Germany's electrical grid operators said Monday they were raising by nearly 50 percent the charge to consumers that finances subsidies for renewable energy as the country phases out nuclear power.
Consumers will be asked to pay a charge of 0.05277 euros per kilowatt hour of electricity consumed in 2013, the firms said, compared with a 0.03592-euro surcharge this year.
For an average three-person house, this 47-percent increase amounts to an additional 60 euros ($77.8) per year, taking the overall charge up to about 185 euros annually.
In total, the network operators hope to collect more than 20 billion euros to subsidise renewable energies.
On Thursday, Environment Minister Peter Altmaier said that Germany, Europe's top economy, wanted to meet 40 percent of its energy needs with renewable sources by 2020, up from a previous target of 35 percent.
By 2050, the government aims to supply four-fifths of Germany's power needs from alternative energy sources such as solar or wind energy.
"It's clear that the energy switch-over that we all want and that I want to succeed, won't come free," Altmaier told Monday's edition of the mass-circulation daily Bild.
Claudia Kemfert, from the DIW economic institute, warned that the poorer-off in society needed to be shielded from the hike but stressed that the renewable energy sector in Germany would continue to create jobs.
"The increase in this charge is manageable for many households, but there are also very poor, low-income households which could be negatively affected by this type of price rise," Kemfert said.
"We need to think about ways to help these households financially, so they can save energy and electricity," she added.
Nevertheless, the renewables sector already employed 400,000 people in Germany and "this number will rise," she noted. "Therefore, this is a positive development for Germany."
However, an association representing the chemical industry slammed the charge as a "bottomless pit."
Firms that use a lot of electricity, such as the chemical sector, can apply for an exemption in paying the charge or benefit from a lower amount. More than 2,000 companies have applied for special treatment for next year.
Karl-Ludwig Kley, head of the German chemical industry association, said: "The costs for consumers and industry of the electricity price charge for renewable energy has risen to an unbearable degree."
The costs for the chemical sector would rise from 550 million euros this year to 800 million euros in 2013, Kley said.
Germany decided in the immediate wake of Japan's 2011 Fukushima nuclear plant disaster to shut down its nuclear reactors by 2022 and ramp up the use of renewable energy.
Chancellor Angela Merkel has made the so-called "Energiewende", the term used to describe both the end of nuclear power and the promotion of renewable energy sources, one of her government's priorities.
However, the policy has run into difficulties, notably due to technical and financing problems as well as because of local resistance to building new power lines.
In February, Germany was forced to tap into its electricity reserves amid a cold snap, sparking fears that the switch out of nuclear power could result in power shortages.
Germany, one of Europe's biggest countries, also faces transmission problems, with much of the production capacity offshore in the north but much of the demand hundreds of kilometres (miles) away in the south.
According to the EU statistical office Eurostat, the average household electricity price is 0.253 euros per kilowatt hour, the second highest in the 27-member bloc behind Denmark.
The World Wildlife Fund in Germany warned that a "hysterical debate" was now taking place.
"Only one-third of electricity price rises since 2000 is due to support for renewable energy," said Regine Guenther, the group's head of climate and energy policy in Germany.
Showing posts with label electricity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label electricity. Show all posts
Tuesday, 16 October 2012
Wednesday, 5 May 2010
Google blows $39m into wind power
Google has added another string to its bow: wind farms
The internet search giant, which has expanded into mobile phones and maps of world, the ocean and the stars, has invested $39m (£25.6m) in two North Dakota wind farms.
It is Google's first direct investment in a large-scale green energy project. The company said the windfarms, developed by NextEra Energy Resources, will generate enough electricity to power 55,000 homes.
The move is a shift in strategy for Google, which previously sought to invest in renewable energy via start-ups.
Rick Needham, Google's green business operations manager, said: "To reach a clean energy future, we need three things: effective policy, innovative technology and smart capital. Through our philanthropic arm Google.org, we've been pushing for energy policies that strengthen the innovation pipeline, and we've been dedicating resources to developing new technologies, including making investments in early-stage renewable energy companies such as eSolar and AltaRock."
He said bigger projects such as the windfarms will help "accelerate the deployment of the latest clean energy technology while providing attractive returns to Google and more capital for developers to build additional projects".
Google is one of the world's largest users of electricity via its data centres, which house millions of servers.
Earlier this year Google began trials of its own high speed fibre broadband network in the US.
Source - Telegraph
The internet search giant, which has expanded into mobile phones and maps of world, the ocean and the stars, has invested $39m (£25.6m) in two North Dakota wind farms.
It is Google's first direct investment in a large-scale green energy project. The company said the windfarms, developed by NextEra Energy Resources, will generate enough electricity to power 55,000 homes.
The move is a shift in strategy for Google, which previously sought to invest in renewable energy via start-ups.
Rick Needham, Google's green business operations manager, said: "To reach a clean energy future, we need three things: effective policy, innovative technology and smart capital. Through our philanthropic arm Google.org, we've been pushing for energy policies that strengthen the innovation pipeline, and we've been dedicating resources to developing new technologies, including making investments in early-stage renewable energy companies such as eSolar and AltaRock."
He said bigger projects such as the windfarms will help "accelerate the deployment of the latest clean energy technology while providing attractive returns to Google and more capital for developers to build additional projects".
Google is one of the world's largest users of electricity via its data centres, which house millions of servers.
Earlier this year Google began trials of its own high speed fibre broadband network in the US.
Source - Telegraph
Tuesday, 23 February 2010
EDF plans solar-power plant at Euro Disney, Paris
Energy company EDF plans to build France's biggest solar-power plant at the Euro Disney theme park resort on the outskirts of Paris. A sweeping structure would see solar cells cover huge canopies built above Euro Disney's 11,000-space car park, which is one of the biggest in Europe.
The canopies could also collect rainwater to reduce Euro Disney's water consumption, and the solar energy they generate would be used on-site or sold back into the grid.
"It is a very interesting project," says EDF spokeswoman Marilys Dubernet, and it could help reduce Euro Disney's €1.2bn (£1bn) annual running cost. This pushed the company to a €63m net loss last year. Earlier this month it announced that revenue for the first quarter of 2010 was down 11 per cent year-on-year to €292m.
But it will take more than the wave of a magic wand to pull off this plan to build what would be one of the biggest solar plants in Europe. Ms Dubernet says the project is still at the "first stage of development".
Euro Disney already has an agreement with EDF to buy 15 per cent of its electricity from renewable energy sources, and some of its rides run on natural gas. EDF's magic touch would help to reduce the carbon emissions from the 64 per cent of its 15.4 million guests who arrive by car or bus.
Source - The Independent
The canopies could also collect rainwater to reduce Euro Disney's water consumption, and the solar energy they generate would be used on-site or sold back into the grid.
"It is a very interesting project," says EDF spokeswoman Marilys Dubernet, and it could help reduce Euro Disney's €1.2bn (£1bn) annual running cost. This pushed the company to a €63m net loss last year. Earlier this month it announced that revenue for the first quarter of 2010 was down 11 per cent year-on-year to €292m.
But it will take more than the wave of a magic wand to pull off this plan to build what would be one of the biggest solar plants in Europe. Ms Dubernet says the project is still at the "first stage of development".
Euro Disney already has an agreement with EDF to buy 15 per cent of its electricity from renewable energy sources, and some of its rides run on natural gas. EDF's magic touch would help to reduce the carbon emissions from the 64 per cent of its 15.4 million guests who arrive by car or bus.
Source - The Independent
Wednesday, 21 October 2009
The future’s bright for home owners with solar panels?
The solar panels are cheaper than ever and you can sell your surplus energy to the grid. No wonder, the future’s bright for home owners solar panels.
Real, gutsy solar power is as rare as hen’s teeth in this country. By the real deal I mean photovoltaic (PV solar) systems that convert sunlight into electricity as opposed to rather prosaic solar thermal systems that heat water. Last year just 6MW of solar PV solar panels were installed in this country. Compare and contrast the situation in Germany, where more than 1,500MW was installed last year and one in 10 buildings has a solar power system.
This is ludicrous because solar PV could provide 30-40% of the UK’s total electricity needs by 2050, reducing CO2 emissions by 15% a year. An average domestic system (a fairly modest 1.8kWp PV system) can provide at least 25% of a household’s energy. The sticking point has been the expense.
Luckily there are sunnier days ahead. We’ve been waiting years for a Feed-in Tariff scheme (rebranded as the Clean Energy Cash Back Scheme), and now it is expected to arrive in April 2010. This will guarantee domestic PV installations 36.5 pence per kw hour of electricity they feed back into the grid, probably for around 25 years.
If plans go through, they’ll get just 36p for their surplus output and be able to enjoy the more generous tariff and possibly a grant (£10m is available until April 2010 via the governments grants programme in the form of £2,500 per households.
And you’ll be able to take advantage of the fact that solar panels have come down in price. According to Sharp, a UK-based solar-module manufacturer, units are 30% cheaper than a year ago. You can get different types to stick on or integrate into your roof, not just the traditional crystalline cells using reject silicon from the electronics industry. The new wave is full of efficient, sleek models. Some look uncannily like normal roof tiles. Thanks to a recession in Spain (a voracious PV consumer) there are lots around.
But in the solar rush, remember to purchase responsibly. PV solar cells are far from ecologically innocuous, as they contain a concoction of toxic conductors. They should be manufactured in a closed-loop system to high environmental standards.
They also remain the only renewable really attuned to normal life. You can add them on to a house without incurring the wrath of planning departments or undertaking huge civil engineering projects.
Source - The Guardian
Real, gutsy solar power is as rare as hen’s teeth in this country. By the real deal I mean photovoltaic (PV solar) systems that convert sunlight into electricity as opposed to rather prosaic solar thermal systems that heat water. Last year just 6MW of solar PV solar panels were installed in this country. Compare and contrast the situation in Germany, where more than 1,500MW was installed last year and one in 10 buildings has a solar power system.
This is ludicrous because solar PV could provide 30-40% of the UK’s total electricity needs by 2050, reducing CO2 emissions by 15% a year. An average domestic system (a fairly modest 1.8kWp PV system) can provide at least 25% of a household’s energy. The sticking point has been the expense.
Luckily there are sunnier days ahead. We’ve been waiting years for a Feed-in Tariff scheme (rebranded as the Clean Energy Cash Back Scheme), and now it is expected to arrive in April 2010. This will guarantee domestic PV installations 36.5 pence per kw hour of electricity they feed back into the grid, probably for around 25 years.
If plans go through, they’ll get just 36p for their surplus output and be able to enjoy the more generous tariff and possibly a grant (£10m is available until April 2010 via the governments grants programme in the form of £2,500 per households.
And you’ll be able to take advantage of the fact that solar panels have come down in price. According to Sharp, a UK-based solar-module manufacturer, units are 30% cheaper than a year ago. You can get different types to stick on or integrate into your roof, not just the traditional crystalline cells using reject silicon from the electronics industry. The new wave is full of efficient, sleek models. Some look uncannily like normal roof tiles. Thanks to a recession in Spain (a voracious PV consumer) there are lots around.
But in the solar rush, remember to purchase responsibly. PV solar cells are far from ecologically innocuous, as they contain a concoction of toxic conductors. They should be manufactured in a closed-loop system to high environmental standards.
They also remain the only renewable really attuned to normal life. You can add them on to a house without incurring the wrath of planning departments or undertaking huge civil engineering projects.
Source - The Guardian
Sunday, 13 September 2009
China plans world's largest solar plant
The world's largest solar plant is planned for the Mongolian desert of China.
Arizona-based First Solar Inc. and Ordos City in China signed an agreement Tuesday to build what will be a 2-gigawatt solar installation.
The Ordos City project will generate 2,000 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 3 million Chinese homes, with a field of panels stretching for 25 square miles.
It will start as a 30-megawatt demonstration unit with construction beginning in June 2010 and additional phases to come online in 2014 and 2019.
"This major commitment to solar power is a direct result of the progressive energy policies being adopted in China to create a sustainable, long-term market for solar and a low carbon future for China," First Solar chief executive officer Mike Ahearn said in a news release. "It represents an encouraging step forward toward the mass-scale deployment of solar power worldwide to help mitigate climate change concerns."
China announced in July that its renewable energy is expected to represent 10 percent of the country's energy resources by 2010 and 15 percent by 2020.
While financial terms of the deal have not yet been reached, First Solar will operate the plant under China's feed-in tariff, which guarantees prices paid for renewable power.
"This type of forward-looking government policy is necessary to create a strong solar market and facilitate the construction of a project of this size, which in turn continues to drive the cost of solar electricity closer to 'grid parity' -- where it is competitive with traditional energy sources," First Solar said in the release.
Ahearn said that in the United States, a solar plant of this size would cost $5 billion to $6 billion, but it is cheaper to build in China. He did not specify the cost of the Ordos City project.
The project is part of an 11,950-megawatt renewable-energy park planned for Ordos City in Inner Mongolia.
Plans for the park include wind farms to generate 6,950 megawatts, photovoltaic power plants to provide 3,900 megawatts and solar thermal farms to supply 720 megawatts, The New York Times reports.
Noting that China is home to Suntech, the world's third-largest solar module maker, it is "quite significant" that China is "importing a U.S. world leader to the marketplace," said Nathaniel Bullard, a solar analyst at London-based New Energy Finance, the Times reports. "This is going to help ensure technological leadership and not just manufacturing leadership."
China is the world's largest consumer of coal, which accounts for nearly 80 percent of the country's electricity generation.
Statistics from the China Renewable Energy Society suggest that at least two-thirds of China gets more than 2,200 hours of sunshine per year, making China's potential solar energy resources equivalent to 1.7 trillion tons of coal.
Source - Solar Daily
Arizona-based First Solar Inc. and Ordos City in China signed an agreement Tuesday to build what will be a 2-gigawatt solar installation.
The Ordos City project will generate 2,000 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 3 million Chinese homes, with a field of panels stretching for 25 square miles.
It will start as a 30-megawatt demonstration unit with construction beginning in June 2010 and additional phases to come online in 2014 and 2019.
"This major commitment to solar power is a direct result of the progressive energy policies being adopted in China to create a sustainable, long-term market for solar and a low carbon future for China," First Solar chief executive officer Mike Ahearn said in a news release. "It represents an encouraging step forward toward the mass-scale deployment of solar power worldwide to help mitigate climate change concerns."
China announced in July that its renewable energy is expected to represent 10 percent of the country's energy resources by 2010 and 15 percent by 2020.
While financial terms of the deal have not yet been reached, First Solar will operate the plant under China's feed-in tariff, which guarantees prices paid for renewable power.
"This type of forward-looking government policy is necessary to create a strong solar market and facilitate the construction of a project of this size, which in turn continues to drive the cost of solar electricity closer to 'grid parity' -- where it is competitive with traditional energy sources," First Solar said in the release.
Ahearn said that in the United States, a solar plant of this size would cost $5 billion to $6 billion, but it is cheaper to build in China. He did not specify the cost of the Ordos City project.
The project is part of an 11,950-megawatt renewable-energy park planned for Ordos City in Inner Mongolia.
Plans for the park include wind farms to generate 6,950 megawatts, photovoltaic power plants to provide 3,900 megawatts and solar thermal farms to supply 720 megawatts, The New York Times reports.
Noting that China is home to Suntech, the world's third-largest solar module maker, it is "quite significant" that China is "importing a U.S. world leader to the marketplace," said Nathaniel Bullard, a solar analyst at London-based New Energy Finance, the Times reports. "This is going to help ensure technological leadership and not just manufacturing leadership."
China is the world's largest consumer of coal, which accounts for nearly 80 percent of the country's electricity generation.
Statistics from the China Renewable Energy Society suggest that at least two-thirds of China gets more than 2,200 hours of sunshine per year, making China's potential solar energy resources equivalent to 1.7 trillion tons of coal.
Source - Solar Daily
Thursday, 20 August 2009
Australia targets 20 percent renewable energy by 2020
Australia's government will ask the Senate Tuesday to approve plans to produce 20 percent of energy from renewable sources by 2020 after the house rejected a proposed carbon trading scheme.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's centre-left Labour government passed the ambitious proposal to use green power to generate a fifth of the country's electricity in parliament's lower house late Monday.
But it faces a potential hurdle in the Senate, where independents hold the balance of power and can scupper the government's bid to have the renewables target in place before UN climate talks in Copenhagen in December.
The conservative opposition joined forces with the Greens and independent senators last week to reject an emissions trading scheme aimed at cutting carbon pollution by five to 25 percent over the next decade.
However, Greens senator Christine Milne indicated the renewables target would receive a warmer reception than the emissions scheme because it was the best option being put forward by the government.
"There's no way we're going to jeopardise it," she told public broadcaster ABC.
The renewables target, which works by forcing electricity companies to buy a portion of their power from renewable sources, will be submitted to the Senate on Tuesday and is expected to be voted on later this week.
The government originally bundled the emissions scheme and renewables target together in the same legislative package but was forced to separate them after its defeat in the Senate last week.
Rudd warned late Monday that the Senate risked damaging the economy if it rejected the emissions trading scheme again when it is re-submitted to the upper house in November.
"We'll be denying Australia a whole new set of economic opportunities for the future," Rudd told a business forum.
"We'll be also inviting the possibility of punitive tariffs being imposed on this economy in the future by other economies which join the cap-and-trade system of the future."
Source - Solar Daily
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's centre-left Labour government passed the ambitious proposal to use green power to generate a fifth of the country's electricity in parliament's lower house late Monday.
But it faces a potential hurdle in the Senate, where independents hold the balance of power and can scupper the government's bid to have the renewables target in place before UN climate talks in Copenhagen in December.
The conservative opposition joined forces with the Greens and independent senators last week to reject an emissions trading scheme aimed at cutting carbon pollution by five to 25 percent over the next decade.
However, Greens senator Christine Milne indicated the renewables target would receive a warmer reception than the emissions scheme because it was the best option being put forward by the government.
"There's no way we're going to jeopardise it," she told public broadcaster ABC.
The renewables target, which works by forcing electricity companies to buy a portion of their power from renewable sources, will be submitted to the Senate on Tuesday and is expected to be voted on later this week.
The government originally bundled the emissions scheme and renewables target together in the same legislative package but was forced to separate them after its defeat in the Senate last week.
Rudd warned late Monday that the Senate risked damaging the economy if it rejected the emissions trading scheme again when it is re-submitted to the upper house in November.
"We'll be denying Australia a whole new set of economic opportunities for the future," Rudd told a business forum.
"We'll be also inviting the possibility of punitive tariffs being imposed on this economy in the future by other economies which join the cap-and-trade system of the future."
Source - Solar Daily
Sunday, 14 June 2009
Hyatt Regency Flips Switch On New Solar Power System
Hyatt Regency New Brunswick has flipped the switch to dedicate its newly installed SunPower solar power system, marking the hotel's initial step towards generating clean, renewable solar power.
The hotel partnered with SunPower to design and install the 32,000-square-foot, 421-kilowatt system over the top floor of the hotel's garage.
At a dedication ceremony, Hyatt Regency New Brunswick celebrated the completion of the new photovoltaic (PV) solar panel system. General Manager Adrian Hughes and Director of Engineering Scott Stahl addressed a group of attendees, including New Brunswick Mayor James Cahill.
"We are thrilled to be moving forward in our efforts to conserve resources," said Hughes. "The hotel has instituted many successful energy saving programs over the past several years, and solar is the next logical step to furthering our environmental commitment."
Hyatt Regency New Brunswick's solar power system utilizes SunPower's high-efficiency solar panels with its patented PowerGuard roof tile technology. PowerGuard is a non-penetrating, wind-resistant system that lies flat on the roof and provides added thermal insulation for the building and environmental protection to the roof membrane.
The output from the system will help reduce New Jersey's CO2 emissions by 10,000 tons over the next 30 years, and will further lessen oil dependence by at least 749 barrels annually, according to conversion formulas provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
"Using SunPower technology will maximize the amount of power generated by the system, and will also maximize Hyatt Regency New Brunswick's return on investment, saving on annual electricity costs now and over the long term," said Tom Leyden, managing director, SunPower. "We commend Hyatt Regency New Brunswick for their leadership in environmental stewardship, and for helping New Jersey attain its renewable energy goals."
Hyatt Regency New Brunswick is strongly committed to shrinking its environmental footprint by reducing, reusing and recycling. Some of the steps the hotel has taken include:
+ In April, the hotel implemented food composting with a combined recycling of metals, plastic, glass, cardboard, paper and food.
+ With the installation of a kitchen exhaust hood control system in May, the hotel anticipates an average energy savings of 206,000 kWh annually and $28,000 per year on reduced heating and air-conditioning costs.
+ The hotel has converted to CFL lights wherever possible, and has also replaced the garage lighting with QL lights, resulting in energy saving of over 192,000 kWh per year. LED lighting can also be found in various locations around the hotel, reducing electricity consumption by 375,000 kWh annually.
Source - Solardaily
The hotel partnered with SunPower to design and install the 32,000-square-foot, 421-kilowatt system over the top floor of the hotel's garage.
At a dedication ceremony, Hyatt Regency New Brunswick celebrated the completion of the new photovoltaic (PV) solar panel system. General Manager Adrian Hughes and Director of Engineering Scott Stahl addressed a group of attendees, including New Brunswick Mayor James Cahill.
"We are thrilled to be moving forward in our efforts to conserve resources," said Hughes. "The hotel has instituted many successful energy saving programs over the past several years, and solar is the next logical step to furthering our environmental commitment."
Hyatt Regency New Brunswick's solar power system utilizes SunPower's high-efficiency solar panels with its patented PowerGuard roof tile technology. PowerGuard is a non-penetrating, wind-resistant system that lies flat on the roof and provides added thermal insulation for the building and environmental protection to the roof membrane.
The output from the system will help reduce New Jersey's CO2 emissions by 10,000 tons over the next 30 years, and will further lessen oil dependence by at least 749 barrels annually, according to conversion formulas provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
"Using SunPower technology will maximize the amount of power generated by the system, and will also maximize Hyatt Regency New Brunswick's return on investment, saving on annual electricity costs now and over the long term," said Tom Leyden, managing director, SunPower. "We commend Hyatt Regency New Brunswick for their leadership in environmental stewardship, and for helping New Jersey attain its renewable energy goals."
Hyatt Regency New Brunswick is strongly committed to shrinking its environmental footprint by reducing, reusing and recycling. Some of the steps the hotel has taken include:
+ In April, the hotel implemented food composting with a combined recycling of metals, plastic, glass, cardboard, paper and food.
+ With the installation of a kitchen exhaust hood control system in May, the hotel anticipates an average energy savings of 206,000 kWh annually and $28,000 per year on reduced heating and air-conditioning costs.
+ The hotel has converted to CFL lights wherever possible, and has also replaced the garage lighting with QL lights, resulting in energy saving of over 192,000 kWh per year. LED lighting can also be found in various locations around the hotel, reducing electricity consumption by 375,000 kWh annually.
Source - Solardaily
Sunday, 7 June 2009
Lasers Are Making Solar Cells Competitive
Solar electricity has a future: It is renewable and available in unlimited quantities, and it does not produce any gases detrimental to the climate. Its only drawback right now is the price: the electric power currently being produced by solar cells in northern Europe must be subsidized if it is to compete against the household electricity generated by traditional power plants.
At "Laser 2009" in Munich, June 15 to 18, Fraunhofer researchers will be demonstrating how laser technology can contribute to optimizing the manufacturing costs and efficiency of solar cells.
Cell phones, computers, MP3 players, kitchen stoves, and irons all have one thing in common: They need electricity. And in the future, more and more cars will also be fuelled by electric power. If the latest forecast from the World Energy Council WEC can be believed, global electricity requirements will double in the next 40 years. At the same time, prices for the dwindling resources of petroleum and natural gas are climbing.
"Rising energy prices are making alternative energy sources increasingly cost-effective. Sometime in the coming years, renewable energy sources, such as solar energy, will be competitive, even without subsidization," explains Dr. Arnold Gillner, head of the microtechnology department at the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology in Aachen, Germany.
"Experts predict that grid parity will be achieved in a few years. This means that the costs and opportunities in the grid will be equal for solar electricity and conventionally generated household electricity." Together with his team at the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT in Aachen, this researcher is developing technologies now that will allow faster, better, and cheaper production of solar cells in the future.
"Lasers work quickly, precisely, and without contact. In other words, they are an ideal tool for manufacturing fragile solar cells. In fact, lasers are already being used in production today, but there is still considerable room for process optimization."
In addition to gradually improving the manufacturing technology, the physicists and engineers in Aachen are working with solar cell developers - for example, at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE in Freiburg - on new engineering and design alternatives.
New production technologies allow new design alternatives
At "Laser 2009" in Munich, the researchers will be demonstrating how lasers can drill holes into silicon cells at breathtaking speed: The ILT laser system drills more than 3,000 holes within one second. Because it is not possible to move the laser source at this speed, the experts have developed optimized manufacturing systems which guide and focuses the light beam at the required points.
"We are currently experimenting with various laser sources and optical systems," Gillner explains. "Our goal is to increase the performance to 10,000 holes a second. This is the speed that must be reached in order to drill 10,000 to 20,000 holes into a wafer within the cycle time of the production machines."
The tiny holes in the wafer - their diameter is only 50 micrometers - open up undreamt-of possibilities for the solar cell developers.
"Previously, the electrical contacts were arranged on the top of the cells. The holes make it possible to move the contacts to the back, with the advantage that the electrodes, which currently act as a dark grid to absorb light, disappear. And so the energy yield increases. The goal is a degree of efficiency of 20 percent% in industrially-produced emitter wrap-through (EWT) cells, with a yield of one-third more than classic silicon cells," Gillner explains.
The design principle itself remains unchanged: In the semi-conductor layer, light particles, or photons, produce negative electrons and positive holes, each of which then wanders to the oppositely poled electrodes.
The contacts for anodes and cathodes in the EWT cells are all on the back, there is no shading caused by the electrodes, and the degree of efficiency increases. With this technique, it may one day be possible to use unpurified "dirty" silicon to manufacture solar cells that have poorer electrical properties, but that are cheaper.
Drilling holes into silicon cells is only one of many laser applications in solar cell manufacturing. In the EU project Solasys - Next Generation Solar Cell and Module Laser Processing Systems - an international research team is currently developing new technologies that will allow production to be optimized in the future. ILT in Aachen is coordinating the six million euro project.
"We are working on new methods that make the doping of semiconductors, the drilling and the surface structuring of silicon, the edge isolation of the cells, and the soldering of the modules more economical," project coordinator Gillner explains. For example, "selective laser soldering" makes it possible to improve the rejection rates and quality of the contacting, and so reduce manufacturing costs.
Until now, the electrodes were mechanically pressed onto the cells, and then heated in an oven. "But silicon cells often break during this process," Gillner knows. "Breakage is a primary cost factor in production." On the other hand, however, with "selective laser soldering" the contacts are pressed on to the cells with compressed air and then soldered with the laser.
The mechanical stress approaches zero and the temperature can be precisely regulated. The result: Optimal contacts and almost no rejects.
Laser technology means more efficient thin film cells
Laser technology is also helping to optimize the manufacture of thin film solar cells. The extremely thin film packages made of semiconducting oxide, amorphous silicon, and metal that are deposited onto the glass panels still have a market share of only ten percent.
But as Gillner knows, "This could be higher, because thin film solar cells can be used anywhere that non-transparent glass panels can be mounted, for example, on house facades or sound-insulating walls. But the degrees of efficiency are comparable low at five to eight percent, and the production costs are comparatively high."
The laser researchers are working to improve these costs. Until now, the manufacturers have used mechanical methods or solid-state lasers in the nanosecond range in order to structure the active layers on the glass panels. In order to produce electric connections between the semiconductor and the metal, grooves only a few micrometers wide must be created.
At the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft booth at "Laser 2009" the ILT researchers will be demonstrating a 400-watt ultrashort pulse laser that processes thin-film solar modules ten times faster than conventional diode-pumped solid-state lasers.
"The ultrashort pulse laser is an ideal tool for ablating thin layers: It works very precisely, does not heat the material and, working with a pulse frequency of 80 MHz, can process a 2-by-3 meter glass panel in under two minutes," Gillner reports. "The technology is still very new, and high-performance scanning systems and optical systems adapted to the process must be developed first. In the medium term, however, this technology will be able to reduce production costs."
The rise of laser technology in solar technology is just taking off, and it still has a long way to go. "Lasers simplify and optimize the manufacture of classic silicon and thin-film cells, and they allow the development of new design alternatives," Gillner continues. "And so laser technology is making an important contribution towards allowing renewable energy sources to penetrate further into the energy market."
Source - Solardaily
At "Laser 2009" in Munich, June 15 to 18, Fraunhofer researchers will be demonstrating how laser technology can contribute to optimizing the manufacturing costs and efficiency of solar cells.
Cell phones, computers, MP3 players, kitchen stoves, and irons all have one thing in common: They need electricity. And in the future, more and more cars will also be fuelled by electric power. If the latest forecast from the World Energy Council WEC can be believed, global electricity requirements will double in the next 40 years. At the same time, prices for the dwindling resources of petroleum and natural gas are climbing.
"Rising energy prices are making alternative energy sources increasingly cost-effective. Sometime in the coming years, renewable energy sources, such as solar energy, will be competitive, even without subsidization," explains Dr. Arnold Gillner, head of the microtechnology department at the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology in Aachen, Germany.
"Experts predict that grid parity will be achieved in a few years. This means that the costs and opportunities in the grid will be equal for solar electricity and conventionally generated household electricity." Together with his team at the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT in Aachen, this researcher is developing technologies now that will allow faster, better, and cheaper production of solar cells in the future.
"Lasers work quickly, precisely, and without contact. In other words, they are an ideal tool for manufacturing fragile solar cells. In fact, lasers are already being used in production today, but there is still considerable room for process optimization."
In addition to gradually improving the manufacturing technology, the physicists and engineers in Aachen are working with solar cell developers - for example, at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE in Freiburg - on new engineering and design alternatives.
New production technologies allow new design alternatives
At "Laser 2009" in Munich, the researchers will be demonstrating how lasers can drill holes into silicon cells at breathtaking speed: The ILT laser system drills more than 3,000 holes within one second. Because it is not possible to move the laser source at this speed, the experts have developed optimized manufacturing systems which guide and focuses the light beam at the required points.
"We are currently experimenting with various laser sources and optical systems," Gillner explains. "Our goal is to increase the performance to 10,000 holes a second. This is the speed that must be reached in order to drill 10,000 to 20,000 holes into a wafer within the cycle time of the production machines."
The tiny holes in the wafer - their diameter is only 50 micrometers - open up undreamt-of possibilities for the solar cell developers.
"Previously, the electrical contacts were arranged on the top of the cells. The holes make it possible to move the contacts to the back, with the advantage that the electrodes, which currently act as a dark grid to absorb light, disappear. And so the energy yield increases. The goal is a degree of efficiency of 20 percent% in industrially-produced emitter wrap-through (EWT) cells, with a yield of one-third more than classic silicon cells," Gillner explains.
The design principle itself remains unchanged: In the semi-conductor layer, light particles, or photons, produce negative electrons and positive holes, each of which then wanders to the oppositely poled electrodes.
The contacts for anodes and cathodes in the EWT cells are all on the back, there is no shading caused by the electrodes, and the degree of efficiency increases. With this technique, it may one day be possible to use unpurified "dirty" silicon to manufacture solar cells that have poorer electrical properties, but that are cheaper.
Drilling holes into silicon cells is only one of many laser applications in solar cell manufacturing. In the EU project Solasys - Next Generation Solar Cell and Module Laser Processing Systems - an international research team is currently developing new technologies that will allow production to be optimized in the future. ILT in Aachen is coordinating the six million euro project.
"We are working on new methods that make the doping of semiconductors, the drilling and the surface structuring of silicon, the edge isolation of the cells, and the soldering of the modules more economical," project coordinator Gillner explains. For example, "selective laser soldering" makes it possible to improve the rejection rates and quality of the contacting, and so reduce manufacturing costs.
Until now, the electrodes were mechanically pressed onto the cells, and then heated in an oven. "But silicon cells often break during this process," Gillner knows. "Breakage is a primary cost factor in production." On the other hand, however, with "selective laser soldering" the contacts are pressed on to the cells with compressed air and then soldered with the laser.
The mechanical stress approaches zero and the temperature can be precisely regulated. The result: Optimal contacts and almost no rejects.
Laser technology means more efficient thin film cells
Laser technology is also helping to optimize the manufacture of thin film solar cells. The extremely thin film packages made of semiconducting oxide, amorphous silicon, and metal that are deposited onto the glass panels still have a market share of only ten percent.
But as Gillner knows, "This could be higher, because thin film solar cells can be used anywhere that non-transparent glass panels can be mounted, for example, on house facades or sound-insulating walls. But the degrees of efficiency are comparable low at five to eight percent, and the production costs are comparatively high."
The laser researchers are working to improve these costs. Until now, the manufacturers have used mechanical methods or solid-state lasers in the nanosecond range in order to structure the active layers on the glass panels. In order to produce electric connections between the semiconductor and the metal, grooves only a few micrometers wide must be created.
At the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft booth at "Laser 2009" the ILT researchers will be demonstrating a 400-watt ultrashort pulse laser that processes thin-film solar modules ten times faster than conventional diode-pumped solid-state lasers.
"The ultrashort pulse laser is an ideal tool for ablating thin layers: It works very precisely, does not heat the material and, working with a pulse frequency of 80 MHz, can process a 2-by-3 meter glass panel in under two minutes," Gillner reports. "The technology is still very new, and high-performance scanning systems and optical systems adapted to the process must be developed first. In the medium term, however, this technology will be able to reduce production costs."
The rise of laser technology in solar technology is just taking off, and it still has a long way to go. "Lasers simplify and optimize the manufacture of classic silicon and thin-film cells, and they allow the development of new design alternatives," Gillner continues. "And so laser technology is making an important contribution towards allowing renewable energy sources to penetrate further into the energy market."
Source - Solardaily
Wednesday, 29 April 2009
Bright Future With Solar Lanterns For India's Poor
Solar energy has the potential to improve the living conditions of poor rural households in India as well as contribute to the country’s future energy security, according to Professor Govindasamy Agoramoorthy from Tajen University, who is Tata-Sadguru Visiting Chair, and Dr. Minna Hsu from the National Sun Yat-sen University in Taiwan.
Their study, looking at the benefits of solar lanterns on the livelihoods of village communities in Western India, as well as sustainable use of the environment, has just been published online in Springer’s journal Human Ecology.
In India, approximately 70 percent of rural areas lack electricity and over 60 percent of rural households use kerosene lamps for lighting. Kerosene lamps are not only expensive, they are also inefficient, potentially dangerous and a major source of greenhouse gases. Interestingly, the average number of sunny days in India ranges from 250 to 300 days a year, with a solar energy equivalent greater than the country’s total energy consumption. Energy efficiency is critical to nations such as India with large and growing populations. Solar lanterns, which make the most of the country’s natural and abundant sunshine, could be a practical and clean energy alternative to kerosene lamps in village communities.
Sadguru Foundation, a non-profit agency specializing in natural resources management in India, supplied 100 solar lanterns to socially and economically disadvantaged households in 25 villages in the Dahod District of the Gujarat State between January 2004 and December 2007. Agoramoorthy and Hsu studied the effects of using solar lanterns on energy usage, household savings in terms of kerosene and electricity costs, as well as the family’s quality of life. The women in the households were interviewed a month before and again a month after the introduction of the solar lanterns.
Overall, expenditure on kerosene and electricity dropped significantly in all households, after the solar lanterns were introduced. On average each household made important savings ranging from 150 to 250 US dollars annually. Whereas both households above and below the poverty level used a similar amount of electricity before the lanterns were introduced, after their introduction households below the poverty level used significantly less electricity than those above the poverty level.
The researchers also found that the solar lanterns particularly benefited school-aged children and women. Although 70 percent of the villages are connected to the power grid, they do not receive power early in the morning or in the evening because the state power company redirects electricity to major towns and cities. However, with the six hours of light supplied daily by the solar lanterns, study hours increased which had a positive influence on the children’s performance at school. Women were also able to perform their routine household work both indoors and outdoors during power outages.
The authors conclude that “the use of solar energy will contribute to India’s future energy security, particularly in rural areas where the technology that converts sunlight directly into electricity offers a decentralized alternative to uncertain electricity supplies. If implemented efficiently, renewable energy projects could not only improve the quality of life for India’s rural poor but also enhance sustainable use of the environment.”
Source - Sciencedaily
Their study, looking at the benefits of solar lanterns on the livelihoods of village communities in Western India, as well as sustainable use of the environment, has just been published online in Springer’s journal Human Ecology.
In India, approximately 70 percent of rural areas lack electricity and over 60 percent of rural households use kerosene lamps for lighting. Kerosene lamps are not only expensive, they are also inefficient, potentially dangerous and a major source of greenhouse gases. Interestingly, the average number of sunny days in India ranges from 250 to 300 days a year, with a solar energy equivalent greater than the country’s total energy consumption. Energy efficiency is critical to nations such as India with large and growing populations. Solar lanterns, which make the most of the country’s natural and abundant sunshine, could be a practical and clean energy alternative to kerosene lamps in village communities.
Sadguru Foundation, a non-profit agency specializing in natural resources management in India, supplied 100 solar lanterns to socially and economically disadvantaged households in 25 villages in the Dahod District of the Gujarat State between January 2004 and December 2007. Agoramoorthy and Hsu studied the effects of using solar lanterns on energy usage, household savings in terms of kerosene and electricity costs, as well as the family’s quality of life. The women in the households were interviewed a month before and again a month after the introduction of the solar lanterns.
Overall, expenditure on kerosene and electricity dropped significantly in all households, after the solar lanterns were introduced. On average each household made important savings ranging from 150 to 250 US dollars annually. Whereas both households above and below the poverty level used a similar amount of electricity before the lanterns were introduced, after their introduction households below the poverty level used significantly less electricity than those above the poverty level.
The researchers also found that the solar lanterns particularly benefited school-aged children and women. Although 70 percent of the villages are connected to the power grid, they do not receive power early in the morning or in the evening because the state power company redirects electricity to major towns and cities. However, with the six hours of light supplied daily by the solar lanterns, study hours increased which had a positive influence on the children’s performance at school. Women were also able to perform their routine household work both indoors and outdoors during power outages.
The authors conclude that “the use of solar energy will contribute to India’s future energy security, particularly in rural areas where the technology that converts sunlight directly into electricity offers a decentralized alternative to uncertain electricity supplies. If implemented efficiently, renewable energy projects could not only improve the quality of life for India’s rural poor but also enhance sustainable use of the environment.”
Source - Sciencedaily
UK’s energy shortfall
The government fired the starting gun today for the rebirth of Britain’s nuclear power industry, announcing the names of eleven sites earmarked for construction of new reactors.
Each of the new stations will cost £4.5 billion to build and will be powerful enough to supply as many as 2 million homes with electricity for up to 60 years.
Energy experts warned that the first one would not be ready before 2017 at the earliest — too late to avoid a yawning gap opening up in Britain’s energy supplies with a string of ageing coal and nuclear stations set to close over the next few years.
Ed Miliband, the Energy and Climate Change Secretary, said that the list of new sites — all of which are located at or close to existing nuclear stations and which span the country from West Cumbria to Kent and Somerset — represented “another important step towards a new generation of nuclear power stations”.
“Nuclear power is part of the low-carbon future for Britain. It also has the potential to offer thousands of jobs to the UK and multimillion-pound opportunities to British businesses.”
The public now has one month to respond to the list of sites, including Hinkley Point in Somerset and Sizewell in Suffolk, considered the frontrunners for the first two stations to be built by the French power giant EDF.
Other sites thought to be among the first wave of new reactors include Wylfa in Anglesey; Oldbury in Gloucestershire; and Bradwell in Essex.
The list also includes Dungeness in Kent; Hartlepool in Cleveland; Heysham in Lancashire; and three separate sites in West Cumbria at Sellafield, Braystones and Kirksanton.
Craig Lowrey, head of energy markets at EIC, an independent consultancy, pointed out that the new plants would arrive too late to help Britain avoid a dangerous slide towards an unhealthy dependency on electricity produced from gas-fired power stations.
This was an unwelcome development because of the carbon emissions associated with burning gas and because the UK was running short of its own supplies in the North Sea,forcing it to import more and more of the fuel from countries such as Russia, Algeria and Qatar, Dr Lowrey said.
Britain’s current fleet of power stations — including coal, gas, nuclear, hydroelectric, wind and biomass stations — have a generating capacity of about 83.5 gigawatts. Roughly a quarter of that (22-23 gigawatts) is set to close in the next few years as ageing nuclear plants are retired from service, while a big chunk of coal-fired generation is set to close by 2015 to meet tough new European rules on the use of coal and oil-fired power stations.
The announcement of the nuclear sites also triggered a wave of protest from environmental groups, which argue that the high costs involved and the waste produced by nuclear stations do not justify the contribution they will make in cutting UK carbon emissions.
“We urgently need to end our addiction to fossil fuels, but breathing new life into the failed nuclear experiment is not the answer,” said Robin Webster, energy campaigner for Friends of the Earth. “Nuclear power leaves a deadly legacy of radioactive waste that remains highly dangerous for tens of thousands of years and costs tens of billions of pounds to manage.
Source - The Times
Each of the new stations will cost £4.5 billion to build and will be powerful enough to supply as many as 2 million homes with electricity for up to 60 years.
Energy experts warned that the first one would not be ready before 2017 at the earliest — too late to avoid a yawning gap opening up in Britain’s energy supplies with a string of ageing coal and nuclear stations set to close over the next few years.
Ed Miliband, the Energy and Climate Change Secretary, said that the list of new sites — all of which are located at or close to existing nuclear stations and which span the country from West Cumbria to Kent and Somerset — represented “another important step towards a new generation of nuclear power stations”.
“Nuclear power is part of the low-carbon future for Britain. It also has the potential to offer thousands of jobs to the UK and multimillion-pound opportunities to British businesses.”
The public now has one month to respond to the list of sites, including Hinkley Point in Somerset and Sizewell in Suffolk, considered the frontrunners for the first two stations to be built by the French power giant EDF.
Other sites thought to be among the first wave of new reactors include Wylfa in Anglesey; Oldbury in Gloucestershire; and Bradwell in Essex.
The list also includes Dungeness in Kent; Hartlepool in Cleveland; Heysham in Lancashire; and three separate sites in West Cumbria at Sellafield, Braystones and Kirksanton.
Craig Lowrey, head of energy markets at EIC, an independent consultancy, pointed out that the new plants would arrive too late to help Britain avoid a dangerous slide towards an unhealthy dependency on electricity produced from gas-fired power stations.
This was an unwelcome development because of the carbon emissions associated with burning gas and because the UK was running short of its own supplies in the North Sea,forcing it to import more and more of the fuel from countries such as Russia, Algeria and Qatar, Dr Lowrey said.
Britain’s current fleet of power stations — including coal, gas, nuclear, hydroelectric, wind and biomass stations — have a generating capacity of about 83.5 gigawatts. Roughly a quarter of that (22-23 gigawatts) is set to close in the next few years as ageing nuclear plants are retired from service, while a big chunk of coal-fired generation is set to close by 2015 to meet tough new European rules on the use of coal and oil-fired power stations.
The announcement of the nuclear sites also triggered a wave of protest from environmental groups, which argue that the high costs involved and the waste produced by nuclear stations do not justify the contribution they will make in cutting UK carbon emissions.
“We urgently need to end our addiction to fossil fuels, but breathing new life into the failed nuclear experiment is not the answer,” said Robin Webster, energy campaigner for Friends of the Earth. “Nuclear power leaves a deadly legacy of radioactive waste that remains highly dangerous for tens of thousands of years and costs tens of billions of pounds to manage.
Source - The Times
Saturday, 18 April 2009
US power company to tap solar energy in space
A leading American power company is hoping to turn science fiction into reality by supporting a project to set up solar panels in outer space and beam the electricity generated back to Earth.
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, which serves San Francisco and northern California, has agreed to buy electricity from a startup company claiming to have found a way to unlock the potential power supply in space.
The firm, Solaren Corp, says it will launch solar panels into orbit and then convert the power generated into radio-frequency transmissions, which will be beamed back down into a depot in Fresno, California. The energy would then be converted into electricity and fed into the regular power grid, PG&E said.
Although spacecraft and satellites routinely use solar panels, the project marks the first serious attempt to take advantage of the powerful and near-constant supply of sunshine in space.
Nasa and the Pentagon have been studying the idea of orbiting solar farms since the 1960s, and a number of private researchers have been looking at ways to tap into space-based solar energy.
But Solaren Corp, founded by a former spacecraft engineer, says it has developed a technology that would make it commercially viable within the next seven years to transmit electricity generated in space to a terrestrial power grid.
PG&E announced this week that it had agreed to buy 200 megawatts of electricity from Solaren starting in 2016. The deal has yet to be approved by California state government regulators and PG&E has not put any money into Solaren, but the promise alone has turned the notion of space based solar power from fantasy to reality.
"There is a very serious possibility they can make this work," said PG&E's spokesman Jonathan Marshall.
Unlike on earth, with its cycle of nights and days and where there can be clouds, sunshine in space is practically constant – aside from a few days around the spring and autumn equinoxes. That means the space-based solar panels could potentially produce a steady supply of electricity.
The sunlight hitting solar panels 200 miles in space would be 10 times as powerful as the light filtering down to Earth through the atmosphere. The satellite would then convert the energy into radio waves and beam them down to a receiving station on Earth. Spirnak did not give details of how this would work but said the technology was based on that now used by communications satellites, describing it as "very mature". He added that power losses via the radio-wave route are lower than transmission cables used on Earth. Another advantage of the plan is that it does not require large amounts of real estate. Ground-based solar installations require huge tracts of land.
Solaren has released relatively few details about the project. But Solaren's CEO, Gary Spirnak, said the company, a group of about 10 former satellite and aerospace engineers, was confident in the technology and timing behind the venture.
He argued that the science behind the orbiting solar farms was little different to that of communications satellites. "This is the exact same thing that satellites do every day. The basic technology is there," said Spirnak. "The bottom line is that this is not really a technology issue."
Daniel Kammen, a professor in energy and resources at the University of California, Berkeley, agreed: the most daunting challenge to Spirnak is cost.
"The ground rules are looking kind of promising. Whether we can do it at scale, whether we can do it affordably, whether it is too much of a technological leap or not, those are all factors," Kammen said. "It is doable. Whether it is doable at a reasonable cost, we just don't know."
Spirnak argues that a confluence of recent events now make the project more commercially viable. The cost of rocket launches – though still prohibitive – has been dropping because of the commercialisation of space, making it cheaper to send up and service solar panels.
Spirnak will face a difficult task raising funds for his project though, especially in this time of global economic recession. He said he was seeking in the low billions of dollars in investment – much higher than the usual $100m (£67m) to $200m costs for projects in renewable energy.
Source - The Guardian
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, which serves San Francisco and northern California, has agreed to buy electricity from a startup company claiming to have found a way to unlock the potential power supply in space.
The firm, Solaren Corp, says it will launch solar panels into orbit and then convert the power generated into radio-frequency transmissions, which will be beamed back down into a depot in Fresno, California. The energy would then be converted into electricity and fed into the regular power grid, PG&E said.
Although spacecraft and satellites routinely use solar panels, the project marks the first serious attempt to take advantage of the powerful and near-constant supply of sunshine in space.
Nasa and the Pentagon have been studying the idea of orbiting solar farms since the 1960s, and a number of private researchers have been looking at ways to tap into space-based solar energy.
But Solaren Corp, founded by a former spacecraft engineer, says it has developed a technology that would make it commercially viable within the next seven years to transmit electricity generated in space to a terrestrial power grid.
PG&E announced this week that it had agreed to buy 200 megawatts of electricity from Solaren starting in 2016. The deal has yet to be approved by California state government regulators and PG&E has not put any money into Solaren, but the promise alone has turned the notion of space based solar power from fantasy to reality.
"There is a very serious possibility they can make this work," said PG&E's spokesman Jonathan Marshall.
Unlike on earth, with its cycle of nights and days and where there can be clouds, sunshine in space is practically constant – aside from a few days around the spring and autumn equinoxes. That means the space-based solar panels could potentially produce a steady supply of electricity.
The sunlight hitting solar panels 200 miles in space would be 10 times as powerful as the light filtering down to Earth through the atmosphere. The satellite would then convert the energy into radio waves and beam them down to a receiving station on Earth. Spirnak did not give details of how this would work but said the technology was based on that now used by communications satellites, describing it as "very mature". He added that power losses via the radio-wave route are lower than transmission cables used on Earth. Another advantage of the plan is that it does not require large amounts of real estate. Ground-based solar installations require huge tracts of land.
Solaren has released relatively few details about the project. But Solaren's CEO, Gary Spirnak, said the company, a group of about 10 former satellite and aerospace engineers, was confident in the technology and timing behind the venture.
He argued that the science behind the orbiting solar farms was little different to that of communications satellites. "This is the exact same thing that satellites do every day. The basic technology is there," said Spirnak. "The bottom line is that this is not really a technology issue."
Daniel Kammen, a professor in energy and resources at the University of California, Berkeley, agreed: the most daunting challenge to Spirnak is cost.
"The ground rules are looking kind of promising. Whether we can do it at scale, whether we can do it affordably, whether it is too much of a technological leap or not, those are all factors," Kammen said. "It is doable. Whether it is doable at a reasonable cost, we just don't know."
Spirnak argues that a confluence of recent events now make the project more commercially viable. The cost of rocket launches – though still prohibitive – has been dropping because of the commercialisation of space, making it cheaper to send up and service solar panels.
Spirnak will face a difficult task raising funds for his project though, especially in this time of global economic recession. He said he was seeking in the low billions of dollars in investment – much higher than the usual $100m (£67m) to $200m costs for projects in renewable energy.
Source - The Guardian
Wednesday, 11 February 2009
A Solar Deal to Put Mirrors in the Mojave
Just last July, Southern California Edison, California’s biggest utility, announced what was then the largest planned array of solar panels in the world, but today it outdid itself by announcing what it bills as “the world’s largest solar deal.”
The utility has an agreement with BrightSource Energy to buy electricity from a planned suite of solar-thermal power plants — arrays of mirrors that heat fluid to drive turbines — with a total capacity of 1,300 megawatts.
The first 100-megawatt mirror array is to be built in the Mojave Desert in southern California, according to the utility and BrightSource, with construction starting later this year and power flowing in 2013 if regulators approve the project. (By comparison, the average coal-burning power plant has a capacity of about 800 megawatts, but generates electricity day or night.)
The costs of the electricity, the plants and the estimated markup on utility bills were not disclosed.
The credit crisis and recession have hit the solar and wind industries hard elsewhere, but the rapid expansion of solar power capacity (and wind turbines, too) in California is the result of a mandate. Utilities are racing to meet the state’s “renewable portfolio standard” requirement that power providers have 20 percent of electricity flowing from renewable sources by next year.
Vanessa McGrady, a spokeswoman for Southern California Edison, said the utility currently has 16 percent of its electricity coming from renewable sources.
And so the utility remains in a race to find more capacity, and soon. Its Web site has an ongoing list of renewable-energy projects.
There’s a debate out there about the merits of mandates in driving expansion of non-polluting energy options. Advocates for such standards say that the expanded market will drive down the production costs of panels, turbines and other clean power sources. Some say that pursuing efficiency is far cheaper. Others say that any state or federal requirements for non-polluting power should include nuclear reactors, which also produce no greenhouse gases when generating electricity. What do you think?
Source - New york times
The utility has an agreement with BrightSource Energy to buy electricity from a planned suite of solar-thermal power plants — arrays of mirrors that heat fluid to drive turbines — with a total capacity of 1,300 megawatts.
The first 100-megawatt mirror array is to be built in the Mojave Desert in southern California, according to the utility and BrightSource, with construction starting later this year and power flowing in 2013 if regulators approve the project. (By comparison, the average coal-burning power plant has a capacity of about 800 megawatts, but generates electricity day or night.)
The costs of the electricity, the plants and the estimated markup on utility bills were not disclosed.
The credit crisis and recession have hit the solar and wind industries hard elsewhere, but the rapid expansion of solar power capacity (and wind turbines, too) in California is the result of a mandate. Utilities are racing to meet the state’s “renewable portfolio standard” requirement that power providers have 20 percent of electricity flowing from renewable sources by next year.
Vanessa McGrady, a spokeswoman for Southern California Edison, said the utility currently has 16 percent of its electricity coming from renewable sources.
And so the utility remains in a race to find more capacity, and soon. Its Web site has an ongoing list of renewable-energy projects.
There’s a debate out there about the merits of mandates in driving expansion of non-polluting energy options. Advocates for such standards say that the expanded market will drive down the production costs of panels, turbines and other clean power sources. Some say that pursuing efficiency is far cheaper. Others say that any state or federal requirements for non-polluting power should include nuclear reactors, which also produce no greenhouse gases when generating electricity. What do you think?
Source - New york times
Monday, 5 January 2009
OWL POWER ANNOUNCES INSTALLATION AND OPERATION OF WORLD’S FIRST CLEAN ENERGY SYSTEM FOR RESTAURANTS
Boylston, MA, January 5, 2009 – Owl Power Company, developer and manufacturer of clean energy cogeneration systems, has announced Vegawatt™, an innovative new cogeneration system for restaurants and food service facilities. Vegawatt™ uses waste vegetable oil from any food service operation as a fuel to generate on-site electricity and hot water, saving the restaurant thousands of dollars as well as providing a clean, renewable source of energy. Vegawatt is installed and has been running since early December at Finz Seafood & Grill (www.hipfinz.com).
“As a restaurant operator I am constantly looking for more efficient methods, and especially for costs-saving measures,” said George Carey, owner of Finz Seafood & Grill in Dedham, Massachusetts, the first establishment to install the Vegawatt™ system. “My largest line-item expense is runaway utility costs. The Vegawatt™ system enables me to significantly reduce my energy costs, generate clean energy on-site, and very importantly, reduce the heavy energy footprint of my restaurant.”
The Vegawatt™ utilizes waste vegetable oil (WVO) from a restaurant deep fryer to prepare a non-toxic fuel. This fuel is used to produce electricity and hot water, which reduces electricity and natural gas purchases. Any food service location with fryers can use the Vegawatt™ system to save $800 monthly. It is a fully automated system that requires no intervention or maintenance by restaurant staff, no additional chemicals, and produces no liquid byproducts.
“The Vegawatt™ is quite impressive,” stated Peter Christie, President of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association. “It is a breakthrough in technology that will allow for a better environment while making use of oil that would normally be thrown out.”
Most restaurants pay to dispose of their used cooking oil. Some owners have begun to receive compensation for this oil, typically $0.10 to $0.25 per gallon. Vegawatt™ owners will achieve a value of $2.55 per gallon. New green energy incentives and Renewable Energy Certificates (REC’s) will increase the payback to the restaurant.
“As businesses everywhere are taking a hard look at their energy costs and their environmental impact, Vegawatt™ enables restaurant owners to help themselves and the planet at the same time,” stated James Peret, President and CEO of Owl Power Company.
About Owl Power Company
Owl Power Company is a Massachusetts-based company that manufactures, installs, and operates clean energy cogeneration systems. The company’s flagship product, Vegawatt™, is an automated, combined heat and power (CHP) system that utilizes waste vegetable oil as its feedstock.
Source - Vegawatt
“As a restaurant operator I am constantly looking for more efficient methods, and especially for costs-saving measures,” said George Carey, owner of Finz Seafood & Grill in Dedham, Massachusetts, the first establishment to install the Vegawatt™ system. “My largest line-item expense is runaway utility costs. The Vegawatt™ system enables me to significantly reduce my energy costs, generate clean energy on-site, and very importantly, reduce the heavy energy footprint of my restaurant.”
The Vegawatt™ utilizes waste vegetable oil (WVO) from a restaurant deep fryer to prepare a non-toxic fuel. This fuel is used to produce electricity and hot water, which reduces electricity and natural gas purchases. Any food service location with fryers can use the Vegawatt™ system to save $800 monthly. It is a fully automated system that requires no intervention or maintenance by restaurant staff, no additional chemicals, and produces no liquid byproducts.
“The Vegawatt™ is quite impressive,” stated Peter Christie, President of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association. “It is a breakthrough in technology that will allow for a better environment while making use of oil that would normally be thrown out.”
Most restaurants pay to dispose of their used cooking oil. Some owners have begun to receive compensation for this oil, typically $0.10 to $0.25 per gallon. Vegawatt™ owners will achieve a value of $2.55 per gallon. New green energy incentives and Renewable Energy Certificates (REC’s) will increase the payback to the restaurant.
“As businesses everywhere are taking a hard look at their energy costs and their environmental impact, Vegawatt™ enables restaurant owners to help themselves and the planet at the same time,” stated James Peret, President and CEO of Owl Power Company.
About Owl Power Company
Owl Power Company is a Massachusetts-based company that manufactures, installs, and operates clean energy cogeneration systems. The company’s flagship product, Vegawatt™, is an automated, combined heat and power (CHP) system that utilizes waste vegetable oil as its feedstock.
Source - Vegawatt
Saturday, 4 October 2008
A very cold UK energy winter indeed
UK families will from today face paying spiralling energy costs as increases to electricity and gas bills are introduced.
Consumers will now have to pay almost 20% more for gas and 33% more for electricity.
The huge increase, announced last month, sparked concerns about the impact among the business community as well as householders who are already suffering from jumps in food and fuel prices.
From today Phoenix Gas customers face a 19.2% hike for domestic and small industrial and commercial customers.
The increase adds around £2.15 a week to the average household gas bill, resulting in an average customer paying £689 per year.
While NIE customers will be paying 33.3% more. This follows an earlier increase in gas prices of 28% four months ago.
Last month Phoenix Gas said large increases in wholesale gas costs left them with “no alternative” but to review prices.
However, when asked if they would consider introducing a cap on tarrifs, NIE Energy said it “does not currently offer fixed or capped electricity prices” like other UK energy companies.
It said it is “a regulated business operating under a price control, determined by the regulator, who acts on behalf of all consumers in the UK”.
Kerstie Forsyth from NIE Energy said: “We are concerned about the impact of this increase on our customers, particularly those on lower incomes.
“We can’t control world fuel prices, which have led to this increase, but what we can do is offer discounted electricity.”
He said: “Our customers can be assured that we are committed to delivering gas at the lowest possible price both now and into the future.
“If, as we hope, worldwide energy prices fall, Phoenix will reduce its prices accordingly.”
Michael Hughes, chief executive of the Rural Community Network, representing people in rural areas on issues relating to poverty and disadvantage, said many will struggle to pay high energy bills this winter.
“Statistically there is more unfit housing in rural areas than in urban,” he said. “Those are the houses that are harder to heat, the older house that the person has lived nearly all their lives and wouldn’t want to move.”
However he said that the current situation will prove a financially tough time for most people across the country.
“This is not the case for getting into a debate about people in urban and rural areas and who is poorer. There are disadvantaged in all areas, but this is also affecting people throughout the country who would normally be comfortably off.”
On Monday the Assembly backed plans for the Executive to spearhead an action plan to counter the effects of spiralling energy bills.
But Mr Hughes said: “The Executive needs to get working again urgently to deal with these issues and help those who have to choose between food or heat this winter.”
Source - The belfast telegraph
Consumers will now have to pay almost 20% more for gas and 33% more for electricity.
The huge increase, announced last month, sparked concerns about the impact among the business community as well as householders who are already suffering from jumps in food and fuel prices.
From today Phoenix Gas customers face a 19.2% hike for domestic and small industrial and commercial customers.
The increase adds around £2.15 a week to the average household gas bill, resulting in an average customer paying £689 per year.
While NIE customers will be paying 33.3% more. This follows an earlier increase in gas prices of 28% four months ago.
Last month Phoenix Gas said large increases in wholesale gas costs left them with “no alternative” but to review prices.
However, when asked if they would consider introducing a cap on tarrifs, NIE Energy said it “does not currently offer fixed or capped electricity prices” like other UK energy companies.
It said it is “a regulated business operating under a price control, determined by the regulator, who acts on behalf of all consumers in the UK”.
Kerstie Forsyth from NIE Energy said: “We are concerned about the impact of this increase on our customers, particularly those on lower incomes.
“We can’t control world fuel prices, which have led to this increase, but what we can do is offer discounted electricity.”
He said: “Our customers can be assured that we are committed to delivering gas at the lowest possible price both now and into the future.
“If, as we hope, worldwide energy prices fall, Phoenix will reduce its prices accordingly.”
Michael Hughes, chief executive of the Rural Community Network, representing people in rural areas on issues relating to poverty and disadvantage, said many will struggle to pay high energy bills this winter.
“Statistically there is more unfit housing in rural areas than in urban,” he said. “Those are the houses that are harder to heat, the older house that the person has lived nearly all their lives and wouldn’t want to move.”
However he said that the current situation will prove a financially tough time for most people across the country.
“This is not the case for getting into a debate about people in urban and rural areas and who is poorer. There are disadvantaged in all areas, but this is also affecting people throughout the country who would normally be comfortably off.”
On Monday the Assembly backed plans for the Executive to spearhead an action plan to counter the effects of spiralling energy bills.
But Mr Hughes said: “The Executive needs to get working again urgently to deal with these issues and help those who have to choose between food or heat this winter.”
Source - The belfast telegraph
Saturday, 13 September 2008
8 years to pay back solar panels costs
Solar panels are one of the most cost effective upgrades, according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
The cost of adding solar panels to the average home is between £1,700 - £4,000, and the energy savings are worth as little as £240 a year, according to Rics, meaning it could take as little as 8 years to pay back the price of installation.
The report also reveals that the average cost of replacing a wall-mounted boiler with a more energy-efficient version is about £1,700. But with expected savings of just £95 a year, it would take up to 18 years to offset the cost.
The most cost effective energy saving measure is cavity wall insulation. At a cost of between £440 and £2,400, depending on the size of the home, and an average energy savings of as much as £145 a year, the cost could be paid back over as little as three years.
Joe Martin, director, of Rics’s Building Cost Information Service, said: “We all have a role to play in helping to reduce our carbon footprint, be it through changes to our behaviour or by choosing greener alternatives. The reality is, however, that most people struggle with the cost, time, and effort it takes to make these changes.
“The Greener Homes Price Guide gives consumers a comprehensive heads-up about the costs and effectiveness of green upgrades, whilst protecting them from being duped into changes that won’t save them money or do little to reduce their carbon footprint.”
However, the solar panel industry vigoursly denied the claims. Andrew Lee, head of solar at Sharp Electronics, said. “Rics’s claim on solar panels is massively misleading and potentially damaging for both the UK solar industry and the UK’s renewable energy targets, being based on outdated and inaccurate information. Instead of 50 years plus for payback, most average installations will payback within approximately 12-15 years.
“Solar power works, it’s long term and effective – and it’s more than adequate to meet the UK’s energy demands. What’s more, once installed, solar power is free – and super-green - it can even add up to 10 per cent to the value of your home.”
Less than 100,000 properties in the UK have some form of microgeneration system, such as solar panels, wind turbines and heat pumps. In contrast, German householders installed more than 75,000 solar generation systems alone in 2006. In Germany, the Government pays people to generate their own electricity, which is fed into the National Grid.
The research by Rics follows an investigation by Times Money which discovered that wind turbines are rarely cost effective.
A large free-standing wind generator can cost anything from £12,000 to £24,000 to install. But they are only really economic or practical for people in rural areas, particularly those not connected to the electricity grid. Even then, and taking account of electricity fed back into the grid, it would take at least 15 years for them to pay for themselves.
The same goes for ground-source heat pumps. They take natural heat from the ground and boost it to useable levels using a small amount of external electricity.
The Energy Savings Trust, a government-backed group that promotes better energy use, says that a six-kilowatt ground-source heat pump will cost up to £10,000 to install and save as much as £750 a year in energy costs. But heat pumps work best with under floor heating, which can cost a further £20,000 to install.
Source - The Times
The cost of adding solar panels to the average home is between £1,700 - £4,000, and the energy savings are worth as little as £240 a year, according to Rics, meaning it could take as little as 8 years to pay back the price of installation.
The report also reveals that the average cost of replacing a wall-mounted boiler with a more energy-efficient version is about £1,700. But with expected savings of just £95 a year, it would take up to 18 years to offset the cost.
The most cost effective energy saving measure is cavity wall insulation. At a cost of between £440 and £2,400, depending on the size of the home, and an average energy savings of as much as £145 a year, the cost could be paid back over as little as three years.
Joe Martin, director, of Rics’s Building Cost Information Service, said: “We all have a role to play in helping to reduce our carbon footprint, be it through changes to our behaviour or by choosing greener alternatives. The reality is, however, that most people struggle with the cost, time, and effort it takes to make these changes.
“The Greener Homes Price Guide gives consumers a comprehensive heads-up about the costs and effectiveness of green upgrades, whilst protecting them from being duped into changes that won’t save them money or do little to reduce their carbon footprint.”
However, the solar panel industry vigoursly denied the claims. Andrew Lee, head of solar at Sharp Electronics, said. “Rics’s claim on solar panels is massively misleading and potentially damaging for both the UK solar industry and the UK’s renewable energy targets, being based on outdated and inaccurate information. Instead of 50 years plus for payback, most average installations will payback within approximately 12-15 years.
“Solar power works, it’s long term and effective – and it’s more than adequate to meet the UK’s energy demands. What’s more, once installed, solar power is free – and super-green - it can even add up to 10 per cent to the value of your home.”
Less than 100,000 properties in the UK have some form of microgeneration system, such as solar panels, wind turbines and heat pumps. In contrast, German householders installed more than 75,000 solar generation systems alone in 2006. In Germany, the Government pays people to generate their own electricity, which is fed into the National Grid.
The research by Rics follows an investigation by Times Money which discovered that wind turbines are rarely cost effective.
A large free-standing wind generator can cost anything from £12,000 to £24,000 to install. But they are only really economic or practical for people in rural areas, particularly those not connected to the electricity grid. Even then, and taking account of electricity fed back into the grid, it would take at least 15 years for them to pay for themselves.
The same goes for ground-source heat pumps. They take natural heat from the ground and boost it to useable levels using a small amount of external electricity.
The Energy Savings Trust, a government-backed group that promotes better energy use, says that a six-kilowatt ground-source heat pump will cost up to £10,000 to install and save as much as £750 a year in energy costs. But heat pumps work best with under floor heating, which can cost a further £20,000 to install.
Source - The Times
Friday, 5 September 2008
Sunrise Solar Introduces Solar Building Brick
Sunrise Solar has announced the introduction of a Solar Light Brick for the integration of solar technologies into traditional construction materials.
This innovative technology includes advanced solar cells, an energy storage device and a crystal lighting system that surrounds the energy module in a square or rectangle.
The imbedded solar cell generates electricity when the sun shines and stores it in the storage device. The light is automatically activated after dark. The solar brick can be designed to light in any color.
Potential applications include rural airfields, building lighting, safety lights and decorative lighting. The solar brick can operate without any connection to the electrical grid and can be imbedded in construction materials.
"As we continue to introduce innovative solar products that deliver dynamic energy solutions that can be applied today, we are proud to introduce the 'solar light brick'," said Mr. Eddie Austin, Chairman and CEO of Sunrise Solar Corp.
"This creative product can provide lighting and decoration with no connection to a power grid and can be imbedded in a wall or concrete slab as an integrated part of the structural design."
Soource - Solardaily
This innovative technology includes advanced solar cells, an energy storage device and a crystal lighting system that surrounds the energy module in a square or rectangle.
The imbedded solar cell generates electricity when the sun shines and stores it in the storage device. The light is automatically activated after dark. The solar brick can be designed to light in any color.
Potential applications include rural airfields, building lighting, safety lights and decorative lighting. The solar brick can operate without any connection to the electrical grid and can be imbedded in construction materials.
"As we continue to introduce innovative solar products that deliver dynamic energy solutions that can be applied today, we are proud to introduce the 'solar light brick'," said Mr. Eddie Austin, Chairman and CEO of Sunrise Solar Corp.
"This creative product can provide lighting and decoration with no connection to a power grid and can be imbedded in a wall or concrete slab as an integrated part of the structural design."
Soource - Solardaily
Uk government dragging it’s feet on renewables
In two years’ time, the UK seems certain to miss one of the core environmental targets of the Blair-Brown years. The Government pledged that 10 per cent of the country’s electricity would be generated from renewable sources, principally from wind farms, but also including tidal and solar panels.
Press releases from the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (Berr) still boast of the target, which was first promised in 2000 and enshrined three years later in the energy White Paper. And in a statement to The Independent on Sunday, a spokesman for Berr insists that all is well and that: “Estimates show there’s more than enough renewables developments either up and running or in the pipeline to potentially meet the 10 per cent goal.”
But the energy industry does not agree. Senior figures point out that less than 5 per cent of electricity was generated from renewable sources in 2007, up from just over 4 per cent the previous year. This is not, they argue, a sign of rapid progress from a country that that has a far less buoyant renewables industry than Germany and Denmark, although it is far windier.
Despite the impending failure, the Government is pushing for still-tougher targets. The Secretary of State at Berr, John Hutton, is currently consulting with energy companies on plans to generate 15 per cent of all energy – that is, transport fuel and heat as well as electricity – from renewables by 2020 in line with EU ambitions. Responses are due next month, and seem set to recommend that one-third of electricity should come from renewables, to make up for shortfalls in heat and transport. The cost of this is £100bn.
James Vaccaro, managing director of the renewables fund at Triodos, a pioneer in ethical banking, offers one of the gloomier predictions for 2010: that the UK will hit around 6 per cent rather than 10. He recalls a civil servant from the then Trade and Industry Department visiting Triodos’s Bristol offices in 2000.
“The official said, imagine the 2010 target as being part of a pie,” recounts Mr Vacarro. “He said small commercial projects were a small part of the pie, but it would be big renewables schemes that took up the major share.”
Mr Vaccaro countered that there were simply not the available resources in the UK energy market to build the massive wind farms needed to provide the 10 to 15GW to generate 10 per cent of all electricity. Instead, the industry had to be built from the bottom up, with a series of small wind farms of around 10MW that would cost in the region of £12m to £14m. He added that the UK had to get used to the idea of the necessity of these smaller schemes.
It’s a view he still holds. As an example, he points to a British Energy/Amec joint venture to build a 650MW scheme off the coast of Scotland on the Isle of Lewis, rejected in April on the grounds that it threatened the island’s bird population.
Planning is one of the big problems for these wind farms. Although there are hopes that recent changes to the planning process, such as fast-tracking major infrastructure proposals and revamping the appeals procedure, will enable schemes to be approved faster, there is a huge backlog of wind-farm applications that councils have to go through.
Gaynor Hartnell, deputy director at the Renewable Energy Association, says there are “reams of projects” in the pipeline, perhaps as much as 14GW, mainly in Scotland. This would correlate with the Government’s claims that there are “potentially” enough developments to meet the 2010 deadline. However, Ms Hartnell says that delays in granting planning permission – there is also a shortage of qualified planners working for local authorities – means that the UK will not hit the 10 per cent target until 2012.
Juliet Davenport, chief executive of Good Energy, a renewables firm that last week announced interim results showing an 18 per cent increase in turnover to £6.3m, is equally critical of the planning system. And while she remains optimistic that the Government can reach 8 per cent renewables in two years, Ms Davenport has a real planning horror story.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has opposed Good Energy’s application to construct a 10MW wind farm, arguing that it could harm its communications ports. However, Good Energy is unable to respond, as the MoD will not provide information on its concerns. Officials say that the relevant documents are classified. “They said that they would not hand them over to us because of the threat of terrorism,” sighs Ms Davenport. “You end up going round and round in circles.”
It is this type of problem, she adds, that has led to the UK having the lowest renewables use as a percentage of all its energy in Europe, bar Malta and Luxembourg. “We’ve got the engineers to build the wind farms, but it’s a difficult market because of the regulatory regime,” she says.
Richard Ford is the UK grid connections manager at Renewable Energy Systems, a company that has developed wind farms for 20 years. What is delaying renewables’ progress, he says, is the difficulty of linking the farms to the National Grid. Faced with a huge volume of applications, the grid will not allow power stations to connect until it has developed the extra capacity required to take the additional power.
Mr Ford would like the grid to manage demand, rather than wait until there is space, since a slot might not be available for 10 years. Planning permission lasts five years in England and Wales, and three in Scotland. As a result, a company can build a wind farm and leave it idle for five or seven years, or it can secure a slot and wait to apply for planning permission, which it might not secure.
“We and others are making applications to the grid before we are certain the developments can be built,” explains Mr Ford. “We would prefer a ‘connect and manage’ approach.”
The Association of Energy Producers believes some progress has been made. Its chief executive, David Porter, points out that just five years ago, renewables projects accounted for only 2 per cent of the UK’s electricity.
Mr Porter’s great worry is that this new target of 15 per cent of all energy coming from renewables by 2020, set by the UK in agreement with other EU states, is much tougher. As wind power is by far the UK’s most advanced technology, with the Scottish government looking into the possibility of a £5bn off-shore grid to connect turbines, it will be the electricity providers that will have the biggest role to play in meeting this target.
He talks of the need to “minimise the cost impact on consumers”, and says a radical overhaul of planning and grid connection is vital “to stand a chance of meeting 2020 targets”.
Already, then, the energy industry is playing down its chances of success at this next stage. Berr can talk up its achievements all it likes, but few in the know appear to believe the department will be able to back this up when the first renewables deadline is reached it in just two years.
Source - The Independent
Press releases from the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (Berr) still boast of the target, which was first promised in 2000 and enshrined three years later in the energy White Paper. And in a statement to The Independent on Sunday, a spokesman for Berr insists that all is well and that: “Estimates show there’s more than enough renewables developments either up and running or in the pipeline to potentially meet the 10 per cent goal.”
But the energy industry does not agree. Senior figures point out that less than 5 per cent of electricity was generated from renewable sources in 2007, up from just over 4 per cent the previous year. This is not, they argue, a sign of rapid progress from a country that that has a far less buoyant renewables industry than Germany and Denmark, although it is far windier.
Despite the impending failure, the Government is pushing for still-tougher targets. The Secretary of State at Berr, John Hutton, is currently consulting with energy companies on plans to generate 15 per cent of all energy – that is, transport fuel and heat as well as electricity – from renewables by 2020 in line with EU ambitions. Responses are due next month, and seem set to recommend that one-third of electricity should come from renewables, to make up for shortfalls in heat and transport. The cost of this is £100bn.
James Vaccaro, managing director of the renewables fund at Triodos, a pioneer in ethical banking, offers one of the gloomier predictions for 2010: that the UK will hit around 6 per cent rather than 10. He recalls a civil servant from the then Trade and Industry Department visiting Triodos’s Bristol offices in 2000.
“The official said, imagine the 2010 target as being part of a pie,” recounts Mr Vacarro. “He said small commercial projects were a small part of the pie, but it would be big renewables schemes that took up the major share.”
Mr Vaccaro countered that there were simply not the available resources in the UK energy market to build the massive wind farms needed to provide the 10 to 15GW to generate 10 per cent of all electricity. Instead, the industry had to be built from the bottom up, with a series of small wind farms of around 10MW that would cost in the region of £12m to £14m. He added that the UK had to get used to the idea of the necessity of these smaller schemes.
It’s a view he still holds. As an example, he points to a British Energy/Amec joint venture to build a 650MW scheme off the coast of Scotland on the Isle of Lewis, rejected in April on the grounds that it threatened the island’s bird population.
Planning is one of the big problems for these wind farms. Although there are hopes that recent changes to the planning process, such as fast-tracking major infrastructure proposals and revamping the appeals procedure, will enable schemes to be approved faster, there is a huge backlog of wind-farm applications that councils have to go through.
Gaynor Hartnell, deputy director at the Renewable Energy Association, says there are “reams of projects” in the pipeline, perhaps as much as 14GW, mainly in Scotland. This would correlate with the Government’s claims that there are “potentially” enough developments to meet the 2010 deadline. However, Ms Hartnell says that delays in granting planning permission – there is also a shortage of qualified planners working for local authorities – means that the UK will not hit the 10 per cent target until 2012.
Juliet Davenport, chief executive of Good Energy, a renewables firm that last week announced interim results showing an 18 per cent increase in turnover to £6.3m, is equally critical of the planning system. And while she remains optimistic that the Government can reach 8 per cent renewables in two years, Ms Davenport has a real planning horror story.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has opposed Good Energy’s application to construct a 10MW wind farm, arguing that it could harm its communications ports. However, Good Energy is unable to respond, as the MoD will not provide information on its concerns. Officials say that the relevant documents are classified. “They said that they would not hand them over to us because of the threat of terrorism,” sighs Ms Davenport. “You end up going round and round in circles.”
It is this type of problem, she adds, that has led to the UK having the lowest renewables use as a percentage of all its energy in Europe, bar Malta and Luxembourg. “We’ve got the engineers to build the wind farms, but it’s a difficult market because of the regulatory regime,” she says.
Richard Ford is the UK grid connections manager at Renewable Energy Systems, a company that has developed wind farms for 20 years. What is delaying renewables’ progress, he says, is the difficulty of linking the farms to the National Grid. Faced with a huge volume of applications, the grid will not allow power stations to connect until it has developed the extra capacity required to take the additional power.
Mr Ford would like the grid to manage demand, rather than wait until there is space, since a slot might not be available for 10 years. Planning permission lasts five years in England and Wales, and three in Scotland. As a result, a company can build a wind farm and leave it idle for five or seven years, or it can secure a slot and wait to apply for planning permission, which it might not secure.
“We and others are making applications to the grid before we are certain the developments can be built,” explains Mr Ford. “We would prefer a ‘connect and manage’ approach.”
The Association of Energy Producers believes some progress has been made. Its chief executive, David Porter, points out that just five years ago, renewables projects accounted for only 2 per cent of the UK’s electricity.
Mr Porter’s great worry is that this new target of 15 per cent of all energy coming from renewables by 2020, set by the UK in agreement with other EU states, is much tougher. As wind power is by far the UK’s most advanced technology, with the Scottish government looking into the possibility of a £5bn off-shore grid to connect turbines, it will be the electricity providers that will have the biggest role to play in meeting this target.
He talks of the need to “minimise the cost impact on consumers”, and says a radical overhaul of planning and grid connection is vital “to stand a chance of meeting 2020 targets”.
Already, then, the energy industry is playing down its chances of success at this next stage. Berr can talk up its achievements all it likes, but few in the know appear to believe the department will be able to back this up when the first renewables deadline is reached it in just two years.
Source - The Independent
Wednesday, 20 August 2008
How green is your energy - UK energy special
Cheap it may be. But is your electricity supplier clean or downright dirty? The argument over coal-fired power - often rated as the filthiest - is now white hot.
When we revealed a fortnight ago how to find the cheapest gas and electricity suppliers, E.ON emerged as one of our best buys. Readers then told us that, instead of saving money with E.ON, they wanted to switch away from the firm to protest against its involvement with new coal capacity at Kingsnorth, site of the Camp for Climate Action this summer.
Electricity has to come from somewhere - and most generation involves CO2 emissions or nuclear waste.
Only Good Energy is 100% sourced from renewables such as wind and waterpower. All companies have been set a government target of 9.1% of electricity from renewables by next March, rising to 15.4% by 2016.
Top of the coal burners is Scottish Power, where 55% of its generation comes from coal, substantially greater than its rivals. Not surprisingly, it also heads the carbon emission table.
EDF is the next biggest coal user at 47% followed by npower at 44% and E.ON at 42%. E.ON’s percentage is likely to rise should Kingsnorth get off the ground.
By contrast, British Gas (Centrica) takes just 18% of its needs from the fuel. It uses its own gas for electricity generation. But for those whose main worry is nuclear energy, Scottish Power’s supplies to its five million customers comes out well at only 1%.
Ecotricity, which figures prominently on green lists, mixes coal, nuclear, renewables and gas in almost equal amounts. The firm concedes it does not have a 100% green fuel mix although it does offer a 100% green supply for those who want it. “We are working towards more renewables. Our most popular tariff is made up of around 70% brown energy. Buying existing green energy, which is what most 100% tariffs contain, does nothing at all to reduce CO2 emissions or increase UK green energy capacity - you simply take something that already exists and have it for yourself.
“Robbing Peter to supply Paul is how we like to describe it. Most 100% green tariffs are a con, because they tell you you’ll reduce your carbon footprint etc, but don’t tell you someone else’s will go up as a direct result. Nothing really changes - it’s just a redistribution of existing green sources.”
Scottish Power says its high coal dependency is due to inheriting coal-fired stations - it owns Longannet station in Fife, one of the biggest in the UK. It is investigating “carbon capture” techniques. These cut down on emissions but are controversial on cost and energy grounds.
It says: “We will spend around £1bn on new renewable projects in the next two years including Europe’s biggest windfarm, Whitelee near Glasgow. Our renewable portfolio will be 10% of our capacity by 2010.”
But those who want pure green energy have to pay for it. A typical 3,300kilowatt electricity consumption costs £484 with Good Energy or £436 with Ecotricity New Energy Plus.
Scottish Power’s Green Energy H2O (it comes from hydropower) costs £354 (the same as its non-green supply) while the cheapest for non-green tariff (British Gas Click 5) costs £295.
Meanwhile Friends of the Earth says the best way to cut carbon is to turn off lights and power.
Source - The Guardian
When we revealed a fortnight ago how to find the cheapest gas and electricity suppliers, E.ON emerged as one of our best buys. Readers then told us that, instead of saving money with E.ON, they wanted to switch away from the firm to protest against its involvement with new coal capacity at Kingsnorth, site of the Camp for Climate Action this summer.
Electricity has to come from somewhere - and most generation involves CO2 emissions or nuclear waste.
Only Good Energy is 100% sourced from renewables such as wind and waterpower. All companies have been set a government target of 9.1% of electricity from renewables by next March, rising to 15.4% by 2016.
Top of the coal burners is Scottish Power, where 55% of its generation comes from coal, substantially greater than its rivals. Not surprisingly, it also heads the carbon emission table.
EDF is the next biggest coal user at 47% followed by npower at 44% and E.ON at 42%. E.ON’s percentage is likely to rise should Kingsnorth get off the ground.
By contrast, British Gas (Centrica) takes just 18% of its needs from the fuel. It uses its own gas for electricity generation. But for those whose main worry is nuclear energy, Scottish Power’s supplies to its five million customers comes out well at only 1%.
Ecotricity, which figures prominently on green lists, mixes coal, nuclear, renewables and gas in almost equal amounts. The firm concedes it does not have a 100% green fuel mix although it does offer a 100% green supply for those who want it. “We are working towards more renewables. Our most popular tariff is made up of around 70% brown energy. Buying existing green energy, which is what most 100% tariffs contain, does nothing at all to reduce CO2 emissions or increase UK green energy capacity - you simply take something that already exists and have it for yourself.
“Robbing Peter to supply Paul is how we like to describe it. Most 100% green tariffs are a con, because they tell you you’ll reduce your carbon footprint etc, but don’t tell you someone else’s will go up as a direct result. Nothing really changes - it’s just a redistribution of existing green sources.”
Scottish Power says its high coal dependency is due to inheriting coal-fired stations - it owns Longannet station in Fife, one of the biggest in the UK. It is investigating “carbon capture” techniques. These cut down on emissions but are controversial on cost and energy grounds.
It says: “We will spend around £1bn on new renewable projects in the next two years including Europe’s biggest windfarm, Whitelee near Glasgow. Our renewable portfolio will be 10% of our capacity by 2010.”
But those who want pure green energy have to pay for it. A typical 3,300kilowatt electricity consumption costs £484 with Good Energy or £436 with Ecotricity New Energy Plus.
Scottish Power’s Green Energy H2O (it comes from hydropower) costs £354 (the same as its non-green supply) while the cheapest for non-green tariff (British Gas Click 5) costs £295.
Meanwhile Friends of the Earth says the best way to cut carbon is to turn off lights and power.
Source - The Guardian
Thursday, 14 August 2008
Future of UK’s energy supply is bleak
With every week that goes by it becomes clearer that, within a few years, Britain will face an unprecedented crisis, thanks to the shambles the Government has made of our energy policy.
After years of dereliction, when only a crash programme of measures could keep our lights on and our economy functioning, our policy has become so skewed by blinkered environmentalism and diktats from the EU that we are fast heading for the worst of all worlds - a near-total dependence on foreign sources of energy which will not only be astronomically expensive but which can in no way be guaranteed to supply all the electricity we need.
What are the hard facts?
Between now and 2015 we shall lose 40 per cent of the generating capacity we currently require to meet maximum demand (still rising), due to the phasing out of almost all our obsolescent nuclear reactors and the closure of nine of our major coal- and oil-fired power stations under an EU “anti-pollution” directive.
Gordon Brown talks about building a new generation of nuclear power plants, for which we would have to rely on the French - having two years ago sold off Westinghouse, the only British-owned firm capable of constructing them.
But even if the French play ball, which seems less likely since the collapse of Brown’s plan to sell off British Energy to France’s EDF, the new plants could still not be built in time to plug the gap.
The only short-term remedy will be to build yet more gas-fired stations, at a time when we are fast running out of our own gas supplies and when gas prices are shooting through the roof, reducing us to dependence on countries such as Mr Putin’s Russia or Qatar, both of which have recently announced caps on future exports.
Our best bet might seem to invest urgently in a dozen more coal-fired power stations, which still supply more than a third of our electricity.
But own coal industry is so run down - though we still have more than 100 years of reserves - that barely a quarter of the 62 million tons of coal we used last year was British.The rest had to be imported, including 22 million tons from Russia and 12 million tons from South Africa.
At a time when rocketing world demand for coal has already doubled prices in a year, we should again be dependent on unreliable foreign sources, to generate electricity by means which excite almost as much fury from environmentalists as nuclear power - as we saw with last week’s demonstrations against plans by German-owned E.On to build a new “clean coal” station at Kingsnorth in Kent.
With this colossal crisis fast approaching, our ministers are still lost in the cloudcuckooland of Mr Brown’s £100 billion “green energy” plan, to meet our EU target of generating a third of our electricity from renewables by 2020.
Not an energy expert in the country says this is remotely feasible. Our present 2,000 wind turbines supply just 1.5 per cent of our power, and even if Mr Brown’s 7,000 additional turbines could in practice be built, we would still be more than 200 per cent short of our EU target.
Worse still is the fact that our electricity investment market is now so skewed by the various subsidy and “carbon savings” schemes adopted to meet our various EU targets that these are now uselessly soaking up more than £5 billion a year which should otherwise be urgently invested in proper generating capacity.
Our major power companies can now make so much money from “renewables” subsidies and other “planet saving” schemes that they have much less incentive to risk capital on those which might keep our lights on.
Our energy policy is now so constrained and distorted by EU requirements that, even if we had a government with the knowhow and will to sort out the mess, we should soon be breaking EU laws all over the place.
Tragically, no one seems to remain in more blissful ignorance of all these harsh realities than our Conservative opposition which, when the crisis arrives, may well be in power.
Not only will those at the top of the Tory party, on present showing, have no idea why the lights are going out, but they will have even less idea of what to do about it - because by then it will be too late.
Source: The Telegraph
After years of dereliction, when only a crash programme of measures could keep our lights on and our economy functioning, our policy has become so skewed by blinkered environmentalism and diktats from the EU that we are fast heading for the worst of all worlds - a near-total dependence on foreign sources of energy which will not only be astronomically expensive but which can in no way be guaranteed to supply all the electricity we need.
What are the hard facts?
Between now and 2015 we shall lose 40 per cent of the generating capacity we currently require to meet maximum demand (still rising), due to the phasing out of almost all our obsolescent nuclear reactors and the closure of nine of our major coal- and oil-fired power stations under an EU “anti-pollution” directive.
Gordon Brown talks about building a new generation of nuclear power plants, for which we would have to rely on the French - having two years ago sold off Westinghouse, the only British-owned firm capable of constructing them.
But even if the French play ball, which seems less likely since the collapse of Brown’s plan to sell off British Energy to France’s EDF, the new plants could still not be built in time to plug the gap.
The only short-term remedy will be to build yet more gas-fired stations, at a time when we are fast running out of our own gas supplies and when gas prices are shooting through the roof, reducing us to dependence on countries such as Mr Putin’s Russia or Qatar, both of which have recently announced caps on future exports.
Our best bet might seem to invest urgently in a dozen more coal-fired power stations, which still supply more than a third of our electricity.
But own coal industry is so run down - though we still have more than 100 years of reserves - that barely a quarter of the 62 million tons of coal we used last year was British.The rest had to be imported, including 22 million tons from Russia and 12 million tons from South Africa.
At a time when rocketing world demand for coal has already doubled prices in a year, we should again be dependent on unreliable foreign sources, to generate electricity by means which excite almost as much fury from environmentalists as nuclear power - as we saw with last week’s demonstrations against plans by German-owned E.On to build a new “clean coal” station at Kingsnorth in Kent.
With this colossal crisis fast approaching, our ministers are still lost in the cloudcuckooland of Mr Brown’s £100 billion “green energy” plan, to meet our EU target of generating a third of our electricity from renewables by 2020.
Not an energy expert in the country says this is remotely feasible. Our present 2,000 wind turbines supply just 1.5 per cent of our power, and even if Mr Brown’s 7,000 additional turbines could in practice be built, we would still be more than 200 per cent short of our EU target.
Worse still is the fact that our electricity investment market is now so skewed by the various subsidy and “carbon savings” schemes adopted to meet our various EU targets that these are now uselessly soaking up more than £5 billion a year which should otherwise be urgently invested in proper generating capacity.
Our major power companies can now make so much money from “renewables” subsidies and other “planet saving” schemes that they have much less incentive to risk capital on those which might keep our lights on.
Our energy policy is now so constrained and distorted by EU requirements that, even if we had a government with the knowhow and will to sort out the mess, we should soon be breaking EU laws all over the place.
Tragically, no one seems to remain in more blissful ignorance of all these harsh realities than our Conservative opposition which, when the crisis arrives, may well be in power.
Not only will those at the top of the Tory party, on present showing, have no idea why the lights are going out, but they will have even less idea of what to do about it - because by then it will be too late.
Source: The Telegraph
Monday, 11 August 2008
Giant Retailers Look to Sun for Energy Savings
Retailers are typically obsessed with what to put under their roofs, not on them. Yet the nation’s biggest store chains are coming to see their immense, flat roofs as an untapped resource.
In recent months, chains including Wal-Mart Stores, Kohl’s, Safeway and Whole Foods Market have installed solar panels on roofs of their stores to generate electricity on a large scale. One reason they are racing is to beat a Dec. 31 deadline to gain tax advantages for these projects.
So far, most chains have outfitted fewer than 10 percent of their stores. Over the long run, assuming Congress renews a favorable tax provision and more states offer incentives, the chains promise a solar construction program that would ultimately put panels atop almost every big store in the country.
The trend, while not entirely new, is accelerating as the chains seize a chance to bolster their environmental credentials by cutting back on their use of electricity from coal.
“It’s very clear that green energy is now front and center in the minds of the business sector,” said Daniel M. Kammen, an energy expert at the University of California, Berkeley.
“Not only will you see panels on the roofs of your local stores, but I suspect very soon retailers will have stickers in their windows saying, ‘This is a green energy store.’ ”
In the coming months, 85 Kohl’s stores will get solar panels; 43 already have them. “We want to keep pushing as many as we possibly can,” said Ken Bonning, executive vice president for logistics at Kohl’s.
Macy’s, which has solar panels atop 18 stores, plans to install them on another 40 by the end of this year. Safeway is aiming to put panels atop 23 stores. And other chains, including Whole Foods Market, BJ’s Wholesale Club and REI, the purveyor of outdoor goods, are planning projects of their own.
Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest retailer, has 17 stores and distribution centers with solar panels in operation or in the testing phase. It plans to add them soon to five more stores. People at the chain are considering a far larger program that would put panels and other renewable technologies at hundreds of stores.
“It’s going to be the Wal-Marts of the world that will buy these things over acres and make a difference,” said Roger G. Little, chairman and chief executive of the Spire Corporation, a Boston company that provides solar equipment.
Analysts are not sure how much power the rooftop projects could ultimately produce, but they say it could be enough to help shave total electricity demand. In many communities, stores are among the biggest energy users. Depending on location and weather, the solar panels generate 10 to 40 percent of the power a store needs.
If Wal-Mart eventually covered the roofs of all its Sam’s Club and Wal-Mart locations with solar panels, figures from the company show that the resulting solar acreage would roughly equal the size of Manhattan, an island of 23 square miles.
Booming demand in recent years has driven up the price of solar panels, and analysts say it costs far more to generate electricity from solar energy than from coal.
Coal generation costs about 6 cents for a kilowatt hour, which is enough electricity to run a hair dryer for an hour. Natural gas generation costs about 9 cents a kilowatt hour, said Reese Tisdale, a senior analyst with the consulting firm Emerging Energy Research. In comparison, “best case” for power from solar panels is about 25 to 30 cents a kilowatt hour, he said.
But retailers believe that they can achieve economies of scale. With coal and electricity prices rising, they are also betting that solar power will become more competitive, especially if new policies addressing global warming limit the emissions from coal plants.
Retailers, hoping to create a bigger market and positioning themselves at the forefront of a national shift toward renewable energy, are encouraging one another to join the bandwagon.
“We’re hoping that our purchases along with some other retailers will help bring the technology costs down,” said Kathy Loftus, who is in charge of energy and other initiatives at Whole Foods Market.
Most of the efforts so far are in California, New Jersey and Connecticut, states that offer generous incentives. Executives say they would like to convert many more. How quickly they can do so depends on government policy because retailers rely on tax incentives to offset the cost.
Corporate officials describe a federal tax credit for renewable energy, one that Congress has let expire and then renewed several times, as particularly important. A Congressional deadlock over offshore oil drilling has held up legislation that would renew the credit for next year.
“Every project that starts development has to be finished by Dec. 31 or you lose tax equity advantage, and nobody’s willing to take that risk,” said George Waidelich, vice president for energy operations at Safeway. “You’re talking about millions of dollars.”
Retailers are fast becoming energy experts. They are experimenting with traditional solar panels, a new type of thin solar panel and ground-mounted tracking systems that move with the sun.
They are also combining those systems with other rooftop technologies like skylights and solar water heaters.
“Solar has become part of the kit that we think about when we open a store,” said Sharon Im-Lee, REI’s energy manager.
American retailers are following the lead of stores in Europe, which are much further along. Store-roof projects are so numerous in parts of Germany that they can be spotted in satellite photos. Government subsidies there, however, have lasted for years.
“In Germany, there are none of the concerns you find in the United States about whether support will be around next year,” said Jenny Chase, an energy analyst in London.
Retailers in the United States tend to buy their own solar-power systems, at $4 million to $6 million for a store the size of a Wal-Mart, or enter into an agreement with a utility company that pays the up-front costs and then gives the store a break on power bills — an approach that appeals to big chains.
“It really helps make it economical for the retailer,” said Kim Saylors-Laster, Wal-Mart’s vice president for energy.
Retailers are also looking at other ways to extend their use of renewable energy by testing technologies like wind turbines and reflective white roofs, which keep buildings cooler in warm weather.
Bernard Sosnick, an analyst with Gilford Securities who has examined Wal-Mart’s plans, said the day might come when people can pull their electric cars up to a store and recharge them with power from the roof or even from wind turbines in the parking lot.
“It’s not as over the horizon as it might seem,” he said.
Source - Newyork Times
In recent months, chains including Wal-Mart Stores, Kohl’s, Safeway and Whole Foods Market have installed solar panels on roofs of their stores to generate electricity on a large scale. One reason they are racing is to beat a Dec. 31 deadline to gain tax advantages for these projects.
So far, most chains have outfitted fewer than 10 percent of their stores. Over the long run, assuming Congress renews a favorable tax provision and more states offer incentives, the chains promise a solar construction program that would ultimately put panels atop almost every big store in the country.
The trend, while not entirely new, is accelerating as the chains seize a chance to bolster their environmental credentials by cutting back on their use of electricity from coal.
“It’s very clear that green energy is now front and center in the minds of the business sector,” said Daniel M. Kammen, an energy expert at the University of California, Berkeley.
“Not only will you see panels on the roofs of your local stores, but I suspect very soon retailers will have stickers in their windows saying, ‘This is a green energy store.’ ”
In the coming months, 85 Kohl’s stores will get solar panels; 43 already have them. “We want to keep pushing as many as we possibly can,” said Ken Bonning, executive vice president for logistics at Kohl’s.
Macy’s, which has solar panels atop 18 stores, plans to install them on another 40 by the end of this year. Safeway is aiming to put panels atop 23 stores. And other chains, including Whole Foods Market, BJ’s Wholesale Club and REI, the purveyor of outdoor goods, are planning projects of their own.
Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest retailer, has 17 stores and distribution centers with solar panels in operation or in the testing phase. It plans to add them soon to five more stores. People at the chain are considering a far larger program that would put panels and other renewable technologies at hundreds of stores.
“It’s going to be the Wal-Marts of the world that will buy these things over acres and make a difference,” said Roger G. Little, chairman and chief executive of the Spire Corporation, a Boston company that provides solar equipment.
Analysts are not sure how much power the rooftop projects could ultimately produce, but they say it could be enough to help shave total electricity demand. In many communities, stores are among the biggest energy users. Depending on location and weather, the solar panels generate 10 to 40 percent of the power a store needs.
If Wal-Mart eventually covered the roofs of all its Sam’s Club and Wal-Mart locations with solar panels, figures from the company show that the resulting solar acreage would roughly equal the size of Manhattan, an island of 23 square miles.
Booming demand in recent years has driven up the price of solar panels, and analysts say it costs far more to generate electricity from solar energy than from coal.
Coal generation costs about 6 cents for a kilowatt hour, which is enough electricity to run a hair dryer for an hour. Natural gas generation costs about 9 cents a kilowatt hour, said Reese Tisdale, a senior analyst with the consulting firm Emerging Energy Research. In comparison, “best case” for power from solar panels is about 25 to 30 cents a kilowatt hour, he said.
But retailers believe that they can achieve economies of scale. With coal and electricity prices rising, they are also betting that solar power will become more competitive, especially if new policies addressing global warming limit the emissions from coal plants.
Retailers, hoping to create a bigger market and positioning themselves at the forefront of a national shift toward renewable energy, are encouraging one another to join the bandwagon.
“We’re hoping that our purchases along with some other retailers will help bring the technology costs down,” said Kathy Loftus, who is in charge of energy and other initiatives at Whole Foods Market.
Most of the efforts so far are in California, New Jersey and Connecticut, states that offer generous incentives. Executives say they would like to convert many more. How quickly they can do so depