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Author Topic: The Big Picture of Renewable Energy Growth  (Read 36369 times)

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AGelbert

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Re: The Big Picture of Renewable Energy Growth
« Reply #195 on: June 01, 2016, 08:34:56 pm »
Renewable Energy Surges to Record-Breaking Levels Around the World   
Andy Rowell, Oil Change International | June 1, 2016 9:17 am

The renewable revolution is gathering apace according to new research. Last year was an “extraordinary” record year for the sector, with “the largest global capacity additions seen to date.”

An estimated 147 gigawatts of renewable power capacity was added in 2015, according to the annual report of REN21, the renewables policy organization made up of energy experts, NGOs and governments, which is based in Paris.

In total, new installations of renewable power generation capacity rose to 1,848.5 GW globally in 2015, underlying the fact I made in yesterday’s blog that Big Oil’s demise might come sooner rather than later, in part due to the renewable revolution.


Most importantly, slowly but surely every year, renewables are becoming more cost competitive with fossil fuels.

“I’ve been working in this sector for 20 years and the economic case is now fully there,” said Christine Lins, the executive secretary of REN21: “The fact that we had 147GW of capacity, mainly of wind and solar is a clear indication that these technologies are cost competitive (with fossil fuels).”

Lins also points out that this record renewable growth has been achieved despite huge subsidies to fossil fuels. “What is truly remarkable about these results is that they were achieved at a time when fossil fuel prices were at historic lows and renewables remained at a significant disadvantage in terms of government subsidies,” she said in a statement.

Lins continued: “For every dollar spent boosting renewables, nearly four dollars were spent to maintain our dependence on fossil fuels.”

Most worrying for Big Oil is that this is the largest ever annual increase in installed clean capacity ever. As if to emphazise the point the amount spent on renewables was double that spent on new coal and gas-fired power plants.

In total, including large hydro projects, new investment was an estimated $328.9 billion, echoing research by Bloomberg New Energy Finance from earlier in the year which put clean energy investment a fraction higher at $329.3 billion.

More than 8 million people are now employed in the sector.

Other important trends were apparent too: For the first time ever, developing nations spent more than the developed world on renewables. “For the first time in history, total investment in renewable power and fuels in developing countries in 2015 exceeded that in developed economies,” the report said.

China alone accounted for more than one-third of the global total. “The renewables industry is not just dependant on a couple of markets but it has turned into a truly global one with markets everywhere and that is really encouraging,” added Christine Lins.

The report also advocated the desperate need to integrate renewables into the current power infrastructure which was built for fossil fuels. “The renewables train is barreling down the tracks, but it’s running on 20th century infrastructure—a system based on outdated thinking where conventional base load is generated by fossil fuels and nuclear power,” said Arthouros Zervoz, chairman of REN21.

Zervoz added: “To accelerate the transition to a healthier, more secure and climate-safe future, we need to build the equivalent of a high-speed rail network—a smarter, more flexible system that maximizes the use of variable sources of renewable energy and accommodates decentralized and community-based generation.”

http://ecowatch.com/2016/06/01/renewables-record-year-2015/
« Last Edit: July 11, 2016, 06:28:24 pm by AGelbert »
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AGelbert

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Re: The Big Picture of Renewable Energy Growth
« Reply #196 on: June 04, 2016, 06:25:03 pm »
7 Charts Show How Renewables Broke Records Globally in 2015 

Simon Evans, Carbon Brief | June 3, 2016 12:33 pm

SNIPPET:

Global investment in renewable energy reached record levels in 2015, according to a new report from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF).

More surprisingly, perhaps, the report shows that the $286bn poured into green energy was more than double the spending on coal– and gas-fired power.

It also shows, for the first time, that more renewable power capacity was added than other sources and that renewable energy investment was mostly in developing countries.

Carbon Brief runs through the key findings in seven charts.


Full article  at link below:

http://ecowatch.com/2016/06/03/renewable-investment-broke-records/

Agelbert NOTE: ANYONE that claims the above global energy market share of Renewable Energy is not SERIOUSLY DESTROYING DEMAND for fossil fuels, is willfully ignorant of reality or is working for the fossil fuel industry (usually the same thing  ;D).

The declining energy market share of fossil fuels is the most important, and deliberately unreported, reason that the price of crude oil remains low.   

Quote
"Hitting peak oil will come faster than any of us think. But don't blame dwindling supply — it's all about disappearing demand" Amory Lovins



« Last Edit: July 12, 2016, 08:21:29 pm by AGelbert »
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: The Big Picture of Renewable Energy Growth
« Reply #197 on: June 05, 2016, 05:36:32 pm »
The PERFIDY of the Energy Information Administration - EIA - Official Energy Statistics from the U.S. Government

EIA  Fossil Fuel and Nuclear Power Friendly Charts Consistently Low Ball Renewable Energy

These charts by the fossil fuel friendly EIA severely understate the Renewable energy share of U.S. energy consumption BECAUSE they ONLY measure REPORTED energy use, not NEGAWATTS (off grid, non-metered and efficiency based energy demand destruction). The Rocky Mountain Institute has reported that over one third of all global rural electrical production is now Renewable Energy based.

So, why do I present these charts? Because even the EIA cannot disguise how Renewable Energy is taking market share away from the fossil fuel industry (although they do their level best to try).

Notice the change from 2012 through 2015 and you will see evidence of the Renewable Energy caused fossil fuel demand destruction. This is also the main cause of the persistently low price of oil and gas driving, at last count, over 60 oil and gas polluters into bankruptcy.

AS you can see, our loyal servants in the EIA were magnanimous enough to admit ONE PERCENT increase for Renewable Energy for 2012 through 2015. Not only is that a bad joke, but excluding coal, it is downright embarrassingly defensive of the polluters from the fossil fuel AND nuclear power industries. WHY?

First,
despite the MASSIVE economic disruptions during that time and the MASSIVE increase in Renewable energy capacity during that time period, let us ass-u-me, as the charts claim, that the total energy consumption increased 2.7 quadrillion btu from 2012 through 2015. They drop 2% off of coal but, despite  some closings of nuclear power plants, ADD a percent to nuclear power! But it gets better.

Second, they REFUSE to lower the percentage for Petroleum while adding 2 percent to fossil "natural" (i.e. FRACKED) gas. The disclaimer about "the sum of components not adding to 100%", even though in the 2015 chart they DO add up, is ridiculous.  They don't even update their boilerplate. These people have no shame.

