RENEWABLE RECRUITMENT

UK faces huge solar panel shortage as stock heads to Germany and US

2012-01-30T16:24:00.000Z

The Renewable Energy Association is warning UK solar PV installers could soon face a shortage of solar panels as manufacturers divert stock to other countries following DECC's disastrous handling of the Feed-in Tariff scheme.

During the scramble to beat the original, and unlawful, December 12 deadline for retrospective cuts to the subsidy many installers used up large stock reserves to match consumer demand.

But the perfect storm of a trade war and unforeseen demand elsewhere has resulted in a massive shortage for the UK industry, which was expecting a slow start to 2012 and not anticipating the new contingency date of March 3 as a revised deadline for cuts.

Without warning, Germany grabbed an unexpectedly huge quantity of solar equipment after installing 3GW of renewable capacity in December – it had introduced 4.5GW of new solar power throughout the whole of the remainder of the year.

And Chinese solar panel manufacturers have flooded the US market with cells and modules ahead of the potential introduction of US Government duties, according to the country's solar manufacturing association.

Data from US Customs reveals Chinese producers have more than tripled their exports to the US ahead of a proposed crackdown – depleting already scarce supplies for other countries, including the UK.

The Coalition for American Solar Manufacturing (CASM), which represents more than 150 US companies, says there has been year-on-year 346 percent surge in import volume by Chinese solar producers.

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Asian Solar PV Installs Surging, China "Blistering"

2012-01-27T16:50:00.000Z

Asia-Pacific markets together added 2.8-gigawatts (GW) of solar PV installations in 4Q11 on the way to a total of 6GW for the entire year, an eye-popping 165% growth, thanks in large part to a massive run-up in China's domestic sector, according to calculations from Solarbuzz.

China, which now dominates the regional solar market (not to mention conversations about alleged anticompetitive practices), saw its solar PV capacity skyrocket 500 percent in 2011 -- roughly 1GW of ground-mount projects in the Qinghai province alone. A planned year-end 13 percent FiT reduction created a 1.7GW surge in installations in 4Q11 (much like what happened in Germany), helped by lower module prices and favorable project returns.

The country now makes up almost half (48 percent) of Asia's entire solar demand, and its solar PV project pipeline has swelled to 20GW, though the Chinese central government could well step in with policy adjustments to reign in that growth in 2012, notes NPD Solarbuzz analyst Ray Lian. (Still, China could end up passing Germany as the biggest new-PV-capacity country in 2012.)

Asia's next-largest solar PV market, Japan, grew 30 percent year-over-year to 1.2GW, but with only a slightly higher install rate in 4Q11, heavily slanted (70 percent share) to residential installs. A new FiT law hoped to spur large-scale PV projects is imminent and spurring development activity, but the legislation's lack of clarity has held back actual project implementation. Also shaping Japan's end market is a "dramatic" influx of foreign module suppliers. Look for Japan's end market to accelerate slightly in 2012, to 40 percent growth Y/Y, says Solarbuzz.

Also flexing its solar PV muscles is India, seen as a potentially massive solar PV end market (just ask First Solar) thanks largely to its nationwide support via the National Solar Mission and state-level policies (e.g. in Gujarat). PV installs in India more than doubled in 4Q11 (125 percent) due to, as in other areas, a race to beat turn-of-the-calendar installation deadlines.

Rapid PV price declines in 2011 drastically changed the economics for many Indian solar PV projects, though, so many projects have been delayed (Gujarat projects, for example, got a one-month extension) to figure out financial closure, land acquisition, and power evacuation facility issues, notes Solarbuzz analyst Chris Sunsong. Developers are now scrambling to meet installation deadlines or risk losing their PPAs -- meaning that there will be a flurry of activity through January -- more than 600MW in solar PV projects might get grid-connected in 1Q12. Look for India to approach 1GW for all of 2012, he says.

Other emerging markets in Asia -- mainly Thailand, Korea, and Taiwan -- contributed 500MW of demand in 2011, and should add 50 percent to that in 2012 joined by Malaysia and the Philippines, says Solarbuzz.

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Researchers: Quantum Dots Boost Solar Cell Efficiency by 45%

2012-01-26T15:41:00.000Z

The U. of Buffalo (NY) says adding quantum dots into solar cells could increase their efficiency by a whopping 45%.

Their research, published in last May in the journal Nano Letters, says that embedding quantum dots allows the cells to harvest infrared light, and also increase the lifetime of photoelectrons.

Using quantum dots to boost solar cell efficiency isn't exactly new; it's been investigated for at least the past decade. For the Buffalo team, the key appears to be that not only can they embed quantum dots, but they can be selectively doped to contain "a significant built-in charge" (dubbed "Q-BICs"), which forces electrons to keep bouncing around and thus minimizes recombination losses. They also claim the technology can be applied to many different solar PV structures -- their research relied on a InAs/GaAs test device.

Adding two quantum dots increases conversion efficiency by just 4.5%; adding four or six QDs improves efficiency by 30% and 50% respectively -- in the latter, the device went from 9.3% to 14% efficiency.

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Yorkshire at heart of Green Energy Revolution

2012-01-25T17:16:00.000Z

A GREEN energy revolution is set to transform the economic fortunes of the Humber after plans for a £130m biomass power plant in Hull pushed the total planned investment in the renewable energy sector on the estuary towards £1bn.

As well as adding to the potential green jobs boom, Real Ventures’ Reality Energy Centre on Queen Elizabeth Dock, which would burn virgin wood from harvested timber, would provide enough “green” electricity to power 95,000 homes – a third of the size of Hull – and cut carbon emissions by 190,000 tonnes a year.

It is mirrored by an identical scheme planned for Immingham, and the announcement comes just days after national planning body, the Infrastructure Planning Commission, accepted an application from Able UK to build Europe’s largest offshore wind park on the south bank of the Humber – a £450m development which alone would create more than 4,000 jobs.

And in the spring planning applications will be considered for the proposed Green Port Hull development, which would see Europe’s largest engineering company, Siemens, create a £210m facility on Alexandra Dock to assemble and manufacture offshore wind turbines, employing 700 skilled engineering workers and potentially supporting thousands of other jobs in associated industries.

Last October Hull Council’s planning committee gave the go-ahead for Energy Works, a £150m renewable energy power plant on the east bank of the River Hull. The development by Hull-based Spencer Group would convert household waste into green energy and would be the first facility of its kind in the UK.

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Scottish Renewable Energy set to get £7.6bn to connect to Grid

2012-01-24T17:13:00.000Z

Energy regulator Ofgem signalled it was likely to approve up to £7.6bn of infrastructure investment to connect new Scottish wind farms and other renewable power generators to the UK grid.

Ofgem said on Monday it had fast-tracked proposals for infrastructure spending by energy companies ScottishPower and SSE and expected to make a final decision in April, following a consultation.

The investment will be paid for through energy bills and is likely to add 35p to a typical household bill each year from 2013 to 2021.
Ofgem said the proposals would "deliver essential upgrades to Scotland's transmission network at the lowest cost to consumers".

The proposed spending would "replace ageing infrastructure" and also "greatly assist connections to renewable generators", Ofgem said.

It estimated that more than 1,500 jobs would be created as a result of the investment.

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Plymouth aiming to build country's first Wind, Wave and Tidal Energy Park

2012-01-23T17:15:00.000Z

PLYMOUTH is at the heart of the country's first marine energy park, which is bidding to harness wind, waves and tides to bring jobs and investment, writes Business Editor William Telford.

The city is today revealed as one of the three centres for the project to create renewable power across the region.

Backers of the South West Marine Energy Park hope Plymouth can forge more traditional industries with cutting-edge research.

The city's docks, university and port are to be at the forefront of designing, testing and building multi-million pound offshore facilities such as wind farms.

Plymouth, according to the park's prospectus, already has 300 marine-related businesses employing more than 13,000 people.

More than £100million has been invested in the South West's marine energy industry in the past seven years.

But it is predicted that maritime renewable energy could create another 5,000 jobs across the region from 2017.

Two wind farms in the Bristol Channel and off the Dorset coast are already planned at a combined cost of more than £7billion.

Plymouth City Council and Cornwall Council are among the backers of the SWMEP to bring together business, research and attract the huge investment required. Consultants Regen SW and local enterprise partnerships are also part of the partnership aiming to exploit the region's strong winds, big waves and powerful tides.

Bristol and Falmouth/Hayle are the other two centres for the Government-backed scheme.

City council leader Vivien Pengelly said: "The opportunity for growth and increased commercialisation in marine renewable energy, which underpins the ethos of the SWMEP, represents a major opportunity to help Plymouth's economy generate investment and jobs.

"Plymouth has world-class research and development expertise in this field, along with a strong marine business base and advanced manufacturing sector.

"We look forward to working closely with our private and public sector partners to make the South West Marine Energy Park a success."

The prospectus says that companies working in renewable energy could exploit the city's excellent facilities such as the dockyard and port. It could also tap into a specialist workforce from dockyard staff to graduates with hi-tech skills.

The £19million Marine Science building at Plymouth University, due to open this year, is highlighted as a key part of the park.

Housing up to 150 researchers and technicians, it will have a giant tank which will recreate conditions at sea – vital for testing technology such as tidal barrages.

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Renewables rising – Wind Power passes the 6 gigawatt threshold

2012-01-20T16:53:00.000Z

RenewableUK, the trade association representing the renewable energy industries, has announced that the country's wind sector has reached a landmark 6 gigawatts of installed capacity – enough to supply electricity to 3,354,893 homes. The 6GW threshold was reached by the Ormonde offshore wind farm, off the coast of Cumbria, which now has 120 megawatts (MW) operational – enough to power more than 67,000 homes.

RenewableUK's Chief Executive, Maria McCaffery said:

"This is a landmark achievement. There's a great feeling of pride throughout the industry that we've reached a record high of 6 gigawatts, and there's a further 19.5GW of capacity under construction, consented, or in planning.

The Government's Renewable Energy Roadmap is calling for 31GW of onshore and offshore wind combined by 2020, and we're confident that we can deliver this if we continue to get the right level of Government support".

The news was announced at RenewableUK's Annual Parliamentary Reception on Wednesday night, where the keynote political speaker was the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, the Rt Hon Danny Alexander MP. The Chief Secretary said:

"This is a significant milestone for the wind industry which demonstrates the increasingly important role that renewable energy is playing in the UK's energy mix.

"Working together, we can reach even greater heights. We are eager to ensure that the UK becomes the natural home for the most innovative, ambitious and inspiring renewable energy companies in the world, and we will continue to work with the industry to drive down costs and encourage even stronger growth in the years to come".

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Scotland Offers Renewable-Energy Assets to Russian Investors

2012-01-18T16:23:00.000Z

Scottish Finance Secretary John Swinney invited Russian companies to buy stakes in renewable projects as the Scotland seeks to get all its electricity from clean energy sources by the end of the decade.

Shares in Offshore wind, wave and tidal projects as well as carbon capture and storage initiatives may be bought by to Russian companies such as energy companies or financial investors, Swinney said yesterday in an interview in London.

“There is an investment appetite from Russian investors,”Swinney said after meetings with the Russian Ambassador Alexander Yakovenko to boost trade links between the two countries.

The seas around Scotland have the potential to provide up to 25 percent of Europe’s tidal power and 10 percent of its wave power, according to Scottish Development International, a government body. The marine energy industry has yet to produce a device that can work at a utility scale.

“The Scottish government in its spending program over the next few years will be deploying about 200 million pounds of direct resources, a likelihood of another 100 million pounds to be added to that, to support the development principally of the offshore wind, wave and tidal renewable resources,” he said.

Technology used in offshore wind, wave and tidal projects may be relevant for Russia as it explores renewable energy development, Swinney said.

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Large interest in French 3 GW Offshore Wind tender

2012-01-17T16:28:00.000Z

The 3 GW of offshore wind could be commissioned as early as 2015 with 500-600 wind turbines representing an investment of €10 billion. A second 3 GW phase is expected to be announced in April 2012 for 2020, as part of France's aim to meet 23% of energy demand from renewable sources by 2020, Reuters writes.

The four consortia are largely made up of French and Spanish companies, and between them, they have submitted 10 bids in total, Expatia adds.

Iberdrola-consortium

Iberdrola is leading an offshore wind consortium with wind turbine manufacturer Areva, engineering and construction company Technip, design, development, construction and operation firm Eole-Res Consortium, and the developer Neoen Marine.

The offshore wind consortium has bid for the 500 MW site Saint-Brieuc in Côte d'Amor in Brittany, and the 480 MW Saint-Nazaire site in Loire-Atlantique on the Atlantic coast.

Areva would supply all the wind turbines, which would be built at its new factory in Le Havre, north west France.

EDF-EN-consortium

Another large consortium, is the one led by EDF Energies Nouvelles, and consists of DONG Energy, Nass&Wind Offshore and wpd Offshore, with Alstom as the exclusive wind turbine supplier.

The offshore wind consortium has submitted bids for four sites: Saint-Nazaire, Saint-Brieuc, Courseulles-sur-Mer and the Fécamp site.

EDF-EN says if all four bids come through, it could see the creation of up to 7500 jobs in France.
Alstom would, for example, manufacture its next-generation 6 MW offshore wind turbines at planned sites in Saint-Nazaire and Cherbourg.

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Green Energy Investment soars to $260bn

2012-01-16T17:12:00.000Z

Global investment in clean energy reached a new high of $260bn (£169bn) last year – despite the financial crisis and the anti-environment agenda of Republicans in the US Congress, a United Nations investors' summit was told on Thursday.

Data from Bloomberg New Energy Finance, which tracks clean energy investment, showed a 5% increase compared with 2010, driven largely by a surge of money going to the solar industry.

Investment in solar power rose 36% last year to $136.6bn. And while the US domestic political scene was riven by the furore over a $535m government loan to the now bankrupt solar-panel manufacturer Solyndra, there was apparently little immediate direct fallout for industry.

The US made $56bn in clean energy investment last year, overtaking China, which invested $47.4bn. It is the first time since 2008 that the US has invested more. The surge reflected the phasing out of Barack Obama's economic recovery plan, which set aside as much as $80bn for the green economy, once investment in high-speed railways is factored in.

"The stimulus went out with a bang," said Ethan Zindler, head of policy analysis for Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

The analysis was presented to 500 global investors meeting at the UN to try to mobilise the large-scale funds needed to address climate change. The $260bn figure includes investment in renewables, biofuels and smart technologies. It does not include natural gas, nuclear energy or clean coal.

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BP and Sempra team up for $1bn US Wind Farm Programme

2012-01-13T16:09:00.000Z

Just weeks after controversially ditching its solar division, oil giant BP has underscored its commitment to the fast-expanding wind energy sector by announcing plans to build two giant US wind farms, with a combined capacity of 560MW.

The company announced yesterday that it has expanded its partnership with developer Sempra US Gas & Power in an agreement that will see the two companies jointly develop the proposed Mehoopany Wind Farm in Pennsylvania and the Flat Ridge 2 Wind Farm in Kansas.

The two projects will require a combined investment of more than $1bn and will result in the largest wind farms in their respective states.

John Graham, president and chief executive of BP Wind Energy, issued a statement hailing the partnership and the new investment as evidence of the company's "commitment to produce essential sources of energy and provide cost-competitive power to our customers".

Significantly, the projects are well advanced and expected to be in full commercial operation by the end of the year, at which point BP will be installed as the operator of both facilities.

Work on the 141MW Mehoopany Wind Farm began last November, and power supply contracts with Old Dominion Electric Cooperative and Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative have already been secured.

Similarly, three power supply contracts have been secured for the 419MW Flat Ridge 2 Wind Farm. Blattner Energy has been awarded the construction contract, which will result in 262 GE wind turbines being erected, each with 1.6MW of capacity.

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China Increases Target for Wind Power Capacity to 1,000 GW by 2050

2012-01-12T17:08:00.000Z

BEIJING -- The National Energy Administration of China has set a series of development goals for the country's renewable energy sector during the 12th Five-year Development Plan, which shows that by 2015 the country's wind power capacity will reach 100 GW, based on the current capacity of 40 GW.

According to another recently-issued roadmap drawn up for the country’s wind power industry, China’s wind power capacity will reach 200 GW, 400 GW and 1,000 GW by 2020, 2030 and 2050, respectively, making wind one of the five major sources of electricity across the country. Based on this target, by 2050 China’s investment in the wind power sector is expected to reach RMB 12 trillion (approx. US$1.9 trillion), opening the door to many opportunities for its wind power equipment manufacturers.

“By 2050, wind power projects are expected to address 17 percent of the power demand in China,” said Wang Zhongying, director, research fellow at the Center for Renewable Energy Development of the Energy Research Institute, a part of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). The roadmap also predicts that around 2020, the costs of onshore wind power will be equal to those of coal power.

In particular, the roadmap suggests the following timeline:

Before 2020, give priority to the development of onshore wind power projects, supplemented by near-shore offshore demonstration projects;

From 2021 to 2030, lay equal stress on the development of onshore and near-shore wind power projects, supplemented by far-offshore demonstration projects;and

From 2031 to 2050, realize synchronous development of all three types of projects.

At present, grid connection and rapid need for generated energy are the two major factors restraining the development of China’s wind power industry. “Given the situation, it is urgent for us to work out and implement classified and inter-provincial programs for timely ingesting of wind power,” said Wang Zhongying.

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£200m Solar Power plans: Landmark project set for major investment in Peterborough

2012-01-11T17:08:00.000Z

A LANDMARK contract which could see up to £200 million invested into the installation of solar panels across Peterborough is set to be approved by the city council.

