becoming more expensive. These findings are likely to add to business pressure on Julia Gillard to put a price on carbon.
Treasury's "red book" brief to the government warned that further delays to a carbon price would be "more costly and disruptive" and would increase uncertainty over investment in new power stations. BHP Billiton chief executive Marius Kloppers last month insisted the government should impose a carbon tax before an international agreement, while last week Wesfarmers and Boral chairman Bob Every said a carbon price was inevitable.
Earlier this week, the Energy Users Association of Australia, whose members include Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton, warned that almost all supermarket goods would become more expensive. AGL Energy's findings also undermine Tony Abbott's insistence that a carbon price would be a "big bad tax".
Professor Simshauser, who is also a finance professor at Griffith University's business school and led the modelling, said that energy companies wanted to see a price put on carbon to give them certainty to invest. "When you're sick, the faster you take the medicine, the better", Professor Simshauser said. Without a carbon price, "nobody is going to let the lights go out", he said. Instead, to maintain a reliable electricity supply, companies would construct so-called "peaking plants", which are cheap to build but very expensive to run.
"When you stack end-to-end all of the cost pressures in the industry, the one thing that the numbers bear out very clearly is that prices are going to double without carbon", Professor Simshauser said. "When you put carbon onto that, the impact of it is not that significant at all". AGL Energy also wants other sector specific reforms, including a shift to much greater time-of-use pricing where utilities charge more during peak periods than during off-peak or shoulder times. Scrapping price controls which exist in all states except Victoria would encourage energy efficiency, he said.
Friday 15/10/2010 Page: 1
AUSTRALIA'S biggest energy retailer is demanding governments siphon part of an estimated $550 million yearly GST windfall from skyrocketing electricity prices into rebates for low-income households. In landmark modelling obtained exclusively by The Australian, AGL Energy finds that soaring power prices could lead to a GST windfall of between $400m and $550m a year from NSW and Queensland 'Return power GST to the poor' alone within five years.
The price increases threaten to tip 343,902 households in those states into "fuel poverty", where they are spending about 10% of their disposable income on electricity, according to the new research. AGL Energy chief economist Paul Simshauser urged Australia's governments to earmark a "significant" share of the extra GST raised from higher electricity prices into assistance measures such as rebates paid directly on to customer bills.
"If you accept that we have a large group of vulnerable households who will be exposed to fuel poverty, then you need to act on it and that is an important function and role of government in any society", Professor Simshauser said. "We have identified a significant windfall in GST revenue as energy prices rise in the next few years and it seems that's a logical starting point when considering how best to provide a safety net for the most vulnerable".
The company also wants federally commissioned modelling on the likely impact of electricity prices on low-income households, the creation of a national energy hardship committee to advise governments, and an "essential service credit" to help households upgrade to energy-efficient appliances. The push was backed by welfare groups, who warned that cost-of-living pressures would continue to mount.
Queensland Council of Social Service president Karyn Walsh backed tapping the GST pool to help vulnerable consumers. "It's important to look at all options", Ms Walsh said. "But we think it's essential that governments at every level really understand the higher cost of living". She pointed to rising costs for housing, food and transport. "We are talking about what will be the tipping point for people. It's not something that's going to be solved by telling people to budget better".
St Vincent de Paul policy and research manager Gavin Dufty described the GST on essential services as the "gorilla in the room that nobody is talking about". "The states have to make a statement about what they are going to do with that additional revenue", Mr Dufty said. The GST pool is carved up between the states and the federal government's insistence on seizing some of it back in return for health reform earlier this year was initially resisted by key states, particularly Western Australia.
The AGL Energy research found that power bills for a typical household in Sydney and Brisbane would rise from averages of $1076 a year in 2008 to about $2289 in 2015. Over that time, the GST paid by NSW and Queensland customers on their power bills would increase from about $410m in 2008 to between $880m and $1.04 billion, according to the research, which Professor Simshauser stressed did assume the price rises triggered no fundamental changes in other household expenditure.
Significantly, the work concludes that climate change and renewable energy policies would have a relatively minor impact on bills compared to other cost pressures. The big drivers of the price increases were multi-billion dollar upgrades to the energy network, which was built decades ago and needs work to meet the growing peak demand caused by energy-guzzling air conditioners.
As well, the coal and gas that fuel electricity generators are also getting more expensive as commodities producers pursue lucrative exports to Asia, while there has been a switch from cheap coal to gas electricity generation technology. Constructing new power plants also is becoming more expensive. These findings are likely to add to business pressure on Julia Gillard to put a price on carbon.
Treasury's "red book" brief to the government warned that further delays to a carbon price would be "more costly and disruptive" and would increase uncertainty over investment in new power stations. BHP Billiton chief executive Marius Kloppers last month insisted the government should impose a carbon tax before an international agreement, while last week Wesfarmers and Boral chairman Bob Every said a carbon price was inevitable.
Earlier this week, the Energy Users Association of Australia, whose members include Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton, warned that almost all supermarket goods would become more expensive. AGL Energy's findings also undermine Tony Abbott's insistence that a carbon price would be a "big bad tax".
Professor Simshauser, who is also a finance professor at Griffith University's business school and led the modelling, said that energy companies wanted to see a price put on carbon to give them certainty to invest. "When you're sick, the faster you take the medicine, the better", Professor Simshauser said. Without a carbon price, "nobody is going to let the lights go out", he said. Instead, to maintain a reliable electricity supply, companies would construct so-called "peaking plants", which are cheap to build but very expensive to run.
"When you stack end-to-end all of the cost pressures in the industry, the one thing that the numbers bear out very clearly is that prices are going to double without carbon", Professor Simshauser said. "When you put carbon onto that, the impact of it is not that significant at all". AGL Energy also wants other sector specific reforms, including a shift to much greater time-of-use pricing where utilities charge more during peak periods than during off-peak or shoulder times. Scrapping price controls which exist in all states except Victoria would encourage energy efficiency, he said.
Rapanui win highly commended award at the RSPCA Good Business Awards
www.rapanuiclothing.com
Mon, 18 Oct 2010
Rapanui has won a highly commended prize at the annual RSPCA good business awards for their contribution to sustainability, animal welfare policy and for fulfilling their ethos of 'doing business the right way'.
The brand, founded by brothers Mart and Rob Drake-Knight in early 2008 aims to make eco fashion cool and to inspire people to make changes to their wider lifestyle by being open and honest about their supply chain. In response to the current state of the clothing industry they say that "It's not that people don't care, it's just that they don't know" and have designed an innovative Traceability tool and Eco-labelling initiative, aiming to inform and inspire people to go green by making it easy to find out where their clothing comes from and how it is made, "helping people shop quickly, with a conscience".
The RSPCA chooses expert judges for their awards ceremony, including Wayne Hemmingway, co-founder of Red or Dead. "...there is a real commitment within the industry to improve animal welfare, and it's reassuring to see big brands at the forefront of this change". Mr. Hemmingway said.
The brothers have already won the 2010 Sustainable Business Awards, a finals place at Enterprise UK's Enterprising Young Brits and a nomination for next year's ISPO Brand New Award. They hope their recognition at the RSPCA Good Business Awards will inspire other young people to consider entrepreneurship. Now 25 and 23 respectively, Rob and Martin Drake-Knight founded their company with £200 of savings and are now listed on the Future 100 list of top young entrepreneurs.
"We hope our business can inspire other young people, even if they have no job and no money, that they can be a success too - whether you wear a suit or flip flops"
Find out more about traceability and Rapanui
Mon, 18 Oct 2010
The brand, founded by brothers Mart and Rob Drake-Knight in early 2008 aims to make eco fashion cool and to inspire people to make changes to their wider lifestyle by being open and honest about their supply chain. In response to the current state of the clothing industry they say that "It's not that people don't care, it's just that they don't know" and have designed an innovative Traceability tool and Eco-labelling initiative, aiming to inform and inspire people to go green by making it easy to find out where their clothing comes from and how it is made, "helping people shop quickly, with a conscience".
The RSPCA chooses expert judges for their awards ceremony, including Wayne Hemmingway, co-founder of Red or Dead. "...there is a real commitment within the industry to improve animal welfare, and it's reassuring to see big brands at the forefront of this change". Mr. Hemmingway said.
The brothers have already won the 2010 Sustainable Business Awards, a finals place at Enterprise UK's Enterprising Young Brits and a nomination for next year's ISPO Brand New Award. They hope their recognition at the RSPCA Good Business Awards will inspire other young people to consider entrepreneurship. Now 25 and 23 respectively, Rob and Martin Drake-Knight founded their company with £200 of savings and are now listed on the Future 100 list of top young entrepreneurs.
"We hope our business can inspire other young people, even if they have no job and no money, that they can be a success too - whether you wear a suit or flip flops"
Find out more about traceability and Rapanui
Hydrogen Highway, fuel cell buses coming
www.hartfordbusiness.com
Thu, 14 Oct 2010
Connecticut's stake in the hydrogen fuel-cell industry will be showcased Friday as two separate events will feature the state's commitment to the renewable energy. At 10 a.m, in Wallingford, Proton Energy Systems and sister company SunHydro will break ground on the first fueling station in its Hydrogen Highway, a stretch of locales from Maine to Miami where fuel-cell cars can refuel with hydrogen. At 10 a.m, in Hartford, CT Transit will unveil four new fuel-cell powered buses from South Windsor-based UTC Power. The addition of four 40-foot transit buses gives Hartford the biggest hydrogen bus fleet outside of San Francisco. The CT Transit event is open to the public; the Hydrogen Highway groundbreaking is by invitation only.
Thu, 14 Oct 2010
Connecticut's stake in the hydrogen fuel-cell industry will be showcased Friday as two separate events will feature the state's commitment to the renewable energy. At 10 a.m, in Wallingford, Proton Energy Systems and sister company SunHydro will break ground on the first fueling station in its Hydrogen Highway, a stretch of locales from Maine to Miami where fuel-cell cars can refuel with hydrogen. At 10 a.m, in Hartford, CT Transit will unveil four new fuel-cell powered buses from South Windsor-based UTC Power. The addition of four 40-foot transit buses gives Hartford the biggest hydrogen bus fleet outside of San Francisco. The CT Transit event is open to the public; the Hydrogen Highway groundbreaking is by invitation only.
Monday, 18 October 2010
Biogas project to provide green energy
vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn
October, 13 2010
HA NOI -- A pilot project to install over 500 biogas generators for households, businesses, farms and small enterprises nationwide is being carried out through next year as part of Toyota Motor Viet Nam's Go Green Programme. The project aims to protect the environment and reduce pollution by using biogas to generate electricity for daily and business use, Toyota representatives told a seminar yesterday in the central city of Da Nang. Farmer Mai Tan Trien of Da Nang's Hoa Vang District, among a number of farmers to participate in the project, said his farm was saving millions of dong from using waste from his chickens to produce biogas to generate electricity.
