U.S. takes giant leap toward wind energy

www.upi.com
3 Jul 2012

WASHINGTON, (UPI)--The US Department of Interior said it completed environmental reviews for onshore and offshore wind power, including a 3,000 MW project. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced the final environmental impact statement was released for the proposed Chokecherry and Sierra Madre wind farms in Wyoming. The complex could include as many as 1,000 turbines and generate as much as 3,000 MW of power.

An assessment of wind power areas off the coast of Rhode Island and Massachusetts will be used by U.S, regulators to make future lease decisions in an area encompassing roughly 165,000 acres. Salazar, in a statement, said the two projects would put the United States at the forefront of the move to advance renewable energy resources. "When it comes to wind power, we're making significant progress both onshore and offshore to diversify our nation's domestic energy portfolio and stand up a clean energy economy", he said.

Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., ranking member of the Natural Resources Committee, said the eastern seaboard could emerge as a pioneer for wind power, while the wind regime in Wyoming could spin the turbines that would make up one of the largest wind farms in the world. He said his Republican counterparts, however, were trying to block some of the steps needed to advance the projects. Republican leaders have pressed the White House for more oil and natural gas drilling.

Cheap wind power tested as Renova starts farms: Corporate Brazil

www.businessweek.com
1 Jul 2012

Renova Energia SA (RNEW11)'s strategy to produce wind power cheaper than anywhere else in the world will be tested as it brings its first turbines online, helping to transform Brazil into the world's fourth-biggest market. Renova, which counts utility Light SA (LIGT3) as among its biggest shareholders, started operating South America's biggest wind farm cluster in northeastern Brazil last week. The company, based in Sao Paulo, plans to build at least six farms next year.

Brazil aims to more than double its capacity to generate wind power next year by harnessing the same weather system that brought Portuguese and Spanish sailors to the continent in the 1500s. Renova is betting its farms can produce energy for as little as a quarter of the price needed to make some European projects viable.

"There's uncertainty over whether these turbines will perform as expected", Unai Otazua Aranguren, director of renewable energy consultant Garrad Hassan Group Ltd.'s Brazil office, said by telephone. "The wind here behaves differently to what we have in Europe and the U.S".

Renova rose 0.3% to 31 reais in Sao Paulo trading on June 29, bringing its year-to-date gain to 16%. It has more than doubled since it first sold shares in 2010. Brazil's government is promoting wind and other renewable energy projects in a bid to diversify away from hydroelectric plants, which account for 66% of the nation's installed capacity. Wind farms can help shore up the supply of electricity in drier months when dam reservoirs diminish.

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Wasting carbon tax cash on the living dead

www.climatespectator.com.au
2 Jul 2012

Have you heard the joke about the government that set up a carbon tax to reduce emissions but then spent nearly $100 million days before the scheme started to try to stop it from reducing emissions? Yes, it really happened. In one of the greatest examples of throwing good money after bad, the federal government provided $50 million to prop-up the Energy Brix brown coal power station and briquette plant which commenced operation in 1956; and in conjunction with the Victorian government, threw $40 million at Alcoa's 1963 Point Henry Geelong aluminium smelter-all on Friday. By the way the money for Energy Brix is on top of around $100m they'll receive in cash and free permits out of the Government's Energy Security Fund. Closure of these two plants would have been one of the quickest and lowest cost forms of greenhouse gas abatement the country had at its disposal.

Alcoa's Point Henry Smelter has been living off the generosity of other Victorians for three decades now. Thanks to what one former member of the Hamer Victorian government called a "collective moment of insanity", in the early 1980s the Victorian government committed itself to an electricity supply contract that has provided Alcoa with hugely subsidised electricity. The deal was so good for Alcoa and so bad for other Victorians that current Liberal Party Federal President Alan Stockdale described it as "manifestly unjust". Energy Brix and its associated briquette factory is the oldest fossil fuel power plant operating in the country, originally commencing production in 1956. It is also the third most polluting per unit of electricity generated, being just a shade better than Hazelwood-the most carbon intensive plant in the developed world. What's worse is that it also produces brown coal briquettes which are then used to fire boilers that might have switched to less pollution intensive fuels, were briquettes unavailable. Or alternatively production locations might have shifted to areas where gas was available.

Energy Brix is well past retirement age and should have been put out to pasture years ago. For a long-time, industry participants have looked at Energy Brix and seen a creaking, sub-economic scale power station; and a briquette factory that was museum piece from the time before gas was discovered in Bass Strait. But what they could also see was an option or gambling stake on lots of free carbon permits from the government that they could cash-in, after finally putting the plant out of its misery.

As early as the 1990s it was widely expected within the power industry that government would ultimately introduce a carbon trading scheme. At the same time many hoped, and furiously lobbied for, government to allocate the carbon permits based on historical levels of pollution.

For those owners of sub-economic scale or very old coal power plants that were on the verge of closure, this created an incredibly perverse incentive. Essentially you would invest as little as possible to keep the highly polluting plant just creaking over so you could lay claim to lots of free permits under a future carbon trading scheme. Once these free permits were in the bag, you could cash-in the chips so to speak even though you had no genuine plans to keep plant running over the long-term. As an illustration, a fire went through the briquette plant in December 2003, and rather than invest to restore the plant to full operation, they instead have just continued to run the plant at a fraction of its full capacity. Of course this was after putting its hand out to the Victorian government (something HRL seem to be rather practiced in) for $5.2 million dollars, which the government rejected.

Meanwhile during the same week the Baillieu government was bailing out aluminium workers, it has informed all staff working on renewable energy within Sustainability Victoria to pack up their desks. With the renewable energy industry about to invest close to $20 billion over the next eight years, Climate Spectator has been informed by government sources that there are now just two people within the Victorian government dedicated full-time to supporting renewable energy investment.

While South Australia has captured billions in power project investments and lower electricity prices thanks to renewable energy, it appears as if the Victorian government is resolutely determined to cut its nose to spite its face. In spite of the carbon tax finally becoming a reality, it appears as if a smoke-affected, near terminal job in the hand, is worth more than two clean energy jobs in the bush.

Britain's supply of green energy soars

www.independent.co.uk
1 Jul 2012

Britain is being powered by record levels of green energy, after a surprise increase in electricity generated from wind, sun and waves. Renewables accounted for 11% of the UK's electricity in the first three months of 2012, compared with 7.7% from January to March 2011. There were big rises in power from onshore wind farms, while generation from hydroelectric and bioenergy plants also rose sharply, putting Britain much closer to meeting its legally binding commitment to get 15% of its power from renewable sources by 2020. The increases could also go some way to solving the looming energy crisis, as decades-old nuclear, coal and gas power stations are taken out of service.