In what could be a momentous step in the city’s ambitions to be the UK’s environment capital, Peterborough City Council is set to sign a contract valued at anywhere up to £200 million with Mears Limited to supply, install and maintain a swathe of photovoltaic (PV) panels at sites across the city and beyond.

The contract starts from this month and will last until December 2015, although the next few months could see a large number of installations to get the panels in place before the Government’s cash payouts for solar energy generation decrease in April.

No specific sites have been identified yet but the council is expected to install panels on city schools, social houses, council-owned buildings and has not even ruled out installing larger-scale solar farms on empty parcels of land.

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London authority says CHP most effective in reducing emissions

2012-01-10T17:13:00.000Z

Combined heat and power (CHP) and district heating infrastructure delivered the majority of London’s emissions savings in 2010 and have the greatest potential for future deployment, according to a review of London's energy policies published by the Greater London Authority (GLA).

The report reveals that CHP accounted for 50 per cent of CO2 savings last year, with 30 per cent due to end-user efficiency and a further 10% from renewable energy. Overall, new CHP projects have led to annual CO2 savings of 36,392 tonnes, equivalent to retrofitting cavity wall insulation in approximately 56500 semi detached homes.

Analysis of the future potential for decentralised energy published alongside the review shows that energy supplies on heat networks offer the greatest possibilities and could provide up to 27.5% of London’s energy demand in 2031.

GLA modelling found that compared to centralised renewables, decentralised energy provides cheaper energy, at a lower capital cost, while saving the most carbon per pound spent.

Commenting on the publications, CHPA Director, Graham Meeks, said: "This analysis conclusively demonstrates the importance of taking an integrated approach to decarbonising our urban areas. Greater use of district heating will allow the UK to reduce energy costs and carbon emissions for more homes and businesses, while enabling the most efficient and effective use of valuable renewable energy supplies.”
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Alex Salmond signs Abu Dhabi Green Energy deal

2012-01-09T16:46:00.000Z

SCOTLAND is to tie up a deal with one of the world’s richest cities to boost the burgeoning renewable energy sector.

The deal – to be signed by First Minister Alex Salmond next week – will involve Scottish universities working with academics in Abu Dhabi’s renewables giant Masdar to produce new technologies to power wind, solar, wave and tidal machines.

Industry analysts hope the partnership could eventually lead to massive investment from Abu Dhabi – one of the wealthiest places on earth – into Scotland, where new renewables firms are trying to get investment for prototypes.

The deal is also a major boost for a joint venture by Scottish universities, the Energy Technology Partnership, already the largest energy research link-up in Europe.

Salmond is also expected to use his visit to Abu Dhabi next week to attend a global energy forum to confirm a new air route between Scotland and the Middle East, providing a second direct link to the region, in addition to the Glasgow-Dubai connection. Salmond has recently visited Qatar, which will host the football World Cup in 2022 and Qatar Airways has expressed an interest in running services to either Glasgow or Edinburgh.

Masdar, owned by the city of Abu Dhabi, was set up five years ago to wean it away from its dependence on oil and invest in renewable energy projects. Along with a university, the firm also is building an entire city outside Abu Dhabi for 40,000 people, designed to be reliant on renewable energy. It has a multi-million pound capital fund for investment in projects across the world.

Salmond said last night: “It is clear that the work Masdar is taking forward on leading us to a low-carbon society is in perfect synchronisation with the work we are doing here in Scotland.

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Danes Prepare For Green Push

2012-01-06T17:08:00.000Z

Denmark will take over the presidency of the European Union for six months in January and has signalled that it plans to pursue its national championing of renewables and energy investment at a European level.

Hopes and expectations are high among leading European green energy lobbyists and environmentalists at Denmark’s imminent assumption of the presidency of the European Union Council of Ministers for six months from January.
Denmark is a world leader in wind energy, a long-time proponent of renewables generally, a founding member of the North Seas Offshore Grid Initiative (NSOGI), and a trailblazer in electric vehicle use and infrastructure investment.
Martin Lindgreen, head of department at Denmark’s ministry of climate, energy and building, agrees that “the energy agenda for the Danish presidency will be extremely heavy”. He says his government will have a busy energy policy inbox, with implementation of the 2009 Renewable Energy Directive now in full swing.
There will also be fallout from the EU’s Energy Roadmap 2050 – an ambitious proposal to promote long-term EU energy self-sufficiency while simultaneously cutting carbon emissions – expected to be published in January.

The Danes will look to secure some detailed positions among member states through agreed “council conclusions” that could move the roadmap towards concrete policy and regulatory goals. Lindgreen wants a Danish-led council to see “milestones [being] defined or approaches sought for later agreements on renewables and energy efficiency … oil and gas and CCS [carbon capture and storage].”

He says another priority will be following up on European Commission requests that member states be far more transparent than in the past about any bilateral energy agreements they have signed with non-EU countries. The Danes, like all the Scandinavian countries, are strong on transparency, and Lindgreen says his government wants to ensure “agreements made with third countries are in accordance with the rules of the EU internal market.”

Another goal will be seeking compromise agreements on the proposed Energy Efficiency Directive, “which has made a great deal of headway under the [current] Polish presidency”.
Meanwhile, the Danes will try to push forward Commission proposals for more spending on energy under its planned energy infrastructure renewal package, another 2011 proposal. With its many green energy elements, the £7.8 billion programme clearly chimes with Danish policy.

Some projects are clearly relevant to Denmark, such as the development of an offshore North Sea grid to transport wind-generated energy. Such a ‘supergrid’ may also eventually connect to a solar supergrid providing energy generated mainly in southern Europe.

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Waves for sale: a sea change for UK's Wave Power hopes

2012-01-05T17:34:00.000Z

Wave power is set to hit big time in 2012, with Edinburgh-based company Pelamis Wave Power seeking a buyer to take it to the next level of commercial expansion and Cornwall's Wave Hub being taken over by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Three British companies, BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce and Weir, plus four foreign-owned ones, German company Siemens, US company Caterpillar, ABB (a multinational power and automation company) of Switzerland and France's Alstom, have all been approached as potential buyers.

ABB already invests in Pelamis' main competitor in Scotland, Aquamarine Power, which has installed 64 MW of its Oyster wave power technology worldwide, including the 2.4 MW array at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC), Orkney.

Pelamis needs development funding of just £10m-£20m to bring its Lock Ness monster-like, half-submerged machines to market-ready status.

Pelamis CEO Per Hornung Pedersen said: “We have reached the stage where it makes most sense to look for financial support from a large engineering company rather than [to] seek further investment from venture capital groups.”

He said the right buyer will need to be able to create a production line capable of turning out complex machinery, which would require substantial outlays in working capital.

The company has made £19 million since 2005, by several sales including that of two large wave power machines to Eon of Germany and Scottish Power. Its business plan anticipates a turnover of £50m-£100m a year by 2020.

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Hammerfest Strøm lowers 1MW Tidal Device into place

2012-01-04T16:46:00.000Z

Technology developer Hammerfest Strøm has lowered its flagship HS1000 tidal turbine into place at the European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney, Scotland, as plans gear up at parent company ScottishPower Renewables (SPR) to build a landmark full-scale array starting in 2013.

The 1MW machine, a scaled-up version of a grid-connected 300kW prototype that has been operating in the currents of Norway’s Kvalsundet fjord since 2003, is expected to move into fully operational performance and reliability testing early in the New Year.

SPR was awarded planning consent by the Scottish government in March 2011 for a 10MW development in the Sound of Islay.

“This is a major milestone in the development of tidal power technology in Scotland, and for the tidal power industry across the world,” says SPR chief executive Keith Anderson.

“We anticipate using this turbine as part of our project in Islay, which will be the first of its kind in the world, and remains the only consented tidal array project in Scotland.

“Beyond this, we have ambitions to use this turbine as part of even larger scale projects in the Pentland Firth, which we are currently investigating.”

The single-axial HS1000, which features programmable 9.5-metre-long carbon-fibre rotor blades that switch their pitch by 280° as the tidal cycle turns, is mated to a tripod substructure designed with a tilted profile to cut down the wake effect created behind the rotor, in order to minimise vibration and other potentially damaging dynamic effects on the turbine.

Automatic control software, connected to a sensor-driven active monitoring system on the carbon-fibre blades, will tailor the 21-metre-diameter rotor to capture optimum output from a given tidal environment via a synchronous generator built around a planetary gearbox with two-stage step-up.

Built for water depths down to 50 metres, the HS1000 will generate in current speeds of between 1.8-4 metres per second.

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Wishing you all a Merry Christmas & Properous New Year

2011-12-23T12:00:00.000Z

Charles&Nuttall Limited would like to take this opportunity to express our many thanks to all our Clients & Candidates who have made 2011 such a successful year.

We have seen our business relationships expand from a National/European focus to that of a truly International recruitment service provider, encompassing both the US & Far Eastern markets.

2012 holds many opportunities in the Renewable/Clean Tech energy sectors globally, Charles&Nuttall looks forward to continuing to exceed our client's expectations & engaging new business partners & talented professionals in the new year.

Nordex completed installation of the first N117 wind turbine

2011-12-22T17:20:00.000Z

Nordex has now passed a major milestone towards the series production of the N117/2400 onshore turbine: On 16 December 2011, it installed the first version of this model at the “Stadum” citizens’ wind farm in Schleswig-Holstein. With a rotor diameter of 117 metres and a rotor sweep of 10,715 square metres, the N117/2400 is the most efficient IEC-3 turbine in its class.

The primary new feature is the rotor blade, which is 8.5 metres longer than that of the previous onshore model. In typical IEC-3 locations, the N117 turbine achieves a capacity of over 3,500 full-load hours, thus exceeding other turbines in this category by 20 percent. This translates into a capacity factor of 40 percent. As a result, Nordex customers using the N117/2400 are able to achieve high and steady electricity production in regions characterised by lighter winds.

With a length of 58.5 metres, this is Nordex’s first blade to be made from carbon fibre, a material which is lighter yet more rigid than glass fibre hybrids. Despite its greater length, the NR58.5 blade weighs less than 11 tons and is thus somewhat lighter than its predecessor.

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Siemens bags another Offshore Wind Project

2011-12-21T16:35:00.000Z

Reaffirming its move away from nuclear power, Siemens AG has won another order to build a large offshore wind farm in Germany.

The German industrial giant announced that it will build a 288-megawatt facility in the North Sea for German utility E.ON. The wind farm’s 80 turbines will provide electricity for about 300,000 households when it goes online in 2015, Siemens said in a recent press release.

The win marks Siemens 7th offshore wind project in Germany, where it has installed 1.6 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity - larger than a typical nuclear station.

Siemens is steadily building up a strong presence in renewable energy - primarily wind and also solar - as it moves away from nuclear in lock step with the German government’s decision to abandon nuclear power. It is also charging ahead in the natural gas business, and counts improved-efficiency gas turbines among its environmental portfolio.

“Our offshore technology will play a substantial role in building up a clean electricity supply in Germany,” Felix Ferlemann, CEO of Siemens Energy’s Wind Power Division, said in the press release.

Siemens is also installing offshore wind turbines in other countries, such as at the London Array project in the Thames Estuary, which would be the world’s largest offshore wind farm at 1 gigawatts. Part of that project is under threat from an environmental review.

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Fortum, Seabased to begin construction of Wave Power Park

2011-12-20T16:04:00.000Z

Finnish utility Fortum has signed a contract with Seabased AB for the construction of a joint wave power park in Sotenas, Sweden, The Company reported.

After completion, the wave power park will be the world’s largest, full-scale demonstration project of its kind. The total investment for the project is about €25 million, of which Fortum's share is about half.

Seabased, will start serial production of buoys, generators, substations and converters in the first half of 2012 at a factory to be established in the Lysekil municipality in Sweden.

The firms aim for marine installation of the first 42 wave power buoys and related equipment during autumn and winter of 2012. Phase-two installations are planned to take place after a research period of about one year.

Upon completion, the wave power park installed in a half a sq km area will consist of 420 buoys, with a total output of about 10MW. The plant is scheduled for completion in 2014-2015. The Swedish Energy Agency has decided to grant investment support for the project.

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Crown Estate Encouraging Tidal Power Expansion with Nine Contracts

2011-12-16T16:06:00.000Z

The Crown Estate has awarded nine contracts for the development of renewable energy sources, including wave and tidal energy sites.

The European Union is targeting a 20% increase in renewable energies by 2020, prompting the Crown Estate to launch the Further Scottish Leasing (Saltire Prize projects) and Demonstration Leases Round that offers organizations opportunities to license seabed areas within the United Kingdom’s Renewable Energy Zone.

The Crown Estate owns the majority of the seabed within a 12 nautical mile limit of UK territorial waters, and the estate has already made available areas for the development of offshore tidal power projects.

The Crown Estate's most recent licensees and their allotted lots are:
DP Marine Energy Limited (tidal site at Isle of Islay)
Glaxo Operations UK Limited (tidal site at Esk Estuary)
Pelamis Wave Power Limited (wave site at Isle of Lewis)
Sea Generation (Wales) Limited (tidal site at Skerries)
AWS Ocean Energy Limited (wave site at Burghead)
Minesto UK Limited (tidal site at Strangford Lough)
Argyll Tidal Limited (tidal site at Mull of Kintyre)
Nova Innovation Limited (tidal site at Bluemull Sound)
Oceanflow Development Limited (tidal site at Sanda Sound)

The contracts are only for use of the sites and award no money to the recipients.

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Hydropower Investment Could Create a Million Canadian Jobs

2011-12-15T18:10:00.000Z

The Canadian Hydropower Association (CHA) reported today that a study it commissioned indicates hydropower investment could produce over 1,000,000 Canadian jobs over the next 20 years from construction activities alone. These are known as FTEs, or "full-time equivalents," where each represents one person employed for one year. The employment opportunities would occur in every region of the country. The business school, HEC Montreal, conducted the study, entitled Job Creation and Economic Development Opportunities in the Canadian Hydropower Market.

Electricity generation projects already under consideration for 2011-2030 would create 776,000 FTEs for construction firms and their suppliers, which is the equivalent of 38,800 positions lasting 20 years. A further 224,000 induced FTEs are forecast to be created by increased spending by those directly or indirectly employed by the projects. "These results highlight what appears to be one of the best kept secrets of the Canadian energy sector," said CHA President and CEO Jacob Irving, "the multiple benefits of Canada's extraordinary hydropower potential."

The report's authors employed the commonly used Statistics Canada Input - Output Model of the Canadian economy to test various scenarios. The 158 potential projects that industry members identified for the study would require investment of $127.7 billion and would result in 29,060 megawatts (MW) of both refurbished and new generation capacity. The model results predict that Gross Domestic Product (GDP) would be about $15 billion per year greater over the study period than it would have been otherwise, due to the construction of the capacity and its subsequent operation.

"The researchers call this the 'optimistic' scenario," said Mr. Irving, "but it's good to remember that it is limited to projects currently under some degree of active consideration. We're already the world's third largest hydropower generator. It's astonishing to think, big as we are, we have still vast clean and renewable undeveloped hydropower potential from coast to coast to coast"

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Green for go on Wind Turbine Plant

2011-12-14T16:44:00.000Z

BRITAIN’S political relations with the rest of Europe may have chilled but the importance of doing business with the Continent was demonstrated yesterday when German engineering giant Siemens announced it was pressing ahead with plans for a green energy factory in Hull.

Siemens and Associated British Ports will submit joint planning applications tomorrow seeking to secure the delivery of Green Port Hull, a £210m facility on Alexandra Dock that would place the city at the centre of the UK’s renewable energy industry and provide a much-needed boost for British manufacturing.

As well as creating up to 300 initial construction jobs, the plant, which would assemble and manufacture offshore wind turbines, would employ 700 highly skilled engineering workers and potentially support thousands of other jobs in associated industries.

Subject to formal approval by Hull Council and marine authorities, which could be in place by next summer, and following public consultations in the new year, the facility could be operational by 2014.

The announcement ended months of uncertainty, but both Siemens and ABP insisted yesterday that preparatory work behind the scenes had continued at a pace and the German company had not wavered in its desire to bring the project to Hull.

ABP port director for Hull and Goole Matt Jukes said: “Developing Green Port Hull for Siemens represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for both the Port of Hull and our city to take the leading role in the UK’s green energy revolution.

“Our teams have put in a huge amount of work on the project over the last 12 months and I am exceedingly pleased that we’re now in a position to submit these applications which will see the complete transformation of Alexandra Dock, firmly position Hull as a centre of excellence for renewable energy and generate unparalleled opportunities for the city and region.”

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Report Projects Massive Solar Growth in India

2011-12-13T17:01:00.000Z

As the American and European solar industries face continued uncertainty, India is aggressively ramping up its solar ambitions behind falling prices and growing energy needs.

According to a new report by GTM Reseach and Bridge to India, the nation is facing a perfect storm of factors that will drive solar photovoltaic (PV) adoption at a furious pace over the next five years and beyond. The falling prices of PV panels, mostly from China but also from the U.S., has coincided with the growing cost of grid power. Government support and ample solar resources have also helped push the adoption along, but perhaps the biggest factor has been need. India, as a growing economy with a surging middle class, is now facing a severe electricity deficit that often runs between 10 and 13 percent of daily need.

Now the nation is increasingly seeing solar as a way to invest in its infrastructure quickly. Surprising to some extent has been how fast solar has becoming cost-effective. In December, a National SolarMission auction awarded 27 PV projects totaling 350 MW to developers large and small. Bids came in as low as .18/kWh and the average price awarded was .21/kWh, down 9 cents from a similar auction 13 months ago. The low prices have stoked hopes that a major installation boom is inevitable.