Third, they have the unadulterated brass to claim, not just that there was a ONE PERCENT ONLY increase in the Renewable Energy share of consumption rom 2012 through 2015, but that WIND POWER added a mere 2 percent of the Renewable energy mix in FOUR YEARS!

Now take a look at 2014's fossil fuel and nuclear power friendly EIA chart next to the 2015 chart. They are DESPERATE to hide the massive increase in Renewables.


2015 was a banner year for BOTH wind and solar power. 2015 saw massive demand destruction for fossil fuels causing over 60 oil and gas bankruptcies and cratering price of fossil fuels. Renewable energy use INCREASED while USE of fossil fuels due to a depressed economy and added Renewable infrastructure, DECREASED.

YET, according to our EIA bean counters, there was NO INCREASE in the Renewable energy SHARE of consumption OR A DECREASE in the oil and gas energy share from 2014 to 2015! To make it look good, they took one percent away from petroleum and handed it to "natural" FRACKED gas. LOL!  Renewable Energy consumption is allegedly STILL only 10% after a BANNER YEAR!

BULLSHIT!

The EIA admits, inaccurately (remember they count only REPORTED energy from utilities, not negawatts), that 0.1 quadrillion Btu of Renewable Energy  was added. Point one quadrillion Btu DOES NOT CUT IT for a banner year in both wind and solar. They give solar a mere  2% increase and give wind, which REALLY jumped in 2015, a mere ONE PERCENT increase in the Renewable Energy mix.

BULLSHIT!

The PRICE of oil and gas is not low because we are "consuming them at the same percentage"; it's low because we are consuming them at a LOWER percentage. The oil and gas pigs are not known for charitable gestures.

The PRICE of Renewable Energy infrastructure is coming down from mass production and installation. The ratio of Renewable energy installation to fossil fuel based infrastructure new installation in 2015 (which has continued into this year) is 70 to one. 

When the EV market takes off in 2017, the end will come quickly for the fossil fuel industry because they cannot make a profit when over 50% of the refinery product is for transportation fuels they cannot sell. And even without the loss of the polluting fuels product profit, the fossil fuel industry would self destruct without all their subsidy swag. But the EIA plays dumb about the all the pollution costs that we-the-people are paying.
 

Renewable energy is easily already over 25% of total Energy consumption in the U.S.,
though the EIA will never admit it until they "revise" the data a couple of decades from now.  ;)

Renewable Energy Growth Blows EIA Forecasts Out of the Water, Again

by Ben Jervey, originally published by DeSmog Blog | Mar 14, 2016
http://www.resilience.org/stories/2016-03-14/renewable-energy-growth-blows-eia-forecasts-out-of-the-water-again

EIA 2040 Forecast Understates Renewables, Policy, Contingencies
April 20th, 2015 by Sandy Dechert

MONEY QUOTES:


So far more possibilities exist than those indicated by the narrow range of assumptions that EIA has included in this latest assessment. Respected voices are saying that America can, and should, get 100% of its energy from renewables by 2050, that 80% would be good enough, or 100% by 2100, or that 50% is attainable in the next 35 years, and so on. EIA’s limited focus can support none of these.

The organization claims in Figure 4 to cover “scenarios that encompass a wide range of future crude oil price paths.” Great to have such a diverse oil perspective, but the exploration of renewable and other scenarios seems puny by comparison.

http://cleantechnica.com/2015/04/20/eia-2040-forecast-understates-renewables-policy-contingencies/

EIA responds that it never told a lie, fudged the stats or gamed the predicted numbers to favor fossil fuels and low ball Renewable Energy.

Quote
Turning to projections, some critics have argued that EIA's recent AEO Reference case projections have consistently understated the adoption of wind and solar power.

A review of past performance of EIA's projections does not offer much support for this argument, particularly when it is recognized that AEO Reference case projections deliberately incorporate existing laws and regulations that are in effect at the time the Reference case projections are developed and do not attempt to forecast future policy decisions.
http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=25512

Don't you just love that "does not offer much support for this argument"  pseudo erudite exercise in dismissive type fallacious debating techniques? Do all these fossil fuel tools go to the same school of double talk sophistry?

The above defense is ludicrous in the light of the FACT that their projections for fossil fuel use and nuclear power have CONSISTENTLY IGNORED the ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS (that the EPA has danced around and refused to try to enforce or over 30 years, even though they ARE on the books) that militate for a REDUCTION in the energy market share of fossil fuels and nuclear power.

NOT ONE closing of nuclear power plants was predicted by the EIA. Even the now vertiginous descent in coal use was NOT even remotely foreseen by these dirty energy defending tools, never mind the current descent in the demand for oil and gas (that they CONTINUE to low ball).

And now they want to talk about legislation as the "logical" basis for their grossly inaccurate Renewable Energy projections?   

The EIA can come up with all sorts of hemming and hawing excuses about inconsistent application of laws favoring Renewables, as if that had beans to do with the ACTUAL Renewables track record of their installation and use (which is what unbiased energy experts use to project future use and market share), but give fossil fuels and nuclear power the most rosy energy use projection scenario as the "prudent" and "most realistic" outlook...   

But the last paragraph in their response PLAINLY states WHO they are going to defend in their cherry picking energy bean counting (hint - dirty energy producers = industry stakeholders):
Quote

EIA continues to work with industry stakeholders to ensure its assumptions and analytic methodologies provide accurate data and appropriate projections for wind, solar, and other renewables. A more extensive review of EIA's data and projections for wind and solar technologies is available in a recent EIA report, Wind and Solar Data and Projections from the U.S. Energy Information Administration: Past Performance and Ongoing Enhancements.

Principal contributors: Chris Namovicz

http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=25512


Now you know why certain fossil fuelers love to quote the "reliability" of the energy use stats and projections from the EIA.

Have a nice day.

The Fossil Fuelers   DID THE Climate Trashing, human health depleteing CRIME,   but since they have ALWAYS BEEN liars and conscience free crooks, they are trying to AVOID   DOING THE TIME or     PAYING THE FINE!     Don't let them get away with it! Pass it on!
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: The Big Picture of Renewable Energy Growth
« Reply #198 on: June 06, 2016, 11:00:22 pm »
06 Jun 2016 | Kerstine Appunn, Julian Wettengel   

German Grid operator says 80% renewables no problem  ;D

Tagesspiegel

Quote
“80 percent renewables are not a problem”

There is much more flexibility in the German power grid to cope with renewables development than currently needed, said Boris Schucht, CEO of transmission system operator 50Hertz in an interview with Tagesspiegel.