Deputy Minister of Education and Training Bui Van Ga, who is heading up the biogas scheme, said a kilowatt-hour of power produced from biogas would save 400ml of fuel and cut CO2 emissions by onekg. Toyota Viet Nam general director Akito Tachibana said the pilot project would be expanded to thousands of household businesses and farms in remote and disadvantaged areas by 2012.
October, 13 2010
HA NOI -- A pilot project to install over 500 biogas generators for households, businesses, farms and small enterprises nationwide is being carried out through next year as part of Toyota Motor Viet Nam's Go Green Programme. The project aims to protect the environment and reduce pollution by using biogas to generate electricity for daily and business use, Toyota representatives told a seminar yesterday in the central city of Da Nang. Farmer Mai Tan Trien of Da Nang's Hoa Vang District, among a number of farmers to participate in the project, said his farm was saving millions of dong from using waste from his chickens to produce biogas to generate electricity.
Deputy Minister of Education and Training Bui Van Ga, who is heading up the biogas scheme, said a kilowatt-hour of power produced from biogas would save 400ml of fuel and cut CO2 emissions by onekg. Toyota Viet Nam general director Akito Tachibana said the pilot project would be expanded to thousands of household businesses and farms in remote and disadvantaged areas by 2012.
Google power
Age
Thursday 14/10/2010 Page: 7
INTERNET search engine Google has announced that it is investing in a mammoth project to build an underwater "superhighway for clean energy" that would funnel power from offshore wind farms to 1.9 million homes without overtaxing the already congested mid-Atlantic power grid. The Atlantic Wind Connection calls for spending as much as $US5 billion ($A5.1 billion) to create a 563-kilometre network of underwater cables from New Jersey to Virginia. The grid will have the capacity to transmit 6000MWs of offshore wind power to shore.
Thursday 14/10/2010 Page: 7
INTERNET search engine Google has announced that it is investing in a mammoth project to build an underwater "superhighway for clean energy" that would funnel power from offshore wind farms to 1.9 million homes without overtaxing the already congested mid-Atlantic power grid. The Atlantic Wind Connection calls for spending as much as $US5 billion ($A5.1 billion) to create a 563-kilometre network of underwater cables from New Jersey to Virginia. The grid will have the capacity to transmit 6000MWs of offshore wind power to shore.
Fund gets wind up over carbon
Age
Thursday 14/10/2010 Page: 2
Transfield Services Infrastructure Fund says it will consider all "sensible offers" for its stake in the Loy Yang A coal-fired power station to focus on developing its renewable energy assets. Speaking at the fund's annual meeting yesterday, chief executive Steve MacDonald said the looming introduction of a carbon price was weighing on the fund's share price. TSI owns significant power and renewable-energy infrastructure, including a stake in Collinsville Power Station in Queensland.
The fund yesterday announced a $8.6 million net increase to its 2011 earnings guidance to $104 million after the successful concession extension and refinancing of its Macarthur water-filtration plant. "If there is carbon legislation hanging over these, it will be very difficult to say 'here are the future earnings of these plants'", Mr MacDonald said. TSI's shares closed up 0.050 at 66.5¢ yesterday about a third of its listing price in 2007.
Like most in the energy industry, TSI was keen for a decision on a carbon price, Mr MacDonald said. But he believed that TSI was "substantially protected" from any negative financial impacts of a tax because of the long-term contracts its wholly owned assets held. TSI chairman Peter Young said Loy Yang A, in Traralgon, in which TSI has a 14% stake, was one of the fund's "non-core assets".
Mr Young defended TSI's $28 million loss on the $191 million sale of its Mount Millar wind farm in South Australia in May, saying it was "an accounting treatment". Mr MacDonald said TSI is still intent on expanding its wind farm portfolio, a key element of the fund's long-term growth strategy. TSI reaffirmed its distribution guidance of 8.20 per security at least for the "medium term".
Thursday 14/10/2010 Page: 2
Transfield Services Infrastructure Fund says it will consider all "sensible offers" for its stake in the Loy Yang A coal-fired power station to focus on developing its renewable energy assets. Speaking at the fund's annual meeting yesterday, chief executive Steve MacDonald said the looming introduction of a carbon price was weighing on the fund's share price. TSI owns significant power and renewable-energy infrastructure, including a stake in Collinsville Power Station in Queensland.
The fund yesterday announced a $8.6 million net increase to its 2011 earnings guidance to $104 million after the successful concession extension and refinancing of its Macarthur water-filtration plant. "If there is carbon legislation hanging over these, it will be very difficult to say 'here are the future earnings of these plants'", Mr MacDonald said. TSI's shares closed up 0.050 at 66.5¢ yesterday about a third of its listing price in 2007.
Like most in the energy industry, TSI was keen for a decision on a carbon price, Mr MacDonald said. But he believed that TSI was "substantially protected" from any negative financial impacts of a tax because of the long-term contracts its wholly owned assets held. TSI chairman Peter Young said Loy Yang A, in Traralgon, in which TSI has a 14% stake, was one of the fund's "non-core assets".
Mr Young defended TSI's $28 million loss on the $191 million sale of its Mount Millar wind farm in South Australia in May, saying it was "an accounting treatment". Mr MacDonald said TSI is still intent on expanding its wind farm portfolio, a key element of the fund's long-term growth strategy. TSI reaffirmed its distribution guidance of 8.20 per security at least for the "medium term".
Thursday, 14 October 2010
Daylesford wind farm to open
Herald Sun
Monday 11/10/2010 Page: 18
AUSTRALIA'S first community wind farm will open next year at Leonard's Hill, about 10km south of Daylesford, after five years of planning. More than 250 supporters, including state Environment and Climate Change Minister Gavin Jennings, turned out to the announcement. $8.4 million of the project's funding has come from local residents buying shares in the wind park. A portion of the income made from selling the green energy will go into a community fund. Construction will begin in three weeks, with turbines expected to be erected next Easter, and clean energy to start flowing into the local grid by mid 2011.
Monday 11/10/2010 Page: 18
AUSTRALIA'S first community wind farm will open next year at Leonard's Hill, about 10km south of Daylesford, after five years of planning. More than 250 supporters, including state Environment and Climate Change Minister Gavin Jennings, turned out to the announcement. $8.4 million of the project's funding has come from local residents buying shares in the wind park. A portion of the income made from selling the green energy will go into a community fund. Construction will begin in three weeks, with turbines expected to be erected next Easter, and clean energy to start flowing into the local grid by mid 2011.
Wednesday, 13 October 2010
Blowouts in solar scheme rubbished
Sydney Morning Herald
Friday 8/10/2010 Page: 9
ALLEGED cost blowouts in the NSW government's solar bonus scheme are tiny and will not be noticed by households, say renewable energy experts. The solar bonus scheme was attacked yesterday by the NSW coalition climate change spokeswoman, Catherine Cusack. She said the scheme was a cost bungle by the Keneally government that would ensure a blowout in energy prices for seven years.
But the director for the Institute of Environmental Studies at the University of New South Wales, Mark Diesendorf, said the costs of the scheme were dwarfed by the huge increase in electricity bills necessary to pay for new infrastructure. "They won't be noticed in the noise", he said. Household bills are expected to rise by $250 to $600 a year by 2013 to pay for investment in the electricity network. In comparison, the total cost per household of the solar bonus scheme was initially estimated in a report to ministers at about $7.50 per year.
The chairwoman of the Australian PV Association, Muriel Watt, said solar power offsets the demand for electricity during peak periods, which reduces the need for expensive network infrastructure. "People are getting hysterical about something that is trying to alleviate why those costs are happening in the first place", she said. Opponents of the scheme have criticised it for providing income for the rich those who can afford solar panels at the expense of those who cannot.
But Dr Watt said there was no evidence to indicate that installations are skewed towards those on higher incomes. "It's like saying those who don't have children subsidise those who do. The benefits of reducing our carbon intensity accrue to everybody", she said. By August, more than 30,000 households had signed up to the scheme, attracted by the $1500 a year that a household, with an average 1.5kW solar electricity system, can earn until the end of 2016.
Friday 8/10/2010 Page: 9
ALLEGED cost blowouts in the NSW government's solar bonus scheme are tiny and will not be noticed by households, say renewable energy experts. The solar bonus scheme was attacked yesterday by the NSW coalition climate change spokeswoman, Catherine Cusack. She said the scheme was a cost bungle by the Keneally government that would ensure a blowout in energy prices for seven years.
But the director for the Institute of Environmental Studies at the University of New South Wales, Mark Diesendorf, said the costs of the scheme were dwarfed by the huge increase in electricity bills necessary to pay for new infrastructure. "They won't be noticed in the noise", he said. Household bills are expected to rise by $250 to $600 a year by 2013 to pay for investment in the electricity network. In comparison, the total cost per household of the solar bonus scheme was initially estimated in a report to ministers at about $7.50 per year.
The chairwoman of the Australian PV Association, Muriel Watt, said solar power offsets the demand for electricity during peak periods, which reduces the need for expensive network infrastructure. "People are getting hysterical about something that is trying to alleviate why those costs are happening in the first place", she said. Opponents of the scheme have criticised it for providing income for the rich those who can afford solar panels at the expense of those who cannot.
But Dr Watt said there was no evidence to indicate that installations are skewed towards those on higher incomes. "It's like saying those who don't have children subsidise those who do. The benefits of reducing our carbon intensity accrue to everybody", she said. By August, more than 30,000 households had signed up to the scheme, attracted by the $1500 a year that a household, with an average 1.5kW solar electricity system, can earn until the end of 2016.
Energy-efficiency weather data 30 years old
Australian
Friday 8/10/2010 Page: 1
THE weather data used by the federal government to determine how billions of dollars are spent to make buildings more energy efficient is 30 years out of date and seriously undermines policy objectives to limit climate change, experts have declared. The problems are acknowledged internally by the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency but its senior officers have not released up-to-date weather data, despite repeated pleas over several years from the industry.
The failure to release updated data means that any change in climate affecting Australia's cities, towns and regions since the 1970s was not influencing the development of environmentally friendlier buildings. The weather data, a sophisticated package of climate measurements done by Australia's meteorological networks, is used to determine how buildings should be constructed to achieve optimum energy efficiency. The requirements to improve energy efficiency are widening and becoming more stringent.
One of the latest measures from the Department of Climate Change requires sellers or lessors of office space of more than 2000m² to obtain and disclose "an up-to-date energy-efficiency rating" from November 1. In order to meet the requirements, computer simulations are used to make decisions about appropriate heating, cooling and lighting systems, insulation, glazing and other elements in the building fabric. The impact of using old weather data extends to the design of solar hot water systems, rooftop solar power systems, solar powered cars and wind turbines.
Anything that needs to be engineered based on precise climate data will be potentially affected, according to experts. Murray Mason, a mechanical engineer and industry leader in building services software for calculating energy consumption, said yesterday: "It is an absurd situation.
The climate has changed, but we cannot properly address it in terms of our energy use because we do not have the accurate weather data that would depict how it has changed. The objectives are good in trying to save energy but it has become a lot of window dressing because the data is so out of date it is 30 years old. Decisions about making buildings more energy efficient and the ratings they achieve are being made on inaccurate information".