The latest figures from the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency show that gas accounted for 27% of electricity generated in the first quarter of 2012, its lowest level in the past 14 years. High gas prices were blamed. Coal accounted for 42%, up by a fifth, while nuclear fell from 19 to 17%. Onshore and offshore wind generation was up by around 50% year-on-year. Hydroelectricity output was 43% higher between January and March 2012 than a year earlier, and thermal renewables rose by 20%. Solar, wave and tidal grew by more than 800%, but remain the smallest renewables sector with most technologies still in their infancy. Gordon Edge, of the trade body RenewableUK, claimed the figures were proof that "green growth is beginning to take hold".

Joss Garman, a senior campaigner at Greenpeace, said: "Britain is now in prime position to become the Saudi Arabia of the global offshore wind industry. The cost of wind power is falling fast so if ministers don't make the wrong decision over the next few months-and if they avoid a risky bet on a new dash for more gas burning-then we could all reap the benefits of a strong home-grown clean energy boom with stabilised energy bills, new jobs and industries, and reduced carbon emissions".

Major progress in renewables risks being undermined by a cabinet row over imminent cuts to some subsidies between 2013 and 2017. Ed Davey, the Energy and Climate Change Secretary, is planning a 10% reduction in subsidies for onshore wind, but George Osborne is reported to favour a cut of up to 25%. With the Renewables Obligation Certificate regime due to expire in 2017, there are fears that uncertainty over its replacement could spook investors. Shaun Kingsbury, of the private equity firm Hudson Clean Energy, warned MPs that "if things continue to slow andmore detail comes out that makes it more complex, then you will see people stopping development spend". The Government claims its Energy Market Reform Bill will attract the £150bn-£200bn needed to overhaul the national grid and replace ageing nuclear and coal power stations. "Our ageing infrastructure has not been invested in for 30 years", said a government source. "If we don't fix it, the lights go out".

The surprise rise in green energy production at the start of this year builds on strong growth in 2011, when renewables generated 34,410 GWh, up a third on 2010. In 2009, just 3% of energy consumption in the UK came from renewables. Capacity grew by 36% last year. Charles Hendry, the climate change minister, said: "This shows that the UK is powering forward on clean and secure energy and is a very attractive place to invest".


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Gunning for energy blowin' in the wind

www.canberratimes.com.au
30 Jun 2012

From on top of these 80 metre-high wind turbines near Gunning, the view sweeps across the Southern Tablelands and future landscape of power generation. More than $3 billion worth of wind farms are awaiting planning approval in a concentrated wind and power belt from Crookwell to Yass. At least 10 major developments comprising more than 800 turbines are moving through environmental assessment or being tweaked to comply with draft guidelines for wind farms.

Each of the 31 turbines on Spanish-based multinational ACCIONA Energy's Gunning Wind Farm operates independently. They can turn 360° to catch optimum wind power, guided by an anemometer aerial which measures wind speed and direction, 24 hours a day, from on top of the gleaming white generators. ACCIONA Energy engaged PricewaterhouseCoopers to assess economic benefits from its turbines which cost more than $100 million to build. They generate enough power for 24,000 homes. PricewaterhouseCoopers predicts the wind farm will raise gross regional product in the south-east region by $69.3 million over the next decade.

On a high ridge, turbine blades travel at a few metres per second up to 25 metres per second in high winds, before they are turned off as a safety measure. Nine operation and maintenance workers oversee the plant and can take an internal lift to the top of each generator. The turbines are controlled from Melbourne and monitored from a base on a merino sheep stud 15 km north-east of Gunning. Debate is raging over wind farm impacts, even though only five-three near Crookwell and two at Lake George and Tarago-are up and running. ACCIONA Energy's director of engineering, construction and operation Brett Wickham said over time community acceptance of wind farms would grow.

''I think we do need more history, I think there has been a lot of fear and panic generated in various communities. ''I think, not only do we ask people to source factual documentation and do as much reading as they can from researched and peer-reviewed areas to be able to allay some of those fears, we also need a bit more history.'' He said over the next 25 years the turbines would either be re-powered or removed. ''No wind turbine around the world has reached that stage yet, but there have been opportunities to increase the capacity of the machines,'' Mr Wickham said. ''As part of our planning permit, de-commissioning is part of that, as much as we are bound to build it, if we are not generating money, we are bound to remove everything to a standard set by local planning authorities.''

The release of National Health and Medical Research Council's findings on wind farms at the end of this year will influence state governments' policies. Canberra-based wind power developer Windlab Systems has an interest in one of the projects near Boorowa. Windlab Systems's regional director for Australia, Luke Osborne, believes investments across the region are likely to go ahead in some form and bring a new and valuable revenue stream to the region. ''If the renewable energy target-the 20% renewables by 2020 stays in its current form, yes it will all go ahead.'' Multinational energy company Epuron proposes about 182 turbines worth $1 billion on sites near Yass and Bookham.

Renewable energy doubles in five years

www.scotsman.com
29 Jun 2012

Scotland produced a record amount of renewable energy last year, almost double the total from five years ago. The UK Department for Energy and Climate Change said 13,735 GWs of renewable energy were generated north of the Border in 2011, up 44.3% on the previous year and up 97.3% on 2006. Provisional figures for the first quarter of this year show another big increase in renewables output to a total of 4,590GWH, up 45.5% compared with the first three months of 2011. Energy minister Fergus Ewing said the figures show that renewable energy generation in Scotland was "going from strength to strength".

Jenny Hogan, of Scottish Renewables, said: "Not only does renewables industry now employ more than 11,000 people in Scotland, it's helping to reduce our carbon emissions, tackle climate change and insulate us from volatility in the gas market which has been responsible for the major hikes in energy bills over the last few years". However, the advisory Committee on Climate Change (CCC) will today publish a report that will say the pace of measures to reduce emissions needs to increase fourfold.

It will highlight that, across the UK, although greenhouse gas emissions fell by 7% in 2011, only 0.8% of that can be linked directly to measures to lower carbon. David Kennedy, CCC chief executive, said: "Much of last year's fall in emissions was due to a combination of mild weather, rising fuel prices, falling incomes and transitory factors in power generation". Tom Ballantine, chair of Stop Climate Chaos Scotland, said: "This assessment of progress makes it pretty clear the Scottish Government's climate policy is at a crossroads". It could choose to stick to current path and miss the targets, forfeiting the many benefits, or it could increase efforts to reduce emissions to put us on the right road to a low-carbon future, he said.

How boat engineering is keeping hydrogen power hopes buoyant

www.guardian.co.uk
28 Jun 2012

The Ross Barlow looks like a traditional canal barge, built 100 years ago to be drawn by a horse, travelling at the same speed as modern diesel engine vessels. However the 18 metre boat is one of the most technically advanced in the world. Silent and greenhouse gas-emission free, it can cruise the canals for at least a week on a minimum of fuel. The brainchild of Prof Rex Harris of University of Birmingham's school of engineering is a hydrogen-powered craft, and this week has been one of the stars of a convention in Birmingham that is bringing together key people in the race to find low-carbon transport fuels for ships.