“The idea that the integration of renewable energy immediately calls for more system flexibility [is] a myth. We have much more flexibility in the system than we need. […] it will last until 2030 or even 2040.”

Schucht is confident that 50Hertz will be able to integrate 70 to 80 percent of renewables “without additional flexibility options” in the future.

He said that the company had for the first time succeeded in February to use wind power as control power to balance out generation and consumption.



See the CLEW dossier The energy transition and Germany's power grid

and the CLEW factsheet Set-up and challenges of Germany's power grid.

https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/grid-operator-says-80-renewables-no-problem-environment-ministry-turns-30

Renewable energy=                         =Fossil Fuelers
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: The Big Picture of Renewable Energy Growth
« Reply #199 on: June 07, 2016, 10:32:08 pm »
Oil demand to peak in 2030 as energy experts slash forecasts

McKinsey has slashed their forecasts for the world’s energy use even as global economic growth climbs

By Jillian Ambrose  6 June 2016 • 5:33pm   

Global oil demand could  peak by the end of the next decade  even as global economic growth climbs.

The latest downward revision to forecasts, from consulting firm McKinsey, could  leave major new investments uneconomic if demand for energy fails to meet expectations.

McKinsey said it has cut its forecast for growth in demand  to 0.8pc a year to 2040, “well below mainstream base case perspectives”, including its own estimate of 1.1pc made last year. 

Demand for oil is expected to grow even more slowly  beyond 2025, with the research pointing to a possible  peak of 100m barrels a day by 2030, from current levels of 94m.

Quote

“Major investments in the energy system may no longer be needed and some could be at risk of being stranded” McKinsey Energy Insights

The  industry is mired in debt  after the plunge in oil prices in recent years.

McKinsey’s Occo Roelofsen said despite an expected increase in global population of around 36pc, and a doubling in global gross domestic product (GDP), shifting energy sector dynamics are set to depress energy demand.

Quote
“ This change is driven by three factors: first, overall GDP growth is structurally lower as the population ages; second, the global economy is shifting away from energy-intense industry towards services; and third, energy efficiency continues to improve significantly,” he said. “Peak oil demand could be reached around 2030. ”

Meanwhile growth in electricity demand will outstrip other sources of energy by more than two to one, due to the steady “electrification” of building and industry in China and India.

Almost 80pc of the capacity needed to meet this  increase will be  from solar and wind power
, McKinsey predicts. 

Video at link below:


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/06/06/oil-demand-to-peak-in-2030-as-energy-experts-slash-forecasts/

He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: The Big Picture of Renewable Energy Growth
« Reply #200 on: June 08, 2016, 06:05:02 pm »
Norway Sets 2030 Carbon Neutrality Goal

Norway’s Parliament committed to reach its net carbon neutrality target 20 years ahead of schedule and now aims to cut net greenhouse emissions to zero by 2030.

Parliamentary officials told Reuters the oil and gas producing country could reduce emissions by using more electric vehicles and supplying electricity from the national grid to offshore oil and gas platforms to reduce use of gas turbines there.

More than 95 percent of Norway’s own electricity comes from hydropower.

http://www.climatechangenews.com/2016/06/08/norway-targets-climate-neutrality-by-2030/

Agelbert NOTE: Don't expect the International (fossil fuel friendly) Energy Agency (IEA) OR the U.S. EIA to adjust their projections accordingly.  ;)


« Last Edit: June 08, 2016, 07:32:33 pm by AGelbert »
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: The Big Picture of Renewable Energy Growth
« Reply #201 on: June 08, 2016, 07:27:23 pm »
EIA talks construction cost, never mind what happens after it is built and DOES what it is DESIGNED to DO (i.e. GENERATE energy). 

EIA: Constructing  ;) a natural gas plant is cheaper than other options

By Robert Walton | June 7, 2016


HAPPY TALK SNIPPET:
Quote

•The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) recently began collecting data on the cost to construct electric power generators, showing gas capacity to be the cheapest widely-used generation  and wind to be the least-expensive renewable resource.  ;)

•In 2013, the first year for which the agency collected data, natural gas generation on a capacity-weighted basis averaged $965/kW  , compared with $1,895/kW for wind and $3,705/kW for solar.

•More than 7,400 MW of gas capacity was added that year, compared with 2,600 MW of solar and 860 MW of wind.

http://www.utilitydive.com/news/eia-constructing-a-natural-gas-plant-is-cheaper-than-other-options/420453/

Agelbert NOTE: Doesn't that sound so nice and objective? That sweet talk about wind being the Cheapest Renewable Energy source is the set up for the sucker punch chart they rigged showing the "natural" gas power plants as MUCH "cheaper".  And WTF is the idea of limiting the COST of infrastructure to the initial construction costs? HELLO? Power Plants operate for at least THIRTY YEARS! It's BOLD FACED mendacity and disingenuous duplicity to claim one system is "cheaper" than another just from initial construction costs! Talk about PICKING WINNERS by excluding pollution costs after operation begins! 

And, by the way, it's 2016. What's with  the 2013 stats (2014 and 2015 were BOTH BANNER YEARS for wind that saw construction costs GO DOWN!) to try to make Gas Power Plants look good?

Then they have the brass to publish a ridiculous cost comparison chart excluding fossil fuel pollution costs! 

The "capacity" talk is a deliberate conflation of construction costs with generation costs to pull the wool over your eyes. The EIA  has no shame.  ANY study of capacity for ANY Renewable energy source in general, and wind in particular, evidences VAST more energy capacity than fossil fuel power plants BECAUSE the fuel is FREE.

What these fossil fuel friendly bastards in the EIA are doing here is going back to "high energy density" of hydrocarbons to justify a gamed "capacity".

In a sane world, the INSTANT you talk about energy density, you MUST talk about polluting products COSTS. If you don't, then you are cherry picking fossil fuels as WINNERS, PERIOD.

HERE'S what the fossil fuel friendly EIA does not want YOU to know:

Quote
Wind energy is now as cheap as natural gas, and solar is getting close
And it's only getting cheaper.

