www.theaustralian.com.au
2 Oct 2012
A CUT in interest rates and lower power prices in South Australia could provide a "tipping point" to revive consumer confidence and the state's economy, Premier Jay Weatherill says. The premier says it is vital all banks pass on Tuesday's cut in official interest rates and has urged electricity retailers to proceed with price cuts for some consumers which have been earmarked for 2013.
"It's something they can do; it's something they should do and it's something that I demand of them", Mr Weatherill said. "These two initiatives taken together should send a positive message to South Australian consumers who have been incredibly cautious, and rightly so, because of the very uncertain economic environment that they face. "These two initiatives will provide some relief to consumers and we hope that this will stimulate renewed confidence which will not only benefit the South Australian economy but flow through to jobs and to small businesses".
The South Australian essential services commission has recommended a $160 a-year cut for about a quarter of the state's households and businesses from January. The cut will apply to all consumers on the standing contract with retailer AGL Energy, which is regulated by the commission. It won't apply to consumers on market contracts with AGL Energy or to those signed with other retailers, unless retailers respond to the government's call. Welfare groups and the Greens have hailed the price cut, which MP Mark Parnell said was driven by the greater use of renewable energy, including wind and solar.
"Finally, sanity has prevailed", Mr Parnell said. "We have the lowest wholesale electricity prices in South Australia in eight years, yet the retail price has continued to soar". Business SA chief executive Nigel McBride said the cut in interest rates of a quarter of a percentage point had come at the ideal time. "Consumers need the confidence to get out and start spending again in the lead-up to the important Christmas trading period", Mr McBride said.
Friday, 12 October 2012
Green groups cry foul over email to generate "fake" complaints against Waterloo wind farm in South Australia
www.adelaidenow.com.au
5 Oct 2012
GREEN energy groups are crying foul over an email campaign they claim is intended to generate fake complaints against the Waterloo wind farm in the state's mid-north. The Clean Energy Council said the email, sent last month by local resident Mary Morris to about 100 residents in the area, encouraged them to invent health or noise complaints against the 37 turbine wind farm, 30km south east of Clare.
"What the email shows is that anti-wind farm campaigners will use a range of tactics to pressure authorities and make it seem as though there are more of them than there really are", CEC policy director Russell Marsh said. "(However) It's important that wind farm developers consult closely with the local community around any new wind farm to ensure that any genuine concerns and issues are heard and addressed".
In the email, Ms Morris, who lives 17km from the wind farm, said Goyder Council had said it had received no written noise or health complaints regarding the Waterloo wind farm. It asked residents to send in a written complaint to both the Goyder and Clare and Gilbert Valley councils, outlining the impact of the wind farm on their health and hearing.
"All it has to be is a simple letter stating that the noise and vibration is causing a serious disturbance to sleep and rest, and/or that people are becoming sick-mention elderly and frail people AND children as well, especially if this applies to you", the email said. "If you have already sent in a letter, send again with a cover note that you wish your submission to be considered as a formal complaint about the effects of the Waterloo wind farm".
Both the Goyder and Clare and Gilbert Valley councils said they had received only a handful of letters related to the email, and they would not be taking any further action. Ms Morris denied the email was intended to "coach" residents to send fictitious complaints. She said it was instead intended to remind residents to ensure their concerns were properly taken into account.
"My intention was purely to alert people that if they thought they had communicated to the Council, this may not be the case", she said. "Phone calls and conversations with councillors at community meetings and workshops were not considered formal complaints".
Ms Morris said local community members had given up trying to communicate directly with Waterloo wind farm owner TRUEnergy, as their complaints were not taken seriously. However, TRUEnergy said it worked hard to address community concerns, and had witnessed no increase in complaints as a result of the email campaign.
5 Oct 2012
GREEN energy groups are crying foul over an email campaign they claim is intended to generate fake complaints against the Waterloo wind farm in the state's mid-north. The Clean Energy Council said the email, sent last month by local resident Mary Morris to about 100 residents in the area, encouraged them to invent health or noise complaints against the 37 turbine wind farm, 30km south east of Clare.
"What the email shows is that anti-wind farm campaigners will use a range of tactics to pressure authorities and make it seem as though there are more of them than there really are", CEC policy director Russell Marsh said. "(However) It's important that wind farm developers consult closely with the local community around any new wind farm to ensure that any genuine concerns and issues are heard and addressed".
In the email, Ms Morris, who lives 17km from the wind farm, said Goyder Council had said it had received no written noise or health complaints regarding the Waterloo wind farm. It asked residents to send in a written complaint to both the Goyder and Clare and Gilbert Valley councils, outlining the impact of the wind farm on their health and hearing.
"All it has to be is a simple letter stating that the noise and vibration is causing a serious disturbance to sleep and rest, and/or that people are becoming sick-mention elderly and frail people AND children as well, especially if this applies to you", the email said. "If you have already sent in a letter, send again with a cover note that you wish your submission to be considered as a formal complaint about the effects of the Waterloo wind farm".
Both the Goyder and Clare and Gilbert Valley councils said they had received only a handful of letters related to the email, and they would not be taking any further action. Ms Morris denied the email was intended to "coach" residents to send fictitious complaints. She said it was instead intended to remind residents to ensure their concerns were properly taken into account.
"My intention was purely to alert people that if they thought they had communicated to the Council, this may not be the case", she said. "Phone calls and conversations with councillors at community meetings and workshops were not considered formal complaints".
Ms Morris said local community members had given up trying to communicate directly with Waterloo wind farm owner TRUEnergy, as their complaints were not taken seriously. However, TRUEnergy said it worked hard to address community concerns, and had witnessed no increase in complaints as a result of the email campaign.
Tuesday, 9 October 2012
A field guide to the war on wind power
www.theglobalmail.org
4 Oct 2012
The debate on whether wind farms are a good source of alternative energy is being fuelled by a combination of NIMBY-ism, ideology and vested interests. And the way in which it has progressed is a little disturbing.
Dr Simon Chapman, professor in public health at Sydney University, has won plaudits around the world for his leadership in the fight against the tobacco industry. Michael Wooldridge knows that, which is what makes his barb so calculatedly nasty.
"It's a great pity an eminent person like Simon Chapman is now using against others some of the tactics that were used against him by the tobacco industry", says the former Health Minister and deputy leader of the federal Liberal Party.
Chapman, Wooldridge tells The Global Mail, is "one of those renewable energy fundamentalists", who "engage in conspiracy theories and attacks on individuals".
Really? And what exactly has caused Wooldridge to direct such an outrageous spray at one of the heroes of public health? Well, Chapman has been defending established science on the subject of wind farms. He has scoffed at claims advanced by Wooldridge and other opponents of wind power that it is a significant threat to human health.
Apparently oblivious to the fact that his ad hominem attack amounts to exactly what he accuses Chapman of, Wooldridge goes on to voice his own conspiracy theory--that many of the supposedly independent experts on wind power are in fact representatives of vested interests. (Although he stops short of suggesting this of Chapman.)
Read More…
4 Oct 2012
The debate on whether wind farms are a good source of alternative energy is being fuelled by a combination of NIMBY-ism, ideology and vested interests. And the way in which it has progressed is a little disturbing.
Dr Simon Chapman, professor in public health at Sydney University, has won plaudits around the world for his leadership in the fight against the tobacco industry. Michael Wooldridge knows that, which is what makes his barb so calculatedly nasty.
"It's a great pity an eminent person like Simon Chapman is now using against others some of the tactics that were used against him by the tobacco industry", says the former Health Minister and deputy leader of the federal Liberal Party.
Chapman, Wooldridge tells The Global Mail, is "one of those renewable energy fundamentalists", who "engage in conspiracy theories and attacks on individuals".
Really? And what exactly has caused Wooldridge to direct such an outrageous spray at one of the heroes of public health? Well, Chapman has been defending established science on the subject of wind farms. He has scoffed at claims advanced by Wooldridge and other opponents of wind power that it is a significant threat to human health.
Apparently oblivious to the fact that his ad hominem attack amounts to exactly what he accuses Chapman of, Wooldridge goes on to voice his own conspiracy theory--that many of the supposedly independent experts on wind power are in fact representatives of vested interests. (Although he stops short of suggesting this of Chapman.)
Read More…
Liquid air 'offers energy storage hope'
www.bbc.co.uk
2 Oct 2012
Turning air into liquid may offer a solution to one of the great challenges in engineering-how to store energy. The Institution of Mechanical Engineers says liquid air can compete with batteries and hydrogen to store excess energy generated from renewables. IMechE says "wrong-time" electricity generated by wind farms at night can be used to chill air to a cryogenic state at a distant location. When demand increases, the air can be warmed to drive a turbine.
Engineers say the process to produce "right-time" electricity can achieve an efficiency of up to 70%. MechE is holding a conference today to discuss new ideas on how using "cryo-power" can benefit the low-carbon economy. The technology was originally developed by Peter Dearman, a garage inventor in Hertfordshire, to power vehicles. A new firm, Highview Power Storage, was created to transfer Mr Dearman's technology to a system that can store energy to be used on the power grid. The process, part-funded by the government, has now been trialled for two years at the back of a power station in Slough, Buckinghamshire.
More than hot air The results have attracted the admiration of IMechE officials. "I get half a dozen people a week trying to persuade me they have a brilliant invention", head of energy Tim Fox told BBC News. "In this case, it is a very clever application that really does look like a potential solution to a really great challenge that faces us as we increase the amount of intermittent power from renewables".
Dr Fox urged the government to provide incentives in its forthcoming electricity legislation for firms to store energy on a commercial scale with this and other technologies. IMechE says the simplicity and elegance of the Highview process is appealing, especially as it addresses not just the problem of storage but also the separate problem of waste industrial heat.
IMechE says this process is only 25% efficient but it is massively improved by co-siting the cryo-generator next to an industrial plant or power station producing low-grade heat that is currently vented and being released into the atmosphere. The heat can be used to boost the thermal expansion of the liquid air. More energy is saved by taking the waste cool air when the air has finished chilling, and passing it through three tanks containing gravel. The chilled gravel stores the coolness until it is needed to restart the air-chilling process.
Delivering durability
Highview believes that, produced at scale, their kits could be up to 70% efficient, and IMechE agrees this figure is realistic. "Batteries can get 80% efficiency so this isn't as good in that respect", explains Dr Fox. "But we do not have a battery industry in the UK and we do have plenty of respected engineers to produce a technology like this. "What's more, it uses standard industrial components-which reduces commercial risk; it will last for decades and it can be fixed with a spanner".
In the future, it is expected that batteries currently used in electric cars may play a part in household energy storage. But Richard Smith, head of energy strategy for National Grid, told BBC News that other sorts of storage would be increasingly important in coming decades and should be incentivised to commercial scale by government. He said: "Storage is one of four tools we have to balance supply and demand, including thermal flexing (switching on and off gas-fired power stations); interconnections, and demand-side management. Ultimately it will be down to economics".
Mr Dearman, who also invented the MicroVent resuscitation device used in ambulances, told BBC News he was delighted at the success of his ideas. He said he believed his liquid air engine would prevail against other storage technologies because it did not rely on potentially scarce materials for batteries. "I have been working on this off and on for close on 50 years", he told BBC News.
"I started when I was a teenager because I thought there wouldn't be enough raw materials in the world for everyone to have a car. There had to be a different way. Then somehow I came up with the idea of storing energy in cold. "It's hard to put into words to see what's happening with my ideas today".
John Scott, from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), added: "At present, pumped-hydroelectric storage is the only practical bulk storage medium in the British grid. "However, locations are very restricted", he told BBC News. "In the future, if new storage technologies can be deployed at a lower cost than alternatives, it would benefit the power system". A spokesman for the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency (Decc) said it would shortly launch a scheme to incentivise innovation in energy storage. Other grants are available from Ofgem.
2 Oct 2012
Turning air into liquid may offer a solution to one of the great challenges in engineering-how to store energy. The Institution of Mechanical Engineers says liquid air can compete with batteries and hydrogen to store excess energy generated from renewables. IMechE says "wrong-time" electricity generated by wind farms at night can be used to chill air to a cryogenic state at a distant location. When demand increases, the air can be warmed to drive a turbine.
Engineers say the process to produce "right-time" electricity can achieve an efficiency of up to 70%. MechE is holding a conference today to discuss new ideas on how using "cryo-power" can benefit the low-carbon economy. The technology was originally developed by Peter Dearman, a garage inventor in Hertfordshire, to power vehicles. A new firm, Highview Power Storage, was created to transfer Mr Dearman's technology to a system that can store energy to be used on the power grid. The process, part-funded by the government, has now been trialled for two years at the back of a power station in Slough, Buckinghamshire.
More than hot air The results have attracted the admiration of IMechE officials. "I get half a dozen people a week trying to persuade me they have a brilliant invention", head of energy Tim Fox told BBC News. "In this case, it is a very clever application that really does look like a potential solution to a really great challenge that faces us as we increase the amount of intermittent power from renewables".
Dr Fox urged the government to provide incentives in its forthcoming electricity legislation for firms to store energy on a commercial scale with this and other technologies. IMechE says the simplicity and elegance of the Highview process is appealing, especially as it addresses not just the problem of storage but also the separate problem of waste industrial heat.
