online.wsj.com
16 Apr 2013
Two years after the Fukushima Daiichi disaster in 2011, Japan has scaled back it's nuclear power and is seeking to diversify it's energy mix, with solar power showing the strongest growth.
Supporters of Japan's nuclear industry claim it would be unwise to give up the advantages of nuclear power because of a single accident. However, Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe knows that restarting the country's nuclear power plants will be highly unpopular, says Professor Dr Stefan Lippert, World Review expert on economics.
"Japan will pursue a highly diversified energy policy", he says. "In particular it will focus on reducing the costs of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and increasing the share of renewables". "In 2012, Japan added approximately 2.5 GW of solar power capacity to the 4.8 GW already installed", he says.
The Japanese government continues to favour wind over solar power, but the market shows a strong preference for solar, at least as long as the very high feed-in tariffs-in international terms-are kept in place. However, Shinzo Abe refuses to rule out the prospect of re-starting the shut-down reactors and building new nuclear power plants in the future, although he has not provided a timeline for this. "The final decision on Japan's long-term energy strategy will not be made before the 2020s", says Dr Lippert.
Wednesday, 29 May 2013
Silex opens Australia's largest CPV plant
www.businessspectator.com.au
15 Apr 2013
Silex Systems has commenced operation of Australia's largest concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) solar power station in Victoria's north-west.
The Mildura development, run by Silex subsidiary Solar Systems, will have a capacity of 1.5 MWs when fully operational-enough to power up to 500 average sized homes. A power purchase agreement for power off-take onto the local Mildura grid was signed with Diamond Energy in December last year.
"The commencement of operations at our Mildura Demonstration Facility is a significant milestone in the commercialisation of Solar Systems' unique 'Dense Array' CPV technology", Silex CEO Dr Michael Goldsworthy said.
"The first array consisting of 10 dish systems has been successfully commissioned and is operational, with the remaining three arrays of 30 dishes to be brought online progressively over the next few weeks".
The planning phase for the next stage, the 100MW Mildura Solar Power Station Project, remains on track, the company said, with construction commencement expected late in 2014. This timeline is reliant on the successful operation of the demonstration facility and finalisation of funding arrangements.
15 Apr 2013
Silex Systems has commenced operation of Australia's largest concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) solar power station in Victoria's north-west.
The Mildura development, run by Silex subsidiary Solar Systems, will have a capacity of 1.5 MWs when fully operational-enough to power up to 500 average sized homes. A power purchase agreement for power off-take onto the local Mildura grid was signed with Diamond Energy in December last year.
"The commencement of operations at our Mildura Demonstration Facility is a significant milestone in the commercialisation of Solar Systems' unique 'Dense Array' CPV technology", Silex CEO Dr Michael Goldsworthy said.
"The first array consisting of 10 dish systems has been successfully commissioned and is operational, with the remaining three arrays of 30 dishes to be brought online progressively over the next few weeks".
The planning phase for the next stage, the 100MW Mildura Solar Power Station Project, remains on track, the company said, with construction commencement expected late in 2014. This timeline is reliant on the successful operation of the demonstration facility and finalisation of funding arrangements.
Wind investment could hedge rising power prices: Vestas
www.businessspectator.com.au
15 Apr 2013
Increasing wind investment in Australia so renewable energy accounts for at least 20% of the country's energy mix would help hedge against rising power prices, according to the chief of the world's biggest wind power company.
Ditlev Engel, chief executive officer of Denmark-based Vestas Wind Systems, said utilities had been taking on wind power to hedge the unpredictability of gas prices because the cost of the wind was easier to predict and guarantee.
"I think you see a lot of utilities saying well it's a good idea to have 20%, 30% of our portfolio in wind", Mr Engel said. Speaking to Business Spectator's KGB, Mr Engel said the fundamentals of the wind power sector were strong despite price falls since the global financial crisis.
In the wake of the global financial crisis, the price on the emissions trading scheme in Europe plunged from €30 to €4 and gas prices in the US fell from $US12 to $US3. Other factors contributing to a "perfect storm" engulfing the wind sector included stagnant economic growth and the absence of public dialogue on the impact of renewables in the face of eurozone woes.
But energy security was an issue for governments and they should avoid depending on gas for fuel, particularly given the difficulty and cost of transporting it, he said. "If you take the shale gas in the US, it costs about $3 to $4 dollars in the US and the landed cost in Asia is about $12, $13", he said.
"I can tell you at $12, $13 wind is by far more competitive. We just have to remember that a lot of infrastructure investment has to go in there in order to exploit the gas as well".
Meanwhile, when the huge investment in wind power, particularly in storage and batteries, paid off it "could break the very important price barrier for renewables" and reduce Australia's dependency on other countries.
"The most risky thing you can do I think in any business is to say we are here today, disregard technology development and say that we're going to be here in 10 years from now", he said.
15 Apr 2013
Increasing wind investment in Australia so renewable energy accounts for at least 20% of the country's energy mix would help hedge against rising power prices, according to the chief of the world's biggest wind power company.
Ditlev Engel, chief executive officer of Denmark-based Vestas Wind Systems, said utilities had been taking on wind power to hedge the unpredictability of gas prices because the cost of the wind was easier to predict and guarantee.
"I think you see a lot of utilities saying well it's a good idea to have 20%, 30% of our portfolio in wind", Mr Engel said. Speaking to Business Spectator's KGB, Mr Engel said the fundamentals of the wind power sector were strong despite price falls since the global financial crisis.
In the wake of the global financial crisis, the price on the emissions trading scheme in Europe plunged from €30 to €4 and gas prices in the US fell from $US12 to $US3. Other factors contributing to a "perfect storm" engulfing the wind sector included stagnant economic growth and the absence of public dialogue on the impact of renewables in the face of eurozone woes.
But energy security was an issue for governments and they should avoid depending on gas for fuel, particularly given the difficulty and cost of transporting it, he said. "If you take the shale gas in the US, it costs about $3 to $4 dollars in the US and the landed cost in Asia is about $12, $13", he said.
"I can tell you at $12, $13 wind is by far more competitive. We just have to remember that a lot of infrastructure investment has to go in there in order to exploit the gas as well".
Meanwhile, when the huge investment in wind power, particularly in storage and batteries, paid off it "could break the very important price barrier for renewables" and reduce Australia's dependency on other countries.
"The most risky thing you can do I think in any business is to say we are here today, disregard technology development and say that we're going to be here in 10 years from now", he said.
Somaliland gets wind in its sails for revamping power sector
www.guardian.co.uk
15 Apr 2013
In 2009, Hassan Ahmed Hussein brought an industrial bread-making machine from abroad to install in his hotel in downtown Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland. Hassan's idea was part business, part self-interest. Wholewheat bread is not available in Somaliland, and he envisioned selling it to small-scale vendors.
He baked bread for four months before coming to the unfortunate conclusion that the machine wasn't cost effective. Electricity in Somaliland is too expensive. While the rest of the world pays an average $0.15-$0.30 per kW hour, Hargeisa's residents pay $1 per kW.
He abandoned the bakery and, in 2009, bought a diesel generator, poles, wires and transformers to start his own power company, Iftin, which rapidly gained nearly 2,000 customers in a catchment area of 10,000 residents. He has since merged his power stations with the city's largest provider, KAAH, and now serves more than 4,500 people on the same grid.
Hassan is not the only local power provider. There is little government support for power generation (pdf), and many of Hargeisa's wealthy residents import diesel generators to power homes and businesses. The independent providers depend on the price of diesel and Middle East exporters.
When Somalia collapsed in 1991, wires, poles and generators in Hargeisa were taken over by the emerging Somaliland government. The new government had no money to invest in the power grid, so independent providers began to appear. As a result, a system whereby neighbours pay neighbours for electricity has gone unchecked.
Somaliland rates are high due to a disjointed network of independent providers that have their own grid and use unreliable, dilapidated equipment. Somaliland's minister of energy, Hussein Abdi Dualeh, says the city loses nearly 40% of its electricity due to technical problems and antiquated materials.
Read More…
15 Apr 2013
In 2009, Hassan Ahmed Hussein brought an industrial bread-making machine from abroad to install in his hotel in downtown Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland. Hassan's idea was part business, part self-interest. Wholewheat bread is not available in Somaliland, and he envisioned selling it to small-scale vendors.He baked bread for four months before coming to the unfortunate conclusion that the machine wasn't cost effective. Electricity in Somaliland is too expensive. While the rest of the world pays an average $0.15-$0.30 per kW hour, Hargeisa's residents pay $1 per kW.
He abandoned the bakery and, in 2009, bought a diesel generator, poles, wires and transformers to start his own power company, Iftin, which rapidly gained nearly 2,000 customers in a catchment area of 10,000 residents. He has since merged his power stations with the city's largest provider, KAAH, and now serves more than 4,500 people on the same grid.
Hassan is not the only local power provider. There is little government support for power generation (pdf), and many of Hargeisa's wealthy residents import diesel generators to power homes and businesses. The independent providers depend on the price of diesel and Middle East exporters.
When Somalia collapsed in 1991, wires, poles and generators in Hargeisa were taken over by the emerging Somaliland government. The new government had no money to invest in the power grid, so independent providers began to appear. As a result, a system whereby neighbours pay neighbours for electricity has gone unchecked.
Somaliland rates are high due to a disjointed network of independent providers that have their own grid and use unreliable, dilapidated equipment. Somaliland's minister of energy, Hussein Abdi Dualeh, says the city loses nearly 40% of its electricity due to technical problems and antiquated materials.
Read More…
Wind farm opening sparks call for planning rethink
www.abc.net.au
15 Apr 2013
The Victorian Wind Alliance is using the opening of the Macarthur wind farm to urge the State Government to revisit its wind farm planning laws. Premier Denis Napthine opened the 140 turbine wind farm in south-west Victoria on Friday. Last year, the Government introduced new laws which gave power to households to veto turbines within two km of their homes. The alliance's Andrew Bray says now is the right time for Dr Napthine to personally review those laws.
"The wind farm planning laws are really under some pressure now because the Premier himself was glowing in his praise for the wind farm and he spoke very openly of the benefits for the regional economy there, for Portland where they built the towers and the port handled all the cargo for it and also the local district around Macarthur", he said. The Premier says the rules strike the right balance and has ruled out any changes.
15 Apr 2013
The Victorian Wind Alliance is using the opening of the Macarthur wind farm to urge the State Government to revisit its wind farm planning laws. Premier Denis Napthine opened the 140 turbine wind farm in south-west Victoria on Friday. Last year, the Government introduced new laws which gave power to households to veto turbines within two km of their homes. The alliance's Andrew Bray says now is the right time for Dr Napthine to personally review those laws."The wind farm planning laws are really under some pressure now because the Premier himself was glowing in his praise for the wind farm and he spoke very openly of the benefits for the regional economy there, for Portland where they built the towers and the port handled all the cargo for it and also the local district around Macarthur", he said. The Premier says the rules strike the right balance and has ruled out any changes.
ADB to loan $85 million for three solar power plants in Thailand
www.bloomberg.com
15 Apr 2013
The Asian Development Bank will lend $85 million to Solarco, a unit of Thailand's second-biggest private power producer, for three solar plants. The 57 MWs of projects will be developed at three main sites in Nakhonpathom and Suphanburi provinces in central Thailand, ADB said in an April 12 statement on its website.
A $52 million loan has been approved for Solarco, a unit of Electricity Generating (EGCO2 Public Co. An additional $33 million will be given to Solarco through the ADB Clean Technology Fund. Electricity Generating plans to raise its installed capacity of renewable energy to more than 300 MWs by 2015 from 9.9 MWs of biomass and 64 MWs of solar capacity currently, according to the statement.
15 Apr 2013
The Asian Development Bank will lend $85 million to Solarco, a unit of Thailand's second-biggest private power producer, for three solar plants. The 57 MWs of projects will be developed at three main sites in Nakhonpathom and Suphanburi provinces in central Thailand, ADB said in an April 12 statement on its website.
A $52 million loan has been approved for Solarco, a unit of Electricity Generating (EGCO2 Public Co. An additional $33 million will be given to Solarco through the ADB Clean Technology Fund. Electricity Generating plans to raise its installed capacity of renewable energy to more than 300 MWs by 2015 from 9.9 MWs of biomass and 64 MWs of solar capacity currently, according to the statement.
THE Desert Kingdom; desalination from oil power to solar power?
www.saudigazette.com.sa
15 Apr 2013
Saudi Arabia finds itself in an interesting economic cleft stick. While blessed with oil that it can currently sell at around $104 per barrel on the world market, it is compelled to burn a sizable proportion of that potential income to produce desalinated water. Cost of production of water fluctuates, but a fair guess is between 40 and 90¢ a barrel, depending on fuel price.
To produce water, the Kingdom uses approximately 1.5 million barrels of oil a day across its 30 or so desalination plants to meet the demand for domestic and industrial water. Little of this water--if any is used for agriculture. The water for agriculture--some 85 to 90% of the total water use in the Kingdom--comes from non-replaceable resources, underground aquifers that are drying out rapidly. For every 100 liters per annum withdrawn, only one liter or less finds itself back into the aquifer.
The government has wisely decided that food security, once an unquestionable shibboleth of policy, is no longer worth the use of resources and has taken up the idea of virtual water. This refers to the hidden flow of water if food or other commodities are traded from one place to another.