BEC CREW  7 OCT 2015

Wind power is now comparable in price to fossil fuels, and solar is well on its way, according to a new report that confirms earlier predictions that renewables aren't just the best option for the environment - they’re unequivocally the smartest long-term investment you can make on energy.

The report, by Bloomberg New Energy Finance, found that in the second half of 2015, the global average cost of onshore wind energy will be $83 per megawatt-hour of electricity (which is down $2 from the first half of the year), and for thin film solar photovoltaics, the cost is $122 per megawatt-hour (down $7 in the past six months).
http://www.sciencealert.com/wind-energy-is-now-as-cheap-as-natural-gas-and-solar-is-getting-close


Quote
Natural Gas Health and Environmental Hazards

Natural gas power plants are significant air pollution sources, releasing hazardous air pollutants, global warming pollution and fine particulate matter.

Natural gas is worse than coal for global warming

While the smokestack emissions from gas-burning power plants are lower than coal, gas is worse because of the leakage from the wells to the pipelines and compressor stations to the end-uses -- since methane (the principle component of natural gas) is far more potent at heating the atmosphere than carbon dioxide (which is produced when coal or gas are burned).

The newest science on methane's global warming potential shows that it's far more potent than previously thought:

http://www.energyjustice.net/naturalgas
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: The Big Picture of Renewable Energy Growth
« Reply #202 on: June 11, 2016, 03:10:07 pm »

Ritter to Kick Off Renewable Energy Summit at UW

Former Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter, is director of the Center for the New Energy Economy at Colorado State University.

June 7, 2016 — Former Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter will discuss the forces behind renewable energy development Sunday, June 12, kicking off a two-day Renewable Energy Summit at the University of Wyoming.

Ritter, who founded and directs the Center for the New Energy Economy at Colorado State University, will provide an overview of the present status and future of renewable energy at 7 p.m. in the Hilton Garden Inn Ballroom. His keynote address, “Powering Forward: What Everyone Should Know about America’s Energy Revolution,” is free and open to the public.

Ritter is described as one of America’s key thought leaders on renewable energy. His talk will address the future of fossil fuels, wind energy and solar power, and new ways to think about energy.

Hosted by UW’s Center for Photoconversion and Catalysis, the Wind Energy Research Center and the School of Energy Resources, the Renewable Energy Summit will cover topics ranging from science and technology development to big-picture policy and management perspectives.

An optional tour of a Wyoming wind farm will precede Ritter’s lecture on Sunday.

Other sessions of the conference will take place at UW’s Berry Biodiversity Conservation Center. For more information or to register, go online to www.uwyo.edu/ser/conferences/upcoming-events/renewable-summit.html.

Activities Monday, June 13, will focus on wind energy. Among the scheduled speakers are Paul Veers, chief of engineering at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL) National Wind Technology Center; Scott Beyer, director of transmission planning for PacifiCorp; Ryan Jacobson, director of engineering and construction for the Power Company of Wyoming; and UW professors Dimitri Mavriplis, John Pierre and Jonathan Naughton.

Solar energy will be the focus Tuesday, June 14. Scheduled speakers include Bill Tumas, associate laboratory director at NREL; Mike Woodhouse, economic analyst at NREL; and a number of academic experts, including Reuben Collins of Colorado School of Mines; Carl Koval and Sean Shaheen of the University of Colorado-Boulder; Jim Sites of Colorado State University; and Carrick Eggleston of UW.

http://www.uwyo.edu/uw/news/2016/06/ritter-to-kick-off-renewable-energy-summit-at-uw.html

SNIPPET from an article by Bill Ritter, Colorado’s 41st governor:

Fossil fuels enjoy a variety of targeted tax benefits as well as MLPs. Denying the same mix to renewable energy investors perpetuates federal policies that have long picked fossil fuels as the winners. The PTC/ITC and MLPs should not be an either/or issue. Both belong in an intelligent mix of tax policies that create more robust market competition on a more level playing field.

In addition, opening MLPs to renewable-energy investment is consistent with the "all of the above" energy strategy advocated both by President Obama and the Republican Party. I am confident that as various renewable energy technologies become ready for full-scale commercialization, they will compete very well.

In the absence of access to MLPs, private investors and state governments are creating other ways to capitalize emerging clean-energy technologies. Renewable-energy bonds, green-energy banks, crowdfunding and "yield cos" are among recent innovations.

Nevertheless, a great deal of private capital remains sidelined, waiting for stable and equitable federal energy policies. If we really believe in letting all market-ready energy options slug it out in robust competition, then we shouldn’t ask that federal policies fix the fight. But that is what happens when renewable-energy investors are barred from the tax incentives that investors in fossil fuels enjoy.

Bill Ritter served as Colorado’s 41st governor. He is currently the director of the Center for the New Energy Economy at Colorado State University.

http://blogs.wsj.com/experts/2014/09/30/lets-even-the-playing-field-for-renewable-energy/Negative
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AGelbert

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Re: The Big Picture of Renewable Energy Growth
« Reply #203 on: June 17, 2016, 11:13:19 pm »
Energy transitions are usually slow. Here’s why the clean energy transition might be faster   
.
Updated by David Roberts on June 15, 2016, 7:00 a.m. ET @drvox david@vox.com

Several years ago, at a clean energy conference, I saw a presentation by entrepreneur and venture capitalist Bill Gross, founder of the technology incubator IdeaLab. He was discussing eSolar, a company he helped found and of which he was, at the time (around 2010, if memory serves), CEO.

In the course of his presentation, he said something that has stuck with me ever since.
Substituting computing power for raw materials

eSolar is a concentrated solar thermal company; it builds solar power plants that consist of hundreds of mirrors that focus sunlight on a central tower, where the heat boils water and drives a turbine.

The company’s innovation was that instead of using fancy, parabolic, custom-built mirrors that had to be specially manufactured and installed, it used small, plain, flat mirrors that were easy to mass-manufacture and could be installed by any skilled laborer.

What was lost in efficiency through the use of simple mirrors was regained through the development of sophisticated tracking software; the mirrors closely track the sun as it moves across the sky.

In other words, said Gross, eSolar shifted its focus away from materiel and into computing — away from stuff, into intelligence.

After all, he said, physical commodities (like silicon and steel) have a tendency to get more expensive over time, while computing power just keeps getting cheaper. To the extent that you can substitute the latter for the former — intelligence for stuff — you save money in the long run.