The hydrogen on the Ross Barlow is stored onboard in a large-scale metal hydride storage system, which can handle large amounts of hydrogen at room temperature. The hydrogen is released by decreasing the pressure to feed the barge's fuel-cell (an electric battery, in effect). According to Harris, boats are better placed than cars to run on clean hydrogen because the weight of the heavy tank that stores the fuel is immaterial and can replace ballast. "They are at the cutting edge of the hydrogen fuel revolution", he says. "It is widely recognised that the world has only a few years to meet the urgent challenges of climate change and oil depletion".

Longer terms aims of the University of Birmingham project include the development of a canal-side hydrogen refuelling infrastructure, and to generate hydrogen from renewable sources of electricity on suitable sites throughout the canal network. Elsewhere, two British ferry companies are now developing hybrid hydrogen-powered boats, for the Scottish isles and Bristol, but the biggest practical advances in the nascent technology are coming from mainland European countries. Germany and Greece both have hydrogen fuel-cell-driven submarines, Turkish students at Istanbul Technical University have built a ferry, a hydrogen-powered boat cruises the Amsterdam canals and there are advanced plans for ocean-going hydrogen container vessels.

The increasing price of diesel fuel, the need to reduce carbon emissions, and the soaring cost for railway electrification is also boosting research into a new breed of hydrogen railway trains. Coincidentally, scientists working on hydrogen trains around the world will also meet in Birmingham next week. The first hydrogen-powered locomotive was built for a mine in Canada in 2002 and in the past 10 years, fuell cell trains have been developed in Taiwan, Japan, South Africa, Spain and Denmark with more others planned for China. The state-owned Spanish railway company has demonstrated a "hydrail tram", and has announced that it will launch Europe's first hydrail train later this year.

Goldwind sells its Australian wind farm to CGN Energy

in.reuters.com
28 Jun 2012

(Reuters)-China's Xinjiang Goldwind Science & Technology Co said it has sold its 19.5 MW Mortons Lane wind farm in Australia to CGN Wind Energy Ltd, a unit of China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group. Goldwind Science & Technology Co, China's second-biggest wind turbine maker, also secured a power purchase agreement and the installation of the first Goldwind Science & Technology Co turbines in Australia through the project, it said in an email to Reuters on Thursday. The Morton's Lane project, in Western Victoria, will use 13 Goldwind Science & Technology Co wind turbines, each generating 1.5 MW of electricity.

Goldwind Science & Technology Co Australia has its own project management team overseeing the construction of the Mortons Lane project. "Goldwind Science & Technology Co is very pleased that CGNWE has invested in Mortons Lane wind farm-Goldwind Science & Technology Co's first Australian project. This project has been developed due to the support of the Australian Government's renewable energy target", said Goldwind Science & Technology Co Australia Managing Director Mr. John Titchen in the statement.

Goldwind Science & Technology Co did not disclose the value of the deal. Goldwind Science & Technology Co's first-quarter net profit fell 97% due to weak wind turbine prices and increased market competition. After the deal, Mortons Lane wind farm would become CGNWE's first Australian renewable energy project.

GPA signs 25-year contract for solar farm

www.guampdn.com
28 Jun 2012

The Guam Power Authority signed a 25 year contract with Quantum Guam Power for a solar farm at a signing ceremony at GPA headquarters yesterday. It is the first renewable energy contract GPA has signed. The project costs about $95 million and will be located near the Layon Landfill in Inarajan. The solar farm will harness the energy from the sun through solar photovoltaic cells. It will produce about 20 MWs a year, enough to power 1,700 homes. The 25 year contract has terms that guarantee energy production and a fixed price per contract year.

Public Utilities Chairman Simon Sanchez said it was the first big step for renewable energy on Guam. "We're using an energy source that will always be here", Sanchez said. He said instead of sending money off island to fuel refineries in Singapore for oil to run GPA power plants, the money saved through the solar farm project will stay on Guam. "There's about $300 million dollars leaving Guam every year", Sanchez said of GPA's annual purchase of fossil fuel. With solar, part of that money can be going to the local economy, he added.

Consolidated Utility Services General Manager John Benavente said this could create jobs for local residents. "This is monumental since we can convert (what would otherwise be spent on oil) into jobs", Benavente said. GPA General Manager Joaquin Flores said it took more than a year to finalize the contract. "We are here today and this really will make Guam a better place", Flores said. The new solar farm would help stimulate the economy, Flores said.

Flores and Quantum Guam Power Chief Development Officer Dirk Straussfeld signed the contract, as their audience applauded. After the ceremony, Sanchez said the project wouldn't reduce the price of power right away, but in the long term, it will help keep costs down. "This is guaranteed energy at a fixed price unlike oil, which can go up at anytime", Sanchez said. There will be other solar power projects in the future and wind power projects as well, he said. The utility's goal is to have 5% of power coming from renewable energy within five years. The long-term aim is to have 20% renewable.

Public law has set goals for 8% of net sales to come from renewable energy by 2020, 10% by 2025, and 25% by 2035, Pacific Daily News files show. Flores explained that the move to renewable energy only made sense since many other utilities have other energy sources. "There were financial issues in regards to our lenders. There were concerns that we are totally reliant on fossil fuels, but now we're moving forward", Flores said.

Straussfeld said his company has much experience in renewable energy and will be a great partner with GPA. "We come with the know-how and our business is based on working with utilities providing this service", Straussfeld said. The company won the bid last May and has gone through a long process to get the 25 year contract right for both parties. "We wanted to make sure that everyone is committed", Straussfeld said.

IKEA to only use renewable electricity generated by its own wind turbines in Sweden

www.power-eng.com
27 Jun 2012

SWEDEN, Jun. 27 As a step towards using only energy from renewable sources in its global operations, IKEA Group is investing in a new wind farm with 30 wind turbines on Gloetesvalen, a mountain in Haerjedalen, Sweden. This is one of the largest investments to date in a wind power project in the Nordic countries and one of the largest land-based wind power project that work has started on so far in Europe during 2012.

The IKEA Group currently has around the world 96 wind turbines in operation or under construction, including nine in Sweden. This new investment will bring the total number of wind turbines owned by IKEA in Sweden to 39. The new Gloetesvalen wind farm is estimated to produce a total of 220 GWh (90MW) a year, equivalent to the annual electricity needs of approximately 48,000 homes. Construction will start this summer and the wind farm is expected to be operational by the end of 2014/beginning of 2015.

"At IKEA, we want to take a leading role in the transition to a low-carbon society by only using 100% renewable energy in our global operations. By only using wind power in Sweden, it is an exciting and important step toward reaching that goal. We will not only be self-sufficient in electricity in Sweden, generating enough to supply all IKEA buildings and operations in the country, but it will give us opportunities to supply IKEA stores in other countries with wind power", says Steve Howard, Chief Sustainability Officer, IKEA Group.