In 2010, the country had big hopes for solar, but only 54 megawatts (MW) in installed capacity. Now, a year later, it is expected to install six times as much capacity by year’s end, and there is well over 1,600 MW of projects with signed power purchase agreements in the pipeline. By 2016, the report projects that India could be installing more than 3,000 MW annually in PV projects. The biggest winner in this transformation could be large-scale developments that are built instead of traditional diesel plants.

The nation also hopes that its solar project growth will support a stable domestic manufacturing supply chain. Currently, Indian solar PV makers have an annual manufacturing capacity of 1,500 MW, and 70 percent of the modules are exported. In cell manufacturing, India has a 600 MW annual capacity, but it exports 80 percent of its product.
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Morocco to host first solar farm in €400bn renewables network

2011-12-12T16:59:00.000Z

The vast solar and windfarm project across North Africa and the Middle East may provide 15% of Europe's electricity by 2050.

Morocco has been chosen as the first location for a German-led, €400bn project to build a vast network of solar and windfarms across North Africa and the Middle East to provide 15% of Europe's electricity supply by 2050.

The Desertee Industrial Initiative (DII), a coalition of companies including E.ON, Siemens, Munich Re and Deutsche Bank, announced at its annual conference being held in Cairo on Wednesday that "all systems are go in Morocco", with construction of the first phase of a 500MW solar farm scheduled to start next year. The precise location of the €2bn plant is yet to be finalised, but it is expected to be built near the desert city of Ouarzazate. It will use parabolic mirrors to generate heat for conventional steam turbines, as opposed to the photovoltaic cells used in the UK.

The 12 square kilometre Moroccan solar farm will, said Paul van Son, Dii's chief executive, be a "reference project" to prove to investors and policy makers in both Europe and the Middle East/North Africa (MENA) region that the Desertec vision is not a dream-like mirage, but one that can be a major source of renewable electricity in the decades ahead.

Van Son described Desertec as a "win-win" for both Europe and MENA, adding that the Arab spring had created both opportunities and "questions" for the ambitious project. Discussions are already underway with the Tunisian government about building a solar farm, he said, and Algeria is the next "obvious" country, due to its close proximity to western Europe's grid. Countries such as Libya, Egypt, Turkey, Syria and Saudi Arabia are predicted to start joining the network from 2020, as a network of high voltage direct current cables are built and extended across the wider region.

German companies and policymakers have dominated the Dii conference, reflecting the nation's recent decision to totally phase out nuclear pwer by 2022 in reaction, in part, to the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan in March. By comparison, not a single representative from the UK was at the conference.

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First Atlantic Floating Offshore Wind Turbine Deployed

2011-12-09T15:25:00.000Z

The offshore wind industry passed a milestone recently with the installation of the world's first floating offshore wind turbine off the coast of Agucadoura, Portugal. The WindFloat project consists of a 2-MW semi-submersible wind turbine that can be deployed without heavy machinery.

Principle Power, Inc a Seattle-based offshore wind developer, and Engergias de Portugal, a Portuguese utility, worked with more than 60 other vendors in the WindPlus JV group. The turbine was assembled onshore in a controlled environment before it was transported to the sea and towed more than 217 miles to open water.

CEO of Principle Power Alla Weinstein said in a written statement, "In a way we are making a similar leap towards new energy resources as the Oil & Gas industry did in the 1970's when it began using floating structures.”

The structure will undergo trial operations, commissioning and startup procedures over the next few weeks. These procedures will include a full production capacity test.

The WindFloat technology decreases wave and wind-induced motions, which allows a large turbine to be placed in waters with depths of more that 164 feet, where it is able to capture stronger winds. The platform allows for the use of any off-the-shelf turbine.

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Greeks Pledge $1.4bn toward Solar, hope to fight Economic Woes

2011-12-08T16:23:00.000Z

With young Greek's abandoning Athens for the simpler life in the country, and the nation's debt woes causing major international turmoil, Greece is looking for light at the end of the rather dismal economic tunnel that it finds itself in. And some are hoping that light will be in the form of solar panel, as the country's beleagured government has just announced that it will fast-track three solar photovoltaic projects with a total investment of 1 billion euros ($1.37 billion) in the hope of reviving its struggling economy.

Of course with the Solyndra bankruptcy making headlines in the States, caution is warranted regarding any "fast-tracking" of major Government investments—whether they are in clean energy or not. Nevertheless, given the astounding growth of the solar industry internationally, and Greece's favorable position in Europe in terms of solar resources, it makes sense that the Greek's would look to the sun to help power an economic revival.

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Tidal Schemes could be the best hope for Renewable Energy

2011-12-07T17:12:00.000Z

The latest bid to revive plans for a Severn barrage comes at a time when the renewable energy sector is facing increasing problems.

Supporters of a barrage argue that it is second only to wind power in its ability to produce a substantial amount of electricity and in being a proven technology.

That is debatable, but what is certain is that the wind industry is facing increasing difficulties in getting projects off the ground.

Not only are wind farms becoming more likely to be rejected by local planners, investors are becoming increasingly put off by a perceived lack of political support, particularly in Wales.

This was highlighted in the summer when First Minister Carwyn Jones announced that the Welsh Government did not see the need for a large overhead pylon network in Mid Wales to connect wind farm developments to the grid.

The statement suggested the Welsh Government did not support major new wind farm developments since burying the power cables would add significantly to the cost.

The solar power industry has also had a hard time of it, although it is perhaps a victim of its own success.

The UK Government has twice changed the framework on feed-in tariffs (FITs), on both occasions causing disruption in the sector.

First it imposed an upper limit of 50 kilowatts (kw) on the size of installations entitled to FITs, killing off the development of large solar parks. Then it announced it was to half the FITs rate from 43p to 21p by December 12, a far larger and earlier cut than had been previously suggested.

Supporters of renewable energy hope new biomass and anaerobic digestion plants will take up some of the slack, but there is every likelihood these will also face local planning difficulties, as waste burning plants elsewhere have.

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Biomass heat map to help firms find Renewable Technology Suppliers

2011-12-06T18:38:00.000Z

The Carbon Trust and the Biomass Energy Centre have joined forces to help businesses interested in taking advantage of the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) launched earlierthis week to identify suppliers of wood fuel.

Under the RHI, businesses that install renewable heat systems such as biomass boilers or ground source heat pumps will receive guaranteed payments for the heat they generate.

According to industry experts the government-backed incentives will make many renewable heat technologies cost competitive with conventional heating systems.

However, the success of many biomass boilers installations will depend on companies' ability to identify reliable suppliers of sustainable biomass feed stocks, such as woodchips.

The Biomass Energy Centre said that many firms are unaware that wood fuel supply chains are already well established in many parts of the country and with large areas of woodland remaining unmanaged there is the potential for the sector to meet growing demand for wood chips.

As a result the organisation has produced a new free interactive map, based on its National Biomass Suppliers Database and funded by the Carbon Trust, which allows companies to easily assess the availability of wood suppliers in their area.

Will Rolls, who helped develop the map, said it would make it easier for people to quickly assess the viability of installing a biomass boiler system.

"Our old woodfuel suppliers listing was one of the most popular areas of the website but we have been struggling to keep pace with demand," he said. "The new map presents information in a much clearer way and lets the fuel supplier tell potential customers more about the service they offer."

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Oil firms 'to move into Renewables'

2011-12-05T17:00:00.000Z

Oil and gas firms expect to create new jobs and expand into renewable energy in the next three to five years, a report has revealed.
The Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets report, Oil & Gas: Rising Fortunes, suggests that three quarters of firms expect to create new jobs in the next two years, with over a quarter of firms aiming to recruit over 500 staff.

The report said the job creation was driven by consistent growth in the sector.

Meanwhile, 26% of firms in the industry have already created a new income stream through renewables, and the number of oil and gas businesses adopting green income streams will jump to a third by the end of 2012, and to over half in the next three to five years.

Alasdair Gardner, managing director for Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets in Scotland, said: "The net result of larger contracts and more orders for products and services is more jobs.

"Oil and gas companies already know they will need more capacity to handle the extra business coming their way next year and that is heartening news for the economy and for the jobs market.

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UK Government backs five New Centres for Offshore Engineering

2011-12-02T16:53:00.000Z

Amid the furore surrounding the UK Chancellor George Osborne’s autumn statement yesterday, the government also announced the backing of five new Centres for Offshore Renewable Engineering.

As part of the government’s new infrastructure plan, the five centres in Humberside, Tyneside, Teeside, Lowestoft/Great Yarmouth, and Sheerness where chosen because of “investment enquiries from renewable manufacturing businesses”.

Offshore renewables projects will specifically form part of the enterprise zone development strategy in three of the five locations, at Humberside, Tyneside and Teeside.

The plans come under a broader strategy to achieve a “secure, diverse and reliable energy supply… while reducing carbon intensity”, which will become more pressing over the coming decades as many of the UK’s ageing power stations come to the end of the life.

But the infrastructure plan also sets out ambitions for tackling road congestion – through a £1 billion investment – and maintaining the southeast’s status as an international hub for aviation.

A further £1.4 billion is earmarked for train improvements, including the electrification of some lines and a new rail link between Oxford and Bedford.

Meanwhile, Energy Minister Charles Hendry has also given the go ahead for DONG Energy’s 245 MW Westermost Rough wind farm to the north of the Humber estuary, off the Yorkshire coast.

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Offshore Wind investment could reach €17bn by 2030

2011-12-01T16:30:00.000Z

Europe's offshore wind industry could be investing €10.4bn in turbines annually by 2020, growing to €17bn by 2030, according to a new report from the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA).

Published yesterday, the EWEA Offshore wind supply chain report predicts that the nascent sector will grow tenfold in the next decade, delivering 40GW of installed capacity by 2020 and meeting more than four per cent of the EU's total electricity demand.

Under that deployment scenario, annual investment in offshore wind turbines could reach €10.4bn a year by 2020, creating 169,000 jobs.

The report predicts that capacity could then potentially reach 150GW by 2030, supplying 13.9 per cent of total EU electricity demand, and driving investment of €17bn a year in turbines.

Many of the projects are planned in north west Europe, particularly UK, German and Belgium waters. The UK currently has around 45 per cent of Europe's total offshore wind capacity, and is planning to build another 47GW.

According to the report, 18 European countries will have some offshore wind capacity by 2020. Only four EU member states with a coastline - Bulgaria, Lithuania, Romania and Slovenia - have no identified offshore pipeline.

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Cameron looks overseas for Offshore Wind investment

2011-11-30T16:46:00.000Z

The Prime Minister will today call on investment funds, pension funds, and sovereign wealth funds to direct some of their considerable resources towards transforming the UK into a "world leading" offshore wind market.

Ministers and officials will meet just under 50 potential investors at a central London conference later today designed to promote offshore wind as a "stable, long-term and lucrative investment", and explore the barriers that may be putting investors off the sector.

In a statement handed out to delegates as part of the welcome pack, Prime Minister David Cameron throws his support behind offshore wind as a means of diversifying and decarbonising the UK's long term energy mix.

"I see offshore wind as a significant energy and industrial opportunity for the UK, and one that I am determined to seize," he writes. "I believe the UK will remain the world's most attractive offshore wind market for many years to come. We have abundant natural advantages and a world-leading marine engineering base."

The government is looking for more diverse sources to finance the £200m Ofgem estimates is needed to overhaul the nation's energy infrastructure, reduce fossil fuel imports, and increase energy security.

"We want to see a wider variety of investors beyond the Big Six [UK energy companies] who will not quite come up with the figures Ofgem recommended," a Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) spokesman told BusinessGreen.

The electricity market reform (EMR) package announced earlier in the year was designed in part to attract overseas finance and has secured some early success with Siemens, Mitsubishi and Vestas all revealing plans to build new offshore wind turbine factories in the UK if they can secure a sufficient order pipeline.

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Mitsubishi to unveil game changing Offshore Wind Turbine

2011-11-29T16:25:00.000Z

Mitsubishi Power Systems Europe (MPSE) is to unveil the blueprint of their game changing offshore wind turbine, which could be the world’s largest when manufactured.

The SeaAngel™ turbine - featuring unique hydraulic technology developed in Scotland - will have a minimum generating capacity of 7MW and a rotor diameter of over 165 metres.

The outline architecture of the turbine will be unveiled at the EWEA in Amsterdam this week. Initial prototype testing will begin next year, with full-scale prototype testing expected to take place in the UK in 2013.

MPSE last year (December 2010) announced an investment of up to £100m in Scotland over five years, including the acquisition of Artemis Intelligent Power (AIP) and plans to establish the MPSE Centre for Advanced Technology (MCAT).

Teams of experts in the UK, continental Europe and Japan are now deploying AIP’s unique hydraulic Digital Displacement ® Transmission (DDT) in an offshore wind turbine, with the aim of delivering a ‘game changing’ product that offers improved reliability and efficiency, and reduced maintenance costs.

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World's Tallest Solar Tower Set for Arizona

2011-11-28T15:29:00.000Z

In the western desert state of Arizona, a company called EnviroMission is planning to build a new solar tower, the first of its kind, an ambitious new way to produce energy with heat from the sun.

When completed in 2015, the tower, located in La Paz County, will be the tallest building in the world. It is the first of two such towers planned by EnviroMission for Arizona.

While it is a solar power source, it does not rely on the same technology as solar panels.

The solar tower has a wide greenhouse at the bottom the size of a soccer field, which is heated by the sun. On the principle that hot air rises, the heat then gets sucked into the gigantic 800-metre-high tower, displacing cool air and pushing it up through the tower, causing turbines located just above the base to turn.

Causing turbines to turn is actually the premise of most of today's most prevalent sources of energy.

For example, most dirty sources of energy like nuclear and coal are simply ways to generate heat to boil water to spin turbines. It is not as if splitting an atom, or burning coal by itself, generates electricity; these technologies are merely ways to create heat.

It has become a popular saying among anti-nuclear activists that using nuclear technology to boil water is akin to using a chain saw to slice butter.

Yet, the solar tower is a cleaner, safer way to do the same thing.

The energy from the tower will be enough to power 150,000 homes, and will employ 1,500 Arizonans.

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Renewable Energy becoming cost competitive, IEA says

2011-11-25T17:00:00.000Z

The report also said subsidies in green energy technologies that were not yet competitive are justified in order to give an incentive to investing into technologies with clear environmental and energy security benefits.

The renewable electricity sector has grown rapidly in the past five years and now provides nearly 20 percent of the world's power generation, the IEA said during the presentation of the report titled Deploying Renewables 2011.

The IEA's report disagreed with claims that renewable energy technologies are only viable through costly subsidies and not able to produce energy reliably to meet demand.

"A portfolio of renewable energy (RE) technologies is becoming cost-competitive in an increasingly broad range of circumstances, in some cases providing investment opportunities without the need for specific economic support," the IEA said, and added that "cost reductions in critical technologies, such as wind and solar, are set to continue."

"The portfolio of RE technologies, which includes established hydro power, geothermal and bioenergy technologies is now, therefore, cost-competitive in an increasingly broad range of circumstances, providing investment opportunities without the need for specific economic support."

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GE touts hybrid gas, solar and wind power plant as answer to energy crisis

2011-11-24T16:39:00.000Z

General Electric is pinning its hopes on a new hybrid gas and solar energy generator to help drive down the high cost of solar thermal energy and reduce the need for extra power plants to back up intermittent wind power.

The company last week received approval from the Turkish government to nearly double the output of the world's first Integrated Renewables Combined-Cycle plant from 570 megawatts (MW) to 1,080MW, and hopes the expanded facility can provide a template for other low carbon energy projects around the world.

The landmark project, being built for Turkish utility MetCap Energy, will be based on GE's "FlexEfficiency" technology, including a next-generation 50-hertz gas turbine, a steam turbine, 22MW of wind turbines and 50MW of eSolar concentrated solar thermal tower technology.

The plant is expected to be completed by the end of 2015, and the companies expect to achieve a record high of 69 per cent thermal efficiency. Moreover, when the wind is not blowing or the sun is not shining, the CCGT can ramp up in less than 30 minutes to maintain the energy flow.

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Isle of Wight aims for net energy exports by 2020 in EcoIsland Sustainability Project

2011-11-23T17:14:00.000Z

The Isle of Wight – a peaceful, modest-sized island off the English south coast – plans to become a net energy exporter of energy by 2020, while halving residents’ energy bills, eliminating waste going to landfill, and creating a significant number of green technology jobs. The EcoIsland initiative is the largest single sustainability project in the UK.

The EcoIsland Partnership Community Interest Company (CIC) has just been launched as a Global Innovation Centre for Smart Grid technology, in an event at the Houses of Parliament in London. This shows how – working with global partners IBM and Toshiba – it plans to integrate the island’s future wind, tidal, geothermal, and solar power generation.

The Smart Grid initiative is one of the key ingredients in the Isle of Wight’s aim to become the first truly sustainable region in the UK, in powering the island’s future energy needs.

The EcoIsland project is a high-profile working example of UK Prime Minister David Cameron’s ‘Big Society’ concept of how communities can take the initiative to improve life in their locality.

‘Our global launch is living proof of how the ‘Big Society’ concept is workable when a local community and private business combine their resources and expertise,’ says David Green, Chief Executive of the EcoIsland CIC. ‘The Isle of Wight community needs to act quickly to avert the possibility of blackouts from increased demands on the UK’s electricity generation capacity.’