I’ve thought about that a lot since, the way computing power and software can help dematerialize and accelerate the transition to clean energy.

Large-scale energy transitions have historically been slow. Do they have to be?

There is a certain kind of pessimism in the energy world, represented best by the work of the University of Manitoba’s Vaclav Smil, that cites previous large-scale energy transitions to question whether the transition to clean energy can possibly proceed as fast as climate hawks want it to. (For the latest iteration of that argument, from University of Cambridge engineering professor M.J. Kelly, see this paper.)

Such transitions have typically taken many decades, up to a century, as one energy infrastructure is replaced by another.

If there is any hope in the face of this grim historical truth, it is in the nature of the current transition. There are two things about the shift to clean energy that might set it apart.

First, after centuries of greater and greater scale (peaking in the nuclear power plant frenzy of the 1970s), energy technology is starting to get smaller. Where once there were a few gigawatt-level power technologies available, now there are many options, ranging in scale from gigawatts all the way down to kilowatts: wind turbines, solar panels, large-scale energy storage (like pumped hydro or trains), microturbines, microgrids, fuel cells, home batteries, electric cars, smart thermostats and appliances, and on and on.

These "distributed energy resources," or DERs, have advantages over huge power-generation technologies like coal power plants. Because they are smaller, innovation can be spread across dozens or hundreds of parties instead of just a handful of utilities. Small technologies iterate and improve faster.

This blossoming of energy technologies means that where previous energy transitions (e.g., the substitution of coal for oil, or oil for biomass) were almost entirely infrastructure problems, with a few big players mustering huge, long-term investments, the current energy transition is taking the form, at least in large part, of a technology market. And technology markets move much faster than infrastructure.

Critics of DERs point out that they also have a flaw: They’ve become decentralized, but demand hasn’t. Electricity demand is still concentrated in large, energy-intensive cities, with their factories and hospitals, and will be even more so in coming decades. Cities need large amounts of steady, reliable power. Meeting that demand with variable renewable energy (wind and solar) is a huge challenge.

If there’s any way to tackle this problem, it’s not just to build more and more wind and solar until they can match the output of centralized power plants. (That would require a lot of land, given their generally lower energy density.) Building is only half the solution.

The other half is to link and coordinate DERs better, using sensors and software, so that maximum energy services can be wrung out of every single kWh generated. (We currently waste mind-boggling amounts of energy, more than half of what we generate.)

Sensors and software don't look like traditional infrastructure. They look more like an information technology market. And we know that IT markets move very quickly indeed. Once you’ve developed good software, there’s no incremental cost to deploying it 10 or 1,000 times, and every instance of it can be continually upgraded, at minimal additional deployment cost.

To the extent that the clean energy transition is a software challenge, we can expect it to move far more rapidly than previous energy transitions, simply because software moves much faster than hardware.

Energy is becoming a software business

What made me think of all this is a story in Utility Dive about the home battery market. There have been lots of questions about whether home batteries are really ready for the consumer market, whether the payoff is worth the investment. Consequently, there’s been lots of focus on improving battery performance or finding new battery chemistries.

But it turns out what’s going to unlock the full value of all those batteries is aggregation — smart software that will link them all together and deploy them as one big super-battery, with the power and duration of grid-scale storage.

As policy director Ted Ko of the storage aggregator Stem put it to Utility Dive, "In the long run, storage is a software business."

I’d put it even more broadly: In the long run, DERs in general are going to become a software business, at least in large part. Solar cells, batteries, wireless chargers — they’re all eventually going to be commoditized. The value will come in squeezing more out of them by linking them up and making them work together more intelligently — getting scale out of coordination rather than sheer size.

In other words: substituting computing power for raw materials, intelligence for stuff.

We don’t really have a model for an energy transition that involves intelligent coordination of distributed resources rather than blunt-force deployment of centralized resources. We’ve never had the information technology to do it before. Even today, energy IT is in early development — we have only the faintest idea where it might go or what new capabilities it might unlock.

So I think Smil and other clean energy pessimists are, at the very least, wrong to be quite so confident in their pessimism. Much of what’s going on in the energy world today is genuinely novel, without historical precedent. Small, smart, nimble technologies are swarming up around big, dumb, slow ones, a process Michael Liebreich, head of Bloomberg New Energy Finance, likens to mammals overrunning dinosaurs.

Renewable energy=                                     =Fossil Fuelers

It’s tough to predict exactly how it will play out. But there’s good reason to think it will happen faster than any previous energy transition.

http://www.vox.com/2016/6/15/11923832/energy-transitions-software

Agelbert NOTE: The currently prevailing “law of the jungle”, causing the atmosphere to be overused in terms of the deposition of carbon ad infinitum, has been de-legitimized by the Pope.

Quote
It is astonishing to discover that major political efforts in democracies can be turned to undermining the core purpose of government, destroying the factual basis for fair and effective protection of essential common property resources of all to feed the financial interests of a few.

These efforts, limiting scientific research on environment, denying the validity of settled facts and natural laws, are a shameful dance, far below acceptable or reputable political behavior. It can be treated not as a reasoned alternative, but scorned for what it is – simple thievery." —George M. Woodwell, Woods Hole Research Center founder

Quote

"We do not need a 'new' business model for energy because we never had one. What we need, if we wish to avoid extinction, is to plug the environmental and equity costs of energy production and use into our planning and thinking. " -- A.G. Gelbert

Quote
"Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored." -- Aldous Huxley

Quote

"We can’t have a healthy business on a sick planet."-- Ashley Orgain, manager of mission advocacy and outreach for Seventh Generation, Burlington, Vermont

Quote
"Technical knowledge of Carrying Capacity will not save us; only a massive increase in Caring Capacity will." -- A. G. Gelbert
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: The Big Picture of Renewable Energy Growth
« Reply #204 on: June 18, 2016, 07:42:19 pm »
Scotland Exceeds Emissions Goals Six Years Early
 

Scotland has already exceeded its interim 2020 goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 42 percent according to government statistics. Its 2014 emissions were 48 percent lower than in 1990, making this the first time since 2010 that Scotland has met its emissions targets. Stop Climate Chaos Scotland attributed this drop in emissions largely to factors outside of Scottish government control, such as a warmer 2014 winter and loss of heavy industry.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jun/14/scotland-beats-climate-emissions-reductions-target-six-years-early

Agelbert NOTE: Scotland isn't the only one ahead of schedule in the race to reduce greenhouse gas emissions eventually to ZIP. Most people don't know this, thanks to the fossil fuel industry influence in the media (especially in the USA  ;)), but the EU has a schedule for all their countries, on a decade by decade goal basis, for adopting increasing percentages of Renewable Enrgy in their total energy use and reaching a zero emissions target by 2050. I don't know if all of them are going to get there by 2050.