The Department of Climate Change was severely criticised by the Australian National Audit Office for a litany of breaches, poor planning, budget blow-outs, questionable environmental outcomes and poor briefings to the then minister Peter Garrett. His successor, Greg Combet, declined to address concerns about the data yesterday. Mr Combet's spokesman said: "The minister has asked the department for advice on this matter". Newer weather data has been developed since 2004 by the former Australian Greenhouse Office but this was found to be faulty in key areas during testing by the US Department of Energy. The flawed newer data is also still in use.
Associate Professor Terry Williamson, a University of Adelaide based expert in thermal performance, said it was a serious failure of policy with widespread repercussions that the climate data is not up to date. "Climate data is a fundamental building block in the evaluation of of energy efficiency, but we have a situation where we cannot rely on the data because it is irrelevant in addressing a changing climate", he said. "We have a Department of Climate Change that is ignoring any climate change that may be happening in Australia. Without up-to-date weather data, we do not know whether design and investment decisions involving billions of dollars are being made correctly".
Friday 8/10/2010 Page: 1
THE weather data used by the federal government to determine how billions of dollars are spent to make buildings more energy efficient is 30 years out of date and seriously undermines policy objectives to limit climate change, experts have declared. The problems are acknowledged internally by the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency but its senior officers have not released up-to-date weather data, despite repeated pleas over several years from the industry.
The failure to release updated data means that any change in climate affecting Australia's cities, towns and regions since the 1970s was not influencing the development of environmentally friendlier buildings. The weather data, a sophisticated package of climate measurements done by Australia's meteorological networks, is used to determine how buildings should be constructed to achieve optimum energy efficiency. The requirements to improve energy efficiency are widening and becoming more stringent.
One of the latest measures from the Department of Climate Change requires sellers or lessors of office space of more than 2000m² to obtain and disclose "an up-to-date energy-efficiency rating" from November 1. In order to meet the requirements, computer simulations are used to make decisions about appropriate heating, cooling and lighting systems, insulation, glazing and other elements in the building fabric. The impact of using old weather data extends to the design of solar hot water systems, rooftop solar power systems, solar powered cars and wind turbines.
Anything that needs to be engineered based on precise climate data will be potentially affected, according to experts. Murray Mason, a mechanical engineer and industry leader in building services software for calculating energy consumption, said yesterday: "It is an absurd situation.
The climate has changed, but we cannot properly address it in terms of our energy use because we do not have the accurate weather data that would depict how it has changed. The objectives are good in trying to save energy but it has become a lot of window dressing because the data is so out of date it is 30 years old. Decisions about making buildings more energy efficient and the ratings they achieve are being made on inaccurate information".
The Department of Climate Change was severely criticised by the Australian National Audit Office for a litany of breaches, poor planning, budget blow-outs, questionable environmental outcomes and poor briefings to the then minister Peter Garrett. His successor, Greg Combet, declined to address concerns about the data yesterday. Mr Combet's spokesman said: "The minister has asked the department for advice on this matter". Newer weather data has been developed since 2004 by the former Australian Greenhouse Office but this was found to be faulty in key areas during testing by the US Department of Energy. The flawed newer data is also still in use.
Associate Professor Terry Williamson, a University of Adelaide based expert in thermal performance, said it was a serious failure of policy with widespread repercussions that the climate data is not up to date. "Climate data is a fundamental building block in the evaluation of of energy efficiency, but we have a situation where we cannot rely on the data because it is irrelevant in addressing a changing climate", he said. "We have a Department of Climate Change that is ignoring any climate change that may be happening in Australia. Without up-to-date weather data, we do not know whether design and investment decisions involving billions of dollars are being made correctly".
Monday, 11 October 2010
Making solar panels with wind power
www.gearlog.com
October 6, 2010
The sun may be a great source of sustainable energy, but it still takes a lot of energy to actually create the solar panels in the first place. And in most cases, that energy is non-renewable. But a company in the UK is looking to change that with the world's first "green from green" solar panel production facility.
G24i will be installing a 120m tall windmill at its solar cell facility in Wales, which will "produce 5.9 million units of electricity each year for around 25 years, enough energy for the equivalent use of over 1,700 homes" and "save more than 2,500 tonnes of CO2 going into the atmosphere each year". The windmill is expected to be fully operation by November.
"At G24i, our vision is to create a new type of solar technology that works in low light, indoors and where no other solar cell can effectively operate -- and to accomplish this with the smallest carbon footprint possible", G24i co-founder Robert Hertzberg said in a statement. "Installing a wind turbine on our factory site and securing power from renewable wind power is another step in our innovative approach in developing a world class "green" technology company".
October 6, 2010
The sun may be a great source of sustainable energy, but it still takes a lot of energy to actually create the solar panels in the first place. And in most cases, that energy is non-renewable. But a company in the UK is looking to change that with the world's first "green from green" solar panel production facility.
G24i will be installing a 120m tall windmill at its solar cell facility in Wales, which will "produce 5.9 million units of electricity each year for around 25 years, enough energy for the equivalent use of over 1,700 homes" and "save more than 2,500 tonnes of CO2 going into the atmosphere each year". The windmill is expected to be fully operation by November.
"At G24i, our vision is to create a new type of solar technology that works in low light, indoors and where no other solar cell can effectively operate -- and to accomplish this with the smallest carbon footprint possible", G24i co-founder Robert Hertzberg said in a statement. "Installing a wind turbine on our factory site and securing power from renewable wind power is another step in our innovative approach in developing a world class "green" technology company".
Mercedes starts taking orders for California fuel-cell car
www.detnews.com
October 06. 2010
Daimler AG has begun taking orders for its new Mercedes-Benz hydrogen fuel-cell car that will be leased to customers in California as the automaker joins a wave of alternative-fuel vehicles reaching the US The monthly lease price may be $600 to $800 including fuel, Sascha Simon, director of advanced product planning for the automakers sales U.S, unit, said today in an interview. The leases are being limited to drivers in Los Angeles and the San Francisco area because of the restricted availability of hydrogen fuel.
Mercedes-Benz this week is introducing a marketing campaign that it says will better explain alternative-fuel options to consumers. The campaign will include a website that goes live Thursday and includes stories of how people use alternative-fuel vehicles. "We are in the process of reinventing the automobile", Simon said. "Customers right now still don't know exactly where this is all going. Our job will be to actually work with them and make it easy for them to understand".
Mercedes-Benz joins Nissan Motor Co., General Motors Co, and others introducing alternative-fuel vehicles this year and in early 2011. President Barack Obama last year announced stricter rules for greenhouse-gas emissions and the first boost in fuel-economy standards in decades. Nissan said last month that U.S, customers had put in 20,000 reservations for the battery-powered Leaf hatchback. The company has said the Leaf will travel as far as 100 miles when its lithium-ion pack is fully charged.
GM, which is coming out with the electric-drive Chevrolet Volt in November, also is developing hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. The automaker in May announced a program in Hawaii with a local gas company to create hydrogen fueling stations for test vehicles.
Mercedes-Benz has said its hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle will have a driving range of 240 miles, and there will be six hydrogen fueling stations open to the public in the Los Angeles area this year, Simon said. That contrasts with Germany, where about 1,000 hydrogen fueling stations will be open by 2017, Simon said. Mercedes-Benz has invested about 2 billion euros ($2.79 billion) in hydrogen-electric technology in the past 15 years, he said.
Lessors will receive the vehicles beginning in mid-December, with 5 to 15 in the initial delivery and more expected next year, he said. The company has said it planned to lease 200 of the B-Class F-Cell, a four-door hatchback, in the U.S, and Europe in 2010. We have seen so far good interest -- we would like to see more interest, Simon said. He declined to say how many vehicles have been ordered since the company's website began taking reservations within the past month. "I do not believe we will have a problem finding customers", he said.
October 06. 2010
Daimler AG has begun taking orders for its new Mercedes-Benz hydrogen fuel-cell car that will be leased to customers in California as the automaker joins a wave of alternative-fuel vehicles reaching the US The monthly lease price may be $600 to $800 including fuel, Sascha Simon, director of advanced product planning for the automakers sales U.S, unit, said today in an interview. The leases are being limited to drivers in Los Angeles and the San Francisco area because of the restricted availability of hydrogen fuel.
Mercedes-Benz this week is introducing a marketing campaign that it says will better explain alternative-fuel options to consumers. The campaign will include a website that goes live Thursday and includes stories of how people use alternative-fuel vehicles. "We are in the process of reinventing the automobile", Simon said. "Customers right now still don't know exactly where this is all going. Our job will be to actually work with them and make it easy for them to understand".
Mercedes-Benz joins Nissan Motor Co., General Motors Co, and others introducing alternative-fuel vehicles this year and in early 2011. President Barack Obama last year announced stricter rules for greenhouse-gas emissions and the first boost in fuel-economy standards in decades. Nissan said last month that U.S, customers had put in 20,000 reservations for the battery-powered Leaf hatchback. The company has said the Leaf will travel as far as 100 miles when its lithium-ion pack is fully charged.
GM, which is coming out with the electric-drive Chevrolet Volt in November, also is developing hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. The automaker in May announced a program in Hawaii with a local gas company to create hydrogen fueling stations for test vehicles.
Mercedes-Benz has said its hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle will have a driving range of 240 miles, and there will be six hydrogen fueling stations open to the public in the Los Angeles area this year, Simon said. That contrasts with Germany, where about 1,000 hydrogen fueling stations will be open by 2017, Simon said. Mercedes-Benz has invested about 2 billion euros ($2.79 billion) in hydrogen-electric technology in the past 15 years, he said.
Lessors will receive the vehicles beginning in mid-December, with 5 to 15 in the initial delivery and more expected next year, he said. The company has said it planned to lease 200 of the B-Class F-Cell, a four-door hatchback, in the U.S, and Europe in 2010. We have seen so far good interest -- we would like to see more interest, Simon said. He declined to say how many vehicles have been ordered since the company's website began taking reservations within the past month. "I do not believe we will have a problem finding customers", he said.
US turns to solar power, from White House down
Age
Thursday 7/10/2010 Page: 14
THE US has opened up its vast public lands to solar power projects, as the White House agreed to set up its own solar panels in a visible show of support for alternative energy. President Barack Obama has pledged to help build a new green economy, but Congress has baulked at mandatory cuts in carbon emissions. A study this year found that China has overtaken the US in green investment.
The Interior Department, which supervises most of the US's 263 million hectares of public land, said it had approved projects in southern California's deserts by units of companies Tessera and Chevron. "Both will use innovative technologies from US-based companies and both will bring jobs and energy to our nation's economy", Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said. Federal authorities had put a freeze in 2008 on solar proposals as it assessed effects on the environment, with some fearing the California projects would endanger wildlife, including sheep and rare lizards.