Virtual water is best defined as "the volume of freshwater used to produce the product, measured at the place where the product was actually produced". It refers to the sum of the water use in the various steps of the production chain. It is 'virtual' for when the product arrives at its destination, the water is no longer contained in it, and was used only to produce it. An example of the saving of such imports is wheat, which takes 1,600 tons of water on average to produce one ton of grain.
It has resolved that the Kingdom will rely entirely on imports for food by 2016. Starting in 2008, the government has been reducing wheat purchases from local farmers by 12.5% a year and plans eventually to withdraw all agricultural subsidies to these farmers. Having addressed the issue of water supply and use and effectively engaged the biggest user of water, agriculture, positively, desalination for the balance of life in the Kingdom remains a huge challenge on several levels.
A major issue, the use of expensive oil that could produce income for making water, has spawned a slew of projects based on solar power for water production. The Kingdom might, and probably is, considering nuclear power as another option, but this introduces the political aspect of the importation of nuclear fuels and technology to the region, which is already under the baleful gaze of the West.
Happily, Saudi Arabia is one of the sunniest places on earth, averaging between 200 and 300 hours per month. Solar power therefore is an environmentally friendly, infinitely renewable (well, for the next seven billion years or so and the earth will have dried out and life gone in 3.5 billion) and very available alternative. Moreover it is harmless, both politically and environmentally.
The Kingdom seems to have opted so far for the expensive option of photovoltaic cell electricity generation to run the new solar desalination plants rather than the simpler, longer lasting and lower maintenance Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) alternative. Commercially viable CSP plants are already in operation in California, France and Spain--all with lower sunshine hours--and are feeding electricity into the grid.
The government is tackling the building of desalination capacity actively and has allocated $6.4 billion for water and sanitation projects in 2013.
Saline Water Conversion Corp. SWCC, (which supplies 50% of the municipal water in the Kingdom and produces 18% of the global total) for example plans to build the world's largest water desalination plant in Rabigh and will have the ability to pump 600,000 cubic meters of desalinated water per day. The conventionally fueled plant should be completed by 2018. State-owned National Water Co, plans to spend $66 billion on plants and upgrades over the next 10 years.
In October 2012, Abdul Rahman Al-Ibrahim, governor of SWCC announced plans to establish three new solar-powered desalination plants in Haqel, Dhuba and Farasan in addition to the one under construction in Khafji.
The Khafji solar desalination project will be the first large-scale solar-powered seawater reverse-osmosis (SWRO) plant in the world. It was due for completion at the end of 2012 and designed with a capacity of 30,000 cubic meters of water per day for the 100,000 customers.
The Khafji desal plant is the first step in King Abdullah City for Science and Technology's solar power program to reduce desalination costs. Phase two of the project is the construction of a new plant to produce 300,000 cubic meters of water per day is planned by 2015, and phase three will involve Haqel, Dhuba and Farasan by 2018.
The Kingdom is not alone in the search for a clean, effective and cheap means of producing water. The UN classifies around 700 million people in 43 countries as suffering from water scarcity today. By 2025 the figure is forecast to rise to 1.8 billion.
With the global population expected to reach nine billion by 2050 and the US secretary of state openly discussing the threat of water shortages leading to wars, the production of desalinated water has never been more important.
15 Apr 2013
Saudi Arabia finds itself in an interesting economic cleft stick. While blessed with oil that it can currently sell at around $104 per barrel on the world market, it is compelled to burn a sizable proportion of that potential income to produce desalinated water. Cost of production of water fluctuates, but a fair guess is between 40 and 90¢ a barrel, depending on fuel price.To produce water, the Kingdom uses approximately 1.5 million barrels of oil a day across its 30 or so desalination plants to meet the demand for domestic and industrial water. Little of this water--if any is used for agriculture. The water for agriculture--some 85 to 90% of the total water use in the Kingdom--comes from non-replaceable resources, underground aquifers that are drying out rapidly. For every 100 liters per annum withdrawn, only one liter or less finds itself back into the aquifer.
The government has wisely decided that food security, once an unquestionable shibboleth of policy, is no longer worth the use of resources and has taken up the idea of virtual water. This refers to the hidden flow of water if food or other commodities are traded from one place to another.
Virtual water is best defined as "the volume of freshwater used to produce the product, measured at the place where the product was actually produced". It refers to the sum of the water use in the various steps of the production chain. It is 'virtual' for when the product arrives at its destination, the water is no longer contained in it, and was used only to produce it. An example of the saving of such imports is wheat, which takes 1,600 tons of water on average to produce one ton of grain.
It has resolved that the Kingdom will rely entirely on imports for food by 2016. Starting in 2008, the government has been reducing wheat purchases from local farmers by 12.5% a year and plans eventually to withdraw all agricultural subsidies to these farmers. Having addressed the issue of water supply and use and effectively engaged the biggest user of water, agriculture, positively, desalination for the balance of life in the Kingdom remains a huge challenge on several levels.
A major issue, the use of expensive oil that could produce income for making water, has spawned a slew of projects based on solar power for water production. The Kingdom might, and probably is, considering nuclear power as another option, but this introduces the political aspect of the importation of nuclear fuels and technology to the region, which is already under the baleful gaze of the West.
Happily, Saudi Arabia is one of the sunniest places on earth, averaging between 200 and 300 hours per month. Solar power therefore is an environmentally friendly, infinitely renewable (well, for the next seven billion years or so and the earth will have dried out and life gone in 3.5 billion) and very available alternative. Moreover it is harmless, both politically and environmentally.
The Kingdom seems to have opted so far for the expensive option of photovoltaic cell electricity generation to run the new solar desalination plants rather than the simpler, longer lasting and lower maintenance Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) alternative. Commercially viable CSP plants are already in operation in California, France and Spain--all with lower sunshine hours--and are feeding electricity into the grid.
The government is tackling the building of desalination capacity actively and has allocated $6.4 billion for water and sanitation projects in 2013.
Saline Water Conversion Corp. SWCC, (which supplies 50% of the municipal water in the Kingdom and produces 18% of the global total) for example plans to build the world's largest water desalination plant in Rabigh and will have the ability to pump 600,000 cubic meters of desalinated water per day. The conventionally fueled plant should be completed by 2018. State-owned National Water Co, plans to spend $66 billion on plants and upgrades over the next 10 years.
In October 2012, Abdul Rahman Al-Ibrahim, governor of SWCC announced plans to establish three new solar-powered desalination plants in Haqel, Dhuba and Farasan in addition to the one under construction in Khafji.
The Khafji solar desalination project will be the first large-scale solar-powered seawater reverse-osmosis (SWRO) plant in the world. It was due for completion at the end of 2012 and designed with a capacity of 30,000 cubic meters of water per day for the 100,000 customers.
The Khafji desal plant is the first step in King Abdullah City for Science and Technology's solar power program to reduce desalination costs. Phase two of the project is the construction of a new plant to produce 300,000 cubic meters of water per day is planned by 2015, and phase three will involve Haqel, Dhuba and Farasan by 2018.
The Kingdom is not alone in the search for a clean, effective and cheap means of producing water. The UN classifies around 700 million people in 43 countries as suffering from water scarcity today. By 2025 the figure is forecast to rise to 1.8 billion.
With the global population expected to reach nine billion by 2050 and the US secretary of state openly discussing the threat of water shortages leading to wars, the production of desalinated water has never been more important.
Tuesday, 28 May 2013
Premier Denis Napthine unveils a massive wind farm in state's southwest
www.news.com.au
12 Apr 2013
PREMIER Denis Napthine has signalled there will be more wind turbines in Victoria's southwest.
Speaking at the launch of the largest wind farm in the southern hemisphere in Macarthur, near Hamilton, Dr Napthine said the turbines were "magnificent"-and said Victoria's southwest was the perfect place for renewable energy production.
"I am very proud and will, at every opportunity, advocate that southwest Victoria is not only the home of renewable energy, but we've only just started in terms of the potential for renewable energy in this area", he said.
"I think they (the turbines) are absolutely fantastic", Dr Napthine said. "They're not right in every place, but in places like this-the wide open plains-I think they are really valuable in terms of their energy production. "I think they are majestic and I actually love them".
The 140 turbine Macarthur wind farm, a joint project between AGL Energy and partner Meridian Energy, took 2 1/2 years to build and cost $1 billion. The turbines have the capacity to power more than 220,000 average Victorian homes and abate more than 1.7 million tonnes of greenhouse gases annually.
Dr Napthine, the local MP, said he wanted to see more renewable energy projects as soon as possible. "There is already significant government support for work being done on wave energy, tidal power, geothermal energy, in this region. "And I believe those opportunities should be pursued at every opportunity", he said.
AGL Energy managing director and CEO Michael Fraser said the Macarthur project not only delivered clean, renewable energy but generated significant economic benefits for the region during development and construction.
But the project has faced opposition from anti-wind protesters who say the turbines cause health problems. A crowd of protesters gathered at the gate as industry leaders and dignitaries arrived yesterday, angry about the 420 MW project. Dr Napthine said he would meet anti-wind protesters to discuss their concerns.
12 Apr 2013
PREMIER Denis Napthine has signalled there will be more wind turbines in Victoria's southwest.
Speaking at the launch of the largest wind farm in the southern hemisphere in Macarthur, near Hamilton, Dr Napthine said the turbines were "magnificent"-and said Victoria's southwest was the perfect place for renewable energy production.
"I am very proud and will, at every opportunity, advocate that southwest Victoria is not only the home of renewable energy, but we've only just started in terms of the potential for renewable energy in this area", he said.
"I think they (the turbines) are absolutely fantastic", Dr Napthine said. "They're not right in every place, but in places like this-the wide open plains-I think they are really valuable in terms of their energy production. "I think they are majestic and I actually love them".
The 140 turbine Macarthur wind farm, a joint project between AGL Energy and partner Meridian Energy, took 2 1/2 years to build and cost $1 billion. The turbines have the capacity to power more than 220,000 average Victorian homes and abate more than 1.7 million tonnes of greenhouse gases annually.
Dr Napthine, the local MP, said he wanted to see more renewable energy projects as soon as possible. "There is already significant government support for work being done on wave energy, tidal power, geothermal energy, in this region. "And I believe those opportunities should be pursued at every opportunity", he said.
AGL Energy managing director and CEO Michael Fraser said the Macarthur project not only delivered clean, renewable energy but generated significant economic benefits for the region during development and construction.
But the project has faced opposition from anti-wind protesters who say the turbines cause health problems. A crowd of protesters gathered at the gate as industry leaders and dignitaries arrived yesterday, angry about the 420 MW project. Dr Napthine said he would meet anti-wind protesters to discuss their concerns.
Wind to win as exports drive gas prices higher
www.smh.com.au
11 Apr 2013
Australia's $63 billion of projects to export liquefied natural gas from the east coast are set to push up domestic prices, opening the way for record investment at home in competing energy sources to produce power.
Prices are forecast to double this decade closer to levels customers in Asia will pay for Australian LNG after companies including BG Group and Santos open terminals to ship gas that could have been supplied to the local market. That will help drive the $33 billion of wind-and solar power projects developers plan to build through 2020 in Australia, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
"With high, LNG-driven domestic gas prices, renewable energy is the cheapest source of new electricity generation", according to Kobad Bhavnagri, a Sydney-based analyst at Bloomberg New Energy Finance. "It is quite conceivable that we could leapfrog straight from coal to renewables to reduce emissions as carbon prices rise".
Electricity can be supplied from a new wind farm in Australia at a cost of as little as $80 per MW when a price on carbon emissions is included, compared with $143 a MW from a new coal-fired power plant or $116 a MW from a new station powered by gas, a Bloomberg New Energy Finance report said in February.
Read More…
11 Apr 2013
Australia's $63 billion of projects to export liquefied natural gas from the east coast are set to push up domestic prices, opening the way for record investment at home in competing energy sources to produce power.
Prices are forecast to double this decade closer to levels customers in Asia will pay for Australian LNG after companies including BG Group and Santos open terminals to ship gas that could have been supplied to the local market. That will help drive the $33 billion of wind-and solar power projects developers plan to build through 2020 in Australia, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
"With high, LNG-driven domestic gas prices, renewable energy is the cheapest source of new electricity generation", according to Kobad Bhavnagri, a Sydney-based analyst at Bloomberg New Energy Finance. "It is quite conceivable that we could leapfrog straight from coal to renewables to reduce emissions as carbon prices rise".
Electricity can be supplied from a new wind farm in Australia at a cost of as little as $80 per MW when a price on carbon emissions is included, compared with $143 a MW from a new coal-fired power plant or $116 a MW from a new station powered by gas, a Bloomberg New Energy Finance report said in February.
Read More…
Sarah Laurie: doctoring the truth about wind power
barnardonwind.wordpress.com
10 Apr 2013
Sarah Laurie* is CEO and primary spokesperson for the Waubra Foundation, an anti-wind power campaigning group based a long way from Waubra with tight links to Australia's fossil fuels industry and well-off people fighting proposed wind farms near their rural idylls. Formerly a GP, Ms. Laurie has been non-practicing and de-registered longer than she was practicing, but has taken up anti-wind lobbying to fill the void. Due to her active spreading of disinformation, she's up for the Australian Skeptics Society's annual Bent Spoon award for 2013.