But some of them will get there long before that.  ;D

Below, please find, the facts about the EU progress (as of 2014) towards the interim 2020 goal. If you  think that progress in using LESS fossil fuels has not contributed substantially to the cratering of the price of fossil fuels, you are mistaken. It has. And despite the lower price of fossil fuels, the EU activity, like that of all other countries that understand the risks to our biosphere of using CRAP to run our civilization, will continue to contribute to the destruction of demand for dirty energy.  8)



And furthermore  ;D, while it is certainly true that correlation is not necessarily causation, you can bet your sweet bippy, in the above case, that the high concentrations of bankers and foot dragging to install Renewable Energy is NOT coincidental.
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: The Big Picture of Renewable Energy Growth
« Reply #205 on: July 11, 2016, 06:54:02 pm »
 

July 11, 2016

Germany Ends Feed-In-Tariffs

The German Parliament voted for a law to replace the current feed-in-tariffs for wind and solar with competitive auctions that will set the price for electricity generation.
 
Currently, 33 percent of Germany’s energy mix comes from renewable energy and the target is to reach 45 percent by 2025.

Under the new law, starting in 2017 prices will be set competitively at annual auctions and the total expansion for onshore wind will be capped at 2.8 GW and will vary for offshore wind.

Critics fear this development could spell the end of citizen-owned projects with only big corporations being able to build wind farms. (BusinessGreen, Financial Times $, Wall Street Journal $, Bloomberg BNA, reNEWS)


Sea Otters Are Climate Champions
Researchers have discovered that the humble sea otter plays an important role in managing carbon dioxide levels in the Aleutian Islands, which stretch across the North Pacific Ocean from Alaska to the coast of Kamchatka in eastern Russia.

In his latest book, marine biologist James Estes says that by feeding on sea urchins, sea otters are preventing them from ravaging kelp forests.

Hence, by helping ensure the continued existence of rich kelp forests, sea otters protect a key carbon sink, since the kelp forests absorb substantial amounts of carbon.

Quote
“The difference in annual absorption of atmospheric carbon from kelp photosynthesis between a world with and a world without sea otters is somewhere between 13 and 43 billion kg (13 and 43 teragrams) of carbon,” says Estes.
(Guardian)



Mangrove Die-Off in Australia Led by Climate ChangeAbout 7,000 hectares of mangroves in Australia’s Gulf of Carpentaria have died due to climate change and El Nino. According to Norm Duke, an expert in mangrove ecology from James Cook University, this mangrove die-off has been the worst in the world.

Typically the death of mangroves happens naturally at a smaller scale, but the massive death of mangroves that occurred in a single month was unprecedented.

An unusually long dry-season in Carpentaria caused the mangroves to die en mass, according to Duke. "This is what climate change looks like. You see things push the maximums or minimums,” he says.

Climate change
warmed waters in the area that made rainfall more erratic and, along with the strong El Nino this year, pushed mangroves beyond their tolerance threshold. Australia is also reeling from mass coral bleaching in the Great Barrier Reef and mass deaths of kelp forests off the coast of Western Australia. (Guardian, ABC Australia, Sky News, News.com.au, IB Times $)

DENIER ROUNDUP

Meaningless, Mean-Spirited McCarthyism: Lamar Smith’s Ironic Investigations

Quote
Lamar Smith, the Texas Republican who’s received more funding from fossil fuels than any other industry, has repeated his request for private communications between the attorneys general investigating what #ExxonKnew and a handful of NGOs who have exercised their constitutional right to petition those AGs.

As chair of the Committee on Science, Space and Technology, Smith has taken it upon himself to return Congress to the glory days of Joseph McCarthy, only instead of smoking out communists Smith is hunting for those who threaten his fossil fuel donor base.

Though the McCarthy comparison may seem hyperbolic, it is unfortunately all too literal. Smith is, at least implicitly, embracing McCarthyism. To justify his demands for information, Smith invokes two Supreme Court rulings that dealt with the infamously paranoid and ruinous Congressman. In essence, Smith seems to think that anything McCarthy could do, he can do better.

Even more embarrassing is that one of the two cases cited by Smith shows that not only is his harassment campaign unjustified, but it is in fact doubly unconstitutional. This information and the quotes that follow are from a letter that Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) sent him on June 23 (h/t ICN) after Smith demanded documents last month. You may remember Congresswoman Johnson as the one who sent Smith a letter in response to his NOAA harassment that was described as a blisteringly brutal thing of beauty. This latest letter is just as good, if not better, throwing shade harder than a Drake diss track and calling out irony better than Alanis Morissette ever could.
 

In addition to identifying multiple ways that “This ‘investigation’ is illegitimate” (like how Smith is violating the Tenth Amendment by usurping states’ power) and an “abuse of authority,” Johnson looked into the two SCOTUS cases Smith invoked to justify his witch hunt. Johnson writes: “Both of these cases involved the notorious House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)...If ever there was an example of a ‘witch hunt’ in the history of the United States Congress, the HUAC investigations best fit the bill. For that reason, it is more than a little disconcerting that [Smith] think(s) those cases’ fact patterns so closely resemble [his] own investigation.”

Lamar Smith's Modus Operandi

But it gets even worse than merely mimicking McCarthy, as Smith has done, because “Rather than supporting the legal grounds of [Smith’s] investigation, the Watkins decision is actually an indictment against it.” So, she writes, “based on the legal authorities [Smith himself has] cited, this ‘investigation’ violates the Constitution.” This means that Smith is not only aware that he’s following in McCarthy’s footsteps, but also that he can’t even be factually accurate in doing so.
 
As per the Watkins ruling, the only way Smith’s investigation would be legitimate would be if Congress were considering legislation relevant to the issue, the most plausible of which Johnson says would be “altering Federal fraud and RICO Act statutes to inappropriately help Big Oil avoid potential liability.” But even then Smith wouldn’t have jurisdiction, because “such a bill would not come anywhere near the jurisdiction of the Committee on Science, Space and Technology.”