- The process follows a number of stages:
- "Wrong-time electricity" is used to take in air, remove the CO2 and water vapour (these would freeze otherwise)
- the remaining air, mostly nitrogen, is chilled to -190C (-310F) and turns to liquid (changing the state of the air from gas to liquid is what stores the energy)
- the liquid air is held in a giant vacuum flask until it is needed
- when demand for power rises, the liquid is warmed to ambient temperature. As it vaporizes, it drives a turbine to produce electricity - no combustion is involved
IMechE says this process is only 25% efficient but it is massively improved by co-siting the cryo-generator next to an industrial plant or power station producing low-grade heat that is currently vented and being released into the atmosphere. The heat can be used to boost the thermal expansion of the liquid air. More energy is saved by taking the waste cool air when the air has finished chilling, and passing it through three tanks containing gravel. The chilled gravel stores the coolness until it is needed to restart the air-chilling process.
Delivering durability
Highview believes that, produced at scale, their kits could be up to 70% efficient, and IMechE agrees this figure is realistic. "Batteries can get 80% efficiency so this isn't as good in that respect", explains Dr Fox. "But we do not have a battery industry in the UK and we do have plenty of respected engineers to produce a technology like this. "What's more, it uses standard industrial components-which reduces commercial risk; it will last for decades and it can be fixed with a spanner".
In the future, it is expected that batteries currently used in electric cars may play a part in household energy storage. But Richard Smith, head of energy strategy for National Grid, told BBC News that other sorts of storage would be increasingly important in coming decades and should be incentivised to commercial scale by government. He said: "Storage is one of four tools we have to balance supply and demand, including thermal flexing (switching on and off gas-fired power stations); interconnections, and demand-side management. Ultimately it will be down to economics".
Mr Dearman, who also invented the MicroVent resuscitation device used in ambulances, told BBC News he was delighted at the success of his ideas. He said he believed his liquid air engine would prevail against other storage technologies because it did not rely on potentially scarce materials for batteries. "I have been working on this off and on for close on 50 years", he told BBC News.
"I started when I was a teenager because I thought there wouldn't be enough raw materials in the world for everyone to have a car. There had to be a different way. Then somehow I came up with the idea of storing energy in cold. "It's hard to put into words to see what's happening with my ideas today".
John Scott, from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), added: "At present, pumped-hydroelectric storage is the only practical bulk storage medium in the British grid. "However, locations are very restricted", he told BBC News. "In the future, if new storage technologies can be deployed at a lower cost than alternatives, it would benefit the power system". A spokesman for the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency (Decc) said it would shortly launch a scheme to incentivise innovation in energy storage. Other grants are available from Ofgem.
Marine energy projects pick up momentum
www.nytimes.com
1 Oct 2012
LONDON--Hopes of harnessing the churn and flow of the seas to generate power are pushing forward work in the small but growing tidal and wave energy industry. Despite a tough investment climate, proponents expect the technologies to begin contributing significant amounts of clean energy to power grids around the world within a decade. Tidal energy technology harvests power from the rise and fall of the sea caused by the gravitational forces of the Moon and the Sun and the rotation of the Earth. Wave power systems harness the energy of surface waves.
The immense force of the tides has long tantalized those hoping to harvest energy from them, but although a few small projects are operational, the technical barriers are high. Two distinct technologies exist--traditional dam-based plants and more recent "tidal stream" generators, built like underwater windmills. But tidal dams can be ecologically harmful while in places suitable for tidal stream plants, currents can sometimes be so strong that they risk destroying the generating turbines.
Capturing energy from waves may be even trickier. But proponents say that if wave projects are successful, the energy available for harvest would be even greater than with tidal stream power, which requires particular physical conditions, like a narrows where water runs quickly. While not as predictable as the tides, waves can be anticipated several days in advance as they move across the sea, and they tend to be strong in winter, when demand for electricity is high.
Most tidal stream power projects are still in the testing phase--the first to deliver energy to the U.S, grid went on line last month--and wave energy is even further behind. Costs are far higher than for more-established renewable sources like wind and solar, largely because equipment must be strong enough to withstand the force of the seas, and maintenance workers have to brave tough marine conditions. But "there is a huge prize, and therefore it is worth going for", said Tim Yeo, a Conservative lawmaker in the British Parliament who heads the Commons' Energy and Climate Change Committee.
The predictability and power of tides makes them a potentially valuable complement to the uncertainty of wind and solar generation, and the amount of energy available is enormous, said Mr. Yeo. His committee reported in February that wave and tidal power could eventually meet 20% of Britain's current electricity demand.
For the industry, the biggest obstacle is cost. Small projects already in existence are generating energy at five to six times the price of onshore wind power, and seven times the price of natural gas power plants, said Joe Salvatore, a renewable-power analyst at Bloomberg New Energy Finance. And the cost of installing devices has gone up, not down, as companies have learned from experience how tough their devices must be, he said.
"I'm optimistic in the medium term, I'm not necessarily optimistic in the short term", said Angus McCrone, chief editor at Bloomberg New Energy Finance. "There will be a shakeout and there will be casualties, and because of that, there will be negative publicity before there's positive publicity".
Still, costs should come down as technologies improve and equipment is manufactured on a larger scale, he said. Some big players, particularly engineering groups, are jumping into the sector. Rolls Royce bought the British company Tidal Generation in 2009 and Siemens bought Marine Current Turbines of Britain this year. The French firm DCNS has grabbed a stake in OpenHydro of Ireland.
Read More…
1 Oct 2012
LONDON--Hopes of harnessing the churn and flow of the seas to generate power are pushing forward work in the small but growing tidal and wave energy industry. Despite a tough investment climate, proponents expect the technologies to begin contributing significant amounts of clean energy to power grids around the world within a decade. Tidal energy technology harvests power from the rise and fall of the sea caused by the gravitational forces of the Moon and the Sun and the rotation of the Earth. Wave power systems harness the energy of surface waves.The immense force of the tides has long tantalized those hoping to harvest energy from them, but although a few small projects are operational, the technical barriers are high. Two distinct technologies exist--traditional dam-based plants and more recent "tidal stream" generators, built like underwater windmills. But tidal dams can be ecologically harmful while in places suitable for tidal stream plants, currents can sometimes be so strong that they risk destroying the generating turbines.
Capturing energy from waves may be even trickier. But proponents say that if wave projects are successful, the energy available for harvest would be even greater than with tidal stream power, which requires particular physical conditions, like a narrows where water runs quickly. While not as predictable as the tides, waves can be anticipated several days in advance as they move across the sea, and they tend to be strong in winter, when demand for electricity is high.
Most tidal stream power projects are still in the testing phase--the first to deliver energy to the U.S, grid went on line last month--and wave energy is even further behind. Costs are far higher than for more-established renewable sources like wind and solar, largely because equipment must be strong enough to withstand the force of the seas, and maintenance workers have to brave tough marine conditions. But "there is a huge prize, and therefore it is worth going for", said Tim Yeo, a Conservative lawmaker in the British Parliament who heads the Commons' Energy and Climate Change Committee.
The predictability and power of tides makes them a potentially valuable complement to the uncertainty of wind and solar generation, and the amount of energy available is enormous, said Mr. Yeo. His committee reported in February that wave and tidal power could eventually meet 20% of Britain's current electricity demand.
For the industry, the biggest obstacle is cost. Small projects already in existence are generating energy at five to six times the price of onshore wind power, and seven times the price of natural gas power plants, said Joe Salvatore, a renewable-power analyst at Bloomberg New Energy Finance. And the cost of installing devices has gone up, not down, as companies have learned from experience how tough their devices must be, he said.
"I'm optimistic in the medium term, I'm not necessarily optimistic in the short term", said Angus McCrone, chief editor at Bloomberg New Energy Finance. "There will be a shakeout and there will be casualties, and because of that, there will be negative publicity before there's positive publicity".
Still, costs should come down as technologies improve and equipment is manufactured on a larger scale, he said. Some big players, particularly engineering groups, are jumping into the sector. Rolls Royce bought the British company Tidal Generation in 2009 and Siemens bought Marine Current Turbines of Britain this year. The French firm DCNS has grabbed a stake in OpenHydro of Ireland.
Read More…
Utah scientists find massive geothermal hotspot in west desert
www.power-eng.com
30 Sep 2012
Scientists at the Utah Geological Survey say they have found a massive new source of potential geothermal power in Utah's west desert. It is a different type of resource, they say, much deeper than the geothermal industry now uses. But it still should be exploitable.
Over the past two years, crews drilled nine wells in Utah's Black Rock Desert basin south of Delta to test out a theory that water at high temperatures might exist deep beneath the surface that would be hot enough to be turned into steam, which could then be used to generate electricity. They hit pay dirt.
"There is definitely something there, and it is big", said Rick Allis, director of the Utah Geological Survey. The agency has identified an approximately 100 square-mile area within the Black Rock Desert basin it believes could eventually support power plants that could conservatively produce hundreds of MWs of electricity. A MW is enough energy to run the appliances in 750 homes.
Allis said the area is especially attractive for geothermal development because of the existing infrastructure. There is a large coal-fired power plant in the area, a 300 MW wind farm and a major electrical transmission line nearby that could be used to get the power to where it is needed. "Our next step is to get [the geothermal power industry] interested in moving forward to develop this resource", he said.
The Utah Geological Survey plans to tell the industry about its discovery at the annual meeting of the Geothermal Resources Council next week in Reno. Karl Gawell is president of the Geothermal Energy Association, which is part of the council. On Thursday he termed the Utah discovery "exciting" and predicted it would be generating a lot of talk and interest among companies that are developing geothermal resources. "It's exciting for Utah, too, because it could eventually generate a lot of jobs and economic growth".
Read More…
30 Sep 2012
Scientists at the Utah Geological Survey say they have found a massive new source of potential geothermal power in Utah's west desert. It is a different type of resource, they say, much deeper than the geothermal industry now uses. But it still should be exploitable.
Over the past two years, crews drilled nine wells in Utah's Black Rock Desert basin south of Delta to test out a theory that water at high temperatures might exist deep beneath the surface that would be hot enough to be turned into steam, which could then be used to generate electricity. They hit pay dirt.
"There is definitely something there, and it is big", said Rick Allis, director of the Utah Geological Survey. The agency has identified an approximately 100 square-mile area within the Black Rock Desert basin it believes could eventually support power plants that could conservatively produce hundreds of MWs of electricity. A MW is enough energy to run the appliances in 750 homes.
Allis said the area is especially attractive for geothermal development because of the existing infrastructure. There is a large coal-fired power plant in the area, a 300 MW wind farm and a major electrical transmission line nearby that could be used to get the power to where it is needed. "Our next step is to get [the geothermal power industry] interested in moving forward to develop this resource", he said.
The Utah Geological Survey plans to tell the industry about its discovery at the annual meeting of the Geothermal Resources Council next week in Reno. Karl Gawell is president of the Geothermal Energy Association, which is part of the council. On Thursday he termed the Utah discovery "exciting" and predicted it would be generating a lot of talk and interest among companies that are developing geothermal resources. "It's exciting for Utah, too, because it could eventually generate a lot of jobs and economic growth".
Read More…
Makkah to build $640m solar energy project
www.arabianbusiness.com
30 Sep 2012
Authorities in the Saudi Arabian city of Makkah say they will build an SAR2.4bn (US$640m) solar power project capable of producing around 100MW of electricity, it was reported. According to Saudi daily Al-Eqtisadiah, the development is intended to meet growing energy requirements in the municipality and shave about SAR2.2bn off the holy city's electricity bill. "The project will be established on an area of about 2 million m². About 20 international consortiums consisting of about 100 companies will compete for the execution of the project", Osama bin Fadl Al-Bar, Mayor of Makkah, told the newspaper.
Al-Bar added that the location of the development would be chosen by the successful contractor, which would purchase the piece of land and then return it to Makkah authorities at the contract's close. Bids to build the project will open during the first week of next year, Al-Bar added. Depending on its success, he said, other municipalities in the Gulf's most populous nation could develop their own solar power strategy, which could save the kingdom up to 8m barrels of oil per day by 2030.
A report published by Citigroup last month said that Saudi Arabia, the world's largest exporter of crude oil, could become a net importer of oil by 2030 if domestic energy consumption continues to grow at its current rate. Oil demand for use in domestic electricity consumption is currently rising by about 8% annually, with around 3m barrels per day-or a quarter of total output-currently serving national energy requirements. All of Saudi Arabia's natural gas, the kingdom's other natural resource, is currently allocated for domestic consumption.
30 Sep 2012
Authorities in the Saudi Arabian city of Makkah say they will build an SAR2.4bn (US$640m) solar power project capable of producing around 100MW of electricity, it was reported. According to Saudi daily Al-Eqtisadiah, the development is intended to meet growing energy requirements in the municipality and shave about SAR2.2bn off the holy city's electricity bill. "The project will be established on an area of about 2 million m². About 20 international consortiums consisting of about 100 companies will compete for the execution of the project", Osama bin Fadl Al-Bar, Mayor of Makkah, told the newspaper.Al-Bar added that the location of the development would be chosen by the successful contractor, which would purchase the piece of land and then return it to Makkah authorities at the contract's close. Bids to build the project will open during the first week of next year, Al-Bar added. Depending on its success, he said, other municipalities in the Gulf's most populous nation could develop their own solar power strategy, which could save the kingdom up to 8m barrels of oil per day by 2030.