Mr Salazar said that the companies had agreed to programs to preserve wildlife. He said the Interior Department would soon approve additional solar projects, which until the end of the year would enjoy tax incentives. He made the announcement hours after the Obama administration said it would install two solar panels on the White House, hoping to encourage Americans in lesser known residences to consider solar power a reliable alternative. Former president Jimmy Carter put solar panels on the executive mansion in 1979, but Ronald Reagan took them down. The Obama White House last month politely rebuffed an activist who showed up with a Carter-era panel.
Energy Secretary Steven Chu said that the new project "reflects President Obama's strong commitment to US leadership in solar power and the jobs it will create here at home". "Deploying solar power technologies across the country will help America lead the global economy for years to come", Mr Chu told a conference on greening the federal government. The Energy Department will open up competitive bidding to choose a company to install the panels, said Mr Chu, who earlier ordered temperature-cooling white paint on the roofs of his agency's buildings.
It is the latest green project for the Obama White House. First lady Michelle Obama launched a garden on the lawn in a bid to persuade Americans to eat fresher, healthier food. The Obama administration tapped into last year's stimulus package to encourage solar and other renewable energies, hoping they will spur a new green economy and reduce carbon emissions that scientists say are causing dangerous climate change.
Legislation to mandate cuts in carbon emissions has all but died in the US Senate, with critics saying the plan would be too costly at a time of a weak economy. But President Obama pledged in January that the federal government would do its share by cutting carbon emissions by 28% by 2020 compared with levels in recent years.
Bill McKibben, the founder of a climate advocacy group last month brought to the White House one of the original Carter panels now stored at Unity College in Maine but did not receive a commitment. Mr McKibben praised the Obama administration, saying it was listening to some 40,000 people who had signed a petition for the solar panels. "If it has anything like the effect of the White House garden, it could be a trigger for a wave of solar installations across the country and around the world", he said.
Thursday 7/10/2010 Page: 14
THE US has opened up its vast public lands to solar power projects, as the White House agreed to set up its own solar panels in a visible show of support for alternative energy. President Barack Obama has pledged to help build a new green economy, but Congress has baulked at mandatory cuts in carbon emissions. A study this year found that China has overtaken the US in green investment.
The Interior Department, which supervises most of the US's 263 million hectares of public land, said it had approved projects in southern California's deserts by units of companies Tessera and Chevron. "Both will use innovative technologies from US-based companies and both will bring jobs and energy to our nation's economy", Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said. Federal authorities had put a freeze in 2008 on solar proposals as it assessed effects on the environment, with some fearing the California projects would endanger wildlife, including sheep and rare lizards.
Mr Salazar said that the companies had agreed to programs to preserve wildlife. He said the Interior Department would soon approve additional solar projects, which until the end of the year would enjoy tax incentives. He made the announcement hours after the Obama administration said it would install two solar panels on the White House, hoping to encourage Americans in lesser known residences to consider solar power a reliable alternative. Former president Jimmy Carter put solar panels on the executive mansion in 1979, but Ronald Reagan took them down. The Obama White House last month politely rebuffed an activist who showed up with a Carter-era panel.
Energy Secretary Steven Chu said that the new project "reflects President Obama's strong commitment to US leadership in solar power and the jobs it will create here at home". "Deploying solar power technologies across the country will help America lead the global economy for years to come", Mr Chu told a conference on greening the federal government. The Energy Department will open up competitive bidding to choose a company to install the panels, said Mr Chu, who earlier ordered temperature-cooling white paint on the roofs of his agency's buildings.
It is the latest green project for the Obama White House. First lady Michelle Obama launched a garden on the lawn in a bid to persuade Americans to eat fresher, healthier food. The Obama administration tapped into last year's stimulus package to encourage solar and other renewable energies, hoping they will spur a new green economy and reduce carbon emissions that scientists say are causing dangerous climate change.
Legislation to mandate cuts in carbon emissions has all but died in the US Senate, with critics saying the plan would be too costly at a time of a weak economy. But President Obama pledged in January that the federal government would do its share by cutting carbon emissions by 28% by 2020 compared with levels in recent years.
Bill McKibben, the founder of a climate advocacy group last month brought to the White House one of the original Carter panels now stored at Unity College in Maine but did not receive a commitment. Mr McKibben praised the Obama administration, saying it was listening to some 40,000 people who had signed a petition for the solar panels. "If it has anything like the effect of the White House garden, it could be a trigger for a wave of solar installations across the country and around the world", he said.
Thursday, 7 October 2010
Networks, not solar, driving rising electricity costs
www.cleanenergycouncil.org.au
6 October 2010
Australia's clean energy peak body says the cost of supporting residential solar power is a drop in the ocean compared to billions of dollars in network costs that are driving big increases in electricity prices in NSW. In relation to claims by electricity generators today, Clean Energy Council Chief Executive Matthew Warren said it was ridiculous to hang the rising price of electricity in NSW around the neck of the solar industry.
"The Australian Energy Regulator estimates the cost of improving the electricity network in NSW at more than $14 billion over five years. Based on the 50MW installed under the NSW Solar Bonus Scheme, the cost of solar electricity from the current scheme is less than 4% of this", Mr Warren said. "Solar power systems will help to reduce electricity costs for householders, and as the cost of this clean energy continues to fall more households will be able to immunise themselves from rising electricity prices", he said.
Mr Warren said solar power was helping to transform the way Australians think about energy. "Effectively the NSW government is building a peak load power station across the rooftops of NSW, which is co-funded by householders and the network", he said. "It's a different way of generating energy. It's what a clean energy future is going to look like. "The people of Australia want action on climate change and cheaper clean energy. Solar feed-in tariff programs are about developing the solar industry, making use of Australia's abundant sunshine".
Mr Warren said NSW required the use of solar installers accredited with the Clean Energy Council. This scheme requires the use of qualified industry professionals and licensed electricians, helping to ensure solar power systems meet Australian Standards.
6 October 2010
Australia's clean energy peak body says the cost of supporting residential solar power is a drop in the ocean compared to billions of dollars in network costs that are driving big increases in electricity prices in NSW. In relation to claims by electricity generators today, Clean Energy Council Chief Executive Matthew Warren said it was ridiculous to hang the rising price of electricity in NSW around the neck of the solar industry."The Australian Energy Regulator estimates the cost of improving the electricity network in NSW at more than $14 billion over five years. Based on the 50MW installed under the NSW Solar Bonus Scheme, the cost of solar electricity from the current scheme is less than 4% of this", Mr Warren said. "Solar power systems will help to reduce electricity costs for householders, and as the cost of this clean energy continues to fall more households will be able to immunise themselves from rising electricity prices", he said.
Mr Warren said solar power was helping to transform the way Australians think about energy. "Effectively the NSW government is building a peak load power station across the rooftops of NSW, which is co-funded by householders and the network", he said. "It's a different way of generating energy. It's what a clean energy future is going to look like. "The people of Australia want action on climate change and cheaper clean energy. Solar feed-in tariff programs are about developing the solar industry, making use of Australia's abundant sunshine".
Mr Warren said NSW required the use of solar installers accredited with the Clean Energy Council. This scheme requires the use of qualified industry professionals and licensed electricians, helping to ensure solar power systems meet Australian Standards.
Countdown to energy ratings
Sydney Morning Herald
Wednesday 6/10/2010 Page: 6
OFFICE landlords are bracing themselves for the new disclosure requirements for up-to-date energy efficiency information on buildings. They take effect on November 1. In July the Building Energy Efficiency Disclosure Bill was passed by Parliament. It requires the disclosure of energy efficiency ratings and advisory reports at the point of sale or lease for any commercial office space with a net lettable area of 2000 m² or more.
Jonathan Kriska, a property analyst from the broker Patersons, said the federal government intended to progressively expand the scheme's coverage to include additional building types such as industrial and retail properties. Mr Kriska said the immediate effect of the scheme was unlikely to alter valuations for owners, but in the medium term he expected managers of the real estate investment trusts, which own about 80% of Sydney's city buildings, would seek to improve their portfolio energy efficiency by trading assets and improving existing assets.
Much of the central business district buildings are older B and C grade assets that will require extensive renovations to become energy efficient. Already the Commonwealth Property Office Fund said it would spend $330 million upgrading its 120 Pitt Street site. Other landlords are set to follow suit. "An estimated 23% of all carbon emissions come from buildings and their occupants, with almost 10% of national emissions from commercial office buildings", Mr Kriska said. "While the measurement of building energy efficiency is clearly in its infancy, we expect this to be a major topic for the REIT sector in coming years.
"Government tenants now require a minimum four-star National Australian Built Environment Rating System [NABERS] rating and five- star NABERS ratings are becoming more common for new leases for major corporates. "In time we expect at least a four-star rating will become the minimum requirement for leading tenants". As a reflection of the increased trading within the property sector, the analysts at J.P. Morgan have estimated there is about $12.3 billion worth of commercial assets now for sale. These include the $900 million Woolworths portfolio and the remainder of the Direct Factory Outlet stores that were not part of the sale to CFS Retail.
Wednesday 6/10/2010 Page: 6
OFFICE landlords are bracing themselves for the new disclosure requirements for up-to-date energy efficiency information on buildings. They take effect on November 1. In July the Building Energy Efficiency Disclosure Bill was passed by Parliament. It requires the disclosure of energy efficiency ratings and advisory reports at the point of sale or lease for any commercial office space with a net lettable area of 2000 m² or more.Jonathan Kriska, a property analyst from the broker Patersons, said the federal government intended to progressively expand the scheme's coverage to include additional building types such as industrial and retail properties. Mr Kriska said the immediate effect of the scheme was unlikely to alter valuations for owners, but in the medium term he expected managers of the real estate investment trusts, which own about 80% of Sydney's city buildings, would seek to improve their portfolio energy efficiency by trading assets and improving existing assets.
Much of the central business district buildings are older B and C grade assets that will require extensive renovations to become energy efficient. Already the Commonwealth Property Office Fund said it would spend $330 million upgrading its 120 Pitt Street site. Other landlords are set to follow suit. "An estimated 23% of all carbon emissions come from buildings and their occupants, with almost 10% of national emissions from commercial office buildings", Mr Kriska said. "While the measurement of building energy efficiency is clearly in its infancy, we expect this to be a major topic for the REIT sector in coming years.
"Government tenants now require a minimum four-star National Australian Built Environment Rating System [NABERS] rating and five- star NABERS ratings are becoming more common for new leases for major corporates. "In time we expect at least a four-star rating will become the minimum requirement for leading tenants". As a reflection of the increased trading within the property sector, the analysts at J.P. Morgan have estimated there is about $12.3 billion worth of commercial assets now for sale. These include the $900 million Woolworths portfolio and the remainder of the Direct Factory Outlet stores that were not part of the sale to CFS Retail.