The IKEA Group has earmarked 590 million euros to invest in renewable energy, including this current wind power project and other investments that are planned over the next three years. An agreement has been signed with the O2 wind power company to develop, construct and manage the Gloetesvalen wind farm.

"This is the second time we have done business with IKEA in the course of the past 18 months, and it is the result of some very good and very close cooperation", says Johan Ihrfelt, O2's managing director. "Through its investment in Gloetesvalen IKEA has chosen to participate in one of the Nordic countries' most promising wind power projects in terms of the reliability of the meteorological conditions".

Gloetesvalen Wind Farm-facts & figures wind farm with 30 wind turbines situated on Gloetesvalen approx. 40 km north-west of Sveg in the south-western corner of Haerjedalen in west-central Sweden.

This is one of the best locations for wind in the whole of Sweden, with a highest point 1,010 metres above sea level. The wind has been measured here over a period of more than 10 years. The yearly mean wind speed of 8.1 metres per second is extremely good, and in the cold winter months this increases to more than 9 metres per second. Gloetesvalen has been approved in the local municipality's outline plan and selected by the Swedish Energy Agency as an area of national interest for wind farming.

It is estimated that the wind farm will reduce CO₂ emissions by up to 176,000 tonnes. (Calculated using methods advocated and approved by the Swedish Energy Agency.)

Solar production glut to persist to 2015 - study

in.reuters.com
26 Jun 2012

(Reuters)-solar panel manufacturers face three more years of tough conditions until the market shuts down excess production capacity, according to a new report issued on Tuesday by renewable power consultancy GTM Research. Production capacity for photovoltaic solar panels this year stands at 59 GWs, about double the 30 GWs expected to be sold into the global market, according to GTM analyst Shyam Mehta. About 21 GWs of the current production is expected to be retired by 2015 as panel prices continue their steep declines, GTM said.

Companies such as Suntech Power, Yingli Green Energy Holding Co Ltd and FirstSolar Inc have all expanded manufacturing in recent years to supply panels into the fast-growing market for renewable power. But with subsidies in top European markets including Germany and Italy falling under the knife, the panel makers have been forced to pull back on their expansion plans, and most are operating manufacturing lines at levels well below their capacity.

"The training wheels of subsidies are coming off, and the next few years will see the industry's first attempt to ride without support. Consequently, the next three years will be an extremely difficult period", Mehta said. The glut of supplies has already taken its toll on the industry, sending several US, European and Asian companies into bankruptcy as they failed to keep pace with a more than 50% drop in wholesale panel prices since the beginning of 2011. The drop in panel prices, which currently stand at about 70 85¢ per watt for most major manufacturers, will continue, with prices likely to reach 45¢ by 2015, GTM said.

Leading that price drop will be Chinese companies such as Trina Solar Ltd, Yingli Green Energy, Jinko Solar and Hareon Solar, according to GTM. While those price drops will make solar power more affordable, they will force many companies to alter their strategies and potentially cede the panel-making business to more efficient players, Mehta said. "Most current PV manufacturers will have to take a long, hard look in the mirror and make tough decisions about their future role in the industry", said Mehta.

Wind energy sector hits back at MP

www.standard.net.au
25 Jun 2012

THE wind power sector has hit back at scathing criticism in Federal Parliament last week by an MP who described electricity generation by wind turbines as ludicrously inefficient. Sydney-based Liberal Craig Kelly claimed 3500 turbines would be needed to produce the equivalent output of one medium-sized conventional coal or gas-fired power station.

"The electricity they produce is 500% more expensive than electricity produced by coal-fired plants", he said. "Even if we built these 3500 steel windmills, we would still need a gas-fired power station as a backup, for when the wind doesn't blow, the power doesn't flow. "Overseas studies have suggested that we could actually lower our emissions of CO₂ if we did away with wind turbines altogether and just ran gas power stations inefficiently".

The Clean Energy Council later issued an invitation to Mr Kelly to tour a wind farm and learn how it drives investment in local communities. South-west Victoria is one of Australia's fastest-growing regions for wind farm investment. "The cost of wind power can be about the same as brown coal in many cases or only marginally more", the council's policy director Russell Marsh told The Standard.

"Wind power is currently the cheapest type of renewable energy that can be rolled out on a large scale and is expected to play a major role under Australia's renewable energy target of 20% by 2020". Mr Marsh said there was no evidence new power stations had to be built solely to back up wind generation. "When wind power is being fed into the system, less power is required from carbon-intensive sources to meet our energy needs".

Sun sets on solar jobs in the sunshine state

Clean Energy Council
26 Jun 2012

More than 4500 jobs could go in the next 12 months as a result of yesterday's decision by the Queensland Government to slash an incentive for people to purchase solar power systems, according to analysis commissioned by the Clean Energy Council. Clean Energy Council acting Chief Executive Kane Thornton said the solar industry was "obviously disappointed" at such a rapid reduction in the Queensland Solar Bonus Scheme, which would put thousands of jobs at risk.

"The Solar Bonus Scheme has been very successful, with the solar industry now employing approximately 11,000 Queenslanders. The Solar Bonus Scheme itself has stimulated $2.37 billion worth of private investment", said Mr Thornton. "It is appropriate that the Queensland government reduces the level of its support scheme, given the great success of solar and the reduction in the cost of solar power systems in recent times. "However, this kind of sudden drop could have a serious negative impact on an industry that has been delivering major economic benefits to the state", he said.

A decision was made on Monday afternoon to reduce the level of support to householders under the Solar Bonus Scheme from 44¢ per kilowatt-hour down to 8¢. Mr Thornton said he was concerned about the Queensland Government's commitment to clean energy for the state, given it had also closed its rebate scheme for solar hot water last Friday.

eBay to power data center with Bloom Energy's renewable energy fuel cells

www.mercurynews.com
21 Jun 2012

eBay said it plans to build a data center powered by startup Bloom Energy's renewable energy fuel-cells, a more environmentally friendly alternative to drawing power from the mostly coal-based electric grid. The U.S, online auction sales group will use 30 Bloom Energy servers that use biogas derived from renewable organic waste and will only use the grid as a back-up source of power. Last month, Apple said it was buying equipment from SunPower and Bloom Energy to build two solar array installations to power its main U.S, data center.

Concerns about the ever-expanding power consumption of computer data centers have mounted in recent years, as technology companies build enormous facilities housing servers to cater to an explosion in Internet traffic, multimedia use and enterprise services hosting. "eBay is raising the standard for the entire industry. It is 21st century infrastructure for the industry needs of the 21st century", said KR Sridhar, chief executive of Sunnyvale-based Bloom Energy, said in a statement.