On March 20th, Ms. Laurie appeared as a guest of Bill Padley on Let's Talk on Talk Radio Europe (full transcript at the end of this article). Let's see if her interview provides any clues on why she might get that Bent Spoon.
For those unfamiliar with this Talk Radio Europe, it was founded to provide the sounds of home to people from England with vacation and retirement properties on the coasts of Spain. Other guests of this particular program have included well-known present and past climate change denialists including James Delingpole and Bjorn Lomborg and some lesser knowns including Johnny Ball (episode title: Beware the global warming fascist). Oddly, Lord Christopher Monckton is missing, perhaps because he keeps touring other parts of the world with swastikas.
Read More…
10 Apr 2013
Sarah Laurie* is CEO and primary spokesperson for the Waubra Foundation, an anti-wind power campaigning group based a long way from Waubra with tight links to Australia's fossil fuels industry and well-off people fighting proposed wind farms near their rural idylls. Formerly a GP, Ms. Laurie has been non-practicing and de-registered longer than she was practicing, but has taken up anti-wind lobbying to fill the void. Due to her active spreading of disinformation, she's up for the Australian Skeptics Society's annual Bent Spoon award for 2013.
On March 20th, Ms. Laurie appeared as a guest of Bill Padley on Let's Talk on Talk Radio Europe (full transcript at the end of this article). Let's see if her interview provides any clues on why she might get that Bent Spoon.
For those unfamiliar with this Talk Radio Europe, it was founded to provide the sounds of home to people from England with vacation and retirement properties on the coasts of Spain. Other guests of this particular program have included well-known present and past climate change denialists including James Delingpole and Bjorn Lomborg and some lesser knowns including Johnny Ball (episode title: Beware the global warming fascist). Oddly, Lord Christopher Monckton is missing, perhaps because he keeps touring other parts of the world with swastikas.
Read More…
Windfarm cash to fill community 'sails'
www.theflindersnews.com.au
10 Apr 2013
With less than a week until the $50,000 Clements Gap Sustainable Communities Fund closes, Pacific Hydro is urging groups not to leave their applications to the last minute.
"Applications must be received by Tuesday", said the wind farm company's general manager Lane Crockett. Groups and organisations operating in Clement's Gap, Mundoora, Port Broughton, Wandearah, Redhill and Crystal Brook are eligible for funding.
"If your group or organisation is working on socially and environmentally sustainable projects that need funding, we encourage you to apply", Mr Crockett said.
The Fund Allocation Panel is comprised of four community members, four Pacific Hydro staff and a representative from both Barunga West and Port Pirie councils.
Applications are accepted in five areas: sport and recreation, health and safety, art and culture, education and the environment. Visit www.pacifichydro.com.au or phone Chloe on (03) 8621 6428.
10 Apr 2013
With less than a week until the $50,000 Clements Gap Sustainable Communities Fund closes, Pacific Hydro is urging groups not to leave their applications to the last minute.
"Applications must be received by Tuesday", said the wind farm company's general manager Lane Crockett. Groups and organisations operating in Clement's Gap, Mundoora, Port Broughton, Wandearah, Redhill and Crystal Brook are eligible for funding.
"If your group or organisation is working on socially and environmentally sustainable projects that need funding, we encourage you to apply", Mr Crockett said.
The Fund Allocation Panel is comprised of four community members, four Pacific Hydro staff and a representative from both Barunga West and Port Pirie councils.
Applications are accepted in five areas: sport and recreation, health and safety, art and culture, education and the environment. Visit www.pacifichydro.com.au or phone Chloe on (03) 8621 6428.
Hydro Tasmania signs on for $1.6bn plan
www.businessspectator.com.au
10 Apr 2013
Hydro Tasmania and Chinese energy company Shenhua have today signed a strategic cooperation agreement in Beijing that the companies say could lead to $1.6 billion in wind power investment.
"This strategic agreement builds upon the excellent relationship that has developed between Hydro Tasmania and Shenhua over the past few years, with respect to Australian wind farm development", Hydro Tasmania chairman, Dr David Crean, said.
"This follows on from the Roaring 40s joint venture involving Shenhua subsidiary Guohua and Hydro Tasmania from 2007 to 2009 where several wind farms were jointly constructed and managed in China".
In February this year Shenhua acquired a 75% stake in the Musselroe wind farm, a project due for completion by Hydro Tasmania in July 2013. Prior to that Shenhua bought a 75% stake in the Woolnorth wind farms (Bluff Point and Studland Bay) in 2011.
Hydro Tasmania CEO Roy Adair said the strategic cooperation agreement will guide the two businesses as they work on plans to develop, build and operate a further 700 MW of wind farms in Australia by 2020, with a total estimated investment of $1.6 billion.
"The company is one of the world's largest wind developers and brings a wealth of expertise in the renewable energy sector and a strong interest in working with us on other renewable energy projects", he said.
10 Apr 2013
Hydro Tasmania and Chinese energy company Shenhua have today signed a strategic cooperation agreement in Beijing that the companies say could lead to $1.6 billion in wind power investment.
"This strategic agreement builds upon the excellent relationship that has developed between Hydro Tasmania and Shenhua over the past few years, with respect to Australian wind farm development", Hydro Tasmania chairman, Dr David Crean, said.
"This follows on from the Roaring 40s joint venture involving Shenhua subsidiary Guohua and Hydro Tasmania from 2007 to 2009 where several wind farms were jointly constructed and managed in China".
In February this year Shenhua acquired a 75% stake in the Musselroe wind farm, a project due for completion by Hydro Tasmania in July 2013. Prior to that Shenhua bought a 75% stake in the Woolnorth wind farms (Bluff Point and Studland Bay) in 2011.
Hydro Tasmania CEO Roy Adair said the strategic cooperation agreement will guide the two businesses as they work on plans to develop, build and operate a further 700 MW of wind farms in Australia by 2020, with a total estimated investment of $1.6 billion.
"The company is one of the world's largest wind developers and brings a wealth of expertise in the renewable energy sector and a strong interest in working with us on other renewable energy projects", he said.
Friday, 24 May 2013
Hawaiian Governor welcomes new 5 megawatt solar farm
Power Engineering Magazine
The Governor of Hawaii, Neil Abercrombie, joined representatives of the Department of Hawaiian Homelands (DHHL) and Hawaiian Electric Company, to dedicate the new 5 MW Kalaeloa Solar Farm in West Oahu. The ceremony which took place on March 8, 2013 was hosted by Bright Plan Energy LLC, the solar farms management company, along with SunPower Corp who designed and constructed the project. Bright Plan Energy, in partnership with an affiliate of D.E. Shaw Renewable Investments, L.L.C., was responsible for the acquisition in November 2012. Governor Abercrombie applauded all of the partners involved stating that this will be the most productive Solar Farm, created to date, on the island. He based this on, not only the large renewable energy output capacity, but the abundant amount of sunshine on Oahu. "It will have significant positive impact on the states renewable energy portfolio standards goal of 40% by 2030." Abercrombie said.
SunPower installed their ultra efficient photo voltaic panels on a SunPower ® T0 Tracker system at the 36 acre site. The system positions the panels according to the location of the sun at any time of day resulting in a 25% increase of captured sunlight over typical fixed position units. This also permits less land usage per watt. According to SunPower CEO Tom Warner, the system will generate cost competitive power for at least 20 years. It is the first project of its type located on state lands.
The Kalaeloa Solar Farm is known as an on grid system which feeds the renewable energy directly into the power grid owned by Hawaiian Electric. The utility has agreed to purchase the power produced by the farm. The US Environmental Protection Agency has estimated that the production of solar power will reduce carbon emission by 9500 tons per year. That is the equivalent of over 400,000 barrels of oil being used over the 20 year purchase agreement period.
Hawaii was ranked third, right behind New Jersey and Arizona in solar rating per capita in January 2013. With the addition of this project Hawaii now leads the nation in per capita solar production according to Robbie Elm, Hawaiian Electric executive vice president. "This and other utility-scale projects will help Hawaii maintain our solar leadership and reduce our unsustainable and expensive dependence on foreign oil." Elm said.
The unchallenged US leader in the overall number of installations is still California, where a 4.2 MW installation brought the number to over 121,000 installs. That is over 15 times greater than number two ranked New Jersey with 7700. That top spot is not likely to ever be taken due to the geographical size, available land and number of sunny days in the Golden State and a very high ecological awareness of the population. You can read more about the installation at Power Engineering Magazine.
The Governor of Hawaii, Neil Abercrombie, joined representatives of the Department of Hawaiian Homelands (DHHL) and Hawaiian Electric Company, to dedicate the new 5 MW Kalaeloa Solar Farm in West Oahu. The ceremony which took place on March 8, 2013 was hosted by Bright Plan Energy LLC, the solar farms management company, along with SunPower Corp who designed and constructed the project. Bright Plan Energy, in partnership with an affiliate of D.E. Shaw Renewable Investments, L.L.C., was responsible for the acquisition in November 2012. Governor Abercrombie applauded all of the partners involved stating that this will be the most productive Solar Farm, created to date, on the island. He based this on, not only the large renewable energy output capacity, but the abundant amount of sunshine on Oahu. "It will have significant positive impact on the states renewable energy portfolio standards goal of 40% by 2030." Abercrombie said.
SunPower installed their ultra efficient photo voltaic panels on a SunPower ® T0 Tracker system at the 36 acre site. The system positions the panels according to the location of the sun at any time of day resulting in a 25% increase of captured sunlight over typical fixed position units. This also permits less land usage per watt. According to SunPower CEO Tom Warner, the system will generate cost competitive power for at least 20 years. It is the first project of its type located on state lands.
The Kalaeloa Solar Farm is known as an on grid system which feeds the renewable energy directly into the power grid owned by Hawaiian Electric. The utility has agreed to purchase the power produced by the farm. The US Environmental Protection Agency has estimated that the production of solar power will reduce carbon emission by 9500 tons per year. That is the equivalent of over 400,000 barrels of oil being used over the 20 year purchase agreement period.
Hawaii was ranked third, right behind New Jersey and Arizona in solar rating per capita in January 2013. With the addition of this project Hawaii now leads the nation in per capita solar production according to Robbie Elm, Hawaiian Electric executive vice president. "This and other utility-scale projects will help Hawaii maintain our solar leadership and reduce our unsustainable and expensive dependence on foreign oil." Elm said.
The unchallenged US leader in the overall number of installations is still California, where a 4.2 MW installation brought the number to over 121,000 installs. That is over 15 times greater than number two ranked New Jersey with 7700. That top spot is not likely to ever be taken due to the geographical size, available land and number of sunny days in the Golden State and a very high ecological awareness of the population. You can read more about the installation at Power Engineering Magazine.
Ballooning gas exports to leave Australian – Wind winner: Energy
www.bloomberg.com
10 Apr 2013
Australia's $65 billion of projects to export liquefied natural gas from the east coast are set to push up domestic prices, opening the way for record investment at home in competing energy sources to produce power.
Prices are forecast to double this decade closer to levels customers in Asia will pay for Australian LNG after companies including BG Group (BG Group/) Plc and Santos Ltd, open terminals to ship gas that could have been supplied to the local market. That will help drive the A$33 billion ($34 billion) of wind-and solar power projects developers plan to build through 2020 in Australia, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
"With high, LNG-driven domestic gas prices, renewable energy is the cheapest source of new electricity generation", according to Kobad Bhavnagri, a Sydney-based analyst at Bloomberg New Energy Finance. "It is quite conceivable that we could leapfrog straight from coal to renewables to reduce emissions as carbon prices rise".
Electricity can be supplied from a new wind farm in Australia at a cost of as little as A$80 per MW when a price on carbon emissions is included, compared with A$143 a MW from a new coal-fired power plant or A$116 a MW from a new station powered by gas, a Bloomberg New Energy Finance report said in February. Solar power in Australia will be competitive with gas in 2015 or 2016, according to Bhavnagri.
Contrasting Policies
Policies embraced by Prime Minister Julia Gillard's government to sell natural gas to the priciest market and tax carbon emissions are making renewable energy more competitive with fossil fuels. New wind farms are cheaper than gas-fired plants this year for the first time, improving opportunities for turbine maker Vestas Wind Systems A/S (VWS) and wind farm operator AGL Energy Ltd. (AGK) Australia has committed to get 20% of its electricity from renewable energy by 2020.
That contrasts with the US, where President Barack Obama approved just one gas-export terminal for destinations such as Japan and has failed to mandate a federal clean energy standard. "Australia has essentially said 'we should be subjected to global markets and let our products move to the highest value use,'' Tim Jordan, a Sydney-based analyst at Deutsche Bank AG, said by phone. ''We're getting a better return by exporting our gas rather than reserving it.''
Read More…
10 Apr 2013
Australia's $65 billion of projects to export liquefied natural gas from the east coast are set to push up domestic prices, opening the way for record investment at home in competing energy sources to produce power.
Prices are forecast to double this decade closer to levels customers in Asia will pay for Australian LNG after companies including BG Group (BG Group/) Plc and Santos Ltd, open terminals to ship gas that could have been supplied to the local market. That will help drive the A$33 billion ($34 billion) of wind-and solar power projects developers plan to build through 2020 in Australia, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
"With high, LNG-driven domestic gas prices, renewable energy is the cheapest source of new electricity generation", according to Kobad Bhavnagri, a Sydney-based analyst at Bloomberg New Energy Finance. "It is quite conceivable that we could leapfrog straight from coal to renewables to reduce emissions as carbon prices rise".