Ironically, under the guise of protecting ExxonMobil’s constitutional right to free speech,
Smith is himself acting unconstitutionally. And in doing so, he is infringing on the constitutional right of NGOs to petition their government to enforce their laws (in this case by investigating potential fraud.) That’s two unconstitutionals in one! What a deal!

Finally, Johnson points out the irony of Smith’s accusation that the #ExxonKnew investigations might be “having a chilling effect  on the free flow of scientific inquiry and debate regarding climate change.” But of course, if anyone is guilty of such a “chilling” it would be Smith, who spent months attacking NOAA over a study that debunked the denier-favorite “pause.” And what of that witch hunt? “In the end, [Smith’s] investigation, like so many recent Science Committee investigations, found nothing.”

This is why she describes the Committee as becoming “more like a Committee on Harassment. The Committee’s prolific, aimless and jurisdictionally questionable oversight activities have grown increasingly mean-spirited and meaningless.”

Harsh words from Johnson, but fair given that Smith is acting as though he’s Chair of the House Un-Scientific Activities Committee. May we suggest a catchy new jingle for Mr. McCarthy 2.0? Double the unconstitutionality, double the irony, in the statements from the Committee of Harassment for Fun.
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: The Big Picture of Renewable Energy Growth
« Reply #206 on: July 12, 2016, 03:32:58 pm »
 

July 12, 2016

Cities consider diesel ban / Co-ops fear end of 'energy revolution'

#Transport Automobilwoche / Spiegel Online


“Big cities consider driving bans on diesel cars”

Several German cities, including Berlin, Munich, Bremen, and Stuttgart, are considering banning older diesel cars in order to bring harmful nitrogen oxide emissions within EU limits, according to a survey by press agency dpa. The ban would mean only cars with a "blue badge" dependant on meeting Euro-6 emission limits could enter restricted zones. But the cities also say there is currently no legal basis for such a ban. Munich and Berlin said residents and businesses should be granted exceptions and transition periods to avoid social hardship, according to an article in Automobilwoche.

 According to a Spiegel report, only 1.3 million of Germany’s 14.5 diesel cars would be eligible for the “blue badge”. The environment ministry said it hoped to decide on how to proceed this autumn.

Read the Spiegel report: http://www.spiegel.de/auto/aktuell/fahrverbot-fuer-dieselautos-was-sie-wissen-sollten-die-fakten-a-1102417.html

For background, read the CLEW dossier The energy transition and Germany’s transport sector: https://www.cleanenergywire.org/dossiers/energy-transition-and-germanys-transport-sector



#Citizens' energy
 #EEG2016/Law
 
Financial Times


“Legal shake-up threatens Germany’s energy ‘revolution’”

The reform of the Renewable Energy Act (EEG) could spell the end for Germany’s grassroots energy cooperatives, reports Guy Chazan in the Financial Times. The new auction system poses large financial risks for cooperatives, members of the sector told Chazan.

Read the article in English here.

For background on the reform, read the new CLEW dossier The reform of the Renewable Energy Act and the factsheet EEG reform 2016 – switching to auctions for renewables.



Tags: #Transport
 
Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control (BAFA)

“First interim results: 718 applications for e-car buyer’s premium”

The Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control (BAFA) has received 718 applications for the e-car buyer’s premium since the official launch on 2 July, according to a press release. The most popular models were BMW’s i3 (127 applications) and Renault’s ZOE (115 applications). “The number of applications met expectations, even if demand is somewhat subdued compared to the 150,000 applications in the first days of the introduction of the car-scrap bonus,” said BAFA president Arnold Wallraff. Germany introduced a car-scrappage scheme to encourage drivers to upgrade their vehicles in the wake of the financial crisis in 2009.




Tags: #Transport
 
Wirtschaftswoche

Researchers develop city e-car for 12,500 euros  :o 


Researchers at Aachen University have developed a small electric car go on the market for 12,500 euros from 2018, reports Wolfgang Kempkens for Wirtschaftswoche. The same team was responsible for the development of the Streetscooter now used by Deutsche Post. Unlike most e-cars, which are basically conventional models with the combustion engine exchanged for an electric one, the new vehicle was specifically designed as an e-car, according to the report. It is a two-seater with a range of 80 kilometres.



Tags: #Policy
 
pv magazine

“Bundesrat passes digitalisation law”


The passing of a new law on the “Digitalisation of the Energiewende” in the second house of the German parliament, the Bundesrat, has been overshadowed by the vote on the reform of the Renewable Energy Act (EEG), according to an article in pv magazine. Among other things, the law regulates the introduction of smart meters and a cap on their installation costs. The Bundesrat also warned of “unreasonable costs for consumers, producers, smart meter operators, as well as grid operators” and called for a regular cost-benefit analysis after the enactment of the law, writes pv magazine.



Tags: #International
 
Reuters

Tags: #Cost & Prices #Finances
 
Netztransparenz / pv magazine


Green energy account with surplus of more than 3.5 billion euros in June

Germany’s ‘green energy account’ had a surplus of 3,688,937,633.01 euros in June 2016, according to new figures published by the four transmission grid operators (TSOs). This is about 500 million euros less than in June 2015. The TSOs provide a balance of income (mostly from the EEG surcharge and electricity sales at market prices) and expenses (feed-in tariffs for green energy) on a monthly basis. According to an article in pv magazine, the surplus traditionally falls during the summer months, when feed-in from solar PV and the resulting tariffs are high.



Tags: #Citizens' energy #EEG2016/Law
 
bizz energy

“Tenants receive solar power from their own roof”

One of the last minute changes to the Renewable Energy Act (EEG) reform could boost local use of solar power  , with profound consequences for the German energy market, reports Manuel Berkel in bizz energy. Power that tenants use from a PV array installed on the roof of their house will be partly exempt from the green energy surcharge in the future. But the impact of this change is still highly uncertain as many details are yet to be worked out, according to Berkel. 



Tags: #Climate & CO2 #Fossil fuels
 
Aurora Energy Research / WirtschaftsWoche

“German climate targets unattainable – because of coal”

German power plant operators would likely not be overburdened by a partial coal exit aimed at meeting the country’s climate targets, but emissions would shift to neighbouring countries, according to a new study by British consultancy Aurora Energy Research. A summary of the study seen by Clean Energy Wire suggests that under current policies Germany is set to miss its climate targets for 2030.  Titled "Closing the emissions gap: Germany’s 2030 climate policy options in the power sector"  the study examines three different scenarios that would allow Germany to meet its targets: a coal exit by 2040; a regional CO2-floor price for a selected group of ambitious countries; and the focused development of cogeneration power plants.