Green continues: ‘We are looking to use the Island’s natural resources to make it self-sufficient in terms of energy, food, water, fuel, and waste – enabling the community to take its destiny back into its own hands.’

EcoIsland initiatives already under way include reducing energy bills for the Isle of Wight’s 142 000 residents by 50 percent through increased capture and use of solar, tidal, geothermal, and wind power and a creative tariff system. It will also cut landfill to zero, and stop waste being transported off the island.

In addition, the project will fuel the green economy by creating jobs on the island – something of an employment black spot in the South East – through green tech investment, and setting up an Eco Centre and seat of learning for residents, visitors, and for schools across the country.

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China's green growth potential 'could create 9.5m new jobs'

2011-11-21T16:45:00.000Z

Report urges China to replace dirty, energy intensive industries with renewable technology and other 'green' businesses.

China can make a net gain of 9.5m jobs over the next five years if it phases out its dirtiest, energy intensive industries and replaces them with renewable technology and other "green" businesses, according to an influential advisory body.

The potential for green growth was flagged up in a report that highlights the "Jeckyl and Hyde" nature of the environmental situation in China, which can claim both the world's biggest investment in new energy and the most dangerous levels of pollution. The report was released this week by the China Council of International Co-operation on Environment and Development, which is headed by Li Keqiang – widely tipped to become the next prime minister – and includes 200 domestic and overseas experts and leading figures in the United Nations and other world bodies.

On the economics of a shift to a more sustainable development path, it is brimful of ambition and optimism. The council advises the government to spend 5.8 trillion yuan (£61bn) on measures to save energy, protect the environment and replace polluting industries with hi-tech firms. It estimates this would create 10.6m jobs, boost GDP by 8 trillion yuan and result in energy savings worth another 1.4 trillion yuan. These gains, it says, would far exceed the costs of eliminating the dirtier sectors of the economy, which are calculated as a loss of 950,000 jobs and 100bn yuan in output.

At their annual meeting, the council emphasised the need to shift track – a process that the government has tried to promote in its latest five year plan. "The industrial sector is still the prime energy consumer and a major cause of pollution, so greening the sector is key for China's green transformation," Li Ganjie, vice minister of environmental protection and the council's secretary general was quoted as saying by the China Daily.

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Voith Hydro hands over first commercial wave plant to Spain

2011-11-18T16:35:00.000Z

Voith Hydro Wavegen, the Inverness-based marine energy company, has cause to celebrate after successfully handing over the world’s first full life wave power plant into commercial operation.

An emerging industry, marine energy has a number of prototypes and small scale devices being tested in various locations across the world. But now the industry is moving to the next level with the completion of the first grid-connected marine power plant in Spain.

Wavegen was the first company in the world to develop a commercial-scale, grid-connected wave energy plant in 2000 when they installed the LIMPET on Islay. This plant has now been successfully operating for eleven years as a demonstrator project.

Now they’ve achieved another first by selling the first commercial wave power plant to Ente Vasco de la Energía, the Basque Energy Board in the North of Spain.

Matthew Seed, CEO of Voith Hydro Wavegen, welcomed the announcement, saying: "This is very exciting news, not just for our company, but for the whole marine energy sector. This major milestone is a demonstration of just how far the industry has developed in recent years."

"We are delighted to have developed the first wave power plant to be sold on a commercial basis and we’re also delighted to have provided the technology for the first grid-connected wave power plant in Spain – a country with enormous potential for wave energy."

The 300kW wave power plant, consisting of 16 turbines, is housed within a breakwater at the port of Mutriku. It has been designed for a 25 year operational life and will provide electricity for 250 homes.

During commissioning and acceptance testing the plant has produced 100MWh and has now been formally handed over to the client. It has been supplied with standard commercial guarantees for performance and availability.

The power plant used technology developed and supplied by Voith Hydro Wavegen in a contract worth 1.2 million euros (£1 million).

Energy Minister Fergus Ewing said: "Scotland is leading the development of wave and tidal energy, using our skills and expertise to help Scotland - and the world - develop marine power. This welcome announcement by Inverness-based Wavegen highlights the progress being made towards full commercialisation of wave and tidal technologies."

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Scotland Unveils Plans For an Eco Village

2011-11-17T17:32:00.000Z

Aberdeenshire is to be home to Scotland’s first sustainable village, and the general public will be able to give their feeback during an open consultation period.

Kincluny Village is aiming to be carbon neutral by providing affordable homes that benefit from renewable energy systems. To ensure the community is self-sufficient, residents will have the opportunity to work on-site, be it in local businesses or schools.

Built on a former quarry brownfield site, it will be the largest sustainable construction project of its kind, offering properties that will not only be affordable but desirable. With more than 1,500 homes being built – ranging in price from £90,000 to £500,000, it’s expected that 30% of the mixed tenure homes will be affordable for those on low incomes.

Kincluny is unlike any other development. It’s not all about the buildings. Bricks and mortar come later. It’s about creating a community where people want to live and work,” said Bill Burr, managing director at CHAP Homes.

“We’re excited about sharing our mission with the public during the consultation period. Their feedback is essential to further the vision,” he added.

The Robert Gordon University’s Centre for Understanding Sustainable Practices has been commissioned to provide research into water, sewage and renewables such as wind power.

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Onshore Wind to reach Grid Parity in 2016

2011-11-16T17:21:00.000Z

The goal would be achieved as the cost of electricity from onshore wind turbines is expected to drop 12% in the next five years through a mix of lower-cost equipment and gains in output efficiency.

The most efficient wind farms already produce power on par with coal, gas and nuclear generators and the average wind farm could be fully competitive by 2016, the analyst predicts

The wind team at Bllomberg News Energy Finance estimates that manufacture of onshore wind turbines displays a 7% 'experience-curve' – or a 7% cost reduction for every doubling of installed capacity – as economies of scale and supply chain efficiencies reduce costs.

Global average turbine prices have fallen in real terms from €2 million/MW in 1984 to below €0.88m/MW in H1 2011. In 1984, there were only 0.3 GW of installed wind capacity in the world, but by the end of 2011 there will be over 240 GW.

Higher efficiency

At the same time as wind turbine costs have been falling, the capacity factor has been rising steadily. This has been driven by the long-term move to bigger and taller wind turbines, better aerodynamics, better controls and gearboxes, as well as improved electrical generation efficiency, the analyst says. These improvements have increased capacity factors by 13 percentage points to 34% over the past 27 years.

The operations and maintenance cost of wind farms has also decreased in real terms, on average over the lifetime of the project from €50/MWh in the 1980s to €11/MWh today, as operators have become more experienced and the quality of wind turbines has improved.

As a result of all these improvements, each megawatt of wind capacity built on land in the 1980s could be expected to deliver 1.8 GWh of electricity per year; one megawatt of today’s more efficient and taller wind turbines can be expected to deliver 2.9 GWh each year.

LCOE falls

The levelised cost of energy from onshore wind turbines has fallen by 14% for every doubling of installed capacity between 1984 and 2011. So the levelised cost of energy from onshore wind has fallen in 2011 real terms over this time period from €200/MWh to €52/MWh. This is only €6/MWh more expensive than the average cost of a combined-cycle gas turbine plant in 2011, the analyst says. If the cost of carbon emitted was included, wind would already be at grid parity.

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World’s Largest Tidal Energy Farm to Open in France in 2012

2011-11-15T14:41:00.000Z

The $55 million project was conceived in 2004, with construction starting in 2008, and is set to be complete early next year. OpenHydro has similar projects in North America and the United Kingdom, but this new French turbine system will be the world’s first large scale grid-connected tidal energy farm, setting the bar for other nations of the world.

OpenHydro is supplying the four 2-MW turbines, 115 deep off the coast of Paimpol-Bréhat. The turbines are each 72 feet in diameter and are anchored along the seabed.

Along with solar power and wind turbines, tidal energy is an important renewable energy source that is underutilized at the moment. A major benefit of tidal turbine farms versus wind and solar farms is that they operate sight unseen. From the surface, the turbines are invisible and noiseless. OpenHydro states that the farms have no effect on the neighboring communities.

Each turbine was designed with a large, open center to allow marine life to pass through without risk of being caught or entangled in the blades. The turbine also turns without pollutants such as oils and greases, and produce little mechanical noise underwater.

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Cut in charges to boost Green Energy firms

2011-11-14T16:09:00.000Z

ENERGY regulator Ofgem is poised to hand the Scottish renewables sector a substantial benefit by lowering the cost of transmitting the power generated from wind and wave technology.

The proposal, contained in a paper seen by Scotland on Sunday, would mean huge savings for green energy companies and make Scotland more attractive to investors.

A 32-page report produced for Ofgem by consultancy firm Redpoint Energy, will go out for consultation early next month and has already encouraged lobbyists to expect the cost of transmission to come down.

Significantly, the proposals will rebalance costs which currently favour generators operating close to population centres. Those in the north of Scotland, the most expensive region, pay £22 per kilowatt while an operator in the south receives up to £15 in subsidy.

The current system is designed to give a strong signal to investors about where to site their operations, but it counts against many renewables plants, which tend to be in more remote hillier or coastal areas.

Ofgem announced a review of the system last year in order to support the transition to a low carbon economy. It has worked with National Grid and 14 industry representatives from companies such as ScottishPower, SSE, smaller renewables firms and the Scottish Government.

The report has come up with a number of what it terms provisional proposals which would reduce the cost of transmission for the north of Scotland to a best-case £10 per kilowatt but possibly as low as £5. Costs will come down in Scotland under all the proposed options, including the possibility of every generator paying the same.

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Falmouth set to host Wave Energy Test site

2011-11-11T16:30:00.000Z

Falmouth Harbour Commissioners (FHC) and The Crown Estate have signed a lease to create FabTest, a new wave energy ‘nursery’ test site in Falmouth Bay on the south coast of Cornwall.

The site has also been issued with a marine license by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO), which allows the mooring of marine energy converter devices.

The announcement, made at the Regen SW Renewable Futures conference inBath, is the latest step in the creation of a marine energy park in South West England.

The Park aims to pull together commercial and academic organisations and marine energy assets to create a vibrant and dynamic centre of marine energy in the region.

FabTest, which is not grid-connected, will enable wave energy generation device developers to conduct sea trials of their devices in moderate seas, close to port facilities. It is a stepping stone to the deployment of arrays of devices at Wave Hub, the world’s largest grid-connected wave energy demonstration facility installed 10 nautical miles off the north coast of Cornwall last year.

The management of the site will be undertaken by a partnership between FHC and the University of Exeter. The FabTest project has been driven by a steering group which has also included Wave Hub and the marine energy support industry including A&P Group and Mojo Maritime in Cornwall.

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Global Wind Power investment to total $820 billion from 2011 to 2017

2011-11-10T17:15:00.000Z

By 2017 wind power installations will represent a $153 billion global industry, up from $77 billion in 2011, according to a report from Pike Research. Over that period, the cleantech market intelligence firm forecasts, cumulative investment in new wind power capacity will total $820 billion.

Over that same period, total wind generation capacity, including both onshore and offshore projects, will increase from 235.8 gigawatts (GW) in 2011 to 562.9 GW in 2017.

While the global economic recession significantly slowed the pace of new wind power installations in 2010, turbine deployment activity remains strong and overall capacity will continue to rise at a healthy pace.

Senior analyst Peter Asmus said: “Although growth rates of new wind installations will fall short of the industry’s boom period, cumulative wind power capacity will grow steadily over the next six years. Despite the challenging market conditions for the wind energy industry, this is a dynamic time for innovation in the market, as vendors are pushing turbines to sizes never before thought practical or economical.”

At the highest level, three major regional markets will continue to drive the global wind industry: Asia Pacific, dominated by China and, to a lesser extent, India; Europe, led by Germany and Spain; and North America, led by the US.

Illustrating the dynamic growth of new market entrants, the top 10 wind manufacturers supplied 79 percent of the wind turbines installed worldwide in 2010 - a significant drop from 88% only two years before. The majority of these new entrants are based in China.

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Siemens sees US$900m in wind turbine orders for America

2011-11-09T17:01:00.000Z

Siemens has secured orders for 6 wind turbine projects in North America since July, totalling US$900 million and over 670 MW.

In October Siemens secured an order for a 100 MW wind power project in Puerto Rico, and between July and September, the company received five orders for the supply of wind turbines with a combined capacity of over 570 MW from North America.

"The latest orders from North America show that our customers are continuing to invest in renewables," says Felix Ferlemann, CEO of the Wind Power Division of Siemens Energy.

"Wind power is a business sector with a high growth rate worldwide and creates jobs in the areas of production, installation and service."

Siemens will also be installing 2.3 MW wind turbines for three wind projects with a combined capacity of 312 MW in Brazil in 2012 and 2013.

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ETI: In search of floating, deepwater Wind solutions

2011-11-08T17:25:00.000Z

Wind Energy Update speaks to Andrew Scott the Energy Technologies Institute’s Programme Manager for offshore wind, about its latest RFP for floating offshore turbine foundation solutions.

At the end of October, the Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) announced its plan to invest up to £25m in an offshore wind floating system demonstration project. The objective is to open up new, deep water areas off the coast of the UK for wind energy generation, and in doing so, help to lower offshore wind energy generation costs.

To this end, the ETI has launched a request for proposals for innovative floating turbine foundation technologies, with a closing date of January 27, 2012.

Wind Energy Update speaks to ETI’s offshore wind programme manager Andrew Scott to learn more about the potential designs likely to be shortlisted, and to find out more about the potential and the challenges of developing deepwater, near shore wind in UK waters.

Wind Energy Update: The ETI has issued a RFP for floating offshore wind turbine foundations, yet there are only a handful of technologies out there. How many proposals do you expect to receive, and which technology is likely to win the bid process?

Andrew Scott: There are only a small number of floating foundation technologies around; the question is whether any of them are commercially viable. Earlier rounds we have carried out involving desktop studies suggest that this is the case, but now we need to build one in order to get real data on cost and to identify the unforeseen variables that catch you out. Floating turbine technologies present their own set of particular challenges.

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Scotland eyes ‘significant’ deal with Abu Dhabi’s Masdar

2011-11-07T16:05:00.000Z

Scotland hopes to sign a “significant” research and investment deal with Abu Dhabi’s green city, Masdar, in the New Year, the country’s First Minister has told Arabian Business.

Masdar chief executive, Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, has requested Scotland fast-track a detailed framework for action in a bid to grow renewable energy research and investment opportunities between the two countries, said Alex Salmond.

“The agreement potentially with Masdar we regard as very significant. In addition to things announced we are expecting significant announcements to come,” he said.

“I hope and believe that some time in the early New Year we will be able to sign an agreement for action between Masdar and the Scottish enterprise.”

Salmond declined to say how much the deal would be worth but said it could potentially be valued at “billions” of dollars.

Scotland’s First Minister, who last week toured the region in a bid to forge trade links between Scotland and the Gulf, said long term investment is vital to rebalancing the global economy.

Scottish exports to the Middle East are around £1.02bn ($1.6bn), according to official figures.

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Half of Danish power consumption provided by Wind in 2020

2011-11-04T16:36:00.000Z

The new Danish centre-left coalition government has increased the target for wind capacity to 50% of the total power consumption in Denmark in 2020.

Denmark is already close to meeting its EU 2020 target of 31% electricity from renewables as the Danish pioneers reached a total installed capacity of 3,8 GW wind power last year, representing 25% of the country’s electricity demand.

The new Danish government just recently released its targets on renewable energy and CO2 emissions. The new disposition increases the previous CO2 reduction target from 30 to 40 percent, measured relative to 1990.

“A green and more sustainable world does not evolve by itself,” says Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt at the Global Green Growth Forum in Copenhagen on the 11th of October.

As a part of the increased ambitions on CO2 emissions, wind power is targeted to represent 50 percent of the total power consumption in Denmark in 2020. The major role of wind power should be seen as a part of the government’s plan to phase out fossil fuels by 2050.

The ambitious targets place Denmark in pole position on renewables among the developed countries.
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Huge Tidal deployment mooted for $80bn Thames Hub scheme

2011-11-03T16:46:00.000Z

Tidal power is at the heart of a £50bn ($80bn) plan to transform London’s Thames Estuary, unveiled today in the UK by engineering consultants Halcrow and architects Foster + Partners.

The ambitious Thames Hub scheme features an industrial-scale tidal barrage and in-stream arrays, along with a new flood defence system and a massive upgrade of southeast England’s transport infrastructure centred around a new London airport in the estuary.

A utilities and communications corridor – called The Spine – housing data cabling, water and energy distribution infrastructure running south to north along the length of the UK is also part of the mega-development proposal.

Costed at around £5bn, the tidal power barrage, 500 metres in width and straddling a 5km-wide stretch of the Thames, would produce some 525GWh a year – enough to supply electricity to 76,000 households or meet 100% of the power needs of the new airport.

Along with arrays made up of a further 1,000 60-90kW run-of-river turbines, the scheme also proposes building-in tidal-power devices to the new flood barrier, which would be constructed upstream of the London Gateway port.

Routing energy production from these installations into power transmission infrastructure being developed for the 1GW London Array wind farm is being explored.

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UK launches consultation on solar PV feed-in tariff cuts

2011-11-02T16:51:00.000Z

A consultation paper on the further proposed cuts to the UK feed-in tariffs for solar photovoltaics (PV) has been published by Minister of State Gregory Barker at the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC).

The UK Government has proposed cuts to the feed-in tariff for solar PV in the UK based on the falling costs of solar PV as well as the wider economic climate.