A report published by Citigroup last month said that Saudi Arabia, the world's largest exporter of crude oil, could become a net importer of oil by 2030 if domestic energy consumption continues to grow at its current rate. Oil demand for use in domestic electricity consumption is currently rising by about 8% annually, with around 3m barrels per day-or a quarter of total output-currently serving national energy requirements. All of Saudi Arabia's natural gas, the kingdom's other natural resource, is currently allocated for domestic consumption.
Thursday, 4 October 2012
Nuclear power industry stalled by failure to address waste
www.commercialappeal.com
30 Sep 2012
ATLANTA--Just as the nuclear industry is starting to build reactors after a 30 year drought, it faces another dry spell.
The industry thought it had what it needed for its rebirth: federal loan guarantees; a uniform reactor design; a streamlined licensing process. The nightmares from the 1979 partial meltdown at Three Mile Island, 1,000 new safety regulations and cost overruns would be left in the past, industry officials believed.
But what never came together was a long-term plan for how to store the used radioactive fuel. As a result, judges and regulators have slammed the brakes on new reactor projects--with two exceptions. "Waste is an environmental concern, it's a public health concern and it's become a security concern because we live in a different world now", said Sara Barczak, the high-risk energy director for the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy.
Industry officials say there is time--more than 100 years even--until the nation's power plants run out of room to store the radioactive waste on site. But a federal appeals court ruled in June that the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission--the agency charged with making sure utilities build and operate nuclear reactors safely--could no longer say it had reasonable assurance that a long-term waste-management solution would be created. Because of this, the NRC said it will not approve any new projects.
This leaves Atlanta-based Southern Co, and South Carolina's SCANA with the only utilities to win approval to build nuclear reactors from scratch after an almost 30 year gap. Other utilities that have nuclear projects but are further behind in the approval process may face an additional delay of a year or more.
Georgia Power, one of Southern's utilities in the company's four-state territory, is building two new reactors at Plant Vogtle with a group of municipal and cooperative electric companies. The $14 billion expansion of Vogtle, located in Waynesboro, Ga., is one of the largest economic development initiatives in state history. Georgia Power is responsible for $6.1 billion, which its customers will pay for as part of their monthly utility bills.
While Southern eventually plans to build more reactors beyond the Vogtle project, that likely won't happen until the next decade, company executives have said. "This is an issue of political feasibility", said Salo Zelermyer, a former Department of Energy lawyer who now is with Bracewell & Giuliani's environmental strategies group. "You can't store this waste in a region where there's intense local opposition to it".
Efforts were made to find, research and prepare a permanent central repository during the 30 year nuclear hiatus. The federal government planned to start moving used fuel from nuclear plants to Yucca Mountain in Nevada--which scientists had been researching since the 1970s.
The government signed contracts with utilities, including Southern Co., which owns nuclear plants in Georgia and Alabama, to haul the waste there when the repository was supposed to open in 1998. A protracted approval process, environmental questions, lawsuits and mounting political pressure ground the project to a halt in 2010.
President Barack Obama appointed a bipartisan Blue Ribbon Commission to find alternative plans to Yucca Mountain. The commission supported a central repository but suggested the government secure approval from local communities to prevent the same type of backlash that Yucca Mountain received. "Scientifically, it was a perfectly good site, but politics caught up to it", said Steven Kraft, a senior director with the Nuclear Energy Institute, a Washington-based policy group for the nuclear industry.
For now, the utilities that own and operate the nation's 104 reactors house the high-level spent radioactive fuel at the power plants. The rods are first cooled in water and then moved to hardened casks made from massive steel and concrete. At Southern's reactor sites, the casks are placed above ground in what's known as independent spent fuel storage installation pads.
"It's kind of like the deficit. Eventually you are going to have to deal with it", said Glenn Sjoden, a nuclear and radiological engineering professor at Georgia Tech. "It's not something you can just let sit in your backyard".
But that's where the used fuel will sit, in the "backyard" of nuclear plants, likely for several years, because of the federal court ruling. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission recently announced it will start a two-year environmental review of temporary waste storage, even as it refuses to grant permits for any reactors.
30 Sep 2012
ATLANTA--Just as the nuclear industry is starting to build reactors after a 30 year drought, it faces another dry spell.
The industry thought it had what it needed for its rebirth: federal loan guarantees; a uniform reactor design; a streamlined licensing process. The nightmares from the 1979 partial meltdown at Three Mile Island, 1,000 new safety regulations and cost overruns would be left in the past, industry officials believed.
But what never came together was a long-term plan for how to store the used radioactive fuel. As a result, judges and regulators have slammed the brakes on new reactor projects--with two exceptions. "Waste is an environmental concern, it's a public health concern and it's become a security concern because we live in a different world now", said Sara Barczak, the high-risk energy director for the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy.
Industry officials say there is time--more than 100 years even--until the nation's power plants run out of room to store the radioactive waste on site. But a federal appeals court ruled in June that the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission--the agency charged with making sure utilities build and operate nuclear reactors safely--could no longer say it had reasonable assurance that a long-term waste-management solution would be created. Because of this, the NRC said it will not approve any new projects.
This leaves Atlanta-based Southern Co, and South Carolina's SCANA with the only utilities to win approval to build nuclear reactors from scratch after an almost 30 year gap. Other utilities that have nuclear projects but are further behind in the approval process may face an additional delay of a year or more.
Georgia Power, one of Southern's utilities in the company's four-state territory, is building two new reactors at Plant Vogtle with a group of municipal and cooperative electric companies. The $14 billion expansion of Vogtle, located in Waynesboro, Ga., is one of the largest economic development initiatives in state history. Georgia Power is responsible for $6.1 billion, which its customers will pay for as part of their monthly utility bills.
While Southern eventually plans to build more reactors beyond the Vogtle project, that likely won't happen until the next decade, company executives have said. "This is an issue of political feasibility", said Salo Zelermyer, a former Department of Energy lawyer who now is with Bracewell & Giuliani's environmental strategies group. "You can't store this waste in a region where there's intense local opposition to it".
Efforts were made to find, research and prepare a permanent central repository during the 30 year nuclear hiatus. The federal government planned to start moving used fuel from nuclear plants to Yucca Mountain in Nevada--which scientists had been researching since the 1970s.
The government signed contracts with utilities, including Southern Co., which owns nuclear plants in Georgia and Alabama, to haul the waste there when the repository was supposed to open in 1998. A protracted approval process, environmental questions, lawsuits and mounting political pressure ground the project to a halt in 2010.
President Barack Obama appointed a bipartisan Blue Ribbon Commission to find alternative plans to Yucca Mountain. The commission supported a central repository but suggested the government secure approval from local communities to prevent the same type of backlash that Yucca Mountain received. "Scientifically, it was a perfectly good site, but politics caught up to it", said Steven Kraft, a senior director with the Nuclear Energy Institute, a Washington-based policy group for the nuclear industry.
For now, the utilities that own and operate the nation's 104 reactors house the high-level spent radioactive fuel at the power plants. The rods are first cooled in water and then moved to hardened casks made from massive steel and concrete. At Southern's reactor sites, the casks are placed above ground in what's known as independent spent fuel storage installation pads.
"It's kind of like the deficit. Eventually you are going to have to deal with it", said Glenn Sjoden, a nuclear and radiological engineering professor at Georgia Tech. "It's not something you can just let sit in your backyard".
But that's where the used fuel will sit, in the "backyard" of nuclear plants, likely for several years, because of the federal court ruling. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission recently announced it will start a two-year environmental review of temporary waste storage, even as it refuses to grant permits for any reactors.
Tidal power testing centre for Top End
ecogeneration.com.au
1 Oct 2012
In the Northern Territory, Power and Water Corporation and Tenax Energy have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop a 2 MW tidal power plant and tidal power testing centre. Tenax Energy holds a licence to occupy 16.8 km² in the Clarence Strait, located north of Darwin, for the development of a commercial-scale tidal power power plant.
Following successful development of the 2 MW pilot plant, it is envisaged that the plant will then move towards a 10 MW pilot array (multiple devices) test followed by the development of a generation facility. The project is expected to be generating electricity by 2015, and could reach commercial scale before the end of the decade, according to the project developers.
1 Oct 2012
In the Northern Territory, Power and Water Corporation and Tenax Energy have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop a 2 MW tidal power plant and tidal power testing centre. Tenax Energy holds a licence to occupy 16.8 km² in the Clarence Strait, located north of Darwin, for the development of a commercial-scale tidal power power plant.
Following successful development of the 2 MW pilot plant, it is envisaged that the plant will then move towards a 10 MW pilot array (multiple devices) test followed by the development of a generation facility. The project is expected to be generating electricity by 2015, and could reach commercial scale before the end of the decade, according to the project developers.
New Zealand curbs gas emissions as polluters use more renewables
www.businessweek.com
27 Sep 2012
New Zealand's energy industry reduced its greenhouse gas emissions for the third straight year in 2011 as polluters decreased their reliance on coal and gas in favor of renewable sources. Companies cut their emissions by 1.9% last year, according to a report on the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment's web site. The fall was largely driven by a 10% drop in electricity emissions after high rainfall and increased use of wind and geothermal power curbed natural gas emissions, the report said.
New Zealand is seeking to harness more of its renewable power sources after the energy industry's emissions surged by a third in the last two decades from population growth and more cars and road freight. That's the fifth-highest growth in energy pollution among United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change members over the period, even as the nation's emissions peaked in 2008, according to the report.
"Over the last decade the amount of energy being generated by wind and geothermal has grown significantly, causing growth in emissions from electricity generation to flatten", Bryan Field, acting manager of the Ministry's energy information and modeling group, said in a separate e-mailed statement.
Christchurch Earthquake
The Pacific nation's lower emissions last year were also driven by reduced electricity demand in Christchurch, the South Island's biggest city, where earthquakes in September 2010 and February 2011 wrecked much of the city center. In July, New Zealand delayed measures that would have raised the carbon price for emitters. The decision came a day after Australia introduced a fixed price more than twice what New Zealand emitters pay. The nation, which got about 74% of its electricity from renewable sources in 2010, is focusing on economic growth as it seeks to recover from the earthquakes.
27 Sep 2012
New Zealand's energy industry reduced its greenhouse gas emissions for the third straight year in 2011 as polluters decreased their reliance on coal and gas in favor of renewable sources. Companies cut their emissions by 1.9% last year, according to a report on the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment's web site. The fall was largely driven by a 10% drop in electricity emissions after high rainfall and increased use of wind and geothermal power curbed natural gas emissions, the report said.
New Zealand is seeking to harness more of its renewable power sources after the energy industry's emissions surged by a third in the last two decades from population growth and more cars and road freight. That's the fifth-highest growth in energy pollution among United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change members over the period, even as the nation's emissions peaked in 2008, according to the report.
"Over the last decade the amount of energy being generated by wind and geothermal has grown significantly, causing growth in emissions from electricity generation to flatten", Bryan Field, acting manager of the Ministry's energy information and modeling group, said in a separate e-mailed statement.
Christchurch Earthquake
The Pacific nation's lower emissions last year were also driven by reduced electricity demand in Christchurch, the South Island's biggest city, where earthquakes in September 2010 and February 2011 wrecked much of the city center. In July, New Zealand delayed measures that would have raised the carbon price for emitters. The decision came a day after Australia introduced a fixed price more than twice what New Zealand emitters pay. The nation, which got about 74% of its electricity from renewable sources in 2010, is focusing on economic growth as it seeks to recover from the earthquakes.
Pacific Hydro - Challicum Hills wind farm near record generation in August
www.power-eng.com
26 Sep 2012
According to data from Pacific Hydro's Challicum Hills wind farm, which has been operating since 2003, August was its second highest month of generation on record. 'While it is usually windy at the beginning of spring, this year, strong consistent winds have pushed generation at Challicum Hills wind farm to almost record levels,' said Pacific Hydro's general manager for Australia, Mr Lane Crockett.
Expected monthly generation produces enough energy for around 26,000 homes but in August, Challicum Hills wind farm generated enough energy to power 37,808 homes-three times more power than the residential needs of Horsham, Stawell, Ararat and Beaufort combined.
'We're really pleased to see the project doing so well and contributing to increased clean energy output in the state,' said Mr Crockett. 'The project is helping to reduce pollution from coal fired energy generation which is good for the environment and our health.'
Over the border in South Australia, where around 25% wind power has been installed, near record generation last month saw up to 65% of their power coming from the wind. The increase in wind power in the state has not only reduced emissions significantly; it has enabled two coal fired power stations to be turned off.
'South Australia is proof that it is possible to integrate significant amounts of wind power into the grid, 'said Mr Crockett. 'While wind power in Victoria is small in comparison at around 4% of our energy capacity, once our wind power gets up to around 10% we could begin to see coal fired generation begin to get turned off as well.' Pacific Hydro operates five wind farms in Victoria and has plans to build three more in the coming years.