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He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: The Big Picture of Renewable Energy Growth
« Reply #207 on: July 12, 2016, 08:31:42 pm »
Top 5 Hybrid Energy News (Solar- and Wind-Diesel-Hybrid + Microgrids) – June 2016 by THEnergy

The June edition of our “Top 5 Hybrid Energy News” features Neyveli Lignite, Saudi Aramco, GE, Solar for Samoa, Solarcentury, London Distillers and Kodiak Electric Association. Traditional energy players such as Neyveli Lignite and Saudi Aramco are turning toward renewables and are an interesting option for island microgrids.

 
Top 1
Neyveli Lignite to set up 20 MW solar + storage project in Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Neyveli Lignite Corporation Ltd. (NLC), a Navratna Public Sector Enterprise, will set up a 20 MW solar project in Andaman and Nicobar Islands (India). The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has picked NLC to establish solar-based power plants in Andaman with a view to phase out the usage of the diesel generator sets. These projects will be established by NLC under an MNRE scheme, wherein the latter provides 40% of the capital cost as subsidy. The solar power project is proposed to be installed with sufficient capacity of battery energy storage to cater the power needs of South Andaman with a fairly flat and firm power throughout the day time and the evening peak demand period. This arrangement will considerably reduce diesel consumption for power generation   . The cost of power generation will also be less compared to the current diesel based power generation in Andaman.
http://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/neyveli-lignite-to-set-up-20-mw-solar-project-in-andaman-and-nicobar-116053000640_1.html


Top 2
Saudi Aramco and GE to add wind turbine to diesel power plant
Saudi Aramco and General Electric are partnering to install Saudi Arabia’s first Wind Turbine at the Turaif Bulk Plant, located in the north-west of the Kingdom. The initiative is in line with Saudi Vision 2030 as endorsed by the Saudi Cabinet that has set an initial target of generating 9.5 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy. The project marks the first regional installation of GE’s model 2.75-120 Wind Turbine. The demo Wind Turbine to be installed at Turaif bulk plant will allow the displacement of diesel that is used for power generation in the plant.
http://saudigazette.com.sa/business/saudi-aramco-ge-install-first-wind-turbine/


Top 3
2.1 MW-solar plant in Samoa will save on diesel costs
The Samoa Government's target to achieve 100 percent renewable energy by 2017 moved one step closer with the opening of a 2.1 MW solar plant. The solar plant is located in the middle of the Faleata Racecourse and the electricity it will produce will save 1,900,000 litres of diesel on average each year. Owned by Solar for Samoa, the solar plant will offset a substantial portion of Samoa's existing diesel-generated electricity, which currently accounts for nearly two-thirds of the country's energy mix. The project is the first stage of Solar for Samoa's total 5.2 MW PV project, scheduled to come online in July. The government launched the Faleata project in 2014 with the help of the European Union and New Zealand.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/304811/samoa's-solar-panels-will-save-on-diesel-costs


Top 4
Solarcentury to deliver 1 MWp solar-diesel hybrid rooftop project for London Distillers
Solarcentury has teamed up with London Distillers to ensure that its building in Athi River, Kenya, will soon house the largest rooftop solar project in East Africa. Solarcentury is to install a 1MWp rooftop PV system that should generate enough electricity to power the entire building during daytime hours. London Distillers estimates it will save at least US$180,000 per year for the next 25 years. The hybrid solar-diesel system that will operate in conjunction with the grid.
http://www.pv-tech.org/news/solarcentury-and-london-distillers-to-deliver-east-africas-largest-rooftop


Top 5

Two 1 MW flywheels added to hydro-wind + battery storage microgrid on Kodiak Island (Alaska) crowding out diesel ;D
Kodiak Electric Association’s (KEA) two flywheels can each [/b]store up to 1 megawatt of electricity. That's enough power to lift a heavy cargo container from the dock and move it to the ship. On an average day, KEA's customers use about 17 MW of power, with demand climbing to 20 MW during the island's peak fish processing season. The flywheels are just the latest addition to the company's impressive lineup of renewable energy systems. Roughly 76 percent of KEA's electricity comes from hydroelectric energy, with wind providing another 23 percent. The utility also relies on a storage battery system and the flywheels to back up its variable wind systems.
http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060038577

http://www.th-energy.net/english/blog/
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: The Big Picture of Renewable Energy Growth
« Reply #208 on: July 14, 2016, 06:36:38 pm »

Energy Intensity Falls in Key Countries   

Developing nations’ energy consumption per unit of gross domestic product has fallen by 40 percent since the 1990s, a rate significantly faster than that of developed nations.

In global terms, according to a report by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, worldwide energy intensity has dropped by nearly a third, led by increases in energy efficiency. China cut its energy intensity by 20 percent between 2006 and 2010.

Another study about the United States shows declining carbon dioxide emissions from power plants, due to decline of coal use and increased energy efficiency.

http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/developing-nations-energy-intensity-down-40-since-1990
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: The Big Picture of Renewable Energy Growth
« Reply #209 on: July 29, 2016, 03:29:42 pm »
UK Breaks Clean Energy Record , Controversy over Nuclear Continues

Renewable energy supplied a quarter of the United Kingdom’s electricity needs last year, surpassing coal for the first time.

Data from the UK’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy show that nuclear power supplied an additional 21 percent while coal’s share of the energy mix fell to just 22 percent.

Controversy over nuclear development continues after the government made a surprise announcement yesterday to postpone its decision on the Hinkley Point C nuclear plant until the fall. This came just hours after the French utility EDF finally approved a plan to build the reactor. The Hinkley project has been in talks for ten years and, if built, would be Britain’s first nuclear plant in two decades. (Energy Mix: Press Association, Telegraph $, Climate Home, BusinessGreen. Hinkley Project: Financial Times $, Guardian, Telegraph $, Times $, New York Times $, Bloomberg, BBC. Commentary: Guardian, Simon Jenkins column; Financial Times, Nick Butler column; Carbon Brief, Simon Evans analysis, Guardian editorial)

http://www.climatechangenews.com/2016/07/28/renewables-overtake-coal-in-uk-power-generation/
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

 

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