Electricity can be supplied from a new wind farm in Australia at a cost of as little as A$80 per MW when a price on carbon emissions is included, compared with A$143 a MW from a new coal-fired power plant or A$116 a MW from a new station powered by gas, a Bloomberg New Energy Finance report said in February. Solar power in Australia will be competitive with gas in 2015 or 2016, according to Bhavnagri.
Contrasting Policies
Policies embraced by Prime Minister Julia Gillard's government to sell natural gas to the priciest market and tax carbon emissions are making renewable energy more competitive with fossil fuels. New wind farms are cheaper than gas-fired plants this year for the first time, improving opportunities for turbine maker Vestas Wind Systems A/S (VWS) and wind farm operator AGL Energy Ltd. (AGK) Australia has committed to get 20% of its electricity from renewable energy by 2020.
That contrasts with the US, where President Barack Obama approved just one gas-export terminal for destinations such as Japan and has failed to mandate a federal clean energy standard. "Australia has essentially said 'we should be subjected to global markets and let our products move to the highest value use,'' Tim Jordan, a Sydney-based analyst at Deutsche Bank AG, said by phone. ''We're getting a better return by exporting our gas rather than reserving it.''
Read More…
California wind power blows away production record
www.heraldonline.com
8 Apr 2013
FOLSOM, Calif.--Wind power is gaining speed. The California Independent System Operator Corporation (ISO) reports a new record was set when turbines spinning within the ISO power grid combined to produce a new record of 4,196 MWs (MW) at 6:44 p.m, on Sunday. The ISO is the main operator for the state's high voltage network, serving about 80% of the Golden State.
On Friday, total wind levels surpassed the 4,000 MW milestone when 4,095 MW helped to power California. Previously, the all-time record peak output for wind power was 3,944 MW on March 3, 2013.
"With these impressive wind production levels, California is well positioned to meet the 33% by 2020 green power goal", said ISO President and CEO Steve Berberich. "Our control center operators are tracking a steady increase in renewable energy and we are leveraging the latest forecasting technology as well as complementary flexible resources to capture and optimize this carbon-free power supply".
There is a total of 5,899 MWs of wind plant capacity installed within the ISO grid. Not all of the wind power was available yesterday as a result of routine generation and transmission outages. California is now the second largest producer of wind power next to Texas. The independent system operator ERCOT, which serves about 80% of the Lone Star State, reports 10,407 MW of wind generation installed and achieved a record peak of 9,481 MW on February 9, 2013.
8 Apr 2013
FOLSOM, Calif.--Wind power is gaining speed. The California Independent System Operator Corporation (ISO) reports a new record was set when turbines spinning within the ISO power grid combined to produce a new record of 4,196 MWs (MW) at 6:44 p.m, on Sunday. The ISO is the main operator for the state's high voltage network, serving about 80% of the Golden State.
On Friday, total wind levels surpassed the 4,000 MW milestone when 4,095 MW helped to power California. Previously, the all-time record peak output for wind power was 3,944 MW on March 3, 2013.
"With these impressive wind production levels, California is well positioned to meet the 33% by 2020 green power goal", said ISO President and CEO Steve Berberich. "Our control center operators are tracking a steady increase in renewable energy and we are leveraging the latest forecasting technology as well as complementary flexible resources to capture and optimize this carbon-free power supply".
There is a total of 5,899 MWs of wind plant capacity installed within the ISO grid. Not all of the wind power was available yesterday as a result of routine generation and transmission outages. California is now the second largest producer of wind power next to Texas. The independent system operator ERCOT, which serves about 80% of the Lone Star State, reports 10,407 MW of wind generation installed and achieved a record peak of 9,481 MW on February 9, 2013.
EON, Dong Connect World’s Largest Marine Wind Farm to U.K. Grid
www.businessweek.com
8 Apr 2013
London Array, the world's largest operating wind farm at sea, set the last of its 175 turbines whirling as backers E.ON SE, DONG Energy A/S and Masdar Abu Dhabi Future Energy Co, seek to cut costs by building at scale. All of the Siemens AG (SIE) turbines are now exporting power to the U.K, grid, the companies said today in a statement. The 630 MW facility off southeast England will generate enough electricity for almost half a million homes a year.
Britain, the largest market for marine wind farms, is working to reduce the cost of the technology that's as much as double the expense of coal-fired power generation. The country has a target to get 30% of its electricity from renewable sources by the end of the decade, up from almost 12% now. The current cost of offshore wind is about 160 euros ($208) a MW, according to Fredericia, Denmark-based DONG Energy, which owns 50% of London Array. E.ON has 30% and Masdar 20%.
"As we now look to our pipeline of future projects, DONG Energy is determined to drive down the costs of our offshore wind farms to 100 euros per MW for projects we'll be sanctioning in 2020", Benj Sykes, country manager for DONG Energy's U.K, wind business, said today. Britain has 3,300 MWs of installed offshore wind capacity, more than the rest of the world combined. It plans to reach 18,000 MWs by the end of the decade. London Array is about 20 km (12 miles) off the coasts of Kent and Essex. The plant's owners are studying an expansion of the site to raise capacity to 870 MWs.
8 Apr 2013
London Array, the world's largest operating wind farm at sea, set the last of its 175 turbines whirling as backers E.ON SE, DONG Energy A/S and Masdar Abu Dhabi Future Energy Co, seek to cut costs by building at scale. All of the Siemens AG (SIE) turbines are now exporting power to the U.K, grid, the companies said today in a statement. The 630 MW facility off southeast England will generate enough electricity for almost half a million homes a year.
Britain, the largest market for marine wind farms, is working to reduce the cost of the technology that's as much as double the expense of coal-fired power generation. The country has a target to get 30% of its electricity from renewable sources by the end of the decade, up from almost 12% now. The current cost of offshore wind is about 160 euros ($208) a MW, according to Fredericia, Denmark-based DONG Energy, which owns 50% of London Array. E.ON has 30% and Masdar 20%.
"As we now look to our pipeline of future projects, DONG Energy is determined to drive down the costs of our offshore wind farms to 100 euros per MW for projects we'll be sanctioning in 2020", Benj Sykes, country manager for DONG Energy's U.K, wind business, said today. Britain has 3,300 MWs of installed offshore wind capacity, more than the rest of the world combined. It plans to reach 18,000 MWs by the end of the decade. London Array is about 20 km (12 miles) off the coasts of Kent and Essex. The plant's owners are studying an expansion of the site to raise capacity to 870 MWs.
China boosts wind power output 41%, edges closer to 2015 target
www.bloomberg.com
9 Apr 2013
China, the world's biggest wind power market, posted a 41% surge in the production of electricity from wind in 2012, bringing the nation a step closer to meet its goal in three years. The country generated 100.8 billion kW-hours of wind power last year, compared with 71.5 billion kW-hours in 2011, the National Energy Administration said today in a statement on its website. Total grid-connected installed capacity increased 31% to 62.7 GWs from 47.9 GWs in 2011.
China said in August that it aims to install 100 GWs of grid-connected wind farms by 2015 and to generate 190 billion kW-hours of power. Wind energy has become the Asian nation's third-biggest energy resource, following coal and hydroelectric, and accounts for about 2% of total electricity, according to data from China's State Electricity Regulatory Commission.
9 Apr 2013
China, the world's biggest wind power market, posted a 41% surge in the production of electricity from wind in 2012, bringing the nation a step closer to meet its goal in three years. The country generated 100.8 billion kW-hours of wind power last year, compared with 71.5 billion kW-hours in 2011, the National Energy Administration said today in a statement on its website. Total grid-connected installed capacity increased 31% to 62.7 GWs from 47.9 GWs in 2011.
China said in August that it aims to install 100 GWs of grid-connected wind farms by 2015 and to generate 190 billion kW-hours of power. Wind energy has become the Asian nation's third-biggest energy resource, following coal and hydroelectric, and accounts for about 2% of total electricity, according to data from China's State Electricity Regulatory Commission.
Award-winning research improves wind power reliability
news.curtin.edu.au
13 Apr 2003
A Curtin University researcher who has improved the reliability of wind-generated energy entering the grid was recently awarded the prestigious John Madsen Medal by Engineers Australia.
Professor Syed Islam, Director of Curtin Centre for Smart Grid and Sustainable Power Systems co-authored the research paper with Mansour Mohseni of Power Systems Consultants, which was named best paper published in the 2011 Australian Journal of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. Together they introduced a system to ensure wind power generated by turbines is contributing continuous energy to the grid, overcoming the common problem of power supply being interrupted by electrical faults.
"The Australian Grid Code states that wind turbines need to remain in an uninterrupted operation, and if electrical faults are not over-ridden within milliseconds, the power source will be disconnected from the grid", Professor Islam said. "While wind power is the most cost-effective renewable technology available, disturbances and different voltage sag and swell periods often cause the energy source to fall below the Australian Grid Code requirements, even when using the best wind power conversion system technology".
To alleviate this problem in wind power conversion system technology, the team replaced the standard current regulator which often responds sluggishly to changes in voltage, to an enhanced vector controller, proven to perform steadily in various operating conditions. "What we proposed in this research has helped wind turbine manufacturers meet the regulations and compete in the Australian energy market, keeping us on track for the government's 20% target by 2020", he said.
Professor Islam said he was very honoured and humbled to have his research efforts recognised through the John Madsen Medal, which has led to other ventures for developing wind power technology and receiving other awards including WA Power Engineer of the Year. He said more projects in the field of vector controllers are on the horizon, with one of his students looking to improve the technology further this year.
The medal honours the memory of Sir John Madsen who was Foundation Professor of Electrical Engineering at the Sydney University from 1920 to 1949. Among many other achievements, Sir John Madsen proposed the founding of a Radio Research Board and was a leader in the development of radar in Australia. The award-winning paper, Enhanced vector control of doubly-fed induction generator based wind turbines to comply with the Australian Grid Code requirements, can be downloaded from the informit website at:
Contact:
Professor Syed Islam, Director of Curtin Centre for Smart Grid and Sustainable Power Systems
Tel: 08 9266 7680, Email: s.islam@curtin.edu.au
Megan Meates, Public Relations, Curtin University
Tel: 08 9266 4241, Mobile: 0401 103 755, Email: megan.meates@curtin.edu.au
13 Apr 2003
A Curtin University researcher who has improved the reliability of wind-generated energy entering the grid was recently awarded the prestigious John Madsen Medal by Engineers Australia.
Professor Syed Islam, Director of Curtin Centre for Smart Grid and Sustainable Power Systems co-authored the research paper with Mansour Mohseni of Power Systems Consultants, which was named best paper published in the 2011 Australian Journal of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. Together they introduced a system to ensure wind power generated by turbines is contributing continuous energy to the grid, overcoming the common problem of power supply being interrupted by electrical faults.
"The Australian Grid Code states that wind turbines need to remain in an uninterrupted operation, and if electrical faults are not over-ridden within milliseconds, the power source will be disconnected from the grid", Professor Islam said. "While wind power is the most cost-effective renewable technology available, disturbances and different voltage sag and swell periods often cause the energy source to fall below the Australian Grid Code requirements, even when using the best wind power conversion system technology".
To alleviate this problem in wind power conversion system technology, the team replaced the standard current regulator which often responds sluggishly to changes in voltage, to an enhanced vector controller, proven to perform steadily in various operating conditions. "What we proposed in this research has helped wind turbine manufacturers meet the regulations and compete in the Australian energy market, keeping us on track for the government's 20% target by 2020", he said.
Professor Islam said he was very honoured and humbled to have his research efforts recognised through the John Madsen Medal, which has led to other ventures for developing wind power technology and receiving other awards including WA Power Engineer of the Year. He said more projects in the field of vector controllers are on the horizon, with one of his students looking to improve the technology further this year.
The medal honours the memory of Sir John Madsen who was Foundation Professor of Electrical Engineering at the Sydney University from 1920 to 1949. Among many other achievements, Sir John Madsen proposed the founding of a Radio Research Board and was a leader in the development of radar in Australia. The award-winning paper, Enhanced vector control of doubly-fed induction generator based wind turbines to comply with the Australian Grid Code requirements, can be downloaded from the informit website at:
Contact:
Professor Syed Islam, Director of Curtin Centre for Smart Grid and Sustainable Power Systems
Tel: 08 9266 7680, Email: s.islam@curtin.edu.au
Megan Meates, Public Relations, Curtin University
Tel: 08 9266 4241, Mobile: 0401 103 755, Email: megan.meates@curtin.edu.au
Coal-fired power drops despite heatwave
www.smh.com.au
6 Apr 2013
The share of coal in eastern Australia's electricity generation network has continued to recede, along with carbon emissions, despite a March heatwave that lifted power demand for the first time in 16 months. The widespread and prolonged heat over the country's south-east early last month prompted the biggest peak in demand for the entire summer. It was enough to trigger a 0.01% annualised gain in electricity demand on the National Electricity Market Management Company for March, the first increase since November 2011, monthly research by consultants Pitt and Sherry shows.