26 Sep 2012
According to data from Pacific Hydro's Challicum Hills wind farm, which has been operating since 2003, August was its second highest month of generation on record. 'While it is usually windy at the beginning of spring, this year, strong consistent winds have pushed generation at Challicum Hills wind farm to almost record levels,' said Pacific Hydro's general manager for Australia, Mr Lane Crockett.
Expected monthly generation produces enough energy for around 26,000 homes but in August, Challicum Hills wind farm generated enough energy to power 37,808 homes-three times more power than the residential needs of Horsham, Stawell, Ararat and Beaufort combined.
'We're really pleased to see the project doing so well and contributing to increased clean energy output in the state,' said Mr Crockett. 'The project is helping to reduce pollution from coal fired energy generation which is good for the environment and our health.'
Over the border in South Australia, where around 25% wind power has been installed, near record generation last month saw up to 65% of their power coming from the wind. The increase in wind power in the state has not only reduced emissions significantly; it has enabled two coal fired power stations to be turned off.
'South Australia is proof that it is possible to integrate significant amounts of wind power into the grid, 'said Mr Crockett. 'While wind power in Victoria is small in comparison at around 4% of our energy capacity, once our wind power gets up to around 10% we could begin to see coal fired generation begin to get turned off as well.' Pacific Hydro operates five wind farms in Victoria and has plans to build three more in the coming years.
New cobalt catalyst can split hydrogen from water
resourceinvestingnews.com
26 Sep 2012
Researchers at the University of Cambridge have produced hydrogen from water using an inexpensive cobalt catalyst, the university said. The research is gaining attention because hydrogen can be used as a fuel in combination with fuel-cells, which are seen as a growing source of green energy.
The scientists' work is also noteworthy because the cobalt catalyst will work in conditions useful to industry. That means the catalyst uses fresh water, tolerates oxygen in the atmosphere and runs at room temperature.
Hydrogen is currently produced from fossil fuels, creating the greenhouse gas CO₂ as a by-product. Hence it is neither renewable nor clean. "A green process such as sunlight-driven water splitting is therefore required to produce 'green and sustainable [hydrogen],'" the University of Cambridge said in a statement.
The cobalt catalyst comes in handy because until now scientists have had a tough time finding an efficient and inexpensive catalyst that can function under real-world conditions--using pH neutral water, surrounded by oxygen and at room temperature. Currently, highly-efficient catalysts such as platinum are too expensive and cheaper alternatives are inefficient, the researchers said.
"Our research has shown that inexpensive materials such as cobalt are suitable to fulfil this challenging requirement", Dr. Erwin Reisner, the lead author of the research and head of the Christian Doppler Laboratory at the University of Cambridge, said in a university circular. "Of course, many hurdles such as the rather poor stability of the catalyst remain to be addressed, but our finding provides a first step to produce 'green hydrogen' under relevant conditions".
While it is too early to tell what impact this development will have on demand for cobalt, new applications for cobalt are generally seen as positive for the mineral, which is in oversupply; new uses could boost demand.
Global mine production of cobalt was 98,000 tonnes in 2011, according to the US Geological Survey. With two more mines coming on board in the next few years, London-based CRU has estimated that demand for cobalt will rise to over 100,000 tonnes of refined consumption a year by 2016. The market is expected to remain in oversupply at least until then.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) sources nearly two-thirds of the world's cobalt, most of which is refined in China. Zambia, Russia, Australia, Brazil and Canada also produce some cobalt, but the main players are the DRC and China. The Cambridge researchers, in the meantime, look forward to creating a sunlight-driven hydrogen system.
Fezile Lakadamyali and Masaru Kato, co-authors of the study, told New Energy and Fuel, "[w]e are excited about our results and we are optimistic that we will successfully assemble a sunlight-driven water splitting system soon". New Energy and Fuel added that it would be a breakthrough if the team "could get the hydrogen ready to store or reconnected to a carbon atom".
26 Sep 2012
Researchers at the University of Cambridge have produced hydrogen from water using an inexpensive cobalt catalyst, the university said. The research is gaining attention because hydrogen can be used as a fuel in combination with fuel-cells, which are seen as a growing source of green energy.
The scientists' work is also noteworthy because the cobalt catalyst will work in conditions useful to industry. That means the catalyst uses fresh water, tolerates oxygen in the atmosphere and runs at room temperature.
Hydrogen is currently produced from fossil fuels, creating the greenhouse gas CO₂ as a by-product. Hence it is neither renewable nor clean. "A green process such as sunlight-driven water splitting is therefore required to produce 'green and sustainable [hydrogen],'" the University of Cambridge said in a statement.
The cobalt catalyst comes in handy because until now scientists have had a tough time finding an efficient and inexpensive catalyst that can function under real-world conditions--using pH neutral water, surrounded by oxygen and at room temperature. Currently, highly-efficient catalysts such as platinum are too expensive and cheaper alternatives are inefficient, the researchers said.
"Our research has shown that inexpensive materials such as cobalt are suitable to fulfil this challenging requirement", Dr. Erwin Reisner, the lead author of the research and head of the Christian Doppler Laboratory at the University of Cambridge, said in a university circular. "Of course, many hurdles such as the rather poor stability of the catalyst remain to be addressed, but our finding provides a first step to produce 'green hydrogen' under relevant conditions".
While it is too early to tell what impact this development will have on demand for cobalt, new applications for cobalt are generally seen as positive for the mineral, which is in oversupply; new uses could boost demand.
Global mine production of cobalt was 98,000 tonnes in 2011, according to the US Geological Survey. With two more mines coming on board in the next few years, London-based CRU has estimated that demand for cobalt will rise to over 100,000 tonnes of refined consumption a year by 2016. The market is expected to remain in oversupply at least until then.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) sources nearly two-thirds of the world's cobalt, most of which is refined in China. Zambia, Russia, Australia, Brazil and Canada also produce some cobalt, but the main players are the DRC and China. The Cambridge researchers, in the meantime, look forward to creating a sunlight-driven hydrogen system.
Fezile Lakadamyali and Masaru Kato, co-authors of the study, told New Energy and Fuel, "[w]e are excited about our results and we are optimistic that we will successfully assemble a sunlight-driven water splitting system soon". New Energy and Fuel added that it would be a breakthrough if the team "could get the hydrogen ready to store or reconnected to a carbon atom".
Solar glass that traps sunlight and boosts solar power
www.glassonweb.com
27 Sep 2012
An Australian startup lines up $5.2 million in venture capital to push its inaugural product: a coating that reduces reflection so that more sunlight can stay inside solar cells to generate electricity. Researchers have long been hard at work figuring out ways that solar panels can convert more sunlight into electricity.
A startup hailing from Australia, Brisbane Materials, now says it's figured out how to do this effectively using an anti-reflective coating, and on Monday it plans to announce an AUD $5 million ($5.2 million) Series A investment to help it ship its technology to its first customers.
Brisbane Materials' anti-reflective coating helps solar panels trap more light and the tech can boost the power output of solar panels by 3%, says its CEO Gary Wiseman. That means, for example, a solar panel that could produce 100 watts of energy without the coating will be able to yield 103 watts with Brisbane's technology. Competing coating products can deliver 2% or less, says Wiseman.
27 Sep 2012
An Australian startup lines up $5.2 million in venture capital to push its inaugural product: a coating that reduces reflection so that more sunlight can stay inside solar cells to generate electricity. Researchers have long been hard at work figuring out ways that solar panels can convert more sunlight into electricity.
A startup hailing from Australia, Brisbane Materials, now says it's figured out how to do this effectively using an anti-reflective coating, and on Monday it plans to announce an AUD $5 million ($5.2 million) Series A investment to help it ship its technology to its first customers.
Brisbane Materials' anti-reflective coating helps solar panels trap more light and the tech can boost the power output of solar panels by 3%, says its CEO Gary Wiseman. That means, for example, a solar panel that could produce 100 watts of energy without the coating will be able to yield 103 watts with Brisbane's technology. Competing coating products can deliver 2% or less, says Wiseman.
Tuesday, 2 October 2012
First wave energy plant soon to sell electricity
www.sciencewa.net.au
26 Sep 2012
AUSTRALIA'S largest naval base is about to host and exclusively benefit from the first demonstration wave energy plant in the world, putting Perth at the forefront of wave energy development. Soon to be developed on the Department of Defence's HMAS Stirling base on Garden Island, the Perth Wave Energy project will be the first grid-connected wave energy plant to produce retailable electricity.
As such, it will also be the first demonstration project to validate the technology as commercially viable. Expected to power up to 25% of the base's annual energy needs, the two MW plant culminates 10 years of research led by Carnegie Corporation Wave Energy, which so far has invested more than $50 million to get the technology to where it is. According to Carnegie Corporation chief operating officer Greg Allen, that investment was worthwhile in that it helped develop the CETO 5 unit. "The technology itself consists of a buoy, a rope and a pump which is a hydraulic cylinder the same as you'd find on an excavator", Allen said.
CETO distinguishes itself from other wave energy devices by operating fully submerged and anchored to the ocean floor. "We're using the wave force to push down against the buoyancy, and as the buoy moves down, the seabed-mounted wave activated pump drops and draws fluid [water and a few additives] in, until the motion of water molecules in the wave reverses and wants to go back up. "The buoy then moves up and pulls on the pump, so it's just dropping, drawing fluid in, pulling up and pushing fluid out in a closed loop. "Essentially the energy that we get is in the form of pressurised fluid that we pump ashore via a subsea pipeline to generate electricity onshore".
The Perth Wave Energy project will consist of five 10m diameter buoys that will be linked to shore by a set of two 3.2kms heavy steel pipelines. A generator will sit onshore and put the produced energy into the grid. Partly government-funded, the $32 million project is officially branded as a demonstration project, even though it will be the first revenue Carnegie Corporation makes from CETO. "This project will be our first revenue from selling electricity from our technology", Allen says. Allen says the Perth Wave Energy project has a 25 year design life and is likely to be expanded. Carnegie Corporation Wave Energy is currently contemplating several commercial opportunities for CETO in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, as well as internationally.
26 Sep 2012
AUSTRALIA'S largest naval base is about to host and exclusively benefit from the first demonstration wave energy plant in the world, putting Perth at the forefront of wave energy development. Soon to be developed on the Department of Defence's HMAS Stirling base on Garden Island, the Perth Wave Energy project will be the first grid-connected wave energy plant to produce retailable electricity.As such, it will also be the first demonstration project to validate the technology as commercially viable. Expected to power up to 25% of the base's annual energy needs, the two MW plant culminates 10 years of research led by Carnegie Corporation Wave Energy, which so far has invested more than $50 million to get the technology to where it is. According to Carnegie Corporation chief operating officer Greg Allen, that investment was worthwhile in that it helped develop the CETO 5 unit. "The technology itself consists of a buoy, a rope and a pump which is a hydraulic cylinder the same as you'd find on an excavator", Allen said.
CETO distinguishes itself from other wave energy devices by operating fully submerged and anchored to the ocean floor. "We're using the wave force to push down against the buoyancy, and as the buoy moves down, the seabed-mounted wave activated pump drops and draws fluid [water and a few additives] in, until the motion of water molecules in the wave reverses and wants to go back up. "The buoy then moves up and pulls on the pump, so it's just dropping, drawing fluid in, pulling up and pushing fluid out in a closed loop. "Essentially the energy that we get is in the form of pressurised fluid that we pump ashore via a subsea pipeline to generate electricity onshore".
The Perth Wave Energy project will consist of five 10m diameter buoys that will be linked to shore by a set of two 3.2kms heavy steel pipelines. A generator will sit onshore and put the produced energy into the grid. Partly government-funded, the $32 million project is officially branded as a demonstration project, even though it will be the first revenue Carnegie Corporation makes from CETO. "This project will be our first revenue from selling electricity from our technology", Allen says. Allen says the Perth Wave Energy project has a 25 year design life and is likely to be expanded. Carnegie Corporation Wave Energy is currently contemplating several commercial opportunities for CETO in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, as well as internationally.
Gorgon gas project tugs save fuel using battery power
shipandbunker.com
25 Sep 2012
Four new tugboats being built for use in the Gorgon gas project off Australia's West Coast will run on more than two MWs worth of lithium-polymer batteries, reducing both fuel use and emissions according to Corvus Energy, the Canadian company that makes the batteries.
The project, which will be the largest natural resources extraction effort in Australian history, is located in an environmentally sensitive area, and the battery-powered vessels are intended to help minimise pollution. Corvus Energy said its 48 volt AT6500 batteries are about a quarter the weight of conventional batteries, making them the world's most energy-dense batteries.
"Corvus Energy is thrilled to be part of this major project and have our industrial lithium-polymer battery technology featured in the hybrid tugs", Corvus Energy CEO Brent Perry said in a statement. "We are confident that our 48 volt batteries will provide many years of economical operation as well as significantly reducing the environmental impact of such a large and important project", he added.
The batteries, which shipbuilder Siemens AS is using as it builds the tugboats, offer a fuel savings payback in about three years. The tugs, which have a maximum bollard pull of 75 tonnes, will be used in general offshore operations as the gas field is developed.
The Gorgon project is being developed by a joint venture of ChevronTexaco, Shell, and Exxon-Mobil, according to Offshore Technology. The first gas from the area is expected in 2014, and Chevron has supply agreements for 4 million tonnes of natural gas a year. Chevron Australia says the project includes the construction of a 15 million tonne per annum liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant on Barrow Island.