“The green economy does not exist in a vacuum and it is important, particularly in the current climate, that our approach to public subsidy is responsible and results in the widest possible deployment,” Barker says in a statement.

The UK Government is proposing to reduce the feed-in tariff for solar PV with a total installed capacity of up to 4 kW to £0.21/kWh. It is also proposing reductions to the generation tariffs for solar PV installations between 4 kW and 250kW.

“These changes are vital if we are to ensure a lasting FITs scheme,” Barker says.

The proposed start date for the new feed-in tariffs for solar PV is 1 April 2012 for all new solar PV installations that become eligible on or after 12 December 2011.

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Chinese Wind Market To Overtake Germany by 2018, Second Only to the UK

2011-11-01T15:03:00.000Z

GBI Research has released its latest research, "Offshore Wind Power Market Analysis and Forecast to 2020 - China's Capacity Investments Position It to Overtake Germany by 2018, Second Only to the UK".

The report gives an in-depth analysis of the global offshore wind power market, covering three major regions: North America (the US and Canada), Europe (the UK, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Spain and Finland) and Asia-Pacific (China and Japan).

The report covers the offshore wind cumulative installed capacity, power generation from 2001-2020 and major turbine manufacturers who installed turbines in 2010. The report also provides the policies and regulations for wind energy for each country discussed.

It gives global offshore technology analysis, cost analysis and market force analysis with drivers and restraints.

The report covers make and break issues and provides market active and upcoming projects as well as recent activities. This report is built using data and information sourced through primary and secondary research and in-house analysis by GBI Research's team of industry experts.

Global Offshore Wind Market to Grow at a CAGR of 37% from from 4.8 GW in 2011 to Reach 80 GW in 2020

During 2001-2010 the installed capacity of offshore wind globally grew from 54 MW to 2,862.9 MW at a CAGR of 55.5%. The growth in capacity during this period was driven by the commissioning of new offshore wind farms with installed capacities of 2,119 MW in the UK in 2010 and 749 MW in Denmark in 2007.

During the forecast period 2011-2020 the total global offshore wind installed capacity is expected to grow at a CAGR of 36.8% from 4,782.9 MW to 80,044.5 MW. The sudden rise in capacity in 2020 is mainly due to a capacity addition of 13 GW expected in UK and 2000 MW in China.

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Why Geothermal Energy may be the answer to Japan's nuclear troubles

2011-10-31T16:06:00.000Z

For thousands of years, it has been home to epic-scale earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Yet at the same time, it is a nation that has long lamented its lack of natural resources.

So why is Japan not tapping into its vast potential for geothermal energy capabilities? And will the nation finally start to wake up to the possibility of tapping into such resources in the wake of the March 11 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis?

Geothermal power currently accounts for less than 1 per cent of Japan's energy output – despite the fact that it is located above the world’s third largest reserve of geothermal resources (after the United States and Indonesia). The Japanese government has long imported its oil, goal and gas from overseas while investment in nuclear energy has been high since the 1970s oil crisis. As a result, at the time of the March 11 disaster, nuclear power accounted for 30 per cent of the nation’s electrical supplies, with plans to expand this to 50 per cent by 2050.

Since then, the well-documented and ever-growing backlash among the Japanese public against nuclear energy combined with the on-going government stress testing of existing plants has cast a shadow over the nation’s nuclear plans. And so instead, the government has vowed to renew the nation’s energy policies, with a slow shift away from nuclear towards more renewable natural energy sources from solar to wind power.

Subsequently, there has been a slew of epic alternative energy projects unveiled, most recently a consortium of seven major companies headed by Mitsui Chemicals announcing plans to build Japan’s largest mega solar photovoltaic plant in Aichi prefecture.

The “g” word, however, remains comparatively elusive. This is not for want of technology: it is perhaps ironic that despite its lacklustre adoption in its own land, Japan is a leader in geothermal technology.

Japan has a 70 per cent market share of geothermal technology fuelled by industry leaders such as Toshiba and Mitsubishi, while Fuji Electric was involved in the creation of the world’s biggest geothermal power plant last year – not in its homeland, but in New Zealand.

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Rolls-Royce surges to 100MWh Tidal Energy milestone

2011-10-28T15:03:00.000+01:00

Tidal Generation Limited prototype is first EMEC project to deliver over 100MWh of power to the grid.

The UK's fledgling tidal energy sector marked a significant milestone this week after Rolls-Royce confirmed that its prototype generator in Scotland has generated 100 megawatt hours (MWh) of power.

Rolls-Royce said that a 500kw tidal turbine, built by subsidiary Tidal Generation Limited, has generated more than 100MWh since connecting to the grid in September last year.

The machine is installed at the European Marine Energy Centre's (EMEC's) test site off the Orkney Islands, and is the first in the area to receive Renewable Oligation Certificates (ROCs).

Robert Stevenson, vice president of the Rolls-Royce Power Ventures division, claimed that the announcement is a major step towards commercialisation.

"Reaching the 100MWh milestone highlights the significant potential of cleaner, greener tidal power as part of a diversified UK energy mix," he said.

"Having proven the capability of tidal energy, Rolls-Royce is well placed to meet any future demand with larger, more efficient technology on a commercial scale."

The system features a three-blade turbine attached by a tripod to the seabed, and can operate fully submerged at a depth of 40 metres.

Tidal Generation Limited is planning to deploy 20 of the 500KW machines in the fast-flowing Inner Sound area of the Pentland Firth, as part of a much larger 400MW project being developed by the MeyGen consortium.

Rolls-Royce is also currently building a 1MW tidal turbine demonstration unit that will be deployed in mid-2012 at EMEC in Orkney. The project is being supported by the Energy Technologies Institute-funded Reliable Data Acquisition Platform for Tidal consortium.

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Largest Solar Plant in Central and Eastern Europe Opens in Ukraine

2011-10-27T15:30:00.000+01:00

The 80 MW power plant in Southern Ukraine has opened its fourth, final line and will produce an annual 100,000 megawatt-hours of electricity. The Okhotnykovo solar power plant is the world's fourth most powerful photovoltaic park after Canadian Sarnia, Italian Montalto di Castro, and German Finsterwalde.

The new power plant in Southern Ukrainian Crimea is capable of producing enough energy to meet the needs of 20,000 households. The work of the Okhotnykovo park will help save energy and protect the environment by reducing Ukraine's carbon dioxide emission by 80,000 tons per year.

The solar power plant in Okhotnykovo, Crimea, is a part of the country's national Natural Energy project. The State Agency of Ukraine for Energy Efficiency and Energy Conservation launched the project in 2010. It is aimed at producing electric energy from the green, "clean" sources - the sun and the wind - in the amount of 2,000 MW. The objective of this initiative is to supply the area of Crimea with electricity that requires low transportation cost, as well as preserve the environment of the region, making these areas even more attractive to tourists. The state agency expects the production share of alternative energy to make up to 30 percent of Ukrainian energy market before 2015.

The project executive - the Austrian company Activ Solar has just opened an office in the South Ukrainian megalopolis Odesa and stated the desire to further its activity in the region. Previously, the CEO of the Activ Solar Kaveh Ertefai said: "Project of this scale means a radical change of solar energy development in Europe, while securing Ukraine's position as renewable energy provider."

Ukraine has a great potential at the market of the solar energy projects. The solar radiation in the country reaches the capacity of 800-1450 W/m² per year. The southern regions of Ukraine have the highest potential for the solar energy production.

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Wind Industry set to create more Jobs

2011-10-26T15:05:00.000+01:00

* 80% of companies will take on extra staff in next 18 months
* Industry urges government to maintain support levels
* Planning system biggest obstacle to expansion for renewables

A survey of members of the country's largest renewable energy association, RenewableUK, has revealed that wind and marine energy companies are planning to create hundreds of new jobs in the next eighteen months, bucking the national trend.

81% of the 151 companies who responded to questions about employment trends said they intended to increase staffing levels in the next year and a half. 25% of these companies intending to expand said they expected to increase their number of staff by more than 20%. Almost forty per cent of firms said they would grow by up to 10%. The UK's wind, wave and tidal industries already employ 10,600 people.

In a wide-ranging survey about levels of business confidence, an outright majority of onshore and offshore wind companies (51%) said the single most important incentive for development was a supportive framework from the Government, in the form of Renewables Obligation Certificates (ROCs), Feed-in Tariffs (FiTs) and Contracts for Difference (CfDs) announced as part of the Electricity Market Reform package. These measures reward wind generators for the clean electricity they produce, reducing the need for Britain to rely on expensive fossil fuel imports.

A clear majority of onshore wind developers identified the UK's cumbersome planning process as the most significant obstacle to growth. 59.8% said Britain's unwieldy planning system needed to be streamlined to promote growth.

Dr Gordon Edge, RenewableUK's Director of Policy, said:

"This survey shows that the renewables sector is confident about expanding to meet our carbon reduction targets, delivering the twin benefits of energy security and job creation".

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Renewables 'boost local economies'

2011-10-24T13:51:00.000+01:00

Renewable energy schemes such as wind farms and hydropower can help communities become sustainable and create local jobs, the Co-operative Bank said.

The bank said it had reached the milestone of lending more than half a billion pounds to renewable energy projects since 2007, and aims to have lent £1 billion by 2013.

It has funded 108 new renewable energy projects in this time, specialising in projects with a capital value of up to £25 million which are usually taken on by smaller developers, community groups and landowners.

They include onshore wind, hydroelectric, biomass and combined heat and power systems.

Richard Wilcox, head of social banking at the Co-operative Bank, said: "At a time when many communities are fighting for survival from the wider economic challenges, small to medium renewable energy schemes provide them an opportunity for communities to become sustainable, creating local jobs and diversifying local economies."

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EU to map out rapid shift towards Renewables

2011-10-21T14:55:00.000+01:00

The EU is to warn that the era of cheap energy is over, according to a leaked document obtained by news agency Reuters that outlines how the bloc plans to accelerate investment in renewable energy.

The draft 2050 energy road map is to be published before the end of the year and is expected to reinforce the messages contained in the 2050 low carbon road map that was published by the European Commission in March and detailed how the bloc could cut emissions by between 80 and 95 per cent by mid-century.

Reuters reported that the latest draft reveals plans for a rapid shift away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energy sources, predicting that by 2050 renewable energy will account for between 55 and 97 per cent of total energy generation.

Mirroring the stance of the UK government, the draft document maintains that some investment in fossil fuels infrastructure remains necessary arguing that "maintaining a foot in the global oil market and keeping domestic refineries even when production and consumption is falling at home is important to the EU economy and security".

It also claims that gas can provide a valuable bridging fuel through the 2030s as large-scale renewables projects come online, and hedges its bets on shale gas by arguing more research is required. However, it does predict that demand for coal should fall drastically over the coming decades.

Reuters reported that the leaked document acknowledges that energy prices across the bloc will rise over the next two decades before then stabilising, although it notes that prices would climb regardless of whether member states invest in renewables or new carbon-intensive infrastructure.

It predicted that energy costs, including transport fuel, could account for 15 per cent of average household income by 2030.

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UK Energy Efficiency Act becomes Law

2011-10-20T15:01:00.001+01:00

A UK energy act came into law on Wednesday which aims to boost energy efficiency in residential homes, the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) said.

More than half of UK homes have insufficient insulation, and around 50 percent more energy is used to heat and power homes than is used to power UK industry, according to DECC.

"It is vital, therefore, that action is taken to address home energy efficiency," the department said.

"The coalition is doing all it can to bear down on energy prices, but insulation will provide the long-term help to manage bills," energy and climate change secretary Chris Huhne said.

DECC also said that the energy act would set in stone the legal framework for the 'Green Deal', which will be launched in autumn next year.

"The Green Deal will . help people insulate against rising energy prices, creating homes which are warmer and cheaper to run," DECC said.

Climate change minister Greg Barker said that the Green Deal is "expected to attract capital investment of up to 15 billion pounds in the residential sector alone by the end of this decade and at its peak support around 250,000 jobs."

The key elements to the energy act will remove the upfront cost of energy efficiency measures (like loft, cavity and external wall insulation, draught proofing and energy efficiency glazing and boilers) making expensive home improvement affordable.

DECC said that the energy saving work will be repaid over time through a charge on the home's energy bill.

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Greece's recession-busting solar plan edges forward

2011-10-19T14:05:00.000+01:00

A €20bn deal to increase Greek solar energy capacity tenfold could be in place by the end of the year.

A nationwide solar initiative tipped to help Greece drag itself out of financial meltdown could be rubberstamped by the end of the year.

Project Helios, named after the Greek god of the sun, is designed to attract €20bn in foreign investment to deliver 2,200MW of solar capacity by 2020 – a tenfold increase – before rising to 10,000MW by 2050.

The scheme was unveiled last month by energy minister George Papaconstantinou, who told news agency Bloomberg on Friday that Greece plans to sign a pact with EU officials and renewable energy companies within the next few months.

"I have spoken with three German ministers on the project as well as with the EU, and I'm optimistic we can get a framework agreement by the end of the year," he said.

Papaconstantinou has previously suggested that the stricken country could put its 300 days of sunshine a year to good use by supplying solar power to Germany, which enjoys far less sunny weather and is looking to renewable sources to fill the gap left by Chancellor Angela Merkel's decision to close all the country's nuclear reactors by 2022.

Greece's solar energy output is around 80 per cent smaller than Germany's, but the country has been ramping up installation rates. Bloomberg New Energy Finance estimates that Greece will add almost 500MW of capacity this year, more than three times last year's level, while Merkel has hinted that she may reduce solar subsidies ...

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EIB gives Iberdrola €200m Research Loan

2011-10-18T16:19:00.000+01:00

The European Investment Bank (EIB) has finalised a €200m loan to Spanish utility Iberdrola to finance part of its research, development and innovation (RDI) programme.

The EIB will finance a number of activities under Iberdrola’s 2011 to 2014 programme of RDI investment in innovative technologies in the fields of conventional energy generation, energy transmission and distribution, and renewable energy.

The activities financed by the loan will be carried out at Iberdrola’s existing R&D facilities in the European Union, with 70 per cent of funds being directed towards activities in Spain and the remainder in the UK.

In the green energy or sustainable power space, Iberdrola will work towards improving the operating conditions and reducing environmental impacts by rolling out more efficient generating plants and cutting emissions.

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Poseidon Atlantic offshore wind test centre to be first of kind on US East Coast

2011-10-17T15:27:00.000+01:00

Poseidon Atlantic will be the first test facility of its kind to be built in the US state of Virginia, on North America’s East Coast.

The Poseidon Atlantic project is a private sector initiative developed by Real NewEnergy, Fugro and Ecofys and will be used for full-service testing and certification of existing-and-next generation land-based and offshore wind turbine generators.

Speaking about the announcement Governor McDonnell said, ‘The Poseidon Atlantic project is transformational for the future development of offshore wind technology, as there is currently a worldwide lack of facilities that are suitable for full-service certification testing of offshore wind turbine technology.’

The development of the commercial wind turbine test center in coastal Virginia is set to capitalise on the maritime advantages provided by The Port of Virginia, according to a statement by Poseidon Atlantic.

The initial phase of the project is to be developed on Virginia’s Eastern Shore in Northampton County, where a recently commissioned wind farm and wind test center ordinance allows wind turbines up to 750 feet tall – an unprecedented wind ordinance in the US.

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Vestas wins 99MW wind turbine order from E.ON’s US division

2011-10-14T12:03:00.000+01:00

Danish wind energy developer Vestas has received an order from E.ON Climate & Renewables North America for turbines with a combined capacity of 99MW.

The company will supply 55 of its 1.8MW units for the Anacacho wind farm in southern Texas. The contract includes delivery and installation as well as a five-year service and maintenance agreement. Delivery is scheduled to begin in mid-2012 with the facility expected to be operational by the end of the year.

Martha Wyrsch, president of Vestas-American Wind Technology, said, ‘We look forward to partnering again with E.ON, a leading global wind-power developer and operator, to build another wind energy project in 2012. We already employ about 150 people in Texas in running wind power plants and technology research. As a result of this project, we expect to create a number of additional full-time service and maintenance positions in 2012.’

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GE ploughs $50m into India's Wind Energy market

2011-10-13T17:01:00.000+01:00

General Electric Financial Services and Greenko sign $115m wind energy deal.

General Electric (GE) has signed a $115m deal to help build 500MW of Indian wind farms, joining the growing list of investors betting on one of the world's fastest-growing green energy markets.

GE Energy Financial Services today confirmed it has signed a deal with Indian project developer Greenko to construct 500MW of wind farms across the country, the first of which will use GE turbines.

The companies have set up a venture dubbed Greenko Wind Project Private (GWPP) Limited to develop Greenko's project pipeline. It will be funded by $65m from Greenko and $50m from GE.

The deal is GE's first green energy investment in India and follows hot on the heels of Goldman Sachs recent $200m acquisition of a majority stake in Mumbai-based ReNew Wind Power Pv.

Raghuveer Kurada, managing director for India at GE Energy Financial Services, said the company would contribute both finance and expertise to the new venture.

'This investment expands GE's presence in one of the world's fastest-growing power markets, with a local, proven renewable energy developer,' he said.

'In addition to capital, GE Energy Financial Services brings deep wind and other renewable energy expertise gained by building a $6bn portfolio of renewable energy investments worldwide.'

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Wind tech powers Dongfang Turbine

2011-10-12T17:31:00.000+01:00

CHENGDU - With China's oceanic wind power supply expected to hit 30 gigawatts by 2020, top domestic producer Dongfang Turbine Co Ltd is moving to meet the need through mass production of turbines whose blades span 140 meters.