Green power lifts community spirits
Sunday Times
Sunday 3/10/2010 Page: 68
WA'S green energy production will receive a boost with Australia's first community wind farm expected to come on line at Mount Barker, 370km southeast of Perth, in February. It will be WA's 13th wind farm generating eco-friendly electricity. The Mount Barker Power Co will own and operate the $8.5 million wind farm, which will have three 800kW turbines 4km north of the Great Southern town. Synergy Energy will buy the 2.4MWs of energy the farm is expected to produce under a long-term agreement enough to meet the town's entire power needs. Over the 20-year life of the project, 160,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions are expected to be offset.
Mount Barker joins 12 other wind farms in WA, including Rottnest Island, Exmouth, Denham, Albany, Hopetoun, Kalbarri, Bremer Bay, Coral Bay, Emu Downs, near Cervantes, Walkaway, near Geraldton, and two separate farms in Esperance. One of the nation's biggest farms under development, the 206-MW, 111-turbine Collgar Wind Farm in Merredin, will bring the state's total active wind farms to 14 when it comes on line in August 2011. Energy Minister Peter Collier recently announced the expansion of the Grasmere wind farm in Albany, with the addition of six turbines.
Advanced Energy Resources, which owns half the Mount Barker Power Co, helped to secure the $8 5 million investment for the project, which included a $4.2 million grant from the Commonwealth's Renewable Remote Power Generation Program. AER director Luca Castelli said the Great Southern community owned almost 70% of the project, which was backed by AER, an affiliate of the Castelli Group, and project developer SkyFarming "It's very common already in Europe to see these community-style wind farms", Mr Castelli said. "We hope to see a lot more popping up across the state and Australia".
AER business development manager and former manager for sustainable business development for Verve Energy, Adrian Chegwidden, wants the State Government to provide further commercial incentives to attract investors and develop more renewable energy projects, to meet the state's share of the national renewable energy target of 20% by 2020. "They need to step up to the plate and support projects like this and larger ones", he said. "We would like to see the Government come up with a scheme similar to the feed-in tariffs that a lot of the countries in Europe have, a guaranteed return on your investment because these projects need 20 years guaranteed to get the returns back", Mr Chegwidden said.
Sunday 3/10/2010 Page: 68
WA'S green energy production will receive a boost with Australia's first community wind farm expected to come on line at Mount Barker, 370km southeast of Perth, in February. It will be WA's 13th wind farm generating eco-friendly electricity. The Mount Barker Power Co will own and operate the $8.5 million wind farm, which will have three 800kW turbines 4km north of the Great Southern town. Synergy Energy will buy the 2.4MWs of energy the farm is expected to produce under a long-term agreement enough to meet the town's entire power needs. Over the 20-year life of the project, 160,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions are expected to be offset.
Mount Barker joins 12 other wind farms in WA, including Rottnest Island, Exmouth, Denham, Albany, Hopetoun, Kalbarri, Bremer Bay, Coral Bay, Emu Downs, near Cervantes, Walkaway, near Geraldton, and two separate farms in Esperance. One of the nation's biggest farms under development, the 206-MW, 111-turbine Collgar Wind Farm in Merredin, will bring the state's total active wind farms to 14 when it comes on line in August 2011. Energy Minister Peter Collier recently announced the expansion of the Grasmere wind farm in Albany, with the addition of six turbines.
Advanced Energy Resources, which owns half the Mount Barker Power Co, helped to secure the $8 5 million investment for the project, which included a $4.2 million grant from the Commonwealth's Renewable Remote Power Generation Program. AER director Luca Castelli said the Great Southern community owned almost 70% of the project, which was backed by AER, an affiliate of the Castelli Group, and project developer SkyFarming "It's very common already in Europe to see these community-style wind farms", Mr Castelli said. "We hope to see a lot more popping up across the state and Australia".
AER business development manager and former manager for sustainable business development for Verve Energy, Adrian Chegwidden, wants the State Government to provide further commercial incentives to attract investors and develop more renewable energy projects, to meet the state's share of the national renewable energy target of 20% by 2020. "They need to step up to the plate and support projects like this and larger ones", he said. "We would like to see the Government come up with a scheme similar to the feed-in tariffs that a lot of the countries in Europe have, a guaranteed return on your investment because these projects need 20 years guaranteed to get the returns back", Mr Chegwidden said.
Wednesday, 6 October 2010
Rough ride for sea power
Age
Monday 4/10/2010 Page: 4
Wave energy might go the way of Australia's solar industry, writes Mathew Murphy.
LACK of government support for the fledgling wave energy industry is forcing Australian companies to increasingly invest overseas despite having the world's best wave resource off our coastline. Several Australian wave energy proponents have started projects in such places as Hawaii, Central America and Ireland, saying Australia's risk-averse tendency is holding back investment. While none has made the tough call to relocate just yet, and all those interviewed by BusinessDay are still hopeful of commercialising their technology in Australia, positive policy settings in other corners of the world are offering these companies the best opportunity to grow their businesses.
Clean energy advocates are concerned that wave energy could experience the same sort of brain drain that has hit the Australian solar industry over the past decade. David Mills took his solar thermal company, Ausra, to the US nearly a decade ago and last year hit a financial wall because of lack of funding. University of New South Wales researcher Zhengrong Shi was forced to take his business, SunTech, to China, creating one of the world's biggest solar photovoltaic firms.
Australian-listed Dyesol, which makes photovoltaic cells, found greener pastures in Wales, successfully commercialising its power-generating steel panels, which it was unable to do in Australia. Ali Baghaei, the chief executive of Oceanlinx, said that while the federal government has been relatively supportive of more mature renewable energies such as wind power, its policy settings needed to support developing technologies in order to get the right mix of power generation.
"It is not about going cap in hand and begging for money for a lifetime", he said. "There should be an amicable way where the government can support a new renewable technology for five or 10 years and then if they do achieve their targets and deliver what they said they would then they can stand on their own feet and won't need any additional help". Oceanlinx has been testing its technology, which uses the rise of waves to drive a column of air through a turbine, at Port Kembla in NSW, but also has interests in Victoria and King Island in Tasmania.
Mr Baghaei said he was keen to develop wave energy projects in Australia. "I haven't given up all of my hopes yet of government support, either federal or state governments, but it is clearly a concern that we probably aren't getting as much support as what is available outside Australia", he said. "We are fortunate in that our technology is transferable and because of that we have subsidiaries in Hawaii and in Central America which have more advanced projects. There is no doubt we are behind countries like the US, UK and Portugal".
Mike Ottaviano, the managing director of the Australian Securities Exchange-listed Carnegie Corporation Wave Energy, is pushing ahead with plans to establish a wave energy project at Garden Island, 50 kilometres from Perth. This has been achieved without support from the federal government. Despite Energy Minister Martin Ferguson launching the government's $300 million Renewable Energy Demonstration Program at Carnegie Corporation's pilot plant in April last year, the company missed out on funding, surprising the market and sending its share price from about
25.5¢ to its current level of about 9¢.
One of the four grants was awarded to US-based Ocean Power Technologies and Leighton Holdingss, which together won $66.5 million to construct a 19-MW wave farm near Portland, Victoria. A total of $65 million from the fund was not allocated. Dr Ottaviano said a lack of strategic insight into policy settings was hurting local wave companies. "If you look at Ireland as an example, you have a dedicated wave energy grant pool. You have a dedicated wave energy tariff. Your power is guaranteed for 15 years and you have a wave energy target.
So the combination of those policies is what gives investors confidence which is lacking here", he said. "We certainly aren't saying that we are packing our bags and heading offshore, but all of our business development activities and investments are focused offshore and three of our directors are in Europe. That is no accident because the market there is about 10 years ahead of us in terms of wave energy".
Matthew Warren, the chief executive of the Clean Energy Council, said it was disappointing that Carnegie Corporation, the most advanced in wave energy in Australia, had missed out on funding. "It sends the wrong message in that if you manage to make it to the last quarter, like Carnegie Corporation, don't expect to receive the right help", he said. "Our concern is that if we don't get this right then we could potentially be importing technology like Carnegie Corporation's in 10 years rather than exporting it to the rest of the world.
"The problem with allocating funding in four large cheques is that you have four winners and 38 losers. I am not critical of any of the projects that received funding but it's like betting on a roulette wheel you are more likely to get a return if you put on a number of small bets rather than a few big ones", Mr Warren said. "The Southern Ocean is the greatest single wave energy resource on Earth, and Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina and Chile are the only countries that can access it at scale. Out of those five, Australia is quite clearly the most advanced economically and technically and has the greatest capacity to drive that forward. Yet despite the chance to harness that more cost effectively than perhaps others do we are yet to see a concerted effort by governments to really assist that potential".
Monday 4/10/2010 Page: 4
Wave energy might go the way of Australia's solar industry, writes Mathew Murphy.LACK of government support for the fledgling wave energy industry is forcing Australian companies to increasingly invest overseas despite having the world's best wave resource off our coastline. Several Australian wave energy proponents have started projects in such places as Hawaii, Central America and Ireland, saying Australia's risk-averse tendency is holding back investment. While none has made the tough call to relocate just yet, and all those interviewed by BusinessDay are still hopeful of commercialising their technology in Australia, positive policy settings in other corners of the world are offering these companies the best opportunity to grow their businesses.
Clean energy advocates are concerned that wave energy could experience the same sort of brain drain that has hit the Australian solar industry over the past decade. David Mills took his solar thermal company, Ausra, to the US nearly a decade ago and last year hit a financial wall because of lack of funding. University of New South Wales researcher Zhengrong Shi was forced to take his business, SunTech, to China, creating one of the world's biggest solar photovoltaic firms.
Australian-listed Dyesol, which makes photovoltaic cells, found greener pastures in Wales, successfully commercialising its power-generating steel panels, which it was unable to do in Australia. Ali Baghaei, the chief executive of Oceanlinx, said that while the federal government has been relatively supportive of more mature renewable energies such as wind power, its policy settings needed to support developing technologies in order to get the right mix of power generation.
"It is not about going cap in hand and begging for money for a lifetime", he said. "There should be an amicable way where the government can support a new renewable technology for five or 10 years and then if they do achieve their targets and deliver what they said they would then they can stand on their own feet and won't need any additional help". Oceanlinx has been testing its technology, which uses the rise of waves to drive a column of air through a turbine, at Port Kembla in NSW, but also has interests in Victoria and King Island in Tasmania.
Mr Baghaei said he was keen to develop wave energy projects in Australia. "I haven't given up all of my hopes yet of government support, either federal or state governments, but it is clearly a concern that we probably aren't getting as much support as what is available outside Australia", he said. "We are fortunate in that our technology is transferable and because of that we have subsidiaries in Hawaii and in Central America which have more advanced projects. There is no doubt we are behind countries like the US, UK and Portugal".
Mike Ottaviano, the managing director of the Australian Securities Exchange-listed Carnegie Corporation Wave Energy, is pushing ahead with plans to establish a wave energy project at Garden Island, 50 kilometres from Perth. This has been achieved without support from the federal government. Despite Energy Minister Martin Ferguson launching the government's $300 million Renewable Energy Demonstration Program at Carnegie Corporation's pilot plant in April last year, the company missed out on funding, surprising the market and sending its share price from about
25.5¢ to its current level of about 9¢.