25 Sep 2012
Four new tugboats being built for use in the Gorgon gas project off Australia's West Coast will run on more than two MWs worth of lithium-polymer batteries, reducing both fuel use and emissions according to Corvus Energy, the Canadian company that makes the batteries.The project, which will be the largest natural resources extraction effort in Australian history, is located in an environmentally sensitive area, and the battery-powered vessels are intended to help minimise pollution. Corvus Energy said its 48 volt AT6500 batteries are about a quarter the weight of conventional batteries, making them the world's most energy-dense batteries.
"Corvus Energy is thrilled to be part of this major project and have our industrial lithium-polymer battery technology featured in the hybrid tugs", Corvus Energy CEO Brent Perry said in a statement. "We are confident that our 48 volt batteries will provide many years of economical operation as well as significantly reducing the environmental impact of such a large and important project", he added.
The batteries, which shipbuilder Siemens AS is using as it builds the tugboats, offer a fuel savings payback in about three years. The tugs, which have a maximum bollard pull of 75 tonnes, will be used in general offshore operations as the gas field is developed.
The Gorgon project is being developed by a joint venture of ChevronTexaco, Shell, and Exxon-Mobil, according to Offshore Technology. The first gas from the area is expected in 2014, and Chevron has supply agreements for 4 million tonnes of natural gas a year. Chevron Australia says the project includes the construction of a 15 million tonne per annum liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant on Barrow Island.
Province to build geothermal plant
vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn
September, 26 2012
HA NOI (VNS)--A pioneering 25MW geothermal power plant will be built in the central province of Quang Tri's Dakrong District, according to the Viet Nam Thermal Association vice chairman Ta Huong. The plant, set to be the very first of its kind in Viet Nam, has been licensed by provincial authorities and aims to promote exploration for new sources of energy in the near future.
Huong said Viet Nam has the potential for developing geothermal power in almost all provinces and cities nationwide, especially in Phu Tho, Quang Binh and Quang Tri. The geothermal plant can operate 24 hours a day without being affected by weather conditions such as sunlight, wind or sea wave. Geothermal electricity is generated from geothermal energy. It is considered to be sustainable and friendly-environmental because the heat extraction is small compared with the earth's heat content.
It's reported that the geothermal power plant will use Hot Dry Rock (HDR) heat mining technology to mine the heat from the hot rock found almost everywhere at some depth beneath the surface of the earth. The water is pumped into hot, crystalline rock via an injection well, which becomes superheated as it flows opening joints in the hot rock reservoir, and is then returned through production wells. At the surface, the useful heat is extracted to generate power and the same water is recirculated to mine more heat.
The technology has been used by many countries in the world including the US, Germany and Iceland. The US takes the lead, with its geothermal power output accounting for 32% of all geothermal power produced in the world. In the next 50 years, the US is expected to generate 100,000MW from geothermal energy, supplying power for 25 million households at a cost of around $40 million per year.
September, 26 2012
HA NOI (VNS)--A pioneering 25MW geothermal power plant will be built in the central province of Quang Tri's Dakrong District, according to the Viet Nam Thermal Association vice chairman Ta Huong. The plant, set to be the very first of its kind in Viet Nam, has been licensed by provincial authorities and aims to promote exploration for new sources of energy in the near future.
Huong said Viet Nam has the potential for developing geothermal power in almost all provinces and cities nationwide, especially in Phu Tho, Quang Binh and Quang Tri. The geothermal plant can operate 24 hours a day without being affected by weather conditions such as sunlight, wind or sea wave. Geothermal electricity is generated from geothermal energy. It is considered to be sustainable and friendly-environmental because the heat extraction is small compared with the earth's heat content.
It's reported that the geothermal power plant will use Hot Dry Rock (HDR) heat mining technology to mine the heat from the hot rock found almost everywhere at some depth beneath the surface of the earth. The water is pumped into hot, crystalline rock via an injection well, which becomes superheated as it flows opening joints in the hot rock reservoir, and is then returned through production wells. At the surface, the useful heat is extracted to generate power and the same water is recirculated to mine more heat.
The technology has been used by many countries in the world including the US, Germany and Iceland. The US takes the lead, with its geothermal power output accounting for 32% of all geothermal power produced in the world. In the next 50 years, the US is expected to generate 100,000MW from geothermal energy, supplying power for 25 million households at a cost of around $40 million per year.
Businesses divided on energy target shift
www.smh.com.au
25 Sep 2012
The debate over Australia's renewable energy target of 20% by 2020 has intensified, with the Business Council of Australia joining calls to adjust the target amid fears it will unreasonably drive up power prices. But the council, one of the nation's main business lobby groups, has abandoned its long-held view that the target should be scrapped altogether, citing concerns that this could undermine investment in solar and wind farms.
In its submission to a government review of the target-the key measure to support the clean energy industry-the BCA has backed some power companies' concerns that the falling electricity demand in coming years means Australia will actually overshoot the 20% target. Its call to adjust the scheme deepens the divide within the business community on the issue. Another peak body, the Australian Industry Group, warned in its submission against changes to the target, saying this would create ''intense uncertainty'' for energy investors.
Big power firms are also divided, with Origin Energy and TRUEnergy backing an adjustment but AGL Energy arguing against any change. Origin Energy has estimated that the overshot target would add about $25 billion to the national energy costs through to 2030. But the BCA's decision to ditch its total opposition to the scheme reflects the importance of the target to the industry. Solar and wind firms are strongly reliant on the target because it delivers them a guaranteed income by forcing electricity retailers to source a portion of the power they sell from renewable projects.
''We are,.. conscious of the substantial investments that have been made or planned for, given the existence of the RET,'' the BCA submission states. The council says that about 26% of electricity will end up coming from renewable sources by 2020 because the target is set as a raw total of 41,000 GWs per year.
This would have equalled 20% on old electricity forecasts. But with demand now projected to fall because of high prices and the proliferation of rooftop solar panels, the target will be overshot, the council argues. ''We believe that the current level of the target is materially out of line with the stated objective,'' it says. ''This substantial increase in the target imposes additional costs on electricity users.''
Meanwhile consumer group CHOICE has called for greater powers to be given to the energy market regulator to ensure ''unjustifiable'' rises in power prices over the past five years don't happen again. CHOICE has made 14 recommendations to a Senate committee inquiry into electricity prices ahead of a hearing in Sydney today. ''Australian household electricity consumers have experienced rapid electricity price rises over recent years,'' it said in a submission to the inquiry. ''CHOICE believes these increases have been to a significant extent avoidable and unjustifiable.''
The group yesterday issued the results of a survey showing that 55% of respondents were very concerned about electricity prices and 30% were quite concerned.
25 Sep 2012
The debate over Australia's renewable energy target of 20% by 2020 has intensified, with the Business Council of Australia joining calls to adjust the target amid fears it will unreasonably drive up power prices. But the council, one of the nation's main business lobby groups, has abandoned its long-held view that the target should be scrapped altogether, citing concerns that this could undermine investment in solar and wind farms.
In its submission to a government review of the target-the key measure to support the clean energy industry-the BCA has backed some power companies' concerns that the falling electricity demand in coming years means Australia will actually overshoot the 20% target. Its call to adjust the scheme deepens the divide within the business community on the issue. Another peak body, the Australian Industry Group, warned in its submission against changes to the target, saying this would create ''intense uncertainty'' for energy investors.
Big power firms are also divided, with Origin Energy and TRUEnergy backing an adjustment but AGL Energy arguing against any change. Origin Energy has estimated that the overshot target would add about $25 billion to the national energy costs through to 2030. But the BCA's decision to ditch its total opposition to the scheme reflects the importance of the target to the industry. Solar and wind firms are strongly reliant on the target because it delivers them a guaranteed income by forcing electricity retailers to source a portion of the power they sell from renewable projects.
''We are,.. conscious of the substantial investments that have been made or planned for, given the existence of the RET,'' the BCA submission states. The council says that about 26% of electricity will end up coming from renewable sources by 2020 because the target is set as a raw total of 41,000 GWs per year.
This would have equalled 20% on old electricity forecasts. But with demand now projected to fall because of high prices and the proliferation of rooftop solar panels, the target will be overshot, the council argues. ''We believe that the current level of the target is materially out of line with the stated objective,'' it says. ''This substantial increase in the target imposes additional costs on electricity users.''
Meanwhile consumer group CHOICE has called for greater powers to be given to the energy market regulator to ensure ''unjustifiable'' rises in power prices over the past five years don't happen again. CHOICE has made 14 recommendations to a Senate committee inquiry into electricity prices ahead of a hearing in Sydney today. ''Australian household electricity consumers have experienced rapid electricity price rises over recent years,'' it said in a submission to the inquiry. ''CHOICE believes these increases have been to a significant extent avoidable and unjustifiable.''
The group yesterday issued the results of a survey showing that 55% of respondents were very concerned about electricity prices and 30% were quite concerned.
Thursday, 27 September 2012
Fire Island turbines now producing wind power for Southcentral Alaska
www.alaskadispatch.com
24 Sep 2012
It's official: After a decade in the making, Fire Island wind turbines are supplying power to Southcentral Alaska.
All 11 wind turbines are now generating power according to the Alaska Public Radio Network. The turbines went through a checklist of things necessary before Fire Island Wind, a CIRI Inc, subsidiary, could start delivering power to its buyer, Chugach Electric Association Inc., starting Friday, Sept. 21.
The $65 million project is expected to produce 50,000 MWs of power annually--enough to power 4,000 Southcentral Alaska households. All together, that's about 4% of the power Chugach produces.
CIRI entered into an agreement with Chugach for the utility to purchase 25 years of Fire Island's power for $97 per MW for 25 years. That's higher than the current price--about $60 a MW right now--but the price of wind power is expected to remain consistent, while natural gas-powered energy is expected to fluctuate in price.
Work on the project was ironically halted for three days by severe winds from a regional storm earlier this month. No turbines were damaged in the storm, but crews on the island spent time clearing trees. That contract to deliver power to Chugach isn't set to begin until Jan. 1, but any power produced before next year will still be sold to the Anchorage-based utility.
24 Sep 2012
It's official: After a decade in the making, Fire Island wind turbines are supplying power to Southcentral Alaska.
All 11 wind turbines are now generating power according to the Alaska Public Radio Network. The turbines went through a checklist of things necessary before Fire Island Wind, a CIRI Inc, subsidiary, could start delivering power to its buyer, Chugach Electric Association Inc., starting Friday, Sept. 21.
The $65 million project is expected to produce 50,000 MWs of power annually--enough to power 4,000 Southcentral Alaska households. All together, that's about 4% of the power Chugach produces.
CIRI entered into an agreement with Chugach for the utility to purchase 25 years of Fire Island's power for $97 per MW for 25 years. That's higher than the current price--about $60 a MW right now--but the price of wind power is expected to remain consistent, while natural gas-powered energy is expected to fluctuate in price.
Work on the project was ironically halted for three days by severe winds from a regional storm earlier this month. No turbines were damaged in the storm, but crews on the island spent time clearing trees. That contract to deliver power to Chugach isn't set to begin until Jan. 1, but any power produced before next year will still be sold to the Anchorage-based utility.
Denmark gets first power from 400MW wind park
www.climatespectator.com.au
24 Sep 2012
Danish utility DONG Energy has brought the first turbine on stream at Anholt, set to be the country's biggest offshore wind park with a total capacity of 400 MWs. The Anholt development will deliver enough power for 400,000 households, or 4 per¢ of Denmark's power consumption, when it is completed in a year's time, state-controlled DONG Energy said on Friday.
Denmark, already the world leader in wind power with around a quarter of its electricity from wind farms, aims to cover half its power needs with wind turbines by 2020. It also aims to get 30 per¢ of overall energy consumption from renewables by 2020, and Anholt will make a significant contribution to those goals, DONG Energy said.
The wind farm, located off the island of Anholt in the Kattegat between Denmark and Sweden, will have 111 Siemens turbines with a capacity of 3.6 MW each. While DONG Energy has not disclosed the cost of the project, estimates are around 10 billion Danish crowns ($1.74 billion).
DONG Energy, the oil, gas and electricity producer, owns 50% and is the operator of the Anholt development, while pension insurance groups PensionDenmark and PKA own 30% and 20% respectively. The pension providers bought their stakes in March 2011, marking a new step in DONG Energy's efforts to bring new kinds of investors into wind power projects and diversify its own risk as wind farm developer and owner.
24 Sep 2012
Danish utility DONG Energy has brought the first turbine on stream at Anholt, set to be the country's biggest offshore wind park with a total capacity of 400 MWs. The Anholt development will deliver enough power for 400,000 households, or 4 per¢ of Denmark's power consumption, when it is completed in a year's time, state-controlled DONG Energy said on Friday.
Denmark, already the world leader in wind power with around a quarter of its electricity from wind farms, aims to cover half its power needs with wind turbines by 2020. It also aims to get 30 per¢ of overall energy consumption from renewables by 2020, and Anholt will make a significant contribution to those goals, DONG Energy said.
The wind farm, located off the island of Anholt in the Kattegat between Denmark and Sweden, will have 111 Siemens turbines with a capacity of 3.6 MW each. While DONG Energy has not disclosed the cost of the project, estimates are around 10 billion Danish crowns ($1.74 billion).