Wang Bing, deputy director of the wind power division of the State-owned enterprise, told the China New Energy International Summit 2011 in Chengdu that domestic firms can now commercially manufacture units that produce 7.5 magawatts of electricity an hour.

But "the 10 magawatt level is not feasible in China with current investment", he said.

"The 7.5 megawatt wind turbine for ocean wind power projects is the market that global producers put hefty investment into," he noted, but declined to release Dongfang Turbine's total spending for R&D and production of the units.

Market insiders say the cost of a single such new unit could surpass 26 million yuan, but then gradually become more affordable due to mass production.

Wang said the company's global competitors now include New York-based Windtech International, which has announced plans for an ambitious 10 megawatt unit, and California's Clipper Windpower, whose 7.5 megawatt wind turbine will soon be put into operation.

Dongfang's challenge is now "looking to the future - the 10 megawatt unit is not difficult to achieve if investment is sufficient" for the sophisticated research needed, Wang said.

Company statistics show annual new installed wind power capacity using Dongfang units is nearly 100 million kW.

By the end of last year, the company had 3,000 units in operation at 72 wind farms in China.

The value of the company's industrial output hit 20 million yuan last year.

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Backing for major £220m Western Isles Windfarm

2011-10-11T16:45:00.000+01:00

Western Isles Council is backing plans for a major £220 million wind farm on Lewis.

The developers, Lewis Wind Power (LWP) - a partnership between Amec and French government-owned EDF Energy - want to erect up to 42 giant turbines adjacent to a busy tourist route outside Stornoway.

The Scottish Government will make the final decision over planning permission but needs much more vital detail to fill the large information gap caused by an "flawed" environmental assessment by the developer.

LWP is in talks with conservation bodies and government energy planners over how many turbines would be axed to protect golden eagles and other rare birds.

Scottish Natural Heritage says a giant windfarm is possible in the area but reckons some turbines will have to go. While it says it is is confident talks can identify a minimal number to remove, it points out that if agreement is not reached then taking away thirteen turbines within a 500 metre buffer zone would safeguard the eagles.

SNH stresses much more environmental inofrmation is required before a final view can be made. It slammed LWP for its "major flaw" of not judging the windfarm under the stricter habitat regulations which govern the eagle and bird flight paths by the adjacent legally protected Barvas moor Special Protection Area.

But, yesterday (tues) planning councillors approved the scheme with conditions including further work on avoiding pollution to protect wild salmon on the Creed River fisheries. The full council is expected to add its weight behind the windfarm next week and will urge the Scottish Government not to hold a public inquiry into the development.

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Sahara Solar Project to Present First Plant Design in 2012

2011-10-10T15:42:00.000+01:00

The Sahara solar initiative backed by German turbine maker Siemens AG and Deutsche Bank AG will sketch out plans in 2012 for its first power plant, a 600 million-euro ($800 million) station in Morocco, its project manager said.

Desertec, the venture aiming to generate power across the North African desert for Mediterranean-area consumers, needs a few more months of planning for its initial 150-megawatt pilot plant, Paul van Son, chief executive officer of Dii GmbH, the project management company, said in an interview in Munich.

Dii’s talks with European and North African governments to back the initiative are advancing “step by step,” even as upheavals during the Arab Spring ousted leaders in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya this year, van Son said. “I’m very confident that we will see concrete steps in 2012.”

The project founded in 2009 envisions an Egypt-to-Morocco network of solar-thermal plants, in which mirrors concentrate sunlight to heat liquids for powering turbines, as well as photovoltaic panels and wind farms. Electricity would be sold to the region and the excess exported to Europe, providing as much as 15 percent of the continent’s demand by 2050.

Overall investments may total as much as 400 billion euros, Dii has said. So far, no facilities have been built, which has Logan Goldie-Scot, an analyst with Bloomberg New Energy Finance, concerned that the project may not be realized.

North African countries are moving ahead with their own projects more quickly than Desertec, Goldie-Scot said. Morocco targets 2 gigawatts of solar capacity by 2020, with bidding for the construction of a 125-megawatt solar-thermal plant in Ouarzazate “in the final stages,” Goldie-Scot said by phone.

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Interconnected European offshore grid will save billions of Euros

2011-10-07T15:38:00.000+01:00

New results on offshore electricity grid infrastructure in Europe: the EU "OffshoreGrid" project analysis reveals tremendous cost saving potential. Report published in Brussels today.

Offshore grids, connecting North and Baltic Sea wind farms to electricity consumers, will be substantially cheaper to build than expected. Building "hub connections" at sea instead of using cables to connect single wind farms individually to the shore will result in investment costs that are 14 billion Euros lower. Additionally if these hub connections were combined with an even more interconnected "meshed grid", the necessary additional costs of 5 to 7 billion Euros would be compensated by 16 to 21 billion Euros of additional benefits over 25 years of grid operation.

The cost for creating the complete meshed offshore grid including wind farm connections would amount to about 0.1 Eurocent per kWh consumed in the EU27 over the project life time.

There have been numerous estimates as to the costs such a grid may involve and the form it may take. The OffshoreGrid project, co-financed by the European Commission, proves the financial benefits of building a meshed European grid offshore and outlines two cost-efficient designs. However, it warns that a new regulatory framework is needed to enable its construction.

"As a concrete roadmap for further grid developments, the OffshoreGrid report sends a credible and urgent call for action to our policymakers and regulators. It should help trigger and steer timely investments, and deepen the international exchange and collaboration that are necessary for an efficient Europe-wide grid", says Geert Palmers, Chief Executive Officer of global renewable energy consultancy 3E, who acted as the project coordinator.

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Pushing the Design Envelope: the Emerging Reality of 10-20MW Offshore Wind Turbines

2011-10-06T16:46:00.000+01:00

As the offshore wind sector grows so will the size of the turbines used to power its energy into electricity?

According to the Offshore Wind Supply Chain Strategy Report 2011 the average size of offshore wind turbines is set to grow from its present 2 to 7MW capacity range to between 10 and 20MW in the next 10 to 15 years.

On the basis of a wide-ranging industry survey of offshore wind turbine manufacturer OEMs the new report finds that 40 per cent of respondents see 10 to 20MW as the standard size in future years, 35.6 per cent sees it growing to between 8 and 10MW and a notable 6.7 per cent believe it will go even larger beyond 20MW.

The report’s authors say that one of the main drivers behind the increase in size is to improve OEMs economies of scale on offshore projects and reduce cost.

The ramp-up will bring a myriad of challenges for offshore component suppliers. According to OEMs it will lead to the need for “compact and lighter designs” of blades and towers, reliable electronic components and the location of manufacturing plants closer to offshore wind farms.

One leading OEM said: “Components increasing in size is a natural development of an immature industry. The real problem will be in the logistics and how to transport extremely large components.”

Another told the report: “The coming 10-20MW turbines will be floating. This means that the critical components will be blades, drive train and generator. Less critical but still challenging will be a floating foundation.”

When asked which components would prove to be the most difficult to scale up OEMs said rotor blades because they take a long time to manufacture, towers because of the increased costs of raw materials, direct drive because of the cost of copper and rare earth metals and bearings due to technological constraints and a limited supply base.

One OEM said: “It’s rotor blades because of the logistical difficulties. There will be a challenge in handling the blades which will be much bigger and stronger.”

OEMs told the report’s authors that they were pushing the “design envelope” on both blades and bearings to drive improved scale.

Indeed new designs, technologies and offshore innovation will be vital tools for component manufacturers to embrace in both the present and the near future if they want to gain offshore contracts from OEMs.

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Malaysia Explores Its Renewables Options

2011-10-05T15:32:00.000+01:00

The Southeast Asian nation has launched a tariff system that could spur the development of renewable technologies including biomass, biogas, mini-hydro and solar.

Malaysia's potential for renewable energy generation is substantial. Its equatorial location is superb for solar, and its extensive tropical forests can supply large quantities of biomass. Hydropower already plays a significant part of the nation's energy mix, particularly on the island of Borneo, and mini-hydropower from streams and rivers has boosted the electricity supply in rural areas.

The potential for energy from palm oil waste is widely discussed. Malaysia produces around 18 million tonnes of palm oil per year, most of which is exported. Oil palm plantations cover 15 percent of the country (4.7 million ha) and produce significant amounts of combustible waste – both biomass, including empty fruit bunches, tree fronds, trunks, fibres and shell; and biogas from methane capture of palm oil mill effluent (POME) – which, according to some estimates, could generate up to 20 percent of the country's electricity by 2020.

Electricity Market
The country's electricity generating capacity increased by 20 percent between 2000 and 2009, and is projected to increase further by almost three percent per year, from 66 million tonnes of oil equivalent (Mtoe) in 2005 to 131 Mtoe in 2030. Per capita electricity demand is on the rise, and is expected to reach or exceed the OECD average by 2030. While total installed capacity for the entire country was estimated at 24,187 MW in 2010 and peak demand was anticipated at 16,332 MW, offering a comfortable margin of capacity over demand, utility Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) projects that peak demand will stand at 20,669 MW by 2020.

TNB currently maintains a generation reserve margin of 31 percent, but it predicts that this margin will drop to 20 percent by 2015 if no new power plants come online by then, which is likely as there are no new plant projects scheduled for the next four years. Indeed, there were power shortages in 2009 due to rising demand and aging generating units.

Energy Policy
According to government targets, renewable energy should contribute at least 5.5 percent to the country's generation mix by 2015. Surveys indicate that the public supports renewable power as a remedy for high levels of pollution – such as the "Malaysian haze' of 2005, a weeklong choking, smog-like haze over Peninsular Malaysia which almost brought the region to a standstill.

Nevertheless, the development of renewable energy projects has to date been very slow, and government officials confirm that renewables can account for only a small part of the mix in the foreseeable future. Even with its "five fuels" policy – which adds renewable energy sources to the national mix of oil, gas, coal and hydropower – renewable capacity excluding hydropower was only 53 MW at the end of the 8th Malaysia Plan in 2009.

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Germany Continues Exporting Electricity: Renewables Driving Down Prices Despite Closing Reactors

2011-10-04T14:33:00.000+01:00

Recent data shows Germany continues to export electricity despite closing seven nuclear reactors. Meanwhile, Bloomberg reports that continued renewable energy expansion in Germany is driving down power prices.

Germany's bureau of statistics reports that the country exported more electricity than it imported during the first half of 2011. This disproves widespread rumors circulating in North America that Germany is closing its nuclear power plants by relying on imports of electricity from its neighbors.

Though the bureau of statistics notes that the margin of exports over imports has decreased from 2010, Germany sold 4 TWh more electricity than it bought during the period. Germany consumes more than 300 TWh every six months. The surplus for export represents about one percent of consumption.

In the first half of 2010, Germany exported nearly 11 TWh more electricity than it imported.

Bloomberg reports that Germany is expected to add 7,000 MW of wind and solar generating capacity in 2013, exceeding the installations projected for 2012. This massive expansion of renewable energy generating capacity is affecting the futures market for fossil-fuel fired generation.

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Low-cost imports from China fuel boom in Solar Panels

2011-10-03T14:31:00.000+01:00

British homeowners are increasingly able to build greener homes by using cheap solar panels from China, but western workers are paying the price with a wave of corporate collapses and layoffs among green energy firms.

The price of PV (photo voltaic) solar panels has dropped by as much as a third this year alone, hastening the introduction of a low-carbon economy and reducing the time period when renewable energy needs public subsidy.

And there is a boom at present as consumers try to install the low-cost equipment before the level of handouts via the government feed-in tariff (FIT) is reassessed in April next year.

"Prices (of solar panels) are falling so fast that some buyers are holding off making purchases on the expectation they will come down even more. We have seen an average fall of around 33% so far this year and I would expect to see a further 15% decline in the last quarter," says Gabriel Wondrausch, founder of Exeter-based PV installer, Solar Gift Solar.

Wondrausch has traditionally bought in solar equipment from places such as Germany but says he is now poised to introduce a whole new range of low-cost panels with the help of Chinese manufacturers.

Solar Century, a larger London-based supplier that also assembles PV equipment, says a large amount of its equipment is imported from China too.

Britain has come late to the solar party with government ministers preferring in the past to concentrate on wind power and only fairly recently trying to stimulate demand by offering subsidies to solar users.
This has meant PV manufacture has been concentrated in countries such as Germany and Spain where harnessing the power of the sun has been encouraged for many years.

The US, and more recently China, have gradually latched on to the growing global market for solar and have been setting up factories in double-quick time.

But the very low labour costs – and allegedly the very cheap finance available from state-owned institutions – has rapidly propelled China into pole position in the production of solar equipment.
The rapid build-up in capacity in the Far East is playing a major role in driving down the cost of panels, but it is also being blamed for a crisis at many German and particularly American rivals.

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Marine Renewables Gathers Pace and Profitability

2011-09-30T14:52:00.000+01:00

The UK is the global leader in the development of Marine Renewable energy. This source of renewable energy is one of the most reliable and predictable of all...

LONDON ...the UK is the global leader in the development of Marine Renewable energy. This source of renewable energy is one of the most reliable and predictable of all. With technologies now proving their viability and plans for commercial deployment of projects now gathering momentum this industry is on the dawn of a new and very profitable era.

In the race to deploy tidal stream technology, there are three clear front-runners: the UK, Canada, and the US. They have key demonstration projects, the first array developments planned, and relatively good policy support.

In the UK, Tidal energy devices will soon to be deployed at multi megawatt scale, producing commercially viable ‘green’ electricity by 2015 predicts first minister Alex Salmond, marking a major breakthrough for the industry.

Meanwhile, Canada and the US have stepped up their efforts to exploit their significant tidal regions in areas such as the Bay of Fundy and Vancouver Inlets, with companies like Ocean Renewable Power progressing numerous projects.

South Korea leads the Asian charge, although the focus has largely been on tidal barrage schemes.

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Vast reserves of shale gas revealed in UK

2011-09-29T16:27:00.000+01:00

Huge natural gas field in north-west England revealed, but environmentalists alarmed at controversial fracking method

The huge scale of a natural gas field discovered under the north-west of England has been revealed, potentially revolutionising the UK's energy outlook and creating thousands of jobs, but environmental groups are alarmed at the controversial method by which the gas is extracted.

Preliminary wells drilled around Blackpool have uncovered 200 trillion cubic feet of gas - equal to the kind of recoverable reserves of big energy exporting countries such as Venezuela, according to Cuadrilla Resources, a small energy company which has the former BP boss Lord Browne on its board.
It said up to 800 more wells might be drilled in the region, creating 5,600 jobs and promising a repeat of the "shale gas revolution" that swept the US, sending local energy prices spinning downwards.

Even if only a relatively small fraction of gas could be exploited, it could trigger a rush of drilling in other parts of the UK at a time when Britain is running out of North Sea reserves.

But Cuadrilla's extravagant claims have alarmed environmentalists and unnerved supporters of wind power. Green groups are opposed to the hydraulic fracturing - "fracking" - process by which the gas is unlocked from shale rock, pointing out it remains banned in parts of the US and France over fears that water aquifers could be contaminated.

The process involves drilling a well then pumping in millions of gallons of water, sand and chemicals under high pressure. The pressure fractures underground shale doposits and opens fissures that enable natural gas to flow more freely out of the well. For each frack, 80-300 tonnes of chemicals may be used, critics claim.

The natural gas industry does not have to disclose the chemicals used, but scientists have identified volatile organic compounds such as toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene and benzene, the latter of which is a strong carcinogen.

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10 Reasons Renewable Energy May Beat the Projections

2011-09-28T15:32:00.000+01:00

Five percent? That's the EIA's projected global increase in renewable energy generation by the year 2035. You'd think that nearly 30 years of technological, business and environmental inroads would make a bigger dent in the world's future energy mix.

Aren’t we supposed to be living the solar dream by then? Won’t we be driving to the beach in algae-powered vehicles? Won’t we all revel in our views of majestic wind turbines? The utopian vision of our energy future may not exist in our lifetimes, but it has to have a better outlook than the one released this week.

The short of the report: By 2035, world consumption is going to rise more than 50 percent. (So, yes, that’s five percent growth on 50 percent more power). We’re going to be just as reliant on fossil fuels as we are now. And our carbon problem is going to get worse — much worse.

But the International Energy Outlook is quick to point out that it doesn’t take into account any policy changes that may affect the energy mix across the world. The renewable industry knows better than anyone that policy is king, and that the success of a growing industry is tied directly to that government support.
The world currently revolves around prices for fossil fuels, especially oil. There are other factors at play, though, that could make renewable energy a bigger player in the decades ahead.

Third World Emergence:
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said that renewable energy will lead developing nations out of energy poverty. So it stands to reason that in places like Sub-Saharan Africa and India, renewable energy will find a growing market. But his statements are in stark contrast to the report, which finds that developing nations will drive the energy consumption, but not necessarily with renewable sources. There are, however, some hopeful signs led by large corporations and small communities. In areas often powered by fuels like kerosene, there is little existing infrastructure with which to compete.

Some large-scale projects, such as what we are seeing in Kenya, may prove that massive wind farms or large geothermal plants are the best ways to power growing economies. One look at a solar insolation map shows how vast and untapped large-scale solar is as a global energy source. Or will the solution include more small-scale and localized approaches, such as what is being done in Bangladesh? Developing nations are fairly new as investment areas, so successful projects early on could go a long way toward turning economies toward renewables and away from fossil fuels.