Turbines for new North Shore wind farm arrive next week

www.staradvertiser.com
21 Jun 2012

First Wind LLC will begin delivering turbine parts next week for its Kawailoa wind power project on Oahu's North Shore, company officials said today.

The company will transport the blades and tower components from Kalaeloa Harbor to the project site starting Monday using oversized trailers. The deliveries will be made between 10 p.m, and 5 a.m. Monday through Friday to minimize traffic disruptions, according to a news release from the company.

In addition, each delivery will have a police escort. Traffic may be stopped momentarily as the trucks navigate certain intersections along the delivery route, the company said. "We are making every effort to ensure that this transport is done with minimal traffic disruptions", said Kekoa Kaluhiwa, First Wind director for external affairs. "We truly appreciate everyone's patience throughout this process".

First Wind broke ground on the wind project on February 24. Kawailoa Wind's 69 MWs of generating capacity will be enough to power the equivalent of 14,500 Oahu homes. The project includes thirty Siemens turbines that will be installed on land owned by Kamehameha Schools mauka of Kamehameha Highway between Waimea Bay and Haleiwa town.

Scotland touts renewable energy leadership

www.upi.com
20 Jun 2012

SAN FRANCISCO, June 20 (UPI)--With 25% of the offshore and tidal resources in Europe, Scotland is on pace to become the regional hub for renewables, the Scottish first minister said. Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond addressed delegates at the Commonwealth Club of California in San Francisco during a trade mission to the United States. Scotland, he said, was making a significant contribution to the emerging renewable energy sector. "We are ambitious for the future, both for ourselves and what we can contribute to the rest of the world", he said.

Scotland aims to derive 100% of its electricity demand through renewable energy projects by 2020. The government estimates it met 35% of its electricity demand last year through renewable energy resources. All universities in Scotland have energy technology partnerships with third parties and Scotland this year signed a collaborative deal with the Masdar Energy Institute in Abu Dhabi. Glasgow, meanwhile, serves as a major research center for offshore wind power generation. "We possess 10% of Europe's wave energy resources and 25% of its offshore wind and tidal resources--all with only 1% of the EU population", Salmond said.

RPT-Faulty tests blamed for California nuclear plant leak

in.reuters.com
19 Jun 2012

(Reuters)-Tubes that leaked radioactive steam at a California nuclear power plant, leading to an indefinite shutdown, were not properly tested by the manufacturer prior to installation, nuclear regulators told an overflowing public hearing on Monday. The San Onofre Nuclear Power plant, located in Orange County, has been shut down since Jan. 31, when plant operators discovered a small radiation leak in one of the plants' two units. The 2,150 MW plant is operated by Edison International's Southern California Edison utility.

The nuclear station is located halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego and is critical to the grid to import electricity into southern California. Its extended shutdown raises the possibility of rolling power outages as warmer temperatures boost demand for power over the summer. The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Monday pinned the blame for the leak on Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which it said underestimated the velocity of water and steam surging through the generator by a factor of three or four times in its computerized test of the equipment.

The tubes were also not held together tightly enough inside the troubled Unit 3 reactor, allowing them to rub against each other and causing premature wear, regulatory officials said. Eight of the 129 tubes tested by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission since the shutdown at the plant's troubled Unit 3 generator failed pressure testing, an unprecedented number, said Elmo Collins, regional administrator for the Region IV office of the NRC. "We've never seen that before", he said of the test results. "This is a significant, serious safety issue".

Officials from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Southern California Edison said they would not allow the plant to reopen until it was safe to do so, and declined to give a specific timeline for restarting the plant. "Both San Onofre units will be shut down until repairs are made and we and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission are satisfied it is safe to operate", said Pete Dietrich, senior vice president and chief nuclear officer for the power plant.

While the regulatory commission has some authority over contractors such as Mitsubishi, Collins made it clear that it's Southern California Edison that will ultimately be held accountable if penalties are eventually levied by the government. A crowd of over 400 people showed up for the hearing, many asking pointed questions about the competence of the Southern California Edison and the regulatory commission, as well as raising questions about the safety of nuclear power.

Dozens of environmentalists held a rally prior to the meeting with anti-nuclear signs, including one banner that read "Fukushima not again!"-a reference to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster last year following the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan. Damon Moglen, climate and energy director for green group Friends of the Earth, said that Southern California Edison made significant design changes to the plant without seeking an amendment to its existing license, as is required by the regulatory commission.

His group submitted petition to nuclear regulators on Monday to require the company to obtain a new license, complaining that in his view the commission was "asleep at the regulatory wheel". The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said its investigation into what went wrong at the plant was ongoing and promised to keep the public apprised of any new developments. A written report on the findings will be released next month, regulators said.

Renewable energy use surged worldwide last year

phys.org
18 Jun 2012

Renewable energy reached a big milestone in 2011, surging to a record $257 billion in global investments, the UN Environment Program announced, up 17% from 2010 and a sixfold increase over the past seven years. The figure also marks a breakthrough for the solar power industry, which drew nearly twice as much investment as wind power last year, according to reports from the UN and the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century Total solar investments rose 52%, to $147 billion, in 2011, the reports say. While China has led the world in renewable-energy investments for three years, it increasingly faces competition from around the world, especially from the United States.

Chinese renewable-energy investments rose 17% to $52 billion in 2011. In the US, a 57% surge that pushed investments to $51 billion. The UK, Spain and Italy also had investment booms, with respective growth rates of 59, 45 and 43%, although their totals remain relatively small. The most extreme change came in India, whose 62% rise to $12 billion represents "the fastest investment expansion of any large renewables market in the world", UNEP reports.

This is mostly good news for the renewables industry, particularly solar, but the UNEP and REN21 reports have some dark spots, too. While $257 billion is a new record for global investments in renewables, the 17% increase is down substantially from the 37% growth recorded in 2010. Investments declined in some countries including Germany (down 12%) and much of the Middle East and Africa (down 18%). "Policy uncertainty created by the Arab Spring delayed some projects", UNEP notes, "but a number of important initiatives did still progress".

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Solar boom heads to Japan creating $9.6 billion market

www.bloomberg.com
19 Jun 2012

Japan is poised to overtake Germany and Italy to become the world's second-biggest market for solar power as incentives starting July 1 drive sales for equipment makers from Yingli Green Energy Holdings Co, to Kyocera Corp. (6971) Industry Minister Yukio Edano set today a premium price for solar electricity that's about triple what industrial users now pay for conventional power. That may spur at least $9.6 billion in new installations with 3.2 GWs of capacity, Bloomberg New Energy Finance forecast. The total is about equal to the output of three atomic reactors. Solar stocks rallied.