One of the four grants was awarded to US-based Ocean Power Technologies and Leighton Holdingss, which together won $66.5 million to construct a 19-MW wave farm near Portland, Victoria. A total of $65 million from the fund was not allocated. Dr Ottaviano said a lack of strategic insight into policy settings was hurting local wave companies. "If you look at Ireland as an example, you have a dedicated wave energy grant pool. You have a dedicated wave energy tariff. Your power is guaranteed for 15 years and you have a wave energy target.
So the combination of those policies is what gives investors confidence which is lacking here", he said. "We certainly aren't saying that we are packing our bags and heading offshore, but all of our business development activities and investments are focused offshore and three of our directors are in Europe. That is no accident because the market there is about 10 years ahead of us in terms of wave energy".
Matthew Warren, the chief executive of the Clean Energy Council, said it was disappointing that Carnegie Corporation, the most advanced in wave energy in Australia, had missed out on funding. "It sends the wrong message in that if you manage to make it to the last quarter, like Carnegie Corporation, don't expect to receive the right help", he said. "Our concern is that if we don't get this right then we could potentially be importing technology like Carnegie Corporation's in 10 years rather than exporting it to the rest of the world.
"The problem with allocating funding in four large cheques is that you have four winners and 38 losers. I am not critical of any of the projects that received funding but it's like betting on a roulette wheel you are more likely to get a return if you put on a number of small bets rather than a few big ones", Mr Warren said. "The Southern Ocean is the greatest single wave energy resource on Earth, and Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina and Chile are the only countries that can access it at scale. Out of those five, Australia is quite clearly the most advanced economically and technically and has the greatest capacity to drive that forward. Yet despite the chance to harness that more cost effectively than perhaps others do we are yet to see a concerted effort by governments to really assist that potential".
More cities turn to solar power for traffic signs
www.usatoday.com
Mon, 4 Oct 2010
Growing numbers of US cities and towns are turning to solar powered road warning and school safety signs to inform the public and save money and energy. In the past year, cities including Baton Rouge, La., Branson and Kansas City, Mo., and Lyndhurst, Wayne and Ringwood, N.J., have adopted the technology, officials in those municipalities say. Rick Bergholz, owner of TAPCO, a Wisconsin-based company that manufactures and sells the environmentally friendly traffic controls, says solar powered light "sales have been exploding".
"They've been around since their inception 10 years ago, but it took years to perfect the product and to get approval", Bergholz says. TAPCO's website lists Forth Worth, Tucson and Richfield Township in Ohio among other solar signal clients. In Baton Rouge, flashing yellow lights at school zones went "green" before the start of the current school year, says Ingolf Partenheimer, the city-parish's chief traffic engineer. "We are putting out 90 of them", Partenheimer says, adding that they can talk electronically to the signals instead of having to change them manually. "If a school has early dismissal, we can change the signals school-by-school or globally".
Branson installed solar signs at a cost of about $1,000 each a few months ago at two intersections that had seen numerous accidents, says Keith Francis, the city's assistant director of public works. "We had had numerous accidents at these locations, and it was kind of a dark area and didn't have a lot of street lighting, so we decided to put these up to get people's attention", Francis says. "Flashing lights automatically get people's attention and make them slow down". "The solar portion cuts down on costs", he says. "The solar panels (batteries) will run for 11 days without being charged".
Shreveport, La, was among the early users, installing solar powered lights five years ago, city traffic engineer Michael Erlund says. "We went with solar lights because electricity costs us money constantly", Erlund says. A solar powered flashing stop sign was installed at a three-way stop in Hammond, La., in Tangipohoa Parish in early September, according to Gordon Burgess, Tangipahoa Parish president. It is one of 10 that will be installed on parish roads, he says. In deciding where to place the signs, Burgess says officials looked at several dangerous intersections. "We have a lot of intersections, some with four-way stops, so we looked at where they've had accidents, and with our volume of traffic, we more or less prioritized the ones with the high traffic count", he says.
Mon, 4 Oct 2010
Growing numbers of US cities and towns are turning to solar powered road warning and school safety signs to inform the public and save money and energy. In the past year, cities including Baton Rouge, La., Branson and Kansas City, Mo., and Lyndhurst, Wayne and Ringwood, N.J., have adopted the technology, officials in those municipalities say. Rick Bergholz, owner of TAPCO, a Wisconsin-based company that manufactures and sells the environmentally friendly traffic controls, says solar powered light "sales have been exploding"."They've been around since their inception 10 years ago, but it took years to perfect the product and to get approval", Bergholz says. TAPCO's website lists Forth Worth, Tucson and Richfield Township in Ohio among other solar signal clients. In Baton Rouge, flashing yellow lights at school zones went "green" before the start of the current school year, says Ingolf Partenheimer, the city-parish's chief traffic engineer. "We are putting out 90 of them", Partenheimer says, adding that they can talk electronically to the signals instead of having to change them manually. "If a school has early dismissal, we can change the signals school-by-school or globally".
Branson installed solar signs at a cost of about $1,000 each a few months ago at two intersections that had seen numerous accidents, says Keith Francis, the city's assistant director of public works. "We had had numerous accidents at these locations, and it was kind of a dark area and didn't have a lot of street lighting, so we decided to put these up to get people's attention", Francis says. "Flashing lights automatically get people's attention and make them slow down". "The solar portion cuts down on costs", he says. "The solar panels (batteries) will run for 11 days without being charged".
Shreveport, La, was among the early users, installing solar powered lights five years ago, city traffic engineer Michael Erlund says. "We went with solar lights because electricity costs us money constantly", Erlund says. A solar powered flashing stop sign was installed at a three-way stop in Hammond, La., in Tangipohoa Parish in early September, according to Gordon Burgess, Tangipahoa Parish president. It is one of 10 that will be installed on parish roads, he says. In deciding where to place the signs, Burgess says officials looked at several dangerous intersections. "We have a lot of intersections, some with four-way stops, so we looked at where they've had accidents, and with our volume of traffic, we more or less prioritized the ones with the high traffic count", he says.
Adobe Systems gets clean energy from gigantic “Bloom Box” fuel cells
cleantechnica.com
October 3, 2010
When you think of emission-free fuel-cell technology for cars, you probably imagine a device that's about the size of a battery – or at least one that's small and light enough to fit in a car. Now imagine a gigantic fuel-cell fully the size of a standard parking space, and you've got enough clean energy for a fleet of cars, or for that matter, an entire building. That's the motivation behind Adobe Systems' new "Bloom Box" fuel-cells at its campus in San Jose, California.
Bloom Energy Fuel Cells
The new fuel-cells are manufactured by Bloom Energy (they're actually called "Bloom Energy Servers"). Instead of burning fuel to produce energy, fuel-cells produce energy through an electrochemical reaction. The Bloom Energy Server is based on solid oxide fuel-cell technology, which is relatively inexpensive compared to conventional hydrogen fuel-cells. One problem that can beset solid oxide fuel-cells is their high operating temperature, but Bloom appears to have worked out the kinks. Bloom's product is also capable of storing energy like a battery, as well as producing it.
Adobe Systems Incorporated and Fuel Cells
Adobe Systems has installed 12 Energy Servers at its West Tower on the campus, which together will generate 1.2MWs of electricity. They are big, but they are light enough to be sited on an upper floor, which frees up basement space for other purposes. As an on-site source, the Bloom Energy Servers will help insulate the campus from energy supply interruptions from the grid, in addition to helping the company to cut its carbon footprint. Adobe joins a growing movement by the computer tech industry to manage the increased energy consumption that comes along with an increasingly computer-dependent world. Other examples are Yahoo!'s new "chicken coop" energy efficient data center in New York, a new LEED-certified data center in Sacramento, and waste energy harvesting from computer servers in Helsinki.
October 3, 2010
When you think of emission-free fuel-cell technology for cars, you probably imagine a device that's about the size of a battery – or at least one that's small and light enough to fit in a car. Now imagine a gigantic fuel-cell fully the size of a standard parking space, and you've got enough clean energy for a fleet of cars, or for that matter, an entire building. That's the motivation behind Adobe Systems' new "Bloom Box" fuel-cells at its campus in San Jose, California.
Bloom Energy Fuel Cells
The new fuel-cells are manufactured by Bloom Energy (they're actually called "Bloom Energy Servers"). Instead of burning fuel to produce energy, fuel-cells produce energy through an electrochemical reaction. The Bloom Energy Server is based on solid oxide fuel-cell technology, which is relatively inexpensive compared to conventional hydrogen fuel-cells. One problem that can beset solid oxide fuel-cells is their high operating temperature, but Bloom appears to have worked out the kinks. Bloom's product is also capable of storing energy like a battery, as well as producing it.
Adobe Systems Incorporated and Fuel Cells
Adobe Systems has installed 12 Energy Servers at its West Tower on the campus, which together will generate 1.2MWs of electricity. They are big, but they are light enough to be sited on an upper floor, which frees up basement space for other purposes. As an on-site source, the Bloom Energy Servers will help insulate the campus from energy supply interruptions from the grid, in addition to helping the company to cut its carbon footprint. Adobe joins a growing movement by the computer tech industry to manage the increased energy consumption that comes along with an increasingly computer-dependent world. Other examples are Yahoo!'s new "chicken coop" energy efficient data center in New York, a new LEED-certified data center in Sacramento, and waste energy harvesting from computer servers in Helsinki.
Tuesday, 5 October 2010
Banks being urged to lend 'green' - Banks lend $5.5bn to coal industry
Age
Saturday 2/10/2010 Page: 4
WESTPAC, Australia's second largest bank, has flagged its lending policies will favour energy efficiency and clean energy projects over new coal fired power stations as momentum grows to introduce a price on carbon emissions. A report to be released today by Greenpeace shows Australia's major banks provided loans worth $5.5 billion to the coal industry over the past five years, seven times more than the $784 million lent to the renewable energy sector. ANZ, recently ranked the world's most sustainable bank, was the biggest financier to Australia's coal industry, says the report by Dutch economic consultancy Profundo, providing loans of $1.7 billion.
It was followed by Commonwealth Bank ($1.6 billion), NAB and Westpac ($1 billion each), and Suncorp ($227 million). Two other institutions surveyed, Bendigo Bank and the Mecu credit union, did not lend to the coal industry. ANZ also provided more finance for coal-fired power stations than any other bank surveyed, at $650 million, compared with the Commonwealth ($546 million), Westpac ($454 million), NAB ($382 million) and Suncorp ($18 million). Greenpeace is calling on the major banks to rule out financing a dozen new planned coalfired power stations around the country, including HRL's controversial $550 million coal gasification plant at Morwell.
Greenpeace campaigner John Hepburn said many Australians opposed construction of new coal-fired power stations. "A lot of people have just voted for action on climate change. Those people would actually be quite outraged to realise their savings in the bank are being used to make the problem worse". None of the big four banks would refuse to finance new coal-fired power stations but Westpac media manager Jane Counsel said apart from historical customers, the bank's future funding was likely to focus on energy efficiency and clean energy projects.