Grid Parity and New Technology:
We won’t have to wait until 2035 to find grid parity, considering it’s already here in some select areas. Pricing will truly be the transformative force that redefines the world’s energy mix. Once we’re at true grid parity, it will become a matter of retiring existing fossil fuel plants. Consider two companies that are making huge strides toward grid parity. First Solar announced it is developing a thin-film cell with a 15 percent efficiency in mass production. GE, meanwhile, is working to create a 10- to 15-MW turbine. Advancements like these will combine with the inevitable manufacturing gains that come with greater scale to make grid parity a reality perhaps sooner than later.

EPA Rules and Retiring Coal Plants:
In the U.S., environmental concerns are likely to force the closure of some of the most inefficient coal plants. Solar and wind are likely to compete or partner with natural gas as the replacement source once the older coal plants go offline. Across the rest of the world, coal use is expected to remain relatively flat. But in Asia, it is expected to continue its meteroic rise. Will the trend last? Residents across Asia — and especially China — are becoming more vocal about the effects of industry on the environment. In a consumer poll released in June, 53 percent of respondents in China listed climate change as the world’s single greatest challenge. And just this week, 500 villagers in eastern China rioted outside a Jinko Solar factory over environmental concerns. If the massive growth is coming, and it’s fueled by the dirtiest of fossil fuels, it’s likely the developing world's citizenry, with its growing voice, will have a say in the matter.

Nuclear Concerns:
The Fukushima nuclear crisis may go down as the single natural event that’s had the greatest impact on our energy future. The political fallout from the tsunami-stricken plant has moved two of the industry’s biggest supports — Germany and Japan — to re-evaluate their energy policy without the use of nuclear power. As a result, both nations have positioned themselves as leaders in renewable integration into their current mix. Could a nuclear giant such as France reconsider its strategy, especially if Euro giant Germany emerges even stronger? The anti-nuclear shockwaves were felt in the business world this week when Siemens cited Germany’s move as the reason the company is wholesale pulling out of the nuclear industry.

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Scotland turns to Middle East to drive Renewables Investment

2011-09-27T16:28:00.000+01:00

Salmond expected to visit Middle East to push Scotland's position as low carbon investment hub.

The Scottish government is set to target Middle East sovereign wealth funds as one of the main sources of investment for its ambitious renewable energy programme.

The government is to host a Scottish Low Carbon Investment Conference in Edinburgh with First Minister Alex Salmond expected to announce series of measures designed to support the country's fast expanding low carbon economy.

A spokesman for investment agency Scottish Enterprise revealed that while Scotland will continue to try and attract British investors and banks to finance its next generation of renewable energy projects, the government will also look overseas in an attempt to boost investment and is particularly targeting Middle East governments.

Salmond is reported to be planning a trip to the Middle East in the near future where low carbon investment is expected to be near the top of the agenda.

A government source said that a number of Scottish developers were looking to raise finance now and with lending conditions tight in the UK and the government's much touted Green Investment Bank, which Edinburgh is bidding to host, unlikely to be fully operational for several years they were keen to work with sovereign wealth funds that could quickly authorise investments.

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The Race to take advantage of the Winds of Change

2011-09-26T16:44:00.000+01:00

When you put them together, the ports scattered along the banks of Humber in the northeast of England get more shipping traffic than any other in the UK.

The cars, coal, timber and other merchandise that move in and out each day make these quaysides the fifth busiest in Europe. Yet the Humbersiders are not settling for this – not when presented with the greatest opportunity in a generation. Their efforts to take advantage of offshore wind, for which they are ideally located, should be a reminder to Scots at the second Low Carbon Investment Conference in Edinburgh this week of what they are up against.

The offshore wind industry is key to the UK meeting its renewable energy targets. Construction has already started on two farms within a few miles of the Humber mouth which require more than 150 turbines between them. And these major engineering challenges are nothing compared to what comes next.

They are part of what is known as the Round Two offshore allocations, the sites in the tens and hundreds of megawatts being built in shallow waters mainly off England and Wales (the equivalent Scottish round, Scottish Territorial Waters, came later and its farms are still a couple of years from construction).

When Round Three begins around 2015, the farms will be many times bigger. The biggest, Dogger Bank, which will have more than 1000 turbines and an output capacity of 9GW – enough to power Scotland single-handed – lies 60 miles roughly due east of this coast.

Humberside’s ambition is to be the hub for this project and the other Round Threes up and down the coast which make up more than half of the country’s total near-term 45GW ambition for the industry. Like many rivals around the country, these ports want to attract the global turbine manufacturers, which would form the centre of an ecosystem of local suppliers, fabricators, operators and services companies.

Where Round Two turbines are still modest enough that they can be supplied from plants in the likes of Denmark and Germany, the sheer scale of the Round Three projects means it makes sense to set up factories in the UK.

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China Releases Technical Standards for Wind Power Industry

2011-09-23T16:23:00.000+01:00

China's National Energy Administration (NEA) in early August approved a series of technical standards designed to better regulate the development of its wind energy sector. The 18 technical standards cover grid access for large wind farms, development of offshore wind, monitoring wind turbine operations, quantitative benchmarks for assessing the quality of output, and manufacturing requirements for key equipment.

The new standards will go into effect on the first of November.

China's wind power sector has expanded rapidly over recent years. It is now the world leader in total installed capacity, reaching 44,733 MW in 2010. In the same year, four of the country’s wind turbine manufacturers were among the top 10 companies of its kind globally. During the first half of 2011, China generated 38.6 billion kWh of wind power, up 61 percent year on year (the fastest among all types of energy), according to the latest data from NEA. Construction of a number of large-scale wind power plants in Gansu, Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Xinjiang and Jiangsu are gradually moving towards completion.

However, the absence of standards has led to reduced quality control and poor management, according to industry analysts. The sector experienced many wind turbines that were disconnected from the grid this year. In February alone, 598 wind turbines at 16 wind farms in Jiuquan, Gansu province were disconnected from the grid during voltage sags. Most of the country’s operating wind turbines do not have the low-voltage ride-through capability, nor do they meet the technical requirements of power supply systems, and as a result, they simply disconnect from the grid when a voltage dip occurs.

The new standards require capability upgrades for on-grid wind turbines. This requirement, upon implementation, is expected to significantly reduce grid faults. In addition, new wind turbine manufacturers must have an annual capacity of at least 1,000 MW, the ability to produce wind turbines with unit capacity of no less than 2.5 MW each, and at least five years of large-scale power equipment experience. When establishing a new plant, the manufacturer must provide no less than 30 percent of the investment.

This puts mounted pressure on new industry players in terms of technology, production, experience and finance. It is expected to accelerate consolidation by eliminating small-sized manufacturers beset by outdated technologies while consolidating the leadership among the top players.

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Canada is awash with clean Geothermal Energy resources

2011-09-22T20:10:00.000+01:00

Canada has enormous geothermal energy resources that could supply the country with a renewable and clean source of power even though currently Canada has no geothermal electrical production.

This is one of the key findings of an encyclopaedic 300-plus page report released by the Geological Survey of Canada and a team of leading scientists in the field of geothermal energy earlier this year.
The report notes Canada's in-place geothermal power exceeds one million times the nation's current electrical consumption, although only a fraction of this can likely be produced.

As few as 100 projects could meet a significant fraction of Canada's base load energy needs, the report concludes. It also stresses that the high capacity factor of geothermal power makes geothermal energy particularly attractive as a renewable base load energy supply.

These findings are based on a new compilation and digitization of data produced through over 48 years of geothermal research in Canada.

Currently Canada has no geothermal electrical production; however, direct use and heat exchange systems are used widely. Several projects are currently being examined by industry and government to develop electrical potential in Canada.

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Orkney Islands provide a glimpse of a renewable future

2011-09-21T12:00:00.000+01:00

Cutting-edge wave and tidal technology is regenerating island communities, bringing new jobs and new skills.

The winds and stormy seas that dominate the 70 islands that make up the Orkneys has shaped the life of islanders as well as the island itself – most evident from the lack of trees or crops able to grow there.

Today it's no different; the weather and the climate caused by its open exposure to the Atlantic and North Seas continues to provide inspiration, but this time it's for a new generation of pioneers using the land and sea to produce renewable electricity.

Despite being on the outer fringes of the British Isles, these islands are producing cutting edge wave and tidal technology, demonstrating innovation that's putting the UK on the map as a global leader, and regenerating island communities; bringing new jobs, new skills and creating a strong supply chain.

If Scotland is the envy of Europe when it comes to renewable energy then Orkney is the envy of Scotland.

The Scottish National party recently announced the ambitious target of sourcing 100% of our electricity demand from renewables by 2020. Lessons from Orkney about community engagement, supply chain development and research and development will help us reach this target.

Orkney-based companies such as the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) are hugely celebrated for their work in the wave and tidal sector. It is the first centre of its kind to offer developers the opportunity to test full scale prototypes in the sea, and no stranger to world firsts.

In 2004 Pelamis, a wave power device became the world's first to successfully generate electricity for the National Grid. A few weeks ago the world's largest single-rotor tidal turbine, built by Atlantis, became the first in Scotland to be grid-connected at the marine energy centre. It has also brought visitors and researchers from all over the globe and is attracting people to live, work, and study on the island. EMEC along with companies like Xodus Aurora and ScotRenewables are all employing graduates on Orkney.

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Rescue deal close after Renewable firm Proven Energy folds

2011-09-20T17:04:00.000+01:00

A consortium of investors is in discussions to protect the UK renewable energy industry after wind turbine manufacturer Proven Energy ceased trading and went into receivership.

The news of a possible rescue deal came after KPMG were appointed joint receivers of the stricken firm at the request of the company’s directors.

With its manufacturing facility in Stewarton, Ayrshire and administration and design office in East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire, Proven is a leading and well-established manufacturer of small wind turbines and employs 75 staff across both sites.

Its product range comprises three core models: the P7, P11 and its flagship turbine, the P35-2, with both the P11 and P35-2 recognised by the Microgeneration Certification Scheme, the system which certificates microgeneration technologies used to produce electricity and heat from renewable sources and is also linked to financial incentives which include Feed in Tariffs.

The company has more than 3,000 of its products installed worldwide and has recently opened offices in Illinois.

One prospective purchaser Icon Energy released a statement this evening, which confirmed: “Icon Energy continue to maintain strong representation within the group of prospective purchasers and we are involved in detailed negotiations with investment partners, whom perceive the Proven brand to remain an excellent ambassador for micro-renewable wind technologies.

"Irrespective of the nature of any future successful bid however, we remain fully committed to ensuring the interests of our customers remain at the forefront of all negotiations.

“Discussions are also taking place with the Scottish Government and local Ministers to try to ensure employment opportunities remain in Scotland, where possible.

“We remain fully confident that Proven will re-emerge from the current situation as a stronger entity.

"Recent discussions with Provens' technical experts, indicates that the original fault, which indirectly led to the current situation, had been identified and a technical solution proposed. This demonstrates to us that Proven were fully solution focused. As a reseller, we will strive to ensure the emergent company is equally customer focused.

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Optimised Transformers Boost Wind Turbine Profits

2011-09-19T17:22:00.000+01:00

The profitability of wind generation is dependent upon the design. If your wind farm is not designed to maximise available generation and minimise operating costs, chances are your wind farm will hemorrhage cash and profits for as long as you own it. However, the weak link in most designs is often not the turbine but the transformer.

Choosing the right transformer can increase sales by as much as 17 MWh annually for a 1.5-MW turbine, depending upon wind conditions. Operating costs can be reduced by as much as $2,800 per turbine annually in avoided backup power costs for periods when there is no wind. Losses can be substantially more if low first cost is the dominant consideration. In regions such as California, for example, where the generation from wind is 22 percent of rated capacity, a turbine will be idle 50 percent of the time.

When turbines are idling generation is not zero, it is negative. This is because there is a transformer connected to each turbine to step up the voltage to the wind farm's substation level, and that transformer must be kept powered. Since a transformer is always powered from the higher voltage side, it will draw from the substation and ultimately the system grid.

Utility customers of wind farm merchant generators are aware of this and manage the matter contractually. Typically, there is a backup power charge whenever the wind farm draws power from the system. This backup power charge may be as much as three times the price at which the wind farm sells electricity to the utility.

Increasing the transformer efficiency will boost the generation available for sale, but this is only a partial solution, and does not address the underlying problem. Although load losses increase as the square of the load, this coil efficiency does not address the problem that the transformer may have no load for a relatively large proportion of the time, and operate at a reduced load for the majority of the time that the turbine is generating power. Profitability comes down to minimising the core (or iron) losses. This is a constant 24x7x365 loss – the power required to actually operate the transformer – of the power required to keep the core excited.

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EU could dish out 700 million free CO2 credits to upgrade ageing Power Plants

2011-09-16T16:33:00.000+01:00

Deutsche Bank forecasts Poland and Czech Republic will get 28 per cent of EU ETS phase-three credits for free.

The European Union will give away nearly 700 million free emissions allowances (EUAs) to 10 member states that need to upgrade their ageing energy infrastructure, Deutsche Bank has forecast.

The third phase of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme due to start in 2013 will tighten restrictions on the amount of carbon emitted by power plants.

However, it also includes a clause designed to encourage the modernisation of old, inefficient power plants in eastern Europe.

Ten member states, including Romania, Latvia and Cyprus, are eligible to apply for free EUAs, and are due to submit their proposals by the end of September.

So far just Poland and the Czech Republic have published their plans. Based on this data, Deutsche Bank has forecast that the EU will hand out 690 million EUAs to the 10 member states over the third phase of the scheme from 2013 to 2020.

"We estimate that, under the methodologies used for calculating the amount of allowances to be awarded free of charge to generators over Phase 3 ..., generators in [Poland and the Czech Republic] will on average receive 28 per cent of their Phase-3 EUAs free of charge," said the bank's Fixed Income Research analysts Mark C Lewis and Isabelle Curien in a note on Friday.

"Extrapolating from observed data, we estimate that a total of 690 million Phase-3 EUAs could be allocated for free to generators in the 10 member states concerned, of which 564 million will be allocated to existing installations ... or 70 million on average per year."

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Geothermal, Offshore Wind Get Boost in U.S.

2011-09-14T17:47:00.000+01:00

The geothermal and offshore wind industries received major boosts over the next several years from the U.S. Department of Energy late last week.

The DOE announced $38 million will go to advance geothermal technology and reduce cost. Another $43 million will go to help the U.S. build an offshore wind industry.

Geothermal
U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said the projects will accelerate the development of promising geothermal energy technologies and help diversify America's sources of renewable energy. Over the next three years, 32 projects in 14 states will develop and test new ways to locate geothermal resources and improve resource characterization, drilling, and reservoir engineering techniques, which will enable geothermal energy sources to help reduce the nation's reliance on fossil fuels.
Projects will perform feasibility studies before advancing to prototyping and validation, which will be conducted through laboratory-based research and field testing. The selected projects will support the department's goals of lowering the cost and financial risk associated with confirming and characterizing geothermal resources and will help to overcome key technical challenges to the reservoir creation and sustainability of enhanced geothermal systems.

Wind
Chu announced that the money, to be spent over the next five years, will speed technical innovations, lower costs, and shorten the timeline for deploying offshore wind energy systems. The 41 projects across 20 states will advance wind turbine design tools and hardware, improve information about U.S. offshore wind resources, and accelerate the deployment of offshore wind by reducing market barriers such as supply chain development, transmission and infrastructure.

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Big Blades: Brave, new world for logistics

2011-09-13T19:09:00.000+01:00

When GE unveiled its plans to research and develop a 15MW machine, it became evident that 6-7MW turbines fall short of the limits of blue sky thinking on turbine capacity. But will logistics bring these aspirations back to earth?

As component sizes increase in-step with next-generation turbine blade lengths measuring 70-80metres, the logistical challenges faced by the industry are significant.

Transporting and installing components such as blades for today’s 3-3.6MW offshore wind turbines already presents a logistical feat of some magnitude. Specialist rail tracks, roundabout-free roads, storage facilities, vessels, cranes, and more have been specially designed to get blades from factories (which are often inland) to port and then out to the offshore site, along with similar innovations for installation and maintenance.

The logistical challenges of dealing with the larger size and weight of the 6-7MW turbines to be deployed in the UK’s Round 3 projects will require even more ingenuity. The same holds true for even larger turbines to follow: while Clipper’s plans for a 10MW turbine have been torpedoed, a 10-15MW machine is now under research and development by GE.

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Neptune Renewable Energy gets green light for autumn deployment of advanced tidal stream device.

2011-09-12T15:34:00.000+01:00

Neptune Renewable Energy Ltd has been given parliamentary approval for the deployment of its world-leading tidal stream power device.

It has been issued with a Transport and Works Act Order following a decision by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) to allow deployment of the Neptune Proteus NP1000 demonstrator and the installation of a shore bridge in the Humber.

The device, which is on course to be deployed during the autumn, is to provide power for The Deep submarium, Hull’s successful millennium visitor attraction.

The 150-tonne Neptune Proteus was towed along Hull’s William Wright Dock in July 2010 and generated levels of electrical power output beyond the minimum commercial requirement. It has since undergone final fitting out and electrical installation.

Glenn Aitken, finance director of Neptune Renewable Energy, said that the company was pleased that all the vital elements were now in place.

“Gaining the Transport and Works Act Order was a complex procedure in which Neptune Renewable Energy had to demonstrate its technology met the exacting standards required by the DECC and it is excellent news that this has now been issued.

“As the Humber region develops into a leading UK centre for renewable energy, we need to raise awareness of the potential for tidal power business as a significant contributor. It has some clear advantages over wind power including being a totally predictable and continuous source of clean energy as well as being visually unobtrusive.”