"The tariff is very attractive", said Mina Sekiguchi, associate partner and head of energy and infrastructure at KPMG in Japan. "The rate reflects the government's intention to set up many solar power stations very quickly". Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's effort to cut dependence on atomic energy that provided about 30% of Japan's power before the Fukushima nuclear meltdown in 2011 will help a solar industry suffering incentive cuts across Europe. It's also raising concern among Japanese business groups that clean power aid will raise bills and slow Japan's economic recovery.

"This is a mechanism with a high degree of market intervention by setting tariffs artificially high and making users shoulder the cost", said Masami Hasegawa, senior manager of the environmental policy bureau of Keidanren, Japan's most powerful business lobby, which counts Toyota Motor Corp, and Nippon Steel Corp (5401) among its members. "We question the effectiveness of such a scheme".

Twice German Rate
Utilities will pay 42 yen (53¢) a kilowatt-hour for 20 years to solar power producers, almost twice the rate in Germany, the world's biggest market by installations. The solar tariff was among incentive rates for clean energy announced today by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and foreshadowed by a ministry official June 15. Solar stocks rallied for a second day. The Bloomberg Global Large Solar Energy index added 1.8% at 12:13 p.m., bringing its two-day gain to 8.5%, the largest two-session intraday advance since February.

Developers are counting on the subsidies and have accelerated solar-park construction plans this year. "We hear every day a new announcement of a MW-scale project", Izumi Kaizuka, a solar industry analyst at RTS Corp., said in Munich, referring to projects 1 MW or bigger. Japan ranked sixth worldwide by new installations last year, when it added 1.3 GWs of solar to bring its installed base to 5 GWs. Next year builders will erect roughly triple that level, or another 3.2 GWs to 4.7 GWs, New Energy Finance forecasts. A GW is enough to supply about 243,000 homes in Japan.

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Pilot floating wind power project seeks EU funds

in.reuters.com
17 Jun 2012

Investors in the world's first floating wind turbine are seeking European Union funding to build five more off the coast of Portugal following the success of initial testing of the device. The wind power generator, which cost 20 million euros ($25.3 million), floats over deep ocean waters, unlike previous offshore wind farms built in shallow waters and attached to the ocean floor.

EDP and Seattle-based Principle Power, partners in the project, said the pilot produced 1.7 GWs of energy per hour (GWh) on average since its blades started turning six months ago, enough to supply power to 1,300 families. "This was a great success, our calculations have proved right, and the unit performed as predicted. But this was a conservative design. Next time we will be more optimistic", Principle Power Chief Executive Alla Weinstein told Reuters.

The pilot sits six km off the coast of the windy town of Povoa do Varzim, close to Porto in northern Portugal. It is 54 metres tall and weighs 1,200 tonnes, with a turbine from Denmark's Vestas Wind Systems and backup from Repsol and other local partners. Its capacity at 2 MWs (MW) is just below the average of offshore wind turbines in Europe, which was 3.6 MW at end-2011, according to the European Wind Energy Association. Construction of a bigger wind farm park now awaits EU funding.

"We have applied for a European Commission funding scheme that creates a tariff-like funding mechanism when you produce energy. It is provided through the monetisation of carbon credits", Weinstein said. Construction and testing would then commence on a larger scale. "After the prototypes are fully tested, we start with the commercial phase in two years' time, with the objective of starting to have some return on the investment", Pedro Valverde, the project manager at EDP, said.

The first wind turbine is connected to the grid through cables that run on the ocean floor and are linked to an onshore sub-station. If the distances are much greater than 6 km, the plan is to build mid-ocean substations. "These electrical cables are relatively inexpensive", Valverde said. Portugal's President Anibal Cavaco Silva told reporters at a presentation of the first results of the pilot test, "We can't help but feel a bit proud about being in the front line in renewable energy. This must be a priority for Europe if it wants to reach its 2020 (carbon reduction) goals".

Japan approves 2 reactor restarts, more seen ahead

www.reuters.com
16 Jun 2012

• Restarts would be first after Fukushima disaster
• Japan's policy to reduce nulcear dependence intact-trade min
• Nuclear safety considerably enhanced after Fukushima-trade min

TOKYO, June 16 (Reuters)-Japan on Saturday approved the resumption of nuclear power operations at two reactors despite mass public opposition, the first to come back on line after they were all shut down following the Fukushima crisis. Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, his popularity ratings sagging, had backed the restarts for some time. He announced the government's decision at a meeting with keep ministers, giving the go-ahead to two reactors operated by Kansai Electric Power Co at Ohi in western Japan.

The decision, despite public concerns over safety after the big earthquake and tsunami crippled the Fukushima plant, could open the door to more restarts among Japan's 50 nuclear power reactors. "There is no such thing as a perfect score when it comes to disaster prevention steps", Trade Minister Yukio Edano told a news conference after the announcement. "But, based on what we learned from the Fukushima accident, those measures that need to be taken urgently have been addressed, and the level of safety has been considerably enhanced (at the Ohi plant)", he said.

Edano, who holds the energy portfolio, said the government policy to reduce Japan's dependence on nuclear power in the medium-to long-term was unchanged despite the decision. The decision is a victory for Japan's still-powerful nuclear industry and reflects Noda's concerns about damage to the economy if atomic energy is abandoned following the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.

The push to restart the two Ohi reactors, before a potential summer power crunch, also underscores the premier's eagerness to win backing from businesses worried about high electricity costs that could push factories offshore. Kansai electric says it will take six weeks to get both reactors running fully. But the decision risks a backlash from a public deeply concerned about nuclear safety. As many as 10,000 demonstrators gathered outside Noda's office on Friday night amid a heavy police presence to denounce the restarts, urging the premier to step down and shouting "Lives matter more than the economy".

Noda's own future is murky as he struggles to hold his fractious party together after cutting a deal with opposition rivals to double Japan's sales tax to 10% by 2015. "I imagine there will be a fair number of (reactor) restarts by next year. The government under Noda is surprisingly eager", said Jeffrey Kingston, director of Asian studies at Temple University's Japan campus. nuclear power supplied almost 30% of electricity needs before the March 2011 disaster, which triggered meltdowns at Fukushima, spewing radiation and forcing mass evacuations.

The accident destroyed public belief in the "safety myth" promoted by Japanese nuclear power advocates for decades. Activists have collected more than 7.5 million signatures on a petition urging an end to atomic power. Protesters have poured into the street almost daily over the past week. All 50 reactors were shut down for maintenance or safety checks in the months since the accident. The government had placed a priority on gaining the approval of local communities for the Ohi restarts to avert July-August power shortages. Critics say the government was too hasty in signing off on the restarts, especially given delays in setting up a new, more independent nuclear regulatory agency.

Tattered Trust
Public trust in regulators was tattered by evidence that cosy ties with utilities were a key reason Fukushima operator Tokyo Electric Power Co was unprepared for the tsunami, and subsequent signs that relations remain far too snug. Parliament's lower house on Friday approved legislation to create a new atomic regulator, but getting it up and running will take months. That could force the government to go slower on restarts, though some politicians are keen to forge ahead. "We can no longer go back to a life that depends on candles", ruling party heavyweight Yoshito Sengoku said in an interview with the Sankei newspaper this week.