"Within Australia, in the short to medium term, we do not expect that new coal-fired electricity generation will be attractive from an environmental viewpoint. Therefore, the application of technological solutions to reduce emissions is critical", she said. The Commonwealth said it had no commitments to new coal-fired power stations and had the lowest debt exposure to single asset Australian coal-fired generation among the major banks.
A spokesman for ANZ, which last month topped bank sector rankings in the global Dow Jones Sustainability Index for 2010, said the bank was Australia's leading renewable energy financier and "we are starting to see a shift in our portfolio from coal to more sustainable alternatives with renewable projects". Profundo's Amsterdam-based analyst, Jan Willem van Gelder, said the world's banks were struggling to develop responsible lending policies given climate change and the need to finance a shift to sustainable energy production.
Saturday 2/10/2010 Page: 4
WESTPAC, Australia's second largest bank, has flagged its lending policies will favour energy efficiency and clean energy projects over new coal fired power stations as momentum grows to introduce a price on carbon emissions. A report to be released today by Greenpeace shows Australia's major banks provided loans worth $5.5 billion to the coal industry over the past five years, seven times more than the $784 million lent to the renewable energy sector. ANZ, recently ranked the world's most sustainable bank, was the biggest financier to Australia's coal industry, says the report by Dutch economic consultancy Profundo, providing loans of $1.7 billion.
It was followed by Commonwealth Bank ($1.6 billion), NAB and Westpac ($1 billion each), and Suncorp ($227 million). Two other institutions surveyed, Bendigo Bank and the Mecu credit union, did not lend to the coal industry. ANZ also provided more finance for coal-fired power stations than any other bank surveyed, at $650 million, compared with the Commonwealth ($546 million), Westpac ($454 million), NAB ($382 million) and Suncorp ($18 million). Greenpeace is calling on the major banks to rule out financing a dozen new planned coalfired power stations around the country, including HRL's controversial $550 million coal gasification plant at Morwell.
Greenpeace campaigner John Hepburn said many Australians opposed construction of new coal-fired power stations. "A lot of people have just voted for action on climate change. Those people would actually be quite outraged to realise their savings in the bank are being used to make the problem worse". None of the big four banks would refuse to finance new coal-fired power stations but Westpac media manager Jane Counsel said apart from historical customers, the bank's future funding was likely to focus on energy efficiency and clean energy projects.
"Within Australia, in the short to medium term, we do not expect that new coal-fired electricity generation will be attractive from an environmental viewpoint. Therefore, the application of technological solutions to reduce emissions is critical", she said. The Commonwealth said it had no commitments to new coal-fired power stations and had the lowest debt exposure to single asset Australian coal-fired generation among the major banks.
A spokesman for ANZ, which last month topped bank sector rankings in the global Dow Jones Sustainability Index for 2010, said the bank was Australia's leading renewable energy financier and "we are starting to see a shift in our portfolio from coal to more sustainable alternatives with renewable projects". Profundo's Amsterdam-based analyst, Jan Willem van Gelder, said the world's banks were struggling to develop responsible lending policies given climate change and the need to finance a shift to sustainable energy production.
Making solar power more predictable
uk.ibtimes.com
September 29, 2010
One thing that complicates solar power projects is the fact that the power supply is not constant: clouds can affect the output of a large-scale plant. If there were a way to predict how much they would affect the performance, then it would be easier to convince utilities to build them. To address that problem, researchers from Sandia National Laboratories decided to measure the effect. They decided on a solar photovoltaic array in Hawaii, on the island of Lana'i, which provides 1.2MWs of power, largely to a local resort and the island's 3,000 residents.
Joshua Stein, one of the lead researchers on the project, said previous studies have looked at small-scale solar panels, but none have directly measured how much power the panels produce under varying amounts of cloud cover, while showing how that changes over time. Joshua Stein, one of the lead researchers on the project, said the solar plant provides a relatively large amount of the island's power (up to 30% of peak demand) and that conventional power sources are much more expensive than on the mainland.
That makes it much more akin to the situation larger facilities in the U.S, are likely to face in the future, and it gives a better idea of what a 'real world' environment would be like if more communities in the U.S, use solar power on a large scale. "There are some concerns from utilities as to how solar facilities will interact with existing generation", Stein said.
Stein's team put sensors on the solar array that measure how much sunlight the panels get. They then measured the power output at one-second intervals. Because the array is large - several hundred square yards - the sensors could show which parts of the array were under cloud cover and which were not, as well as showing cloud direction and speed.
The data has helped answer the question of just how much effect scattered clouds -- common in Hawaii - will have on a solar power array. Stein said thus far, the effect seems to be linear. While individual power cells can lose a lot of power when they are in shadow, that gets "averaged out" over the entire array.
Stein also said that since the price of solar power decreases as you increase the size of the arrays, the power loss from scattered areas of cloud cover should create smaller fluctuations in overall output. That seems to be the case in Lana'i. "The ultimate goal is to understand irradiance patterns and how they will affect plants larger than any yet built", he said. With the new data, the team will eventually be able to build models that will help when designing larger power plants, making solar power a bit more predictable - and palatable - to investors and utilities.
September 29, 2010
One thing that complicates solar power projects is the fact that the power supply is not constant: clouds can affect the output of a large-scale plant. If there were a way to predict how much they would affect the performance, then it would be easier to convince utilities to build them. To address that problem, researchers from Sandia National Laboratories decided to measure the effect. They decided on a solar photovoltaic array in Hawaii, on the island of Lana'i, which provides 1.2MWs of power, largely to a local resort and the island's 3,000 residents.
Joshua Stein, one of the lead researchers on the project, said previous studies have looked at small-scale solar panels, but none have directly measured how much power the panels produce under varying amounts of cloud cover, while showing how that changes over time. Joshua Stein, one of the lead researchers on the project, said the solar plant provides a relatively large amount of the island's power (up to 30% of peak demand) and that conventional power sources are much more expensive than on the mainland.
That makes it much more akin to the situation larger facilities in the U.S, are likely to face in the future, and it gives a better idea of what a 'real world' environment would be like if more communities in the U.S, use solar power on a large scale. "There are some concerns from utilities as to how solar facilities will interact with existing generation", Stein said.
Stein's team put sensors on the solar array that measure how much sunlight the panels get. They then measured the power output at one-second intervals. Because the array is large - several hundred square yards - the sensors could show which parts of the array were under cloud cover and which were not, as well as showing cloud direction and speed.
The data has helped answer the question of just how much effect scattered clouds -- common in Hawaii - will have on a solar power array. Stein said thus far, the effect seems to be linear. While individual power cells can lose a lot of power when they are in shadow, that gets "averaged out" over the entire array.
Stein also said that since the price of solar power decreases as you increase the size of the arrays, the power loss from scattered areas of cloud cover should create smaller fluctuations in overall output. That seems to be the case in Lana'i. "The ultimate goal is to understand irradiance patterns and how they will affect plants larger than any yet built", he said. With the new data, the team will eventually be able to build models that will help when designing larger power plants, making solar power a bit more predictable - and palatable - to investors and utilities.
Poor funding stands in firms’ way of producing cheap power
www.nation.co.ke
September 29 2010
Lack of financing for new technologies that are energy-efficient is hindering local industries from adopting cleaner manufacturing processes, an official has said. The Ministry of Industrialisation says that despite the world moving to environmentally friendly practices, most local companies are still stuck with machinery that use a lot of energy. They also continue to emit a lot of carbon into the atmosphere, making local products unattractive to other markets. "We are aware that considerable untapped potential exists for decreasing wasteful use of energy, which is estimated to be nearly 27%, as well as deploying more sustainable energy among our industries", said permanent secretary in the ministry, Dr Karanja Kibicho.
Kenya has the potential to tap into several forms of renewable energy sources such as solar and geothermal, but is yet to develop them, instead depending heavily on unreliable hydroelectricity. The government has, however, been working towards growing green energy sources in efforts to save production cost, preserve the environment and wean the country from hydro sources. Power producer KenGen, which has been operating two small pilot units of wind power, is now set to play a major role as the country embarks on an ambitious journey to go green.
Hallmark of winning
"As we move into the future, efficiency and effectiveness will be the hallmark of winning enterprises as these are the key drivers to competitiveness", Mr Kibicho said. He spoke yesterday during the opening of a workshop organised by the Kenya National Cleaner Production Centre to discuss resource-smart techniques. The event targeted the sugar, tea and textiles production sectors, whose many factories across the country are yet to adopt energy efficient means of production.
September 29 2010
Lack of financing for new technologies that are energy-efficient is hindering local industries from adopting cleaner manufacturing processes, an official has said. The Ministry of Industrialisation says that despite the world moving to environmentally friendly practices, most local companies are still stuck with machinery that use a lot of energy. They also continue to emit a lot of carbon into the atmosphere, making local products unattractive to other markets. "We are aware that considerable untapped potential exists for decreasing wasteful use of energy, which is estimated to be nearly 27%, as well as deploying more sustainable energy among our industries", said permanent secretary in the ministry, Dr Karanja Kibicho.
Kenya has the potential to tap into several forms of renewable energy sources such as solar and geothermal, but is yet to develop them, instead depending heavily on unreliable hydroelectricity. The government has, however, been working towards growing green energy sources in efforts to save production cost, preserve the environment and wean the country from hydro sources. Power producer KenGen, which has been operating two small pilot units of wind power, is now set to play a major role as the country embarks on an ambitious journey to go green.
Hallmark of winning
"As we move into the future, efficiency and effectiveness will be the hallmark of winning enterprises as these are the key drivers to competitiveness", Mr Kibicho said. He spoke yesterday during the opening of a workshop organised by the Kenya National Cleaner Production Centre to discuss resource-smart techniques. The event targeted the sugar, tea and textiles production sectors, whose many factories across the country are yet to adopt energy efficient means of production.
Monday, 4 October 2010
Aussie innovation helps Ireland get even greener
Courier Mail
Thursday 30/9/2010 Page: 61
IRELAND'S economy may be in the dumps, but it hasn't upset its mission to adopt climate safe electricity sources, with an Australian wave energy developer yesterday securing a key deal. Shares in the Perth-based Carnegie Wave Energy yesterday rose 0.3¢, or 35%, to 9¢, after it signed a formal collaboration deal with Ireland's national energy authority to jointly develop wave energy projects at various locations. The three-year deal appoints Carnegie Corporation as a developer for Ireland's ocean energy program.
It is a big step towards commercial testing and roll out of Carnegie Corporation's technology which uniquely uses buoys tethered to seabed pumps to create pressure to power hydroelectric turbines onshore, creating zero emission electricity. Ireland has set a national target to produce a third of its electricity from renewable or limitless power sources such as the sun, wind and waves by 2020, much higher than Australia's 20% target. Unlike Australia's target, Ireland's renewable energy target includes a specific target for ocean energy, which will deliver 75MWs of power from the ocean to its grid by 2012 and 500MW by 2020.