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MPs press government over Humber Wind Turbine Plant

2011-09-09T15:47:00.000+01:00

Hull's MPs have called on the government to do more to secure the future of a proposed wind turbine factory.

An initial agreement signed by manufacturer Siemens and Associated British Ports to develop a site in Hull docks ran out at the end of July.

Now there are rival bids from elsewhere in Europe.

The city's three MPs have called for urgent talks with the Government to ensure that the factory goes ahead.

The plan would see an estimated 10,000 jobs created, with a new manufacturing facility to be built in Hull's Alexandra Dock.

The German engineering giant was attracted to the city as the site was close to the new offshore wind farm sites in the North Sea.

An outline agreement was signed in January 2011, with both companies planning to sign a final contract by the end of the year.

Speaking at Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons, the Labour MP for Hull North, Diana Johnson, called for David Cameron to get involved.

"Bringing Siemens manufacturing wind turbines to the Humber is vital for jobs, and also for a breakthrough on renewables and hopefully increasing the UK industry in this area, she said.

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Despite Financial Crisis, Renewables Surged Forward in 2010

2011-09-08T17:33:00.000+01:00

It seems that 2010 was yet another record year for wind power, which was propelled to a global installed total of 200 GW by 39.4 GW of new capacity over the year - an impressive rise of about 25 percent in total installations, even if this annual figure for new installations edged up by only three percent from 2009.

The latest World Wind Market Update from BTM, now part of Navigant Consulting, found that Chinese turbine manufacturers have made further gains in their home market, squeezing foreign-owned manufacturers by 3.5 percentage points down to a 10.5 percent market share in 2010. China's Sinovel is now ranked as the world's second largest wind turbine manufacturer behind Vestas. Sinovel's new installed wind power capacity grew from 3510 MW in 2009 to 4386 MW in 2010, with its global market share up from 9.2 percent to 11.1 percent, according to BTM.

Global investment in renewable power and fuels has apparently defied the global economic crisis to set a new record in 2010, according to a new analysis commissioned by the UN Environment Programme. Indeed, investment hit $211 billion, up 32 percent from 2009's $160 billion.

As in the wind sector, nations beyond the traditional stronghold of Europe and America are emerging as increasingly important players on the global stage. In terms of investment, the developing world has now overtaken the richer countries for the first time. What's more, the continuing shift in the balance of power in renewable energy towards developing countries is no longer a story of China alone.

In the PV sector, the strong growth of the past five years - at a compound annual rate of 65 percent - is not due to luck, or to a recognition that a switch to renewables is imperative. Rather, the trend reflects decades of development in technology, markets and business strategy. In 2010, the industry reached multi-gigawatt scale in terms of annual growth and cumulative capacity and, again, much of this progress has emerged from developing nations.

The renewables sector as a whole is unquestionably buoyant, despite the repercussions of the financial crisis. Yet it must also be recognised that unpredictable policies on financial support are still affecting some markets for renewable energy. Investment decisions have increasingly been focused on those sectors where better margins can be achieved.

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World's First Hybrid Solar-Geothermal Power Plant Underway

2011-09-07T15:57:00.000+01:00

In 2009, the world's largest geothermal developer, Ormat, moved into the solar market – using its power plant construction expertise to build solar PV and CSP plants in Israel.

And in the last couple of years, a number of CSP developers have partnered with natural gas and coal operators to create hybrid solar/fossil plants in an effort to lower the installed cost of solar and make fossil generation more efficient.

It was only a matter of time before we saw the hybrid geothermal-solar plant.

A group of business and policy leaders were in Las Vegas at the National Clean Energy Summit this morning announcing the groundbreaking of the world’s first solar-geothermal power plant – a 24-MW facility that will combine 80,000 polycrystalline PV modules with traditional hydrothermal technology.

One of the largest power plant developers in the world, Enel, is building the project. The company decided to go with PV because of the cost competitiveness of the technology. But Enel is also in the early stages of developing a similar hybrid Concentrating Solar Power-Geothermal “test plant” in the same location.

“All these things are going to be necessary as we move into renewables,” said Energy Secretary Steven Chu, speaking at the press conference. “This is an incredible new technology that can be used across the country.”

Secretary Chu was joined by Nevada Senator Harry Reid, Center for American Progress CEO John Podesta, Enel Green Power’s Francesco Venturini, and Bombard Renewable Energy’s Chris Brooks.
The speakers focused heavily on the jobs issue – explaining the importance of consistent federal policy in helping grow jobs in this emerging sector. At the peak of construction, this solar-geothermal plant will create 250 jobs.

“We have the opportunity to lead the world in this market,” explained Secretary Chu.
Senator Reid decried the continued uncertainty on the federal level, explaining that Democrats will make an increased push for clean energy in the fall.

“This is a debate we can win publicly. This is an energy revolution that other countries have embraced with arms wide open,” said Reid.

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Wind Power drives global renewable energy growth

2011-09-06T17:27:00.000+01:00

According to the report, trends for wind power include continued offshore development, the growing popularity of community-based projects and distributed, small-scale grid-connected turbines, and the development of wind projects in a wider variety of geographical locations. Average turbine sizes continued to increase in 2010, with some manufacturers launching 5 MW and larger turbines, and direct-drive turbine designs captured 18% of the global market.

In 2010, renewable energy supplied an estimated 16% of global final energy consumption and delivered close to 20% of global electricity production. Renewable capacity now comprises about a quarter of total global power-generating capacity. Including all hydropower (estimated 30 GW added in 2010), renewable energy accounted for approximately 50% of total added power generating capacity in 2010.

“The global performance of renewable energy despite headwinds has been a positive constant in turbulent times”, says Mohamed El-Ashry, Chairman of REN21’s Steering Committee. “Today, more people than ever before derive energy from renewables as capacity continues to grow, prices continue to fall, and shares of global energy from renewable energy continue to increase.”

Renewable energy policies continue to be the main driver behind renewable energy growth. By early 2011, at least 119 countries had some type of policy target or renewable support policy at the national level, more than doubling from 55 countries in early 2005. More than half of these countries are in the developing world.

At least 95 countries now have some type of policy to support renewable power generation. Of all the policies employed by governments, feed-in tariffs remain the most common.

Last year, investment reached a record $211 billion in renewables -- about one-third more than the $160 billion invested in 2009, and more than five times the amount invested in 2004.

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China Tops 2011 Index Rankings for Renewable Energy

2011-09-05T16:24:00.001+01:00

Influential commentators in Japan, Germany, Russia, the US, China, Spain, Italy, Thailand, Yemen and numerous other nations have all weighed in on the need to de-emphasise nuclear and focus on renewables in the wake of the Japanese tsunami and nuclear disaster. So concludes the Ernst & Young 2011 All Renewables Index.

At the same time, recent unrest and the risk of further conflict in the Middle East and North Africa region have highlighted crucial issues around energy supply security and oil price volatility. European governments have slashed budgets and reduced feed-in tariffs (FiTs), causing solar cell prices to fall while solar manufacturers' margins are being squeezed due to rising silicon and other commodity costs.

RANKINGS OVERVIEW

China has climbed to its highest ever score in the Index, principally by diversifying its renewables portfolio through an increased focus on offshore wind and CSP.

While China surpassed the US to become the world's largest energy consumer in 2010, environmental targets set out in the 12th Five-Year Plan include an increase in the proportion of energy from non-fossil fuels to 11.3 percent by 2015, from the current 8.3 percent. To meet this target, China says it intends to build at least 70 GW of new wind farms and 5 GW of new solar farms.

According to the report, the latest statistics indicate that, in 2010, the China Development Bank (CDB) made around $35 billion in low-interest credit available to Chinese renewables companies. This compares with the $4 billion of grants and $16 billion in loan guarantees awarded to clean-tech companies in the US.

China overtook the US at the end of 2010 to become the world leader in wind power, having installed around 16 GW in 2010 or almost half of global installations - taking cumulative installed capacity to 42 GW. This is contrasted with an additional 5 GW installed in the US last year and a total of 40 GW.
However, China ranks second globally in terms of grid-connected capacity; more than a third of wind capacity had yet to be connected to the national grid at the end of 2010.

China's PV market also experienced strong growth in 2010, installing around 1 GW and taking cumulative capacity to 2.6 GW. The latest figures also show that the US now has 17 CSP plants, totaling 507 MW. The DOE has set a goal of reducing the cost of solar to $1 per watt (parity) in the next decade.

India continues to slowly climb the rankings, leaving Germany in fourth position, a sign that developers are favouring countries with high economic growth. In order to meet the government's ambitious plans for wind and solar, Suzlon Energy intends to invest $1.3 billion to develop 1 GW of new wind in Gujarat by 2013.

Germany has dropped a point due to the solar benchmarking exercise. In addition, the long-term horizon for wind power growth in Germany has been revised down as the industry matures and space for new development becomes limited.

Italy has dropped two points in light of the new decree on phased reductions to FITs for solar PV from June 2011 onward.

In the UK, the results of the Department of Energy and Climate Change's "fast track review" of FITs for solar PV has resulted in dramatic cuts for installations over 50 kW, due to come into effect on August 1, 2011. This, coupled with additional market uncertainties, have caused the UK to fall three points.

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Researchers Build a Tougher, Lighter Wind Turbine Blade

2011-09-02T14:21:00.000+01:00

Efforts to build larger wind turbines able to capture more energy from the air are stymied by the weight of blades. A Case Western Reserve University researcher has built a prototype blade that is substantially lighter and eight times tougher and more durable than currently used blade materials.

Marcio Loos, a post-doctoral researcher in the Department of Macromolecular Science and Engineering, works with colleagues at Case Western Reserve, and investigators from Bayer MaterialScience in Pittsburgh and Molded Fiber Glass Co. in Ashtabula, Ohio. The team compares the properties of new materials with the current standards used in blade manufacturing.

On his own, Loos went to the lab on weekends and built the world's first polyurethane blade reinforced with carbon nanotubes. He wanted to be sure the composite that was scoring best on preliminary tests could be molded into the right shape and maintain properties.
Using a small commercial blade as a template, he manufactured a 29-inch blade that is substantially lighter, more rigid and tougher.

"The idea behind all this is the need to develop stronger and lighter materials which will enable manufacturing of blades for larger rotors," Loos said. That's an industry goal.

In order to achieve the expansion expected in the market for wind energy, turbines need a bigger share of the wind. But simply building larger blades isn't a smart answer.

The heavier the blades, the more wind is needed to turn the rotor. That means less energy is captured. And the more the blades flex in the wind, the more they lose the optimal shape for catching moving air, so, even less energy is captured. Lighter, stiffer blades enable maximum energy and production.

"Results of mechanical testing for the carbon nanotube reinforced polyurethane show that this material outperforms the currently used resins for wind blades applications," said Ica Manas-Zloczower, professor of macromolecular science and engineering and associate dean in the Case School of Engineering.

In a comparison of reinforcing materials, the researchers found carbon nanotubes are lighter per unit of volume than carbon fiber and aluminum and had more than 5 times the tensile strength of carbon fiber and more than 60 times that of aluminum.

Fatigue testing showed the reinforced polyurethane composite lasts about eight times longer than epoxy reinforced with fiberglass. The new material was also about eight times tougher in delamination fracture tests.

The performance in each test was even better when compared to vinyl ester reinforced with fiberglass, another material used to make blades.

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British Gas pushes the button on £5m Green Gas Plant

2011-09-01T17:25:00.000+01:00

UK's 'first' dedicated green gas plant to receive Renewable Heat Incentive will use Bio Group anaerobic digestion technology.

British Gas has signed a deal to build a £5m dedicated green gas plant that is being hailed as the first of its kind expected to receive the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI).
The utility announced it has signed a deal with Bio Group to build the facility to convert commercial food waste into biomethane.

British Gas will use Bio Group's anaerobic digestion technology to convert food waste from local hotels, restaurants and British Gas's own offices into biomethane.
The facility is set to open in 2012 at an old landfill site in Stockport, generating enough renewable gas to supply up to 1,400 homes annually.

The utility said the project will be the UK's first purpose-built site to feed green gas into the grid and so benefit from the government's RHI, which was confirmed in March.

The RHI gives green gas suppliers a premium over the actual gas price paid and is being heralded by government as the first financial support scheme for renewable heat in the world.

Climate change minister Greg Barker welcomed the news as evidence that RHI is encouraging companies to investment in renewable energy.

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UK Wind generation up 131.1% in Q2 2011

2011-08-31T18:50:00.000+01:00

Wind power generation in the UK has thereby increased 1.6 TWh, according to figures from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC).

Offshore wind generation rose 146% in the same period.

RenewableUK's Director of Economics and Markets, Dr Gordon Edge, says: “While the amount of power generated by wind turbines is of course dependent on the strength of the wind at any given time, these figures help to demonstrate the increasing importance of wind generation as part of our electricity supply.

“In the face of both rising fossil fuel prices and climate change, it's clear that cutting the amount of gas and coal we burn to make electricity is crucial. Britain is the windiest country in Europe, and our fantastic wind resource is already playing a significant part in achieving this goal.”

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U.N. Secretary-General: Renewables can end Energy Poverty

2011-08-26T16:00:00.000+01:00

United Nation's Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon made renewable energy and its ability to lift the poorest nations to new levels of prosperity a central theme during his visit to Colorado on Wednesday.

With the Rockies as his backdrop, Ban toured the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, where he inspected the flexible thin-film modules produced by Colorado-based Ascent Solar. The facility, he said, represents innovative approaches that for relatively little cost can connect remote areas to the global network of information and ideas.

If energy is the lifeblood of the world economy, Ban argues that renewable energy represents an infusion of humanity.

According to the World Bank, more than 1.4 billion people worldwide — mostly in places like rural Asia and much of Africa — do not have access to electricity. About 3 billion use wood, charcoal, coal, and dung for cooking and heating. Reaching universal access to modern energy services by 2030 will require new capital investment of up to $40 billion annually in new investments.

Ban categorized three areas of energy in which significant inroads need to be made. The first is access to our modern services. Another is to double the world’s energy efficiency. Finally, the share of renewable energy in relation to the overall energy mix needs to double. This, he said, will shine a light on parts of the world that have lagged behind modern development. With it will come better health, better food, more stable governments and a higher level of education.

To illustrate his point, he spoke of a view from above. “Imagine the world at night as seen from space. I am sure many of you have seen this picture, but every time I see it I am reminded of one of the most important issues of our day — energy poverty. The United States is brightly lit. Africa is dark. So is much of the rest of the developing world. Cities show on the map, but the rural poor live — quite literally — in the dark.”

The possibilities for gains in renewable energy spans industries to include geothermal, biomass and hydro power as well as solar and wind.

“Earlier this year I visited a geothermal power station in Kenya,” said Ban. “I saw how both the government and the private sector are investing in renewables from wind power to small-scale hydro. I have also seen how China is leaping forward to become a world leader in clean energy.”

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World's largest solar farm switches from thermal to PV

2011-08-25T19:28:00.000+01:00

Decision by Solar Millennium to change technology for Blythe solar farm sparked by falling price of PV panels.

The company behind plans to build the world's largest solar farm has revealed that it is to switch to solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in what could mark a significant shift in the balance of power between competing PV and solar thermal technologies.

Germany-based Solar Millennium AG said in a statement released last week that it has changed its plans for the proposed 1GW Blythe solar farm in California, and will install the first 500MW of the facility using PV panels.

The firm added that it will make a decision on the technology that will be used in the second phase of the project at a later date.

"Solar Millennium responds quickly and pragmatically to market conditions and, at the moment, the California market favors PV technology," said chief executive Christoph Wolff.
"We are taking decisive steps in the US to maximise site value for our company and our shareholders."
However, Wolff insisted that Solar Millennium will continue to proceed with solar thermal technologies in other parts of the world.

"Our long-term strategy remains unchanged. We see solid demand for concentrated solar power [CSP] in the world's growth markets such as Africa, the Middle East, India and China," he said.

"This is also true for southern Europe where we have just achieved financial close on our fourth CSP plant in Spain."

Solar Millennium said that it is in talks with prospective solar PV panel suppliers, but did not name any of the companies being considered.

The move is part of a growing trend of planned projects with close to 2GW of capacity switching from solar thermal to PV systems in response to the falling price of PV panels.

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Italy overtakes Germany as world's largest solar PV market

2011-08-24T17:26:00.000+01:00

In the first half of 2010, the Italian solar PV market volume was almost three times that of Germany, and Italy could become the number one solar PV market in 2011 in terms of new installations, SolarPlaza says.

In 2010 Germany was still the largest solar PV market with almost 8 GW of new installations, accounting for around half of the world's market. However, Italy could take Germany's place in 2011.

So far in 2011, Germany has cut its solar feed-in tariff by 13% and the market volume has fallen 40% compared to the same period in 2010. Germany still leads in terms of cumulative capacity, but SolarPlaza predicts that countries such as Italy could overtake Germany's position there as well in a two-three year time frame.

There are other shifts among the top 10 solar PV markets as well with the Czech Republic expected to drop off the top 10 list following drastic cuts in solar incentives. Japan, however, is expected to become more important as the country has increased its focus on solar PV following the nuclear disaster in Fukushima.

Sunny countries taking the lead

As solar PV module prices have fallen around 60% over the last three years, solar could soon be competitive in sunny countries such as India, the USA, the Middle East and China.

India has introduced a National Solar Mission and China recently announced a feed-in tariff programme.
Several new markets are also developing such as the Philippines, Israel, Canada and South Africa.

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