Although coal-fired power plants raised output to meet the extra load on the peak day, March 12, their proportion of total generation eased another 0.2%age points to 74.6% for the month. In February, their share of the electricity market fell below 75% for the first time. Hydro, wind and solar edged higher to a record share of 12.6%, shows the Cedex report, while gas increased 0.1%age point to 12.8%. Carbon emissions intensity eased to 835kgs a MW, down from 837kgs in February. Carbon emissions for March for electricity from the NEM were down 10.1 million tonnes, at an annualised rate, since the start of the carbon tax in July.
Generator response
Hugh Saddler, principal consultant at Pitt and Sherry, said generators on the NEM-which supplies power to NSW, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT-were able to absorb large shifts in demand on the peak day. Wind generation on March 12 varied between 3 to 5% of demand. The change, though, was "between one and two orders of magnitude" less than the shift in power demand over a similar period, Dr Saddler said. "The notion that it's very hard to deal with the intermittency of wind is just ridiculous", he said.
Some energy companies have warned that an overly rapid increase in renewable energy-particularly from wind farms-could undermine the reliability of power supplies given the variability of wind strengths.
US drop
The US is reporting a similar trend in falling emission from the energy sector-for different reasons. Energy-related CO₂ emissions in 2012 were the lowest in the United States since 1994, at 5.3 billion tonnes, the US Energy Information Administration reported on Friday. With the exception of 2010, emissions have declined every year since 2007. Coal is being displaced in electricity generation by less carbon-intensive natural gas in the wake of a rapid expansion of so-called unconventional gas production from shale. A mild northern winter also curbed demand for heating oil, the government said.
Transport emissions jump
While emissions from the energy sector are in retreat in Australia, the opposite is true in transport-a sector largely unaffected by the carbon tax. Transport data suggest car fuel consumption has increased by less than 1% over the six years from 2005 06 to 2011 12. Fuel consumption by light commercial vehicles, though, has risen 14% over the period.
Bulk diesel consumption has also jumped, rising 31%%, alone lifting carbon emissions by 10.1 million tonnes a year. Aviation fuel use has risen by 40%, adding an additional 5.6 million tonnes of CO₂ annually to the atmosphere, the Cedex report found. expansion of unconventional gas production. A mild winter also curbed demand for heating oil.
6 Apr 2013
The share of coal in eastern Australia's electricity generation network has continued to recede, along with carbon emissions, despite a March heatwave that lifted power demand for the first time in 16 months. The widespread and prolonged heat over the country's south-east early last month prompted the biggest peak in demand for the entire summer. It was enough to trigger a 0.01% annualised gain in electricity demand on the National Electricity Market Management Company for March, the first increase since November 2011, monthly research by consultants Pitt and Sherry shows.
Although coal-fired power plants raised output to meet the extra load on the peak day, March 12, their proportion of total generation eased another 0.2%age points to 74.6% for the month. In February, their share of the electricity market fell below 75% for the first time. Hydro, wind and solar edged higher to a record share of 12.6%, shows the Cedex report, while gas increased 0.1%age point to 12.8%. Carbon emissions intensity eased to 835kgs a MW, down from 837kgs in February. Carbon emissions for March for electricity from the NEM were down 10.1 million tonnes, at an annualised rate, since the start of the carbon tax in July.
Generator response
Hugh Saddler, principal consultant at Pitt and Sherry, said generators on the NEM-which supplies power to NSW, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT-were able to absorb large shifts in demand on the peak day. Wind generation on March 12 varied between 3 to 5% of demand. The change, though, was "between one and two orders of magnitude" less than the shift in power demand over a similar period, Dr Saddler said. "The notion that it's very hard to deal with the intermittency of wind is just ridiculous", he said.
Some energy companies have warned that an overly rapid increase in renewable energy-particularly from wind farms-could undermine the reliability of power supplies given the variability of wind strengths.
US drop
The US is reporting a similar trend in falling emission from the energy sector-for different reasons. Energy-related CO₂ emissions in 2012 were the lowest in the United States since 1994, at 5.3 billion tonnes, the US Energy Information Administration reported on Friday. With the exception of 2010, emissions have declined every year since 2007. Coal is being displaced in electricity generation by less carbon-intensive natural gas in the wake of a rapid expansion of so-called unconventional gas production from shale. A mild northern winter also curbed demand for heating oil, the government said.
Transport emissions jump
While emissions from the energy sector are in retreat in Australia, the opposite is true in transport-a sector largely unaffected by the carbon tax. Transport data suggest car fuel consumption has increased by less than 1% over the six years from 2005 06 to 2011 12. Fuel consumption by light commercial vehicles, though, has risen 14% over the period.
Bulk diesel consumption has also jumped, rising 31%%, alone lifting carbon emissions by 10.1 million tonnes a year. Aviation fuel use has risen by 40%, adding an additional 5.6 million tonnes of CO₂ annually to the atmosphere, the Cedex report found. expansion of unconventional gas production. A mild winter also curbed demand for heating oil.
Renewables can provide power 24/7
www.abc.net.au
5 Apr 2013
German researchers have found a way to overcome one of the problems with renewable energy-the fact that it is not always available-by linking different options in a unified system.
CRITICS OF RENEWABLES have always claimed that sun and wind are only intermittent producers of electricity and need fossil fuel plants as back-up to make them viable. But German engineers have proved this is not so. By combining the output of a number of solar, wind and biogas plants the grid can be provided with stable energy 24 hours a day without fear of blackouts, according to the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy and Energy System Technology (IWES) in Kassel.
For Germany, which has turned its back on nuclear power and is investing heavily in all forms of renewables to reduce its CO₂ emissions, this is an important breakthrough. The country has a demanding industrial sector that needs a large and stable electricity supply, and some doubted that this could be achieved in the long term without retaining nuclear or large fossil fuel plants.
Solving the problem is becoming urgent. The latest figures show that on some days of the year the electricity being generated from sun, wind, biomass, water and geothermal production already accounts for more than half of the load required in the country. The research is funded by the German Federal Ministry of the Environment and is aimed at showing that the entire electricity grid could be run on renewable energy.
Dr Kurt Rohrig, deputy director of IWES, said: "Each source of energy-be it wind, sun or biogas-has its strengths and weaknesses. If we manage to skillfully combine the different characteristics of the regenerative energies, we can ensure the power supply for Germany". The idea is that many small power plant operators can feed their electricity into the grid but act as a single power plant using computers to control the level of power.
Sharing the load
Scientists linked together 25 plants with a nominal power output of 120 MWs. Surplus power could be used for charging electric vehicles and for pumped storage (pumping water uphill into a reservoir to produce hydroelectric later). When many small producers work together, then regional differences when the wind blows or the sun is intermittent are balanced out in the grid and can be boosted by controllable biogas facilities.
If there is too much surplus energy then the power can also be used to create and store thermal energy to be used later. Kasper Knorr, the project manager for the scheme, which is known as the Combined Power Plant2 research project, says the idea is to ensure that the consumer is supplied reliably with 230 volts at a frequency of 50 Hertz.
The current system of supplying the grid with electricity is geared to a few large producers. In the new system, with dozens of small producers, there will need to be extra facilities at intervals on the system to stabilise voltage. Part of the project is designed to find out how many of these the country will need.
5 Apr 2013
German researchers have found a way to overcome one of the problems with renewable energy-the fact that it is not always available-by linking different options in a unified system.
CRITICS OF RENEWABLES have always claimed that sun and wind are only intermittent producers of electricity and need fossil fuel plants as back-up to make them viable. But German engineers have proved this is not so. By combining the output of a number of solar, wind and biogas plants the grid can be provided with stable energy 24 hours a day without fear of blackouts, according to the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy and Energy System Technology (IWES) in Kassel.
For Germany, which has turned its back on nuclear power and is investing heavily in all forms of renewables to reduce its CO₂ emissions, this is an important breakthrough. The country has a demanding industrial sector that needs a large and stable electricity supply, and some doubted that this could be achieved in the long term without retaining nuclear or large fossil fuel plants.
Solving the problem is becoming urgent. The latest figures show that on some days of the year the electricity being generated from sun, wind, biomass, water and geothermal production already accounts for more than half of the load required in the country. The research is funded by the German Federal Ministry of the Environment and is aimed at showing that the entire electricity grid could be run on renewable energy.
Dr Kurt Rohrig, deputy director of IWES, said: "Each source of energy-be it wind, sun or biogas-has its strengths and weaknesses. If we manage to skillfully combine the different characteristics of the regenerative energies, we can ensure the power supply for Germany". The idea is that many small power plant operators can feed their electricity into the grid but act as a single power plant using computers to control the level of power.
Sharing the load
Scientists linked together 25 plants with a nominal power output of 120 MWs. Surplus power could be used for charging electric vehicles and for pumped storage (pumping water uphill into a reservoir to produce hydroelectric later). When many small producers work together, then regional differences when the wind blows or the sun is intermittent are balanced out in the grid and can be boosted by controllable biogas facilities.
If there is too much surplus energy then the power can also be used to create and store thermal energy to be used later. Kasper Knorr, the project manager for the scheme, which is known as the Combined Power Plant2 research project, says the idea is to ensure that the consumer is supplied reliably with 230 volts at a frequency of 50 Hertz.
The current system of supplying the grid with electricity is geared to a few large producers. In the new system, with dozens of small producers, there will need to be extra facilities at intervals on the system to stabilise voltage. Part of the project is designed to find out how many of these the country will need.
BP’s renewables plaything
www.businessspectator.com.au
4 Apr 2013
Overnight, BP announced it will abandon its wind farm business in the US. The oil and gas giant, its reputation still tarnished by the Gulf oil spill of a couple of years ago, will use the sale of the division to help pay off some of its spill liabilities. In other words, it's a clean energy sell-off to pay for the sins of its dirty energy division. Oh, the irony. Reuters suggested the sale of the division could reap around $1.5 billion, while Bloomberg provided a more optimistic number of $2.2 $3.1 billion.
As the rumoured sale price suggests, BP is far from a bit player in US wind, with 16 wind farms and a generating capacity of around 2,600 MW. It took five years for the company to go from 0 turbines in the US to 1,000 (and, incidentally, probably just a couple of months to go back to 0). It marks another sign in the transformation of a business that has moved from British Petroleum (the original name) to Beyond Petroleum (a monicker it gave itself in a long running marketing campaign) to Back to Petroleum.
While the Beyond Petroleum ads suggested otherwise, BP never fully committed itself to renewables, ploughing enough money in to look like it was a progressive company while not ploughing enough in to make a real fist of it. It exited solar at the end of 2011 after being the market leader around the turn of the century. Now, with the exit from wind power (and previous move away from carbon capture and storage), BP's alternative energy division now consists of just biofuels research and ethanol refining in Brazil.
Indeed, the funds it spent marketing itself as a company looking beyond fossil fuels mightn't be that far off how much it has actually spent on wind and solar. A Reuters article from April 2010 highlights the stunning speed of the about face for the company: London-based BP is principally involved in four types of alternative technologies: wind power, solar power, carbon capture and storage and biofuels. "We're absolutely holding these as core businesses", said (BP Alternative Energy chief executive Katrina) Landis. "All four of those technology areas have the opportunity to be very sizable". BP has since chucked three of these four technologies from "core" to scrapheap in just three years.
BP's renewables departure, however, is understandable given the solar sector's troubles (supply glut) and the company's need to pay off the debts of its past (hence the wind sale). But put simply, it's easy to see why many were cynical of the Beyond Petroleum campaign-and why the question must be raised: was it the greatest greenwashing exercise of all time?
4 Apr 2013
Overnight, BP announced it will abandon its wind farm business in the US. The oil and gas giant, its reputation still tarnished by the Gulf oil spill of a couple of years ago, will use the sale of the division to help pay off some of its spill liabilities. In other words, it's a clean energy sell-off to pay for the sins of its dirty energy division. Oh, the irony. Reuters suggested the sale of the division could reap around $1.5 billion, while Bloomberg provided a more optimistic number of $2.2 $3.1 billion.As the rumoured sale price suggests, BP is far from a bit player in US wind, with 16 wind farms and a generating capacity of around 2,600 MW. It took five years for the company to go from 0 turbines in the US to 1,000 (and, incidentally, probably just a couple of months to go back to 0). It marks another sign in the transformation of a business that has moved from British Petroleum (the original name) to Beyond Petroleum (a monicker it gave itself in a long running marketing campaign) to Back to Petroleum.
While the Beyond Petroleum ads suggested otherwise, BP never fully committed itself to renewables, ploughing enough money in to look like it was a progressive company while not ploughing enough in to make a real fist of it. It exited solar at the end of 2011 after being the market leader around the turn of the century. Now, with the exit from wind power (and previous move away from carbon capture and storage), BP's alternative energy division now consists of just biofuels research and ethanol refining in Brazil.
Indeed, the funds it spent marketing itself as a company looking beyond fossil fuels mightn't be that far off how much it has actually spent on wind and solar. A Reuters article from April 2010 highlights the stunning speed of the about face for the company: London-based BP is principally involved in four types of alternative technologies: wind power, solar power, carbon capture and storage and biofuels. "We're absolutely holding these as core businesses", said (BP Alternative Energy chief executive Katrina) Landis. "All four of those technology areas have the opportunity to be very sizable". BP has since chucked three of these four technologies from "core" to scrapheap in just three years.
BP's renewables departure, however, is understandable given the solar sector's troubles (supply glut) and the company's need to pay off the debts of its past (hence the wind sale). But put simply, it's easy to see why many were cynical of the Beyond Petroleum campaign-and why the question must be raised: was it the greatest greenwashing exercise of all time?
Windfarm deal done
www.wellingtontimes.com.au
5 Apr 2013
Wellington Council has inked a deal with Infigen Energy the developers of the proposed Bodangora wind farm which in the long-term will hand the community more than $2.1 million dollars. The establishment of a community benefit fund and an annual contribution of $25,000 for road maintenance are just two of the features of a voluntary planning agreement (VPA) signed by Wellington Council and Infigen Energy's Bodangora wind farm Pty Ltd.
The agreement relates to a project currently before the state government that may see more than 30 wind turbines constructed in the Bodangora area. Wellington mayor Rod Buhr said the VPA would see council obtain more than $2,100,000 in contributions from the project's proprietors during a 25 year period. "While council holds an unbiased view toward the project, it is imperative that council is proactive in ensuring there is a process in place which will not only provide some benefit to the community but will also off-set potential impacts of such a development", Mayor Buhr said.
The money obtained through the community benefit fund is set to be put towards helping local community groups and organisations, with council to establish a trust which would provide guidelines on how it would be distributed. Project manager for Infigen Energy Frank Boland said the council had worked collaboratively with them to get the best outcome for the project. The two main aspects to the agreement firstly is to ensure infrastructure, such as roads are up to a certain standard before construction begins, and the second relates to contributions Bodangora wind farm will provide for the expected 25 year life of the project.
"Prior to any work beginning, an independent third party will conduct a traffic study for the project and, if determined necessary, Infigen Energy will fund the upgrade of road infrastructure", Mayor Buhr said. "Once construction commences, council will receive $25,000 annually for road maintenance as well as $60,000 each year for a community benefit fund and other costs related to the project for 25 years". The money obtained through the community benefit fund is set to be put towards helping local community groups and organisations, with council to establish a trust which would provide guidelines on how it would be distributed.
"Once the trust deed is in place, a board with appropriate skills made up of a cross-section of the community will be established. "These members will then work together to ensure the money is used to provide the best possible outcomes consistent with the trust deed objectives". Mr Boland says he backs the Wellington mayor '' It is timely these agreements which will benefit both the Bodangora and greater Wellington are made before the determination of the farm to ensure the community they are a central part of this project'' he said.
Mayor Buhr said it was important to note that council had sought advice from a number of areas in establishing the VPA. "This is not something council has come up with by itself. In completing this agreement staff have liaised with the Department of Infrastructure and Planning, and other professionals who have had experience in formulating such agreements in the past", he said. "While it is important to remember the project is still before the State Government for approval, having the agreement in place is the right step to ensure the interests of residents are covered now and into the future". Mr Boland said if given the go ahead by NSW Planning the company would begin talks with off take power purchasers.
5 Apr 2013
Wellington Council has inked a deal with Infigen Energy the developers of the proposed Bodangora wind farm which in the long-term will hand the community more than $2.1 million dollars. The establishment of a community benefit fund and an annual contribution of $25,000 for road maintenance are just two of the features of a voluntary planning agreement (VPA) signed by Wellington Council and Infigen Energy's Bodangora wind farm Pty Ltd.
The agreement relates to a project currently before the state government that may see more than 30 wind turbines constructed in the Bodangora area. Wellington mayor Rod Buhr said the VPA would see council obtain more than $2,100,000 in contributions from the project's proprietors during a 25 year period. "While council holds an unbiased view toward the project, it is imperative that council is proactive in ensuring there is a process in place which will not only provide some benefit to the community but will also off-set potential impacts of such a development", Mayor Buhr said.
The money obtained through the community benefit fund is set to be put towards helping local community groups and organisations, with council to establish a trust which would provide guidelines on how it would be distributed. Project manager for Infigen Energy Frank Boland said the council had worked collaboratively with them to get the best outcome for the project. The two main aspects to the agreement firstly is to ensure infrastructure, such as roads are up to a certain standard before construction begins, and the second relates to contributions Bodangora wind farm will provide for the expected 25 year life of the project.
"Prior to any work beginning, an independent third party will conduct a traffic study for the project and, if determined necessary, Infigen Energy will fund the upgrade of road infrastructure", Mayor Buhr said. "Once construction commences, council will receive $25,000 annually for road maintenance as well as $60,000 each year for a community benefit fund and other costs related to the project for 25 years". The money obtained through the community benefit fund is set to be put towards helping local community groups and organisations, with council to establish a trust which would provide guidelines on how it would be distributed.
"Once the trust deed is in place, a board with appropriate skills made up of a cross-section of the community will be established. "These members will then work together to ensure the money is used to provide the best possible outcomes consistent with the trust deed objectives". Mr Boland says he backs the Wellington mayor '' It is timely these agreements which will benefit both the Bodangora and greater Wellington are made before the determination of the farm to ensure the community they are a central part of this project'' he said.
Mayor Buhr said it was important to note that council had sought advice from a number of areas in establishing the VPA. "This is not something council has come up with by itself. In completing this agreement staff have liaised with the Department of Infrastructure and Planning, and other professionals who have had experience in formulating such agreements in the past", he said. "While it is important to remember the project is still before the State Government for approval, having the agreement in place is the right step to ensure the interests of residents are covered now and into the future". Mr Boland said if given the go ahead by NSW Planning the company would begin talks with off take power purchasers.
Black silicon solar cells with record 18.7% efficiency
phys.org
4 Apr 2013
Scientists at Aalto University, Finland and Fraunhofer ISE, Germany report an efficiency of 18.7% for black silicon solar cells, the highest efficiency reported so far for a black silicon solar cell.
The researchers were able to apply a boron diffusion to create a pn-junction, maintaining the excellent optical properties of the black silicon structure. By applying atomic layer deposited Al2O3, an effective passivation of the nanostructured surfaces was achieved. The previous efficiency record of 18.2% was held by the US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) using thermal oxidation as a passivating layer.
"The quantum efficiency measurements reveal that the nanostructured front surface is of a high electrical quality comparable to a pyramidal textured surface", says Assistant Professor Hele Savin of Aalto University. Routes for improving the cell efficiency are already identified, and efficiencies clearly above 20% should be within reach.
The paper, 'Passivation of Black Silicon Boron Emitters with ALD Al2O3' by Paeivikki Repo, Ville Vaehaenissi, Guillaume von Gastrow, Jan Benick, Jonas Schoen, Bernd Steinhauser, Martin C. Schubert and Hele Savin, was presented in SiliconPV, the 3rd International Conference on Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaics, 25 27 March 2013 in Hamelin, Germany.
4 Apr 2013
Scientists at Aalto University, Finland and Fraunhofer ISE, Germany report an efficiency of 18.7% for black silicon solar cells, the highest efficiency reported so far for a black silicon solar cell.
The researchers were able to apply a boron diffusion to create a pn-junction, maintaining the excellent optical properties of the black silicon structure. By applying atomic layer deposited Al2O3, an effective passivation of the nanostructured surfaces was achieved. The previous efficiency record of 18.2% was held by the US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) using thermal oxidation as a passivating layer.
"The quantum efficiency measurements reveal that the nanostructured front surface is of a high electrical quality comparable to a pyramidal textured surface", says Assistant Professor Hele Savin of Aalto University. Routes for improving the cell efficiency are already identified, and efficiencies clearly above 20% should be within reach.
The paper, 'Passivation of Black Silicon Boron Emitters with ALD Al2O3' by Paeivikki Repo, Ville Vaehaenissi, Guillaume von Gastrow, Jan Benick, Jonas Schoen, Bernd Steinhauser, Martin C. Schubert and Hele Savin, was presented in SiliconPV, the 3rd International Conference on Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaics, 25 27 March 2013 in Hamelin, Germany.
Thursday, 16 May 2013
Switch to fully renewable energy within reach: report
www.watoday.com.au
3 Apr 2013
Australia's abundant renewable resources are barely tapped. Australia's main electricity market could source all of its electricity from renewable energy with the help of a carbon price of as low as $50 a tonne, according to research at the University of New South Wales.
The researchers found currently available renewable energy technologies such as wind and concentrated solar thermal power could displace all fossil fuelled power plants in the National Electricity Market Management Company, according to a peer-reviewed paper published in the international Energy Policy journal. It would cost us a bit but it would be quite affordable.
The work used technology costs projected to 2030 by the government's Bureau of Resources and Energy Economics last year-costs that may prove conservative as prices of solar photovoltaic panels and other renewable sources tumble. A carbon price of $50 $100 a tonne would make coal and gas-fired power plants uneconomical, depending on varying assumptions, the report said.
"We think wind and solar will be a lot cheaper in 2030 than those projections", said Mark Diesendorf, an associate professor at the UNSW, and one of the authors of the report, Least cost 100% renewable electricity scenarios in the Australian National Electricity Market Management Company. "We could do it if we have the political will", Dr Diesendorf said. "It would cost us a bit but it would be quite affordable, and it may be cheaper than we have projected".
Running simulations based on power demand and supply data for 2010, the researchers found wind would contribute most in a switch to fully renewable energy. It would account for between 46 and 59%, while solar PV and concentrated solar would supply 15 20% each, and hydroelectric and biofuel-based gas generators the remainder.
Australia now sources about 10% of its electricity from renewable sources, an amount set to at least double by 2020 under the government's renewable energy target. The Coalition backs the goal but has vowed to repeal the carbon tax if it wins office in September. Pacific Hydro, a renewable energy generator in Australia, Chile and Brazil, said reaching 100% renewable energy supply is technically feasible but obstacles are steep. "It would take a substantial shift in political thinking", Andrew Richards, executive manager of corporate affairs at Pacific Hydro, said. "You'd need to mobilise tens of billions in capital to make it happen".
Political differences
After a bruising political fight to implement a $23 a tonne carbon tax, the government is not keen to rekindle debate over lifting the price. Instead, the price-if it hasn't been repealed-is likely to fall after July 2015 when the rate is linked to Europe's emissions trading scheme where prices are hovering below $6 a tonne. "The level of the carbon price is likely to move with international carbon prices as countries act together to cut emissions", said a spokesman for Climate Change Minister Greg Combet. The Coalition, meanwhile, argues the existing renewable energy target is driving sufficient investment to the sector.
"To drive up the carbon tax to $100 would largely make electricity unaffordable for most Australians who are already struggling to pay their power bills, and put thousands of jobs at risk because of the impact it would have on manufacturing", said opposition climate spokesman Greg Hunt. "When commentators put forward these proposals they need to be honest with the public about what the real costs would be for people's power bills".
Greens leader Christine Milne, though, described the UNSW research as "hugely significant". "For decades opponents of the renewable energy revolution have peddled the lie that renewable energy is unreliable and expensive", Senator Milne said. "This independent and rigorous academic report exposes that lie".
Senator Milne noted the Multi Party Climate Change Committee ordered the Australian Energy Market Operator to conduct a similar study to determine the feasibility and cost of achieving 100% renewable energy by 2030 and 2050. AEMO delivered its findings to the government on Tuesday. It is understood the release of the report is not imminent.
Subsidies
Pacific Hydro's Mr Richards said calls for additional renewable energy support should be viewed in light of the International Monetary Fund's report last week that energy subsidies total $US1.9 trillion a year, mostly for fossil fuels. "You need to slowly unwind [those subsidies] at the same time you ramp up the positive stuff", Mr Richards said. "Then you'll start to see the transition more quickly".
Many other countries are setting high goals, including Scotland's aim to generate all its power from renewable sources by 2020. Denmark has bipartisan political support to achieve 100% by 2050, while Germany's goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions 80% by 2050 will be driven mostly by the power sector. "They are not just talking about it-they are doing it", Dr Diesendorf said. "Australia has huge potential because of our magnificent renewable sources but politically it's more difficult because of our very powerful fossil fuel and minerals industries, which are very reluctant to change".
3 Apr 2013
Australia's abundant renewable resources are barely tapped. Australia's main electricity market could source all of its electricity from renewable energy with the help of a carbon price of as low as $50 a tonne, according to research at the University of New South Wales.The researchers found currently available renewable energy technologies such as wind and concentrated solar thermal power could displace all fossil fuelled power plants in the National Electricity Market Management Company, according to a peer-reviewed paper published in the international Energy Policy journal. It would cost us a bit but it would be quite affordable.
The work used technology costs projected to 2030 by the government's Bureau of Resources and Energy Economics last year-costs that may prove conservative as prices of solar photovoltaic panels and other renewable sources tumble. A carbon price of $50 $100 a tonne would make coal and gas-fired power plants uneconomical, depending on varying assumptions, the report said.
"We think wind and solar will be a lot cheaper in 2030 than those projections", said Mark Diesendorf, an associate professor at the UNSW, and one of the authors of the report, Least cost 100% renewable electricity scenarios in the Australian National Electricity Market Management Company. "We could do it if we have the political will", Dr Diesendorf said. "It would cost us a bit but it would be quite affordable, and it may be cheaper than we have projected".
Running simulations based on power demand and supply data for 2010, the researchers found wind would contribute most in a switch to fully renewable energy. It would account for between 46 and 59%, while solar PV and concentrated solar would supply 15 20% each, and hydroelectric and biofuel-based gas generators the remainder.
Australia now sources about 10% of its electricity from renewable sources, an amount set to at least double by 2020 under the government's renewable energy target. The Coalition backs the goal but has vowed to repeal the carbon tax if it wins office in September. Pacific Hydro, a renewable energy generator in Australia, Chile and Brazil, said reaching 100% renewable energy supply is technically feasible but obstacles are steep. "It would take a substantial shift in political thinking", Andrew Richards, executive manager of corporate affairs at Pacific Hydro, said. "You'd need to mobilise tens of billions in capital to make it happen".
Political differences
After a bruising political fight to implement a $23 a tonne carbon tax, the government is not keen to rekindle debate over lifting the price. Instead, the price-if it hasn't been repealed-is likely to fall after July 2015 when the rate is linked to Europe's emissions trading scheme where prices are hovering below $6 a tonne. "The level of the carbon price is likely to move with international carbon prices as countries act together to cut emissions", said a spokesman for Climate Change Minister Greg Combet. The Coalition, meanwhile, argues the existing renewable energy target is driving sufficient investment to the sector.
"To drive up the carbon tax to $100 would largely make electricity unaffordable for most Australians who are already struggling to pay their power bills, and put thousands of jobs at risk because of the impact it would have on manufacturing", said opposition climate spokesman Greg Hunt. "When commentators put forward these proposals they need to be honest with the public about what the real costs would be for people's power bills".
Greens leader Christine Milne, though, described the UNSW research as "hugely significant". "For decades opponents of the renewable energy revolution have peddled the lie that renewable energy is unreliable and expensive", Senator Milne said. "This independent and rigorous academic report exposes that lie".
Senator Milne noted the Multi Party Climate Change Committee ordered the Australian Energy Market Operator to conduct a similar study to determine the feasibility and cost of achieving 100% renewable energy by 2030 and 2050. AEMO delivered its findings to the government on Tuesday. It is understood the release of the report is not imminent.
Subsidies
Pacific Hydro's Mr Richards said calls for additional renewable energy support should be viewed in light of the International Monetary Fund's report last week that energy subsidies total $US1.9 trillion a year, mostly for fossil fuels. "You need to slowly unwind [those subsidies] at the same time you ramp up the positive stuff", Mr Richards said. "Then you'll start to see the transition more quickly".
Many other countries are setting high goals, including Scotland's aim to generate all its power from renewable sources by 2020. Denmark has bipartisan political support to achieve 100% by 2050, while Germany's goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions 80% by 2050 will be driven mostly by the power sector. "They are not just talking about it-they are doing it", Dr Diesendorf said. "Australia has huge potential because of our magnificent renewable sources but politically it's more difficult because of our very powerful fossil fuel and minerals industries, which are very reluctant to change".
$200m Broken Hill solar plant approved
www.abc.net.au
2 Apr 2013
A $200 million solar power station for the far west has been recommended for approval by the NSW Government. Electricity company AGL Energy is planning to build the plant at Rob Day Station south-west of Broken Hill. AGL Energy has indicated there will be 150 jobs in construction and four ongoing positions once the solar power plant is operational at the end of 2015. The company has agreed to environmental conditions the state has imposed in approving the solar power station.
The company will change the entrance to the plant, and has to monitor biodiversity in the area and put a power line to the solar power plant underground. Geoff Luke, the owner of Rob Day Station where the plant will be, says he is confident the company will be able to meet the environmental conditions "I don't know the actual specifics, but I know one was a tree that may have held a buzzard at one stage which we haven't seen in a long time," Mr Luke said. "I've got a small solar set-up myself and that doesn't annoy me at all. It's a very silent producer so it's not a problem at all." He's welcomed the approval.
"It's something that I think a lot of people have been quite anxious to see go ahead along with the wind farm also," he said. "They've been very diligent in their research around the area so I'll be living next to it so I'll be quite happy with it." AGL Energy is also planning to build a wind farm near Silverton. It has not yet been approved for construction. Both have been named major projects by the NSW Government.
2 Apr 2013
A $200 million solar power station for the far west has been recommended for approval by the NSW Government. Electricity company AGL Energy is planning to build the plant at Rob Day Station south-west of Broken Hill. AGL Energy has indicated there will be 150 jobs in construction and four ongoing positions once the solar power plant is operational at the end of 2015. The company has agreed to environmental conditions the state has imposed in approving the solar power station.The company will change the entrance to the plant, and has to monitor biodiversity in the area and put a power line to the solar power plant underground. Geoff Luke, the owner of Rob Day Station where the plant will be, says he is confident the company will be able to meet the environmental conditions "I don't know the actual specifics, but I know one was a tree that may have held a buzzard at one stage which we haven't seen in a long time," Mr Luke said. "I've got a small solar set-up myself and that doesn't annoy me at all. It's a very silent producer so it's not a problem at all." He's welcomed the approval.
"It's something that I think a lot of people have been quite anxious to see go ahead along with the wind farm also," he said. "They've been very diligent in their research around the area so I'll be living next to it so I'll be quite happy with it." AGL Energy is also planning to build a wind farm near Silverton. It has not yet been approved for construction. Both have been named major projects by the NSW Government.
Apple wins big with renewable energy
www.hydrogenfuelnews.com
30 Mar 2013
Apple emerging as a major player in the renewable energy sector
Apple has emerged as a strong advocate for renewable energy, especially that of the solar variety. The famed technology company has taken an acute interest in solar power as a potential way to mitigate emissions and become more environmentally friendly. Last year, Apple's headquarters received an expansive rooftop solar power system, and the company has been making use of stationary hydrogen fuel-cells to power data centers in North Carolina. The company's enthusiasm concerning renewable energy seems to be paying off.
75% of Apple's energy comes from renewable sources
Apple has announced that it is now receives 75% of its power from renewable energy. That is to say that all of its corporate facilities receive the majority of their energy needs through renewable sources of power. Hydrogen fuel-cells and solar power are among the most popular renewable power sources for Apple. Much of the company's efforts in the realm of renewable energy can be found at its massive data center in Maiden, North Carolina. There, the largest end-user-owned solar power system in the U.S, can be found, as well as a comprehensive hydrogen fuel-cell network that helps power the data center. The solar array itself produces 20 MWs of renewable energy, with another 20 MWs expected to come online later this year.
Solar and hydrogen account for much of company's energy needs
Apple has plans to receive 100% of its energy from renewable sources in the near future. In the past, the company has been criticized for its environmental impact by environmental groups around the world. The company has also taken note of the rising costs of fossil fuels. In an effort to address these issues, Apple turned to renewable energy and found that solar and hydrogen fuel were capable enough to meet the company's needs.
Apple may be a strong example for others
Solar energy and hydrogen fuel are expected to continue playing major roles in the company's future. Apple does have some interest in other forms of renewable energy, such as wind and hydroelectric, but has only levied modest investments in both forms of renewable power. Apple may help serve as an example to other large companies that renewable energy is not only viable but solar and hydrogen, in particular, are effective ways to meet energy demand.
30 Mar 2013
Apple emerging as a major player in the renewable energy sectorApple has emerged as a strong advocate for renewable energy, especially that of the solar variety. The famed technology company has taken an acute interest in solar power as a potential way to mitigate emissions and become more environmentally friendly. Last year, Apple's headquarters received an expansive rooftop solar power system, and the company has been making use of stationary hydrogen fuel-cells to power data centers in North Carolina. The company's enthusiasm concerning renewable energy seems to be paying off.
75% of Apple's energy comes from renewable sources
Apple has announced that it is now receives 75% of its power from renewable energy. That is to say that all of its corporate facilities receive the majority of their energy needs through renewable sources of power. Hydrogen fuel-cells and solar power are among the most popular renewable power sources for Apple. Much of the company's efforts in the realm of renewable energy can be found at its massive data center in Maiden, North Carolina. There, the largest end-user-owned solar power system in the U.S, can be found, as well as a comprehensive hydrogen fuel-cell network that helps power the data center. The solar array itself produces 20 MWs of renewable energy, with another 20 MWs expected to come online later this year.
Solar and hydrogen account for much of company's energy needs
Apple has plans to receive 100% of its energy from renewable sources in the near future. In the past, the company has been criticized for its environmental impact by environmental groups around the world. The company has also taken note of the rising costs of fossil fuels. In an effort to address these issues, Apple turned to renewable energy and found that solar and hydrogen fuel were capable enough to meet the company's needs.
Apple may be a strong example for others
Solar energy and hydrogen fuel are expected to continue playing major roles in the company's future. Apple does have some interest in other forms of renewable energy, such as wind and hydroelectric, but has only levied modest investments in both forms of renewable power. Apple may help serve as an example to other large companies that renewable energy is not only viable but solar and hydrogen, in particular, are effective ways to meet energy demand.
Wednesday, 10 April 2013
Scottish wind power generation surged 19% to a record in 2012
www.bloomberg.com
28 Mar 2013
Wind-power generation in Scotland surged 19% to a record in 2012 as energy from clean sources contributed 39% of the region's total electricity needs. Electricity generated from renewables rose 7% from 2011 to more than 14,600 GW-hours, the Scottish government said today in an e-mailed statement. Nearly 39% of the region's total electricity needs came from renewables in 2012, enough to power every home in Scotland. Scotland wants all its electricity to come from clean sources by 2020 and it has set an interim target for half to come from renewables by 2015. It contributed about 35% of total U.K, renewable generation last year.
28 Mar 2013
Wind-power generation in Scotland surged 19% to a record in 2012 as energy from clean sources contributed 39% of the region's total electricity needs. Electricity generated from renewables rose 7% from 2011 to more than 14,600 GW-hours, the Scottish government said today in an e-mailed statement. Nearly 39% of the region's total electricity needs came from renewables in 2012, enough to power every home in Scotland. Scotland wants all its electricity to come from clean sources by 2020 and it has set an interim target for half to come from renewables by 2015. It contributed about 35% of total U.K, renewable generation last year.
Scotland approves wind farm opposed by Donald Trump
www.cbsnews.com
26 Mar 2013
The Scottish government on Tuesday approved an offshore wind farm that has drawn the ire of American tycoon Donald Trump, who fears it will spoil the views at his luxury golf resort nearby. Trump vowed to bring a lawsuit to stop the 230 million pound ($349 million) development, which consists of 11 wind turbines planned off the coast near Aberdeen in northeastern Scotland. "We will spend whatever monies are necessary to see to it that these huge and unsightly industrial wind turbines are never constructed", the real estate mogul said in a statement.
Scottish energy minister Fergus Ewing said the project will boost the local economy, test new technologies and be capable of providing energy to meet the electricity needs of 49,000 homes--almost half the number in Aberdeen. The wind farm, owned by Swedish power company Vattenfall and a local business consortium, still needs to obtain a marine license and approval for an onshore substation. Trump is concerned that the turbines will spoil sea views for golfers at his sprawling, 750 million pound ($1.2 billion) resort at Menie Estate, which opened last summer despite strong local opposition.
The businessman, who bought the land north of Aberdeen in 2006, was due to add a luxury hotel to the site but he has said he will not proceed with those plans until the wind farm project is rejected. Trump Organization argues that Scottish leader Alex Salmond and his predecessor gave verbal assurances that a wind farm would never be approved off the coast of the resort. The tycoon criticised Tuesday's approval as a "purely political decision" and claimed it would ruin tourism and natural beauty in Scotland. "We will put our future plans in Aberdeen on hold, as will many others, until this ridiculous proposal is defeated", he said.
Trump himself has been criticised by local residents and environmentalists, who protested that his golf resort threatened the coastal sand dunes and wildlife in the area. In total, the resort has permission to build two golf courses, a 450 room hotel and holiday homes along 3 miles of coast. Last April Trump told a Scottish parliament inquiry into renewable energy to stop the wind power efforts in the country's north.
"Scotland, if you pursue this policy of these monstrous turbines, Scotland will go broke", he said. "They are ugly, they are noisy and they are dangerous. If Scotland does this, Scotland will be in serious trouble and will lose tourism to places like Ireland, and they are laughing at us". When challenged to produce hard evidence about his claims on the negative impact of turbines, Trump said: "I am the evidence, I am a world class expert in tourism".
26 Mar 2013
The Scottish government on Tuesday approved an offshore wind farm that has drawn the ire of American tycoon Donald Trump, who fears it will spoil the views at his luxury golf resort nearby. Trump vowed to bring a lawsuit to stop the 230 million pound ($349 million) development, which consists of 11 wind turbines planned off the coast near Aberdeen in northeastern Scotland. "We will spend whatever monies are necessary to see to it that these huge and unsightly industrial wind turbines are never constructed", the real estate mogul said in a statement.
Scottish energy minister Fergus Ewing said the project will boost the local economy, test new technologies and be capable of providing energy to meet the electricity needs of 49,000 homes--almost half the number in Aberdeen. The wind farm, owned by Swedish power company Vattenfall and a local business consortium, still needs to obtain a marine license and approval for an onshore substation. Trump is concerned that the turbines will spoil sea views for golfers at his sprawling, 750 million pound ($1.2 billion) resort at Menie Estate, which opened last summer despite strong local opposition.
The businessman, who bought the land north of Aberdeen in 2006, was due to add a luxury hotel to the site but he has said he will not proceed with those plans until the wind farm project is rejected. Trump Organization argues that Scottish leader Alex Salmond and his predecessor gave verbal assurances that a wind farm would never be approved off the coast of the resort. The tycoon criticised Tuesday's approval as a "purely political decision" and claimed it would ruin tourism and natural beauty in Scotland. "We will put our future plans in Aberdeen on hold, as will many others, until this ridiculous proposal is defeated", he said.