Carnegie Corporation chief executive Michael Ottaviano said the Irish Government had "clearly signalled" wave energy was on its radar with grant and tariff incentives and aggressive targets. He said the Australian Government needed to decide if it wanted Australia to be a developer and supplier of emerging clean-energy technologies, and benefit economically from owning the intellectual property, or to merely buy in products from offshore. "That is the fundamental question for our government to answer, because it's not clear at the moment. Until you've answered that question, it's difficult to set the policy response", Dr Ottaviano said.
Thursday 30/9/2010 Page: 61
IRELAND'S economy may be in the dumps, but it hasn't upset its mission to adopt climate safe electricity sources, with an Australian wave energy developer yesterday securing a key deal. Shares in the Perth-based Carnegie Wave Energy yesterday rose 0.3¢, or 35%, to 9¢, after it signed a formal collaboration deal with Ireland's national energy authority to jointly develop wave energy projects at various locations. The three-year deal appoints Carnegie Corporation as a developer for Ireland's ocean energy program.
It is a big step towards commercial testing and roll out of Carnegie Corporation's technology which uniquely uses buoys tethered to seabed pumps to create pressure to power hydroelectric turbines onshore, creating zero emission electricity. Ireland has set a national target to produce a third of its electricity from renewable or limitless power sources such as the sun, wind and waves by 2020, much higher than Australia's 20% target. Unlike Australia's target, Ireland's renewable energy target includes a specific target for ocean energy, which will deliver 75MWs of power from the ocean to its grid by 2012 and 500MW by 2020.
Carnegie Corporation chief executive Michael Ottaviano said the Irish Government had "clearly signalled" wave energy was on its radar with grant and tariff incentives and aggressive targets. He said the Australian Government needed to decide if it wanted Australia to be a developer and supplier of emerging clean-energy technologies, and benefit economically from owning the intellectual property, or to merely buy in products from offshore. "That is the fundamental question for our government to answer, because it's not clear at the moment. Until you've answered that question, it's difficult to set the policy response", Dr Ottaviano said.
Downstream fears as China powers ahead with new dams
Canberra Times
Wednesday 29/9/2010 Page: 19
China's already the largest generator of electricity from river water trapped by giant dams, recently announced plans to nearly double its hydroelectric power capacity by 2020. This is good news for those concerned about China's impact on climate change. Coal, the dirtiest and most carbon-intensive of the fossil fuels, is the main source of energy for China's turbo-charged economic growth. But South-East Asia and South Asia, which depend on the regular flow of major rivers that start in China before crossing the border into downstream states, will be watching closely where the new Chinese dams are built and how the huge amounts of water in their reservoirs is regulated.
These decisions will affect the flow of water in trans-boundary rivers that begin and run for much of their course in China, such as the Mekong, South-East Asia's longest river, and the Brahmaptttra, that winds for 1700km through the highlands of Tibet before crossing into India and Bangladesh. About 83% of China's electricity comes from burning coal. The air pollution blights Chinese cities and damages public health.
Massive amounts of CO2 released into the atmosphere from coal-burning by power stations and heavy industry have made China the leading source of this global warming gas, surpassing even the United States a few years ago. When all generating units began running last month at the Xiaowan hydroelectric-power dam on the Chinese section of the Mekong in south-western Yunnan province, China's hydroelectricity capacity became the world's largest. Xiaowan is the fourth of eight dams being built on the upper Mekong. Its completion brought China's nationwide hydroelectricity generating capacity to a little more than 200 millionkWs.
Chinese officials say that had they not tapped river water for power, thermal plants of equivalent capacity would have been built, burning 288 million tonnes of coal annually and releasing 855 million tonnes of CO2 and 5.4 million tonnes of polluting sulphur dioxide Into the atmosphere each year.
Hydroelectric power produces no toxic air pollutants or carbon emissions. China aims to generate 15% of its power from non-fossil sources by 2020, up from 7.8% now. It has also promised to cut its carbon emissions per unit of economic output by 40 to 45% by then. As the most competitive renewable energy, hydroelectricity is a key to achieving emission cuts in China, although rapid expansion of nuclear power will also help.
Director of China's National Energy Administration Zhang Guobao told the official Xinhua news agency last month that hydroelectricity projects with another 70 millionkW capacity were under construction. "If all the planned hydropower projects begin construction in the next three years, it is still possible to expand the current installed capacity to 380 millionkW by 2020", he said. "We need careful and detailed planning and imperative approval procedures". If done well, hydroelectric power can be a sustainable and nonpolluting power source that helps decrease dependence on fossil fuels and reduces the threat of global warming.
However, blocking rivers with massive dams and reservoirs can create serious social and environmental problems, including displacement of local communities, forest and wildlife habitat destruction and preventing movement of migratory fish. There is also the risk of damage or even a catastrophic breach in an earthquake. Because of such concerns, the central Government in China had put a freeze on dam building. However, in July, the Chinese Government gave the go-ahead to two hydroelectricity projects, one in Yunnan and the other in Tibet. They were the first approvals in more than two years.
Will intensified dam building result in lax regulation? Zhang said that even as China accelerated hydroelectric power development, approval procedures would be stricter and focus on issues like protection of the environment and the rights of people relocated to make way for the projects. He did not say where all the new dams would be constructed. India is concerned that China may decide to meet some of its hydroelectric power needs by building giant dams on the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra River, but China has denied this.
However, China now appears certain to finish its planned cascade of dams not only on the upper Mekong but also on the upper Salween River, before it flows into Burma. For downstream countries in South-East Asia Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam this raises two points of concern. The first is how much water will be impounded in Chinese reservoirs behind the dams. The second is how hydroelectric power operators, all of them state owned firms, will regulate the flow of water once the reservoirs hold enough water and the generating units are ready to run.
The four completed dams on the upper Mekong have a capacity to hold back over 18 billion cubic metres of water. This is 70% of the total storage capacity of all reservoirs on the Mekong and its tributaries. After the fifth upper Mekong dam at Nuozhadu is finished in 2014, China's share will rise to nearly 90%.
There are two basic ways of regulating the outflow of this water. One is to hold it back in the wet season to prevent flooding downstream and to release it in the dry season when it is most needed by farmers and others. The other way is to release more of the turbid water in the wet season before the sediment has a chance to settle, and store extra water in the dry season to make up for these releases. Chinese hydroelectric-power operators reportedly prefer the latter method because it evens the flow of water throughout the year and increases both the reliability and efficiency of electricity generation. However, it raises the risk of wet season flooding and dry-season water shortages for downstream states in South-East Asia.
Wednesday 29/9/2010 Page: 19
China's already the largest generator of electricity from river water trapped by giant dams, recently announced plans to nearly double its hydroelectric power capacity by 2020. This is good news for those concerned about China's impact on climate change. Coal, the dirtiest and most carbon-intensive of the fossil fuels, is the main source of energy for China's turbo-charged economic growth. But South-East Asia and South Asia, which depend on the regular flow of major rivers that start in China before crossing the border into downstream states, will be watching closely where the new Chinese dams are built and how the huge amounts of water in their reservoirs is regulated.
These decisions will affect the flow of water in trans-boundary rivers that begin and run for much of their course in China, such as the Mekong, South-East Asia's longest river, and the Brahmaptttra, that winds for 1700km through the highlands of Tibet before crossing into India and Bangladesh. About 83% of China's electricity comes from burning coal. The air pollution blights Chinese cities and damages public health.
Massive amounts of CO2 released into the atmosphere from coal-burning by power stations and heavy industry have made China the leading source of this global warming gas, surpassing even the United States a few years ago. When all generating units began running last month at the Xiaowan hydroelectric-power dam on the Chinese section of the Mekong in south-western Yunnan province, China's hydroelectricity capacity became the world's largest. Xiaowan is the fourth of eight dams being built on the upper Mekong. Its completion brought China's nationwide hydroelectricity generating capacity to a little more than 200 millionkWs.
Chinese officials say that had they not tapped river water for power, thermal plants of equivalent capacity would have been built, burning 288 million tonnes of coal annually and releasing 855 million tonnes of CO2 and 5.4 million tonnes of polluting sulphur dioxide Into the atmosphere each year.
Hydroelectric power produces no toxic air pollutants or carbon emissions. China aims to generate 15% of its power from non-fossil sources by 2020, up from 7.8% now. It has also promised to cut its carbon emissions per unit of economic output by 40 to 45% by then. As the most competitive renewable energy, hydroelectricity is a key to achieving emission cuts in China, although rapid expansion of nuclear power will also help.
Director of China's National Energy Administration Zhang Guobao told the official Xinhua news agency last month that hydroelectricity projects with another 70 millionkW capacity were under construction. "If all the planned hydropower projects begin construction in the next three years, it is still possible to expand the current installed capacity to 380 millionkW by 2020", he said. "We need careful and detailed planning and imperative approval procedures". If done well, hydroelectric power can be a sustainable and nonpolluting power source that helps decrease dependence on fossil fuels and reduces the threat of global warming.
However, blocking rivers with massive dams and reservoirs can create serious social and environmental problems, including displacement of local communities, forest and wildlife habitat destruction and preventing movement of migratory fish. There is also the risk of damage or even a catastrophic breach in an earthquake. Because of such concerns, the central Government in China had put a freeze on dam building. However, in July, the Chinese Government gave the go-ahead to two hydroelectricity projects, one in Yunnan and the other in Tibet. They were the first approvals in more than two years.
Will intensified dam building result in lax regulation? Zhang said that even as China accelerated hydroelectric power development, approval procedures would be stricter and focus on issues like protection of the environment and the rights of people relocated to make way for the projects. He did not say where all the new dams would be constructed. India is concerned that China may decide to meet some of its hydroelectric power needs by building giant dams on the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra River, but China has denied this.
However, China now appears certain to finish its planned cascade of dams not only on the upper Mekong but also on the upper Salween River, before it flows into Burma. For downstream countries in South-East Asia Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam this raises two points of concern. The first is how much water will be impounded in Chinese reservoirs behind the dams. The second is how hydroelectric power operators, all of them state owned firms, will regulate the flow of water once the reservoirs hold enough water and the generating units are ready to run.
The four completed dams on the upper Mekong have a capacity to hold back over 18 billion cubic metres of water. This is 70% of the total storage capacity of all reservoirs on the Mekong and its tributaries. After the fifth upper Mekong dam at Nuozhadu is finished in 2014, China's share will rise to nearly 90%.
There are two basic ways of regulating the outflow of this water. One is to hold it back in the wet season to prevent flooding downstream and to release it in the dry season when it is most needed by farmers and others. The other way is to release more of the turbid water in the wet season before the sediment has a chance to settle, and store extra water in the dry season to make up for these releases. Chinese hydroelectric-power operators reportedly prefer the latter method because it evens the flow of water throughout the year and increases both the reliability and efficiency of electricity generation. However, it raises the risk of wet season flooding and dry-season water shortages for downstream states in South-East Asia.
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".
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.
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.
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