The Nuclear and Industry Safety Agency, the current watchdog, has approved stress tests for Shikoku Electric Power Co Inc's 890 MW No.3 reactor in Ikata, southern Japan. Next on the list for possible approval are two Hokkaido Electric Power reactors in Tomari, northern Japan and Hokuriku Electric's two in Shika, western Japan. "Basically he (Noda) doesn't want to wait but,.. it would attract criticism so the government would be cautious if they are clever", said Hiroshi Takahashi, a Fujitsu Research Institute fellow and member of a panel advising the government on energy policies.

New wind farms raise New Zealand's renewable energy generation

www.power-eng.com
16 Jun 2012

Wind power is on course to supply 20% on New Zealand's electricity by 2030, compared with just 5% now, industry experts said Friday on the announcements of two major new wind power projects. State-owned power company Meridian Energy announced it would start construction on a 26 turbine, 60 MW wind farm at Mill Creek, north of Wellington, in the next two months, to be completed in mid 2014. "At an estimated 169 million NZ dollars (132.36 million U.S, dollars) to construct and with an annual average operating cost of 3.3 million NZ dollars, Mill Creek is a very strong commercial proposition", Meridian Energy chief executive Mark Binns said in a statement.

Meridian Energy's wind development team had taken advantage of a number of external factors, including the strong New Zealand dollar, an easing of steel prices and highly competitive turbine technology and construction industries, he said. The Mill Creek wind farm would be situated near existing Meridian Energy wind farm West Wind. "The project will extend the contribution of renewable energy from the city to the wider Wellington region. Between West Wind and Mill Creek we will produce enough energy to power the equivalent of 100,000 average New Zealand homes".

Mill Creek would produce on average 235 MW hours of power per year, enough electricity to power the equivalent of 30,000 average New Zealand homes. Friday, which was Global Wind Day, also marked the opening of the country's newest wind farm, the 7.65 MW Mount Stuart wind farm in the South Island's Clutha district. New Zealand Wind Energy Association chief executive Eric Pyle said the two projects reinforced wind power as a cost effective form of generation and an attractive investment.

"From the point of view of an investor, the major advantages of wind farms are that they can be built quickly and sized to fit both the developer's strategy and market requirements", Pyle said in a statement. Wind energy had grown over 25% a year over the last few years to supply about 5% of New Zealand's electricity, and was likely to be supplying 20% by 2030, said Pyle.

Energy and Resources Minister Phil Heatley said the role of wind power for electricity generation was steadily increasing. "Unlike many countries, New Zealand's wind power does not require subsidies. It is one of the cheapest sources of generation for New Zealand to develop", Heatley said in a statement. "Renewables already play a significant role in our energy mix with 77% of New Zealand's electricity coming from renewable sources last year. The government has a target of 90% by 2025". About 2,400 MWs of other wind projects were already approved, Heatley said.

Renewable Energy Systems may buy shares in offshore wind parks

www.bloomberg.com
15 Jun 2012

Renewable Energy Systems Ltd., a U.K, clean-power developer, may buy stakes in offshore wind projects as European governments seek to attract investment into the industry to curb carbon emissions and secure supply. "Our participation in investment in offshore projects in the future is an interesting area strategically that we'll look to get into", Chris Morgan, chief executive officer of the company's RES Southern Cross Offshore unit, said in an interview in London.

European countries are seeking to boost offshore wind even as they struggle to finance power-generating turbines, which cost about 3 million pounds ($4.7 million) a MW to build. The U.K, plans to lure pension and insurance money, after Danish and Dutch retirement funds took stakes in wind parks. RES Southern Cross Offshore offers development, engineering, construction and project management services for wind farms at sea, as well as project operations and maintenance, Morgan said. "In due course we'd very much like to be an investor in projects", he said, with the company taking minority stakes in ventures.

The RES Southern Cross unit has won the rights to develop a 500 MW offshore wind park off the coast of Brittany with Iberdrola SA and its other developments include working with U.K, utility Centrica Plc (CNA) on a 4.2 GW project in the Irish Sea. The industry has potential beyond the balance sheets of utilities and will need other investors, Morgan said. The U.K, plans 18 GWs of capacity by 2020 and Germany 10 GWs. France began a 6 GW program rolled out in the next decade.

RES Southern Cross, based in Hertfordshire, England, is also interested in developing offshore wind in the US, which currently hasn't any turbines at sea, Morgan said. The company has delivered more than 6.5 GWs of wind power in the UK, Ireland, France and Scandinavia and owns 750 MWs of onshore generation.

Vestas grabs wind turbines order for Putian Hanjiang Baihe wind park

www.whatsonxiamen.com
12 Jun 2012

Vestas Wind Systems has received another order consisting of 24 units of the V90 2.0 MW turbine from China's largest developer, Long¥. This order from Long¥ follows a previous order for the Qiulu wind park earlier this year, and is solid proof of confidence in Vestas Wind Systems' V90 2.0 MW turbine's performance in the coastal areas with complex wind conditions. The turbines will be installed in the Hanjiang Baihe wind park in Putian County, Fujian Province.

The Baihe wind park is located in the south Asian tropical maritime climatic area, 12 km from the coast with an annual average wind speed of only 7 m/s at 80 metres height, but with occasional strong winds. Vestas Wind Systems' V90 2.0 MW turbines are not only able to deliver a high output under low wind conditions, but are able to withstand the strong winds and are therefore the preferred choice for the customer. Vestas Wind Systems has repeatedly verified the business case which was eventually presented to the customer by conducting thorough wind resource analyses several times in order to substantiate the performance and reliability of the V90 2.0 MW turbine.

Vestas Wind Systems China President Jens Tommerup says, "Vestas Wind Systems started to develop projects together with Long¥ in 2004 and we have since then further developed our offerings. Given our strong track record with the V80 2.0 MW turbines, we are pleased to have won the second Long¥ project using our V90 turbines, which are specifically equipped with a yaw backup system that enhances the protection of the turbines during typhoons. Upon completion of this project, our installed base with Long¥, China's most experienced developer, will have reached almost 330 MW in Fujian province".

The order includes supply of wind turbines, installation supervision and commissioning, a Vestas Wind Systems Online(R) SCADA system and a 3 year service and maintenance agreement.

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$257 billion invested in renewable energy in 2011

news.brisbanetimes.com.au
12 Jun 2012

Global investment in renewable energy reached a record of $257 billion last year, with solar attracting more than half the total spending, according to a UN report released Monday. Investment in solar power surged to $147 billion in 2011, a year-on-year increase of 52% thanks to strong demand for rooftop photovoltaic installations in Germany, Italy, China and Britain.