Trump himself has been criticised by local residents and environmentalists, who protested that his golf resort threatened the coastal sand dunes and wildlife in the area. In total, the resort has permission to build two golf courses, a 450 room hotel and holiday homes along 3 miles of coast. Last April Trump told a Scottish parliament inquiry into renewable energy to stop the wind power efforts in the country's north.
"Scotland, if you pursue this policy of these monstrous turbines, Scotland will go broke", he said. "They are ugly, they are noisy and they are dangerous. If Scotland does this, Scotland will be in serious trouble and will lose tourism to places like Ireland, and they are laughing at us". When challenged to produce hard evidence about his claims on the negative impact of turbines, Trump said: "I am the evidence, I am a world class expert in tourism".
France publishes 1GW offshore wind tenders
www.upi.com
March. 25, 2013
PARIS, March 25 (UPI)--France has officially moved ahead with a second round of tenders for offshore wind farms, thorough which it seeking 1 GW of new capacity. First announced in September by Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault and confirmed in January by French Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy Delphine Batho, terms of the tenders were officially published Friday by the Commission for Energy Regulation, or CRE.
The tender calls for about 200 wind turbines off the French coast for a total installed capacity 1 GW, joining a first tender released last year, which will result in the building of nearly 2 GWs of wind turbines in the Pays de Loire, Brittany, Normandy and Upper Normandy. The government asserts the tender will trigger $4.5 billion in energy company investments and provide 10,000 direct jobs.
A first round of offshore wind power tenders launched in 2011 under the former government of French President Nicolas Sarkozy resulted in 2 GWs of bids going to a consortium led by French power giant EDF Energy, wind turbine manufacturer Alstom and Denmark's DONG Energy. The new tender is split into two wind farms--one would be built off the city of Le Treport in Normandy with the other near the Islands of Noirmoutier and Ile d'Yeu Islands off the Vendee department of the Pays de Loire along France's Atlantic coast.
The area off Le Treport covers 68 miles while the Pays de la Loire site covers 50 miles, which each expected to generate 480 500 MWs of power. The Treport region also figured in the first round but was rejected because the projected price of electricity generation was considered too high. CRE documents state the winners of the new tender will be announced in January 2014 with the construction and commissioning phase of the project is scheduled for 2021 23.
The maximum price of the electricity to be generated by the by new farms was set at $260 per MW to avoid producing "sticker shock" for consumers. The CRE also chose to set aside a 2 month deadline for submissions that was in force the first time, instead giving bidders until Nov. 29 to prepare their pitches. The results of the first tender were criticized for strengthening EDF Energy's control over the market, especially after French competitor GDF Suez was shut out in four bids, the British energy analysts ICIS Heren reported.
"If EDF Energy was the best-placed candidate in terms of price, there's nothing that can be done, and, if that happens again this time, it's hard to argue with it", an unnamed utility company source told the website. Alstom Chief Executive Patrick Kron has confirmed interest in the current Treport and Noirmoutier sites along with his EDF Energy and DONG partners, the regional daily Ouest France reported.
The new wind power tender come as France is having a national debate on energy transition, under which Hollande has pledged to reduce the country's reliance on nuclear power to 50% by 2025. He has set a goal of producing 23% of the country's energy mix from renewables by 2020, including 19 GWs from onshore wind turbines and 6 GWs from offshore installations.
March. 25, 2013
PARIS, March 25 (UPI)--France has officially moved ahead with a second round of tenders for offshore wind farms, thorough which it seeking 1 GW of new capacity. First announced in September by Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault and confirmed in January by French Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy Delphine Batho, terms of the tenders were officially published Friday by the Commission for Energy Regulation, or CRE.
The tender calls for about 200 wind turbines off the French coast for a total installed capacity 1 GW, joining a first tender released last year, which will result in the building of nearly 2 GWs of wind turbines in the Pays de Loire, Brittany, Normandy and Upper Normandy. The government asserts the tender will trigger $4.5 billion in energy company investments and provide 10,000 direct jobs.
A first round of offshore wind power tenders launched in 2011 under the former government of French President Nicolas Sarkozy resulted in 2 GWs of bids going to a consortium led by French power giant EDF Energy, wind turbine manufacturer Alstom and Denmark's DONG Energy. The new tender is split into two wind farms--one would be built off the city of Le Treport in Normandy with the other near the Islands of Noirmoutier and Ile d'Yeu Islands off the Vendee department of the Pays de Loire along France's Atlantic coast.
The area off Le Treport covers 68 miles while the Pays de la Loire site covers 50 miles, which each expected to generate 480 500 MWs of power. The Treport region also figured in the first round but was rejected because the projected price of electricity generation was considered too high. CRE documents state the winners of the new tender will be announced in January 2014 with the construction and commissioning phase of the project is scheduled for 2021 23.
The maximum price of the electricity to be generated by the by new farms was set at $260 per MW to avoid producing "sticker shock" for consumers. The CRE also chose to set aside a 2 month deadline for submissions that was in force the first time, instead giving bidders until Nov. 29 to prepare their pitches. The results of the first tender were criticized for strengthening EDF Energy's control over the market, especially after French competitor GDF Suez was shut out in four bids, the British energy analysts ICIS Heren reported.
"If EDF Energy was the best-placed candidate in terms of price, there's nothing that can be done, and, if that happens again this time, it's hard to argue with it", an unnamed utility company source told the website. Alstom Chief Executive Patrick Kron has confirmed interest in the current Treport and Noirmoutier sites along with his EDF Energy and DONG partners, the regional daily Ouest France reported.
The new wind power tender come as France is having a national debate on energy transition, under which Hollande has pledged to reduce the country's reliance on nuclear power to 50% by 2025. He has set a goal of producing 23% of the country's energy mix from renewables by 2020, including 19 GWs from onshore wind turbines and 6 GWs from offshore installations.
Tuesday, 9 April 2013
Personality clue to 'wind turbine syndrome'
phys.org
22 Mar 2013
Public concern about new technology infrastructure like mobile phone masts has been shown to trigger reports of ill health… and recently even the new 'green' technology of wind turbines has been blamed for medically unexplained non-specific symptoms. But now, for the first time, a study by psychologists, engineers and built environment experts at The University of Nottingham, has found no link between the 'measured' level of noise from small and micro wind turbines and reports of ill health.
The research could be helpful in prompting pre-emptive action in future planning applications for small and medium sized wind turbines to help reassure those concerned about the impact of small and micro wind turbines on their wellbeing.
Midlands survey
This collaborative study involved researchers from the Faculty of Engineering as well as Social Sciences and was funded by the UK Energy Research Centre . It is the first project to examine how personality, and specifically 'negative orientated personality' (NOP), affects reported levels of non-specific symptoms like headache, sleeplessness, stomach upsets and general malaise. It was carried out as a public survey of 1270 households within 500 metres of eight 0.6kW micro-turbines and within 1 km of four 5kW wind turbines in two Midlands cities.
Dr Claire Lawrence from the University's School of Psychology said: "We measured the actual noise from the turbines and used environmental noise modelling software that helped us to predict how much sound is actually heard by those living in the vicinity. We found there was no relationship between the 'real' level of noise and reports of ill health. "
The personality traits measured from the 138 returned questionnaires were neuroticism, (propensity to be more anxious, to take longer to revert to an equilibrium), negative affectivity (the propensity to feel negative emotions), and also frustration intolerance (sensitivity towards frustrations, discomforts and annoyances).
Sounds of a turbine
The research involved extensive fieldwork to gather data to create a series of geographical sound maps using state of the art computer software. Ten sound types were selected based on previous published research into wind turbine noise. The sounds were; swooshing, screeching, whistling, humming, throbbing, thumping, scratching, high frequency, low frequency and buzzing. For each, participants were asked to rate how often they had heard each sound from the micro or small turbine near their home, and how loud each sound was to them on a scale of 0 (never noticed) to 4 (extremely loud.) A mean score was calculated for both the occurrence and loudness for each participant.
To take into account people's attitude to wind power the survey asked them about their attitude to it using a scale of 1 to 7, from very positive to very negative. The participants also reported their experience of 12 common symptoms such as headache and fatigue over the preceding six months.
No evidence of a link
The researchers concluded that the people who live near a turbine and can hear some noise, did not suffer more non-specific health symptoms than people who could not in reality hear the same sound. The study indicated that generally it is not the turbine noise per se that is causing the symptoms. Indeed, for those individuals who did not score highly on these negative orientated personality traits, reporting hearing the sound was not associated with symptoms. This association was only evident for those higher in these traits.
While there is general public support for renewable energy, and indeed the majority of respondents in the reported study were positive about wind power in general, it is acknowledged that individuals are often more negative when faced with the prospect of having wind turbines near their homes. This research is the first study ever carried out to show the relationship between personality and perception of wind turbine noise in relation to a so-called 'green technology'. The results could be significant in informing local authority decision-making on the increasing number of planning applications for wind turbines across the UK.
22 Mar 2013
Public concern about new technology infrastructure like mobile phone masts has been shown to trigger reports of ill health… and recently even the new 'green' technology of wind turbines has been blamed for medically unexplained non-specific symptoms. But now, for the first time, a study by psychologists, engineers and built environment experts at The University of Nottingham, has found no link between the 'measured' level of noise from small and micro wind turbines and reports of ill health.
The research could be helpful in prompting pre-emptive action in future planning applications for small and medium sized wind turbines to help reassure those concerned about the impact of small and micro wind turbines on their wellbeing.
Midlands survey
This collaborative study involved researchers from the Faculty of Engineering as well as Social Sciences and was funded by the UK Energy Research Centre . It is the first project to examine how personality, and specifically 'negative orientated personality' (NOP), affects reported levels of non-specific symptoms like headache, sleeplessness, stomach upsets and general malaise. It was carried out as a public survey of 1270 households within 500 metres of eight 0.6kW micro-turbines and within 1 km of four 5kW wind turbines in two Midlands cities.
Dr Claire Lawrence from the University's School of Psychology said: "We measured the actual noise from the turbines and used environmental noise modelling software that helped us to predict how much sound is actually heard by those living in the vicinity. We found there was no relationship between the 'real' level of noise and reports of ill health. "
The personality traits measured from the 138 returned questionnaires were neuroticism, (propensity to be more anxious, to take longer to revert to an equilibrium), negative affectivity (the propensity to feel negative emotions), and also frustration intolerance (sensitivity towards frustrations, discomforts and annoyances).
Sounds of a turbine
The research involved extensive fieldwork to gather data to create a series of geographical sound maps using state of the art computer software. Ten sound types were selected based on previous published research into wind turbine noise. The sounds were; swooshing, screeching, whistling, humming, throbbing, thumping, scratching, high frequency, low frequency and buzzing. For each, participants were asked to rate how often they had heard each sound from the micro or small turbine near their home, and how loud each sound was to them on a scale of 0 (never noticed) to 4 (extremely loud.) A mean score was calculated for both the occurrence and loudness for each participant.
To take into account people's attitude to wind power the survey asked them about their attitude to it using a scale of 1 to 7, from very positive to very negative. The participants also reported their experience of 12 common symptoms such as headache and fatigue over the preceding six months.
No evidence of a link
The researchers concluded that the people who live near a turbine and can hear some noise, did not suffer more non-specific health symptoms than people who could not in reality hear the same sound. The study indicated that generally it is not the turbine noise per se that is causing the symptoms. Indeed, for those individuals who did not score highly on these negative orientated personality traits, reporting hearing the sound was not associated with symptoms. This association was only evident for those higher in these traits.
While there is general public support for renewable energy, and indeed the majority of respondents in the reported study were positive about wind power in general, it is acknowledged that individuals are often more negative when faced with the prospect of having wind turbines near their homes. This research is the first study ever carried out to show the relationship between personality and perception of wind turbine noise in relation to a so-called 'green technology'. The results could be significant in informing local authority decision-making on the increasing number of planning applications for wind turbines across the UK.
Triodos buys half of U.K. wind farm, seeks to boost capacity 20%
www.bloomberg.com
21 Mar 2013
Triodos Renewables Plc, an arm of Netherlands-based Triodos Bank NV, purchased a stake in a wind farm in southeast England and said it's seeking to increase its power generating capacity by a further 20% this year. The unit and the bank's Renewables Europe Fund bought 49.8% of the 10-MW facility in Cambridge, Zeist-based Triodos said today in an e-mailed statement. The farm produces enough electricity to supply power to about 5,720 homes. Triodos plans to raise capacity by a fifth later this year, on top of 20% growth from today's deal and commissioning of a wind farm earlier this month, according to the statement.
21 Mar 2013
Triodos Renewables Plc, an arm of Netherlands-based Triodos Bank NV, purchased a stake in a wind farm in southeast England and said it's seeking to increase its power generating capacity by a further 20% this year. The unit and the bank's Renewables Europe Fund bought 49.8% of the 10-MW facility in Cambridge, Zeist-based Triodos said today in an e-mailed statement. The farm produces enough electricity to supply power to about 5,720 homes. Triodos plans to raise capacity by a fifth later this year, on top of 20% growth from today's deal and commissioning of a wind farm earlier this month, according to the statement.
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