DONG Energy, the oil, gas and electricity producer, owns 50% and is the operator of the Anholt development, while pension insurance groups PensionDenmark and PKA own 30% and 20% respectively. The pension providers bought their stakes in March 2011, marking a new step in DONG Energy's efforts to bring new kinds of investors into wind power projects and diversify its own risk as wind farm developer and owner.
REpower to install Austria's tallest wind turbines
www.nawindpower.com
20 Sep 2012
Suzlon Energy subsidiary REpower Systems SE says it has signed a contract with Austria-based Windkraft Simonsfeld AG for the delivery of eight 3.2M114 wind turbines. Each of the turbines, which will be installed at the Poysdorf-Wilfersdorf III wind farm in northeastern Austria, has a rated power output of 3.2 MW and a hub height of 143 meters.
With a total height of 200 meters, the REpower Systems 3.2M114 will be the tallest wind turbine ever constructed in Austria, according to the company. The turbines will be delivered in the second quarter of 2013, and the wind farm, which will have a total power output of about 26 MW, is scheduled to go online in the fourth quarter.
In addition to delivering, constructing and commissioning the turbines, REpower Systems also will be responsible for maintaining the machines.
20 Sep 2012
Suzlon Energy subsidiary REpower Systems SE says it has signed a contract with Austria-based Windkraft Simonsfeld AG for the delivery of eight 3.2M114 wind turbines. Each of the turbines, which will be installed at the Poysdorf-Wilfersdorf III wind farm in northeastern Austria, has a rated power output of 3.2 MW and a hub height of 143 meters.
With a total height of 200 meters, the REpower Systems 3.2M114 will be the tallest wind turbine ever constructed in Austria, according to the company. The turbines will be delivered in the second quarter of 2013, and the wind farm, which will have a total power output of about 26 MW, is scheduled to go online in the fourth quarter.
In addition to delivering, constructing and commissioning the turbines, REpower Systems also will be responsible for maintaining the machines.
Fukushima fallout seeps into India's troubled nuclear push
in.reuters.com
19 Sep 2012
(Reuters)-On a wind-whipped beach on India's southern tip, a small fishing community feels it is falling dangerously on the wrong side of history. While much of the world is turning its back on nuclear power, the villagers of Kudankulam, in a part of India hit by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, say their government is gambling with their lives by opening one of Asia's first new nuclear reactors since the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan.
Unable to rely on a coal sector crippled by supply shortages and mired in scandals, India is pushing ahead with constructing nuclear reactors despite global jitters over safety. Hundreds of millions of Indians still live without power and factories suffer frequent blackouts-an embarrassment to India's aspirations as an emerging economic powerhouse. But that means little to 41 year-old Francisca, the wife of a fisherman. If the Japanese government was unable to prevent Fukushima, she asks, how can India guarantee their safety?
"After the Fukushima incident, we're really scared that the same will happen to us", she said, sitting in the shade of a canopy among about 1,000 protesters. "Our lives are being spoiled. "The government doesn't see us as human beings". Dogged by opposition for nearly a quarter of a century, the Russian-built Kudankulam Atomic Power Project is finally due to start within weeks, producing 2 GWs of electricity-enough to power about 20 million homes in Tamil Nadu state.
Protests against the plant have intensified as the deadline nears: villagers have been tear-gassed, beaten and one was shot dead this month as they launched hunger strikes and waded neck-deep in the Indian Ocean to form human chains in a last-gasp attempt to stop the plant from opening.
One Sunday earlier this month, thousands of fishermen marched along a strip of coastline among coconut trees and tiny churches towards the yellow-and-white domes of the Kudankulam plant. They camped out on the beach overnight, ate rice stew and planned to march on to the site, where authorities had been expected to start loading fuel rods into the reactors. The next morning, they were confronted by police in riot gear. Scuffles broke out, and tear gas shells sent the protesters scurrying back to their villages.
A curfew-like atmosphere lingered when Reuters visited the villages two days later. Kudankulam's shops were shuttered, its streets deserted and primitive roadblocks of rocks and bushes set up to keep security forces away. Police, parked in groups of about a dozen in the roads surrounding the villages, were seen filming cars that entered and left the area. The clashes are yet another frustration to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's efforts to plug power shortages that have hobbled Asia's third-largest economy at a time of slowing growth and dwindling foreign investment.
Read More…
19 Sep 2012
(Reuters)-On a wind-whipped beach on India's southern tip, a small fishing community feels it is falling dangerously on the wrong side of history. While much of the world is turning its back on nuclear power, the villagers of Kudankulam, in a part of India hit by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, say their government is gambling with their lives by opening one of Asia's first new nuclear reactors since the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan.Unable to rely on a coal sector crippled by supply shortages and mired in scandals, India is pushing ahead with constructing nuclear reactors despite global jitters over safety. Hundreds of millions of Indians still live without power and factories suffer frequent blackouts-an embarrassment to India's aspirations as an emerging economic powerhouse. But that means little to 41 year-old Francisca, the wife of a fisherman. If the Japanese government was unable to prevent Fukushima, she asks, how can India guarantee their safety?
"After the Fukushima incident, we're really scared that the same will happen to us", she said, sitting in the shade of a canopy among about 1,000 protesters. "Our lives are being spoiled. "The government doesn't see us as human beings". Dogged by opposition for nearly a quarter of a century, the Russian-built Kudankulam Atomic Power Project is finally due to start within weeks, producing 2 GWs of electricity-enough to power about 20 million homes in Tamil Nadu state.
Protests against the plant have intensified as the deadline nears: villagers have been tear-gassed, beaten and one was shot dead this month as they launched hunger strikes and waded neck-deep in the Indian Ocean to form human chains in a last-gasp attempt to stop the plant from opening.
One Sunday earlier this month, thousands of fishermen marched along a strip of coastline among coconut trees and tiny churches towards the yellow-and-white domes of the Kudankulam plant. They camped out on the beach overnight, ate rice stew and planned to march on to the site, where authorities had been expected to start loading fuel rods into the reactors. The next morning, they were confronted by police in riot gear. Scuffles broke out, and tear gas shells sent the protesters scurrying back to their villages.
A curfew-like atmosphere lingered when Reuters visited the villages two days later. Kudankulam's shops were shuttered, its streets deserted and primitive roadblocks of rocks and bushes set up to keep security forces away. Police, parked in groups of about a dozen in the roads surrounding the villages, were seen filming cars that entered and left the area. The clashes are yet another frustration to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's efforts to plug power shortages that have hobbled Asia's third-largest economy at a time of slowing growth and dwindling foreign investment.
Read More…
Wednesday, 26 September 2012
Japan cabinet approves plan to exit nuclear energy
www.reuters.com
19 Sep 2012
(Reuters)-Japan's cabinet has approved a new energy plan to cut the country's reliance on nuclear power in the wake of last year's Fukushima disaster, but dropped a reference to meet a nuclear-free target by the 2030s, ministers said on Wednesday. Since the plan was announced on Friday, Japan's powerful industry lobbies have urged the government rethink the nuclear-free commitment, arguing it could damage the economy and would mean spending more on pricey fuel imports.
Trade Minister Yukio Edano, who also oversees the energy portfolio, said the cabinet had approved the new energy plan. "But whether we can become nuclear free by the 2030s is not something to be achieved only with a decision by policy makers. It also depends on the will of (electricity) users, technological innovation and the environment for energy internationally in the next decade or two", he said.
In abandoning atomic power, Japan aims to triple the share of renewable power to 30% of its energy mix by the 2030s, but will remain a top importer of oil, coal and gas for the foreseeable future. Finance Minister Jun Azumi told a separate news conference that there needed to be flexibility in the policy to avoid putting a burden on the public in a country where nuclear supplied 30% of electricity before Fukushima.
All but two of Japan's nuclear 50 reactors are idled for safety checks after an earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 devastated the Fukushima Daiichi plant, causing the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986. Under the new energy plan, there should be strict implementation of a 40 year lifetime for reactors. It also said existing reactors shut after Fukushima should be restarted only if a new nuclear regulator confirms their safety and there should be no construction of new reactors.
The newly established Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) will decide whether reactors currently under construction are safe enough to start commercial operations, Edano said. Asked if newly built reactors could run beyond the 2030s, Edano said a decision on this would be decided later. Reactors currently under construction include the 1,373 MW Shimane No.3 unit of Chugoku Electric Power Co's and the 1,383 MW Ohma unit of Electric Power Development Co's.
19 Sep 2012
(Reuters)-Japan's cabinet has approved a new energy plan to cut the country's reliance on nuclear power in the wake of last year's Fukushima disaster, but dropped a reference to meet a nuclear-free target by the 2030s, ministers said on Wednesday. Since the plan was announced on Friday, Japan's powerful industry lobbies have urged the government rethink the nuclear-free commitment, arguing it could damage the economy and would mean spending more on pricey fuel imports.
Trade Minister Yukio Edano, who also oversees the energy portfolio, said the cabinet had approved the new energy plan. "But whether we can become nuclear free by the 2030s is not something to be achieved only with a decision by policy makers. It also depends on the will of (electricity) users, technological innovation and the environment for energy internationally in the next decade or two", he said.
In abandoning atomic power, Japan aims to triple the share of renewable power to 30% of its energy mix by the 2030s, but will remain a top importer of oil, coal and gas for the foreseeable future. Finance Minister Jun Azumi told a separate news conference that there needed to be flexibility in the policy to avoid putting a burden on the public in a country where nuclear supplied 30% of electricity before Fukushima.
All but two of Japan's nuclear 50 reactors are idled for safety checks after an earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 devastated the Fukushima Daiichi plant, causing the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986. Under the new energy plan, there should be strict implementation of a 40 year lifetime for reactors. It also said existing reactors shut after Fukushima should be restarted only if a new nuclear regulator confirms their safety and there should be no construction of new reactors.
The newly established Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) will decide whether reactors currently under construction are safe enough to start commercial operations, Edano said. Asked if newly built reactors could run beyond the 2030s, Edano said a decision on this would be decided later. Reactors currently under construction include the 1,373 MW Shimane No.3 unit of Chugoku Electric Power Co's and the 1,383 MW Ohma unit of Electric Power Development Co's.
Alberta’s largest wind project ready before winter
www.edmontonjournal.com
18 Sep 2012
EDMONTON-As Alberta's largest wind farm nears completion, Edmonton-based Capital Power Corp, is opening the site of the $357 million project to the public. "On Wednesday we'll have a blade signing in the village of Halkirk, where the public can sign a 44 metre blade that will be used on one of the 83 turbines, as well as tours of the site", said spokesman Michael Sheehan. Halkirk is about 120 km east of Red Deer.
Rising 124 metres from ground to blade tip--taller than the Epcor Tower in Edmonton--the turbines look a bit out of place on the gently rolling prairie of Paintearth County. Capital Power says all the foundations for the turbine towers have been completed. As well, reclamation of the wide access roads has begun. Currently needed to bring in heavy equipment, the roads will eventually be less than five-metres wide, winding through the 10,000 hectares of private land within a 60 square km area straddling Highway 12 between Halkirk and Castor.
So far, 34 turbines have been assembled completely and it is expected that all 83 will be up by the end of October as the 250 workers aim to have most work complete before winter arrives. Work on the project's power substation is also on target and is expected to be energized by Oct. 5 when power will be supplied to the site. After that, groups of turbines will be able to come online and feed power into the provincial grid.
The arrival of Capital Power offers an economic boost in the form of new tax revenue for the county and the village of Halkirk, as well as compensation and annual lease revenue to the 49 landowners. The company's 14 permanent staff will also invigorate a village that claims a population of 121. "There has been a lot of hustle and bustle throughout the area because of this project, and it means a lot to the local economy", Tarolyn Peach, chief administration officer for Paintearth, said in a recent interview.
Capital Power purchased the project design and all approvals from Greengate Power Corp, in 2011. Alberta's energy market does not pay extra for wind or solar power, so for Capital the deal-maker was a contract with a major California utility for the purchase of green-energy credits. While power from the Halkirk project will go directly into the Alberta grid, Capital expects that half of the project's revenue will come from these green credits, paid for by California consumers.
With 150 MW (MWs) of capacity, Halkirk will provide enough power to supply 50,000 homes while the wind blows--which should be at least 30 per¢ of the time. While Alberta is the only province with a fully deregulated electricity market--which means wind power does not earn a higher price than less expensive coal-fired generation--it has Canada's third largest system, with 891 MW currently in place, all in windy regions south of Calgary.
Ontario, by comparison, has 2,000 MW in operation with another 3,600 MW being built under its feed-in tariff program, including projects by Capital Power. The Edmonton firm is also building a wind power project in B.C., where BC Hydro pays a premium for renewable energy.
18 Sep 2012
EDMONTON-As Alberta's largest wind farm nears completion, Edmonton-based Capital Power Corp, is opening the site of the $357 million project to the public. "On Wednesday we'll have a blade signing in the village of Halkirk, where the public can sign a 44 metre blade that will be used on one of the 83 turbines, as well as tours of the site", said spokesman Michael Sheehan. Halkirk is about 120 km east of Red Deer.Rising 124 metres from ground to blade tip--taller than the Epcor Tower in Edmonton--the turbines look a bit out of place on the gently rolling prairie of Paintearth County. Capital Power says all the foundations for the turbine towers have been completed. As well, reclamation of the wide access roads has begun. Currently needed to bring in heavy equipment, the roads will eventually be less than five-metres wide, winding through the 10,000 hectares of private land within a 60 square km area straddling Highway 12 between Halkirk and Castor.
So far, 34 turbines have been assembled completely and it is expected that all 83 will be up by the end of October as the 250 workers aim to have most work complete before winter arrives. Work on the project's power substation is also on target and is expected to be energized by Oct. 5 when power will be supplied to the site. After that, groups of turbines will be able to come online and feed power into the provincial grid.
The arrival of Capital Power offers an economic boost in the form of new tax revenue for the county and the village of Halkirk, as well as compensation and annual lease revenue to the 49 landowners. The company's 14 permanent staff will also invigorate a village that claims a population of 121. "There has been a lot of hustle and bustle throughout the area because of this project, and it means a lot to the local economy", Tarolyn Peach, chief administration officer for Paintearth, said in a recent interview.
Capital Power purchased the project design and all approvals from Greengate Power Corp, in 2011. Alberta's energy market does not pay extra for wind or solar power, so for Capital the deal-maker was a contract with a major California utility for the purchase of green-energy credits. While power from the Halkirk project will go directly into the Alberta grid, Capital expects that half of the project's revenue will come from these green credits, paid for by California consumers.
With 150 MW (MWs) of capacity, Halkirk will provide enough power to supply 50,000 homes while the wind blows--which should be at least 30 per¢ of the time. While Alberta is the only province with a fully deregulated electricity market--which means wind power does not earn a higher price than less expensive coal-fired generation--it has Canada's third largest system, with 891 MW currently in place, all in windy regions south of Calgary.
Ontario, by comparison, has 2,000 MW in operation with another 3,600 MW being built under its feed-in tariff program, including projects by Capital Power. The Edmonton firm is also building a wind power project in B.C., where BC Hydro pays a premium for renewable energy.
Energy market reform the cure for power price pain
Clean Energy Council
20 Sep 2012
Rising electricity prices are hitting Australian households hard and energy efficiency and energy market reform is the key to easing the power price pain, according to the Clean Energy Council (CEC). In a submission to the Senate Select Committee on Electricity Prices, the CEC states the rules that underpin how the electricity industry delivers power to consumers do not adequately reflect the needs of consumers or the changing needs of our energy system.
"Australia, along with many other developed countries, is experiencing significant electricity price increases, with very real consequences for vulnerable households and businesses", said CEC Chief Executive David Green. "It's great news that the cost of moving to a more equitable and cleaner future for Australia is set to fall to less than 4% of bills by 2020. Getting the framework right to ensure network costs do not reach the forecast 55% of an Australian household energy bill is now essential", said Mr Green.
The submission also highlights that the National Electricity Objective, which is the basis of all decisions about our electricity market, does not currently consider the needs of electricity bill-payers, long-term economic factors or a clean environment. "Reform of the National Electricity Objective will allow the long-term interests of consumers to have far greater weight with regulatory decision makers", Mr Green said. "Now we need to get on with the job of making real changes to Australia's energy market that will deliver actual benefits to consumers in the form of more money in their pockets".
Mr Green said a smarter energy system will empower households to take control of their electricity use and reduce their bills. "Demand-reducing measures that would save people money-like smart technology that tells us how we use our energy-could be rolled out more widely to households, but for that to happen significant changes need to happen to the way our energy markets are regulated and managed", Mr Green said.
"For example, some energy providers in Victoria have launched web portals that allow customers to login and monitor their electricity use at different times of the day. In countries like Germany, you can already monitor your live home energy use from wherever you are using an iPhone app. "If our recommendations are adopted, the outcomes of the Select Committee's inquiry will unlock huge benefits to consumers in the shape of power bill savings and efficiency gains".
The CEC’s submission to the Senate Select Committee on Electricity Prices is available online at cleanenergycouncil.org.au/policyadvocacy/Submissions/current
20 Sep 2012
Rising electricity prices are hitting Australian households hard and energy efficiency and energy market reform is the key to easing the power price pain, according to the Clean Energy Council (CEC). In a submission to the Senate Select Committee on Electricity Prices, the CEC states the rules that underpin how the electricity industry delivers power to consumers do not adequately reflect the needs of consumers or the changing needs of our energy system."Australia, along with many other developed countries, is experiencing significant electricity price increases, with very real consequences for vulnerable households and businesses", said CEC Chief Executive David Green. "It's great news that the cost of moving to a more equitable and cleaner future for Australia is set to fall to less than 4% of bills by 2020. Getting the framework right to ensure network costs do not reach the forecast 55% of an Australian household energy bill is now essential", said Mr Green.
The submission also highlights that the National Electricity Objective, which is the basis of all decisions about our electricity market, does not currently consider the needs of electricity bill-payers, long-term economic factors or a clean environment. "Reform of the National Electricity Objective will allow the long-term interests of consumers to have far greater weight with regulatory decision makers", Mr Green said. "Now we need to get on with the job of making real changes to Australia's energy market that will deliver actual benefits to consumers in the form of more money in their pockets".
Mr Green said a smarter energy system will empower households to take control of their electricity use and reduce their bills. "Demand-reducing measures that would save people money-like smart technology that tells us how we use our energy-could be rolled out more widely to households, but for that to happen significant changes need to happen to the way our energy markets are regulated and managed", Mr Green said.
"For example, some energy providers in Victoria have launched web portals that allow customers to login and monitor their electricity use at different times of the day. In countries like Germany, you can already monitor your live home energy use from wherever you are using an iPhone app. "If our recommendations are adopted, the outcomes of the Select Committee's inquiry will unlock huge benefits to consumers in the shape of power bill savings and efficiency gains".
The CEC’s submission to the Senate Select Committee on Electricity Prices is available online at cleanenergycouncil.org.au/policyadvocacy/Submissions/current
Tuesday, 25 September 2012
Energy efficiency minimum standards a win for consumers
Clean Energy Council
13 Sep 2012
The availability of low quality, energy-intensive appliances imported from overseas will be reduced under new legislation passed through the Federal Senate today, in a move applauded by the Clean Energy Council. Clean Energy Council Chief Executive David Green said the Greenhouse Energy Minimum Standards legislation would help protect households from power price pain by increasing the energy efficiency levels of new appliances and streamlining the energy star rating labelling system across Australia.
"Today's decision to limit the use of poor quality appliances is good news for people who are struggling with rising electricity costs. Some of these devices have a low upfront cost that can seem appealing, but end up hurting you every time you open your power bill", he said. "Loopholes in the current system mean that in some states inferior imported products are able to slip through the net and be sold to unsuspecting customers".
Mr Green said the current energy rating labelling system-the Equipment Energy Efficiency program-would be streamlined and expanded to include more products such as insulation, window glass and gas-powered products. "At the moment there are different arrangements for placing standards and energy ratings on appliances in different states, which can be confusing for consumers. The changes introduced today will include moving to a single national regulator, cutting down on red tape for businesses and reducing fees for registering products", he said.
"With these improvements, people can be confident they are getting consistent information when purchasing large appliances like air-conditioners, washing machines and dryers". Mr Green stressed that sustained dialogue and engagement with both consumers and the industry was now important in order to ensure the program was able to deliver the maximum benefits.
13 Sep 2012
The availability of low quality, energy-intensive appliances imported from overseas will be reduced under new legislation passed through the Federal Senate today, in a move applauded by the Clean Energy Council. Clean Energy Council Chief Executive David Green said the Greenhouse Energy Minimum Standards legislation would help protect households from power price pain by increasing the energy efficiency levels of new appliances and streamlining the energy star rating labelling system across Australia."Today's decision to limit the use of poor quality appliances is good news for people who are struggling with rising electricity costs. Some of these devices have a low upfront cost that can seem appealing, but end up hurting you every time you open your power bill", he said. "Loopholes in the current system mean that in some states inferior imported products are able to slip through the net and be sold to unsuspecting customers".
Mr Green said the current energy rating labelling system-the Equipment Energy Efficiency program-would be streamlined and expanded to include more products such as insulation, window glass and gas-powered products. "At the moment there are different arrangements for placing standards and energy ratings on appliances in different states, which can be confusing for consumers. The changes introduced today will include moving to a single national regulator, cutting down on red tape for businesses and reducing fees for registering products", he said.
"With these improvements, people can be confident they are getting consistent information when purchasing large appliances like air-conditioners, washing machines and dryers". Mr Green stressed that sustained dialogue and engagement with both consumers and the industry was now important in order to ensure the program was able to deliver the maximum benefits.
IGA Bright lighting idea cuts IGA energy bill by $40k overnight
www.theage.com.au
20 Sep 2012
Rather than rely on automatic timers, the Geraldton IGA teams played with different lighting combinations-like half-lighting during out-of-hours stocking and baking times. While the big supermarkets are caught in their own price wars, a group of independent grocery stores in Western Australia's Sinosteel-Midwest region claim to have shaved about $40,000 or 10%-off their annual energy costs with basic incentives.
The first of the changes did not cost anything to implement and dramatically reduced their carbon footprint overnight, driving overhead savings they've been able to pass on to their customers, according to Queens SUPA IGA manager Stuart Bain. With the introduction of a price on carbon looming about a year ago, Mr Bain and the managers of Rigters SUPA IGA and Wonthella SUPA IGA, got together with their semi-retired owner and set themselves a challenge. "We were just talking because the power bills kept going up and up and we wanted to see what we could focus on", Mr Bain said.
Geraldton's problem with "brown-outs" during the summer months was also a driver for change. All three IGAs agreed to participate in an energy monitoring program, which meant when the seaside city was nearing summer peaks they would reduce their usage for a period of time, usually about three hours. But through the program they were also for the first time able to see their energy usage in real time-even accessing the data remotely from their mobile phones-and the insight has proven invaluable, Mr Bain said.
Through summer his store, a 3,500m² flagship, was tipping up to 420 kWs at peak usage times. "It's a fair whack for a supermarket", he said. "But we could see what we were using at what times and that's what really pushed us to do some energy saving". The first and biggest contributor to the reduction in energy instantly cut the flagship store's power bill by about $3000 per month, Mr Bain said. "It was just lighting control", he explained.
Rather than rely on automatic timers, which saw full lighting come on at 4am and go off at 10pm, the Geraldton IGA teams played with different lighting combinations-such as half-lighting during out-of-hours stocking and baking times. "We just started a manual system instead of the automatic timers and it's just a matter of training staff to go and turn them on at certain times", Mr Bain said. "In summer we were looking at saving about $3000 in a month. "It was massive and that wasn't through changing lights or anything, that was just through putting 12 hours into breaking down our light times and then just staff training after that".
After the lights were under control the team turned to their heating and cooling systems to find further energy reductions. But the 10% reduction is only half way to their final energy goal and the IGAs have now turned to spending money to save money, investing in 160 solar panels and trialling new types of lights. The panels are a 30 kW system that is being pumped backed into their grid and have only become viable recently as the renewable space has become more affordable with greater competition.
"Staff have been awesome getting behind it once we explained that we were doing things to cut our carbon footprint it made them excited to get involved and having a target to reach really helped", he said. But there have been business incentives driving the cost reduction as well.
"The best way to stay ahead of the competition, which is Coles and Woolworths, is to cut costs in other ways and that gives us more money to put into promotions and to keep our prices down", Mr Bain said. As well as targeting 100% renewable energy, the IGAs are also considering retrofitting energy efficient door on open air fridges.
20 Sep 2012
Rather than rely on automatic timers, the Geraldton IGA teams played with different lighting combinations-like half-lighting during out-of-hours stocking and baking times. While the big supermarkets are caught in their own price wars, a group of independent grocery stores in Western Australia's Sinosteel-Midwest region claim to have shaved about $40,000 or 10%-off their annual energy costs with basic incentives.
The first of the changes did not cost anything to implement and dramatically reduced their carbon footprint overnight, driving overhead savings they've been able to pass on to their customers, according to Queens SUPA IGA manager Stuart Bain. With the introduction of a price on carbon looming about a year ago, Mr Bain and the managers of Rigters SUPA IGA and Wonthella SUPA IGA, got together with their semi-retired owner and set themselves a challenge. "We were just talking because the power bills kept going up and up and we wanted to see what we could focus on", Mr Bain said.
Geraldton's problem with "brown-outs" during the summer months was also a driver for change. All three IGAs agreed to participate in an energy monitoring program, which meant when the seaside city was nearing summer peaks they would reduce their usage for a period of time, usually about three hours. But through the program they were also for the first time able to see their energy usage in real time-even accessing the data remotely from their mobile phones-and the insight has proven invaluable, Mr Bain said.
Through summer his store, a 3,500m² flagship, was tipping up to 420 kWs at peak usage times. "It's a fair whack for a supermarket", he said. "But we could see what we were using at what times and that's what really pushed us to do some energy saving". The first and biggest contributor to the reduction in energy instantly cut the flagship store's power bill by about $3000 per month, Mr Bain said. "It was just lighting control", he explained.
Rather than rely on automatic timers, which saw full lighting come on at 4am and go off at 10pm, the Geraldton IGA teams played with different lighting combinations-such as half-lighting during out-of-hours stocking and baking times. "We just started a manual system instead of the automatic timers and it's just a matter of training staff to go and turn them on at certain times", Mr Bain said. "In summer we were looking at saving about $3000 in a month. "It was massive and that wasn't through changing lights or anything, that was just through putting 12 hours into breaking down our light times and then just staff training after that".
After the lights were under control the team turned to their heating and cooling systems to find further energy reductions. But the 10% reduction is only half way to their final energy goal and the IGAs have now turned to spending money to save money, investing in 160 solar panels and trialling new types of lights. The panels are a 30 kW system that is being pumped backed into their grid and have only become viable recently as the renewable space has become more affordable with greater competition.
"Staff have been awesome getting behind it once we explained that we were doing things to cut our carbon footprint it made them excited to get involved and having a target to reach really helped", he said. But there have been business incentives driving the cost reduction as well.
"The best way to stay ahead of the competition, which is Coles and Woolworths, is to cut costs in other ways and that gives us more money to put into promotions and to keep our prices down", Mr Bain said. As well as targeting 100% renewable energy, the IGAs are also considering retrofitting energy efficient door on open air fridges.
Call to ease regulations for small wind farms
www.abc.net.au
Thu, 20 Sep 2012
The Hepburn Shire Council will lobby the Victorian Government to exempt community-based wind farms from strict regulations. A planning amendment introduced by the State Government last year prohibits new wind farms in certain areas and within 2 km of houses. The council adopted a motion at this week's meeting to express its ongoing support for renewable energy developments.
Mayor Sebastian Klein says small wind farms should not be treated the same as large-scale wind farms. "It basically asks for the State Government to make different considerations for community owned wind farms than I guess large-scale, corporate wind farms", he said. "So I guess small-scale community owned wind farms that provide back to the community have a community dividend and also have a much smaller footprint and a much smaller impact on the landscape and on people's amenity".
Thu, 20 Sep 2012
The Hepburn Shire Council will lobby the Victorian Government to exempt community-based wind farms from strict regulations. A planning amendment introduced by the State Government last year prohibits new wind farms in certain areas and within 2 km of houses. The council adopted a motion at this week's meeting to express its ongoing support for renewable energy developments.
Mayor Sebastian Klein says small wind farms should not be treated the same as large-scale wind farms. "It basically asks for the State Government to make different considerations for community owned wind farms than I guess large-scale, corporate wind farms", he said. "So I guess small-scale community owned wind farms that provide back to the community have a community dividend and also have a much smaller footprint and a much smaller impact on the landscape and on people's amenity".
UK wind power output sets new record above 4GW
www.reuters.com
14 Sep 2012
(Reuters)-The volume of electricity produced by Britain's wind farms reached a new record on Friday, breaching the 4 GW mark for the first time as new wind farms open and benefit from stormy weather especially in Scotland. Britain's more than 4,000 wind turbines produced 4.13 GW on Friday morning, the national grid operator said, accounting for nearly 11% of the country's electricity at the time and breaching the previous record by 0.3 GW.
"As part of government targets for emissions reductions and sourcing more energy from renewable sources, it's expected that each autumn, a new record for wind power output will be set", said a National Grid spokesman, adding that thanks to precise wind forecasting systems, network managers could prepare for the boost in renewable energy output.
Britain plans to generate 15% of its annual energy consumption from renewable energy sources by 2020, up from 9% last year. More than 7 GW of onshore and offshore wind farms are currently installed in Britain, still a way off the government's target of 31 GW by 2020.
14 Sep 2012
(Reuters)-The volume of electricity produced by Britain's wind farms reached a new record on Friday, breaching the 4 GW mark for the first time as new wind farms open and benefit from stormy weather especially in Scotland. Britain's more than 4,000 wind turbines produced 4.13 GW on Friday morning, the national grid operator said, accounting for nearly 11% of the country's electricity at the time and breaching the previous record by 0.3 GW.
"As part of government targets for emissions reductions and sourcing more energy from renewable sources, it's expected that each autumn, a new record for wind power output will be set", said a National Grid spokesman, adding that thanks to precise wind forecasting systems, network managers could prepare for the boost in renewable energy output.
Britain plans to generate 15% of its annual energy consumption from renewable energy sources by 2020, up from 9% last year. More than 7 GW of onshore and offshore wind farms are currently installed in Britain, still a way off the government's target of 31 GW by 2020.
Floating turbines research on track as new wind power study touts value of offshore power generation
www.power-eng.com
13 Sep 2012
PORTLAND, Maine--A consortium of environmental groups released a report Thursday touting the value of offshore wind power along the Atlantic seaboard and urges federal and state governments to act aggressively to support its development, even as Maine researchers are moving toward placing a scale model of a floating turbine in the Gulf of Maine next spring.
Catherine Bowes and Justin Allegro of the National Wildlife Federation wrote the new report, titled "The Turning Point for Atlantic Offshore Wind Energy". Representatives from the Natural Resources Council of Maine, Environment Maine, the Conservation Law Foundation and the Maine AFL-CIO attended a press conference to make the report public on Thursday morning.
"Congress is now debating whether to continue huge subsidies for big oil and gas, and whether to extend support for clean renewable energy sources like wind", Dylan Voorhees, clean energy director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine, said in a release announcing the report. "In Maine, we are fortunate to have a large, untapped potential for clean, homegrown, offshore wind power. Maine people, businesses and workers agree that offshore wind power can help Maine people and our economy and environment as we cut our addiction to dirty, imported fossil fuels".
The report notes that the United States generates no power from offshore wind at present, but that "recent actions by the federal government, along with bipartisan leadership from coastal state officials, have put critical building blocks in place--a€" bringing us closer than ever before to finally tapping this massive domestic energy source". Progress reports on offshore wind development in 10 Atlantic Coast states and a discussion of how to develop offshore wind farms without threatening wildlife are included in the 54 page document.
Among the report's recommendations are to elevate the Department of Energy's scenario for achieving 54 GWs of cost-effective offshore wind power by 2030 as a national priority; codify goals for renewable energy generation; extend tax incentives including the federal Investment Tax Credit for offshore wind, the Production Tax Credit and Advanced Energy Project Credit; take direct action to secure buyers for offshore wind power; increase funding to the US Energy and Interior departments and relevant state agencies to support research and deployment of offshore wind power; enact strict pollution reduction policies related to all power sources; and coordinate offshore wind power development decisions with federal, state, tribal and regional coastal and marine spatial planning efforts "in a manner that is consistent with the goals of America's National Ocean Policy".
Read More…
13 Sep 2012
PORTLAND, Maine--A consortium of environmental groups released a report Thursday touting the value of offshore wind power along the Atlantic seaboard and urges federal and state governments to act aggressively to support its development, even as Maine researchers are moving toward placing a scale model of a floating turbine in the Gulf of Maine next spring.
Catherine Bowes and Justin Allegro of the National Wildlife Federation wrote the new report, titled "The Turning Point for Atlantic Offshore Wind Energy". Representatives from the Natural Resources Council of Maine, Environment Maine, the Conservation Law Foundation and the Maine AFL-CIO attended a press conference to make the report public on Thursday morning.
"Congress is now debating whether to continue huge subsidies for big oil and gas, and whether to extend support for clean renewable energy sources like wind", Dylan Voorhees, clean energy director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine, said in a release announcing the report. "In Maine, we are fortunate to have a large, untapped potential for clean, homegrown, offshore wind power. Maine people, businesses and workers agree that offshore wind power can help Maine people and our economy and environment as we cut our addiction to dirty, imported fossil fuels".
The report notes that the United States generates no power from offshore wind at present, but that "recent actions by the federal government, along with bipartisan leadership from coastal state officials, have put critical building blocks in place--a€" bringing us closer than ever before to finally tapping this massive domestic energy source". Progress reports on offshore wind development in 10 Atlantic Coast states and a discussion of how to develop offshore wind farms without threatening wildlife are included in the 54 page document.
Among the report's recommendations are to elevate the Department of Energy's scenario for achieving 54 GWs of cost-effective offshore wind power by 2030 as a national priority; codify goals for renewable energy generation; extend tax incentives including the federal Investment Tax Credit for offshore wind, the Production Tax Credit and Advanced Energy Project Credit; take direct action to secure buyers for offshore wind power; increase funding to the US Energy and Interior departments and relevant state agencies to support research and deployment of offshore wind power; enact strict pollution reduction policies related to all power sources; and coordinate offshore wind power development decisions with federal, state, tribal and regional coastal and marine spatial planning efforts "in a manner that is consistent with the goals of America's National Ocean Policy".
Read More…
Report backs greater role for wind energy
www.upi.com
13 Sep 2012
TANFORD, Calif., Sept. 13 (UPI)--Wind power can play a greater role than currently supported in meeting most or bulk of global energy demand, a report from Stanford and Delaware universities says. Scientists used a sophisticated climate model to argue that wind as an energy resource can satisfy "half to several times" the world's total energy needs within the next two decades.
wind farms have drawn criticism worldwide for being cost-inefficient, eyesores on pristine rural or seaside landscapes and noisy. Supporters of wind power's greater use contest most of those criticisms. "If the world is to shift to clean energy, electricity generated by the wind will play a major role and there is more than enough wind for that", Andrew Myers, a spokesman for the Stanford University School of Engineering said.
Mark Z. Jacobson, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford and co-author of the report said, "The careful siting of wind farms will minimize costs and the overall impacts of a global wind infrastructure on the environment". The findings were published in the proceedings of the US National Academy of Sciences by Jacobson and Cristina Archer, an associate professor of geography and physical ocean science and engineering at the University of Delaware.
The report contradicts two earlier studies that said each turbine steals too much wind power from other turbines and that turbines introduce harmful climate consequences that would negate some of the positive aspects of renewable wind power. The report calculated the number of wind turbines needed to meet half the world's power demand, about 5.75 TWs, in a 2030 clean-energy economy. They said that 4 million turbines would do the job.
The 4 million turbines producing 5 MWs each could supply as much as 7.5 TWs of power, or more than half the world's power demand, without significant negative effect on the climate. "To get there, however, we have a long way to go", Jacobson said. "Today, we have installed a little over 1% of the wind power needed".
Jacobson and Archer recommend siting half of the 4 million turbines over water. The remaining 2 million would require a little more than one-half of 1% of the Earth's land surface, about half the area of Alaska. High-wind sites including the Gobi Desert, the American plains and the Sahara Desert are prime candidates for the installations, they said. "As these results suggest, the saturation of wind power availability will not limit a clean-energy economy", Jacobson said.
The Environmental Technology Center at the University of Nottingham, England, has published 15 "myths" about wind power to debunk each with a "fact". "Many people make many claims about wind turbines and the effects that they allegedly have. We've collated our favorites and given the answers", the university said on its website. Nottingham runs international campuses in Ningbo, China; and Semenyih, Malaysia.
13 Sep 2012
TANFORD, Calif., Sept. 13 (UPI)--Wind power can play a greater role than currently supported in meeting most or bulk of global energy demand, a report from Stanford and Delaware universities says. Scientists used a sophisticated climate model to argue that wind as an energy resource can satisfy "half to several times" the world's total energy needs within the next two decades.
wind farms have drawn criticism worldwide for being cost-inefficient, eyesores on pristine rural or seaside landscapes and noisy. Supporters of wind power's greater use contest most of those criticisms. "If the world is to shift to clean energy, electricity generated by the wind will play a major role and there is more than enough wind for that", Andrew Myers, a spokesman for the Stanford University School of Engineering said.
Mark Z. Jacobson, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford and co-author of the report said, "The careful siting of wind farms will minimize costs and the overall impacts of a global wind infrastructure on the environment". The findings were published in the proceedings of the US National Academy of Sciences by Jacobson and Cristina Archer, an associate professor of geography and physical ocean science and engineering at the University of Delaware.
The report contradicts two earlier studies that said each turbine steals too much wind power from other turbines and that turbines introduce harmful climate consequences that would negate some of the positive aspects of renewable wind power. The report calculated the number of wind turbines needed to meet half the world's power demand, about 5.75 TWs, in a 2030 clean-energy economy. They said that 4 million turbines would do the job.
The 4 million turbines producing 5 MWs each could supply as much as 7.5 TWs of power, or more than half the world's power demand, without significant negative effect on the climate. "To get there, however, we have a long way to go", Jacobson said. "Today, we have installed a little over 1% of the wind power needed".
Jacobson and Archer recommend siting half of the 4 million turbines over water. The remaining 2 million would require a little more than one-half of 1% of the Earth's land surface, about half the area of Alaska. High-wind sites including the Gobi Desert, the American plains and the Sahara Desert are prime candidates for the installations, they said. "As these results suggest, the saturation of wind power availability will not limit a clean-energy economy", Jacobson said.
The Environmental Technology Center at the University of Nottingham, England, has published 15 "myths" about wind power to debunk each with a "fact". "Many people make many claims about wind turbines and the effects that they allegedly have. We've collated our favorites and given the answers", the university said on its website. Nottingham runs international campuses in Ningbo, China; and Semenyih, Malaysia.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)