Large-scale solar thermal installations in Spain and the United States also contributed to growth during a fiercely competitive year for the solar industry. Several large American and German manufacturers fell victim to price pressure from Chinese rivals that helped to halve the cost of photovoltaic modules in 2011. The report's authors said the demise of companies such as Solyndra, Evergreen Solar, SpectraWatt, Solar Millenium and Solon AG was a sign that the solar industry is maturing. "In 1903, the United States had over 500 car companies, most of which quickly fell by the wayside even as the automobile sector grew into an industrial juggernaut", the report said. "Today, the renewable energy sector is experiencing similar growing pains as the sector consolidates".

China was responsible for almost a fifth of the total investment volume, spending $52 billion on renewable energy last year. The United States was close behind with investments of $51 billion, as developers sought to benefit from government incentive programs before they expired. Germany, Italy and India rounded out the top five. Wind power investment slipped 12% to $84 billion due to uncertainty about energy policy in Europe and fewer new installations in China, according to the report.

Overall investment in renewable energy grew 17%, a slowdown from the 37% increase seen in 2010. Still, the head of the UN Environment Program claimed the latest figures were an indication that renewable energy is drawing level with fossil fuels in some markets. "These trends are real, they are substantive and they are transformative", Achim Steiner told reporters in a conference call.

The UN is hoping that countries will use an environmental summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, next week to commit to further investments in renewable energy, which covered just 16.7% of global energy consumption in 2010. Of this share, modern technologies such as solar and wind accounted for just 8.2%, less than the 8.5% contributed by biomass.

By comparison, more than 80% of electricity consumed worldwide still comes from fossil fuels that are blamed for a rise in carbon in the atmosphere. The UN report claims that solar panels installed in Germany, Italy, Spain, Denmark and Australia can now compete with the retail cost of electricity in those countries, even as government feed-in subsidies are lowered. It noted that developing countries were also exploring the use of renewable energy other than hydroelectric, which has long been a popular source in poor countries.

Nations in East Africa are seeking to take advantage of the abundant geothermal capacity in the Rift Valley region. Kenya aims to meet half of its electricity needs with geothermal power by 2018. Djibouti, Eritrea, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda are also exploring geothermal use.

Survey reveals overwhelming community support for wind farms

www.standard.net.au
12 Jun 2012

COMMUNITY surveys by the Clean Energy Council show more than three-quarters of respondents support continued development of wind farms. Two-thirds of the 1200 people surveyed across Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales believed a farmer's right to generate income from their land was more important than a resident's right to a view without wind turbines.

More than 7 out of 10 said farmers should be able to do what they wanted with their land. A total of 41% said it was unlikely wind farms would create health problems for people living nearby and 18% said it was very unlikely. In another question response, 83% predicted health concerns would turn out to be nothing to worry about. The results were released by the lobby group as community debate continues about alleged health effects on people living near wind farms and environmental impacts, with the latest protests centred around a proposed 233 turbine wind farm near Penshurst.

According to the Clean Energy Council, which represents renewable energy companies, 25% of interviewees were from south-west Victoria, with much of the region's polling done around Macarthur and Port Fairy districts. A quarter of the participants were from Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide, while the rest lived near wind farms zones. Results also showed 77% of respondents felt local communities and land owners should be able to make their own decisions about hosting wind farms, without interference from state politicians, and 49% felt some objectors were motivated by jealousy after missing out on income for hosting wind farm towers.

The council's policy director Russell Marsh said survey results showed how anti-wind farm activists were out of step with most of the community. "They don't mention the thousands of local people that have been employed by wind power", he said. "They don't mention the hundreds of farmers for whom wind turbines have been the difference between staying on the land and selling up.

"And they certainly don't mention the tens of millions of dollars that have been pumped into regional communities, helping sustain those areas missed by the mining boom". Mr Marsh said the Australian wind industry was committed to being as transparent and supportive as possible towards communities and appreciate concerns. "There are obviously real issues that will continue be debated", he said. "As with any new infrastructure there will always be some people who respond to wind farms with anger or anxiety".

Turbines arrive for Bull Hill wind site; advocates say wind farms great for state’s economy

bangordailynews.com
12 Jun 2012

SEARSPORT, Maine--Workers unloading wind turbine components Tuesday morning at the Mack Point industrial port looked like busy ants as they toiled near the giant cylinders that will become the towers for the Bull Hill Wind Project in Hancock County. The $76 million project, developed by First Wind and expected to be completed in November, will include 19 turbines built on about 100 acres in Township 16 MD near Eastbrook. It should generate 34 MWs of power, or enough electricity for 18,000 homes.

And it's a good example of the way that wind projects add to the local and statewide economies, according to proud officials from First Wind, general contractor Reed & Reed and Sprague Energy, which runs the terminal. "We can't stress enough the economic benefits of these projects", Pat DeFilipp of Reed & Reed said at a wind-buffeted press conference on the bulk dock. "We'll spend 150,000 work hours on this project. That's several million dollars worth of payroll".

Behind him, the tower components that came from Denmark were gently raised off the cargo ship and then lowered onto flathed trucks. They'll be stored at Mack Point until the 165 foot-long turbine blades from Colorado are shipped to Maine by rail. Then, when the parts are all together, they will make the trek across Waldo and Hancock counties to the Bull Hill site for assembly. Members of the Land Use Regulation Commission unanimously voted in October--with one abstention--to give the green light for Maine's largest wind power company to build the rural Hancock County wind farm. It will be First Wind's fifth project in Maine.

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Solar win for AGL is loss for Moree

theland.farmonline.com.au
11 Jun 2012

THE federal government has switched its support for large-scale solar power away from a Spanish-backed venture, deciding to grant $130 million to rival AGL Energy venture. The Australian Financial Review reported Resources Minister Martin Ferguson announced the grant to AGL Energy and partner FirstSolar on Saturday in the revised tender for the government's $1.5 billion Solar Flagships Program. The partners are planning to build a $450 million,159 MW solar photovoltaic project at two NSW sites in Broken Hill and Nyngan. The decision means the future is highly uncertain for the $923 million solar project at Moree in northern NSW, which was to receive $306 million of federal funding.

Mr Ferguson reopened the grant tender in February after the Moree venture, led by Spain's Fotowatio Renewable Ventures (FRV) and Pacific Hydro, missed a deadline. FRV resubmitted its bid, as did the three other shortlisted projects, by AGL Energy, TRUEnergy and an Infigen Energy Suntech Power consortium. But Mr Ferguson said the AGL Energy project "had the highest level of merit" in terms of value for money, low risk and commercial viability, which is assured by AGL Energy's binding contract to buy the power. The revised grant means Canberra has slashed its spending in this round of the Solar Flagship program. Mr Ferguson said the sharp drop in the cost of solar cells meant taxpayers' money could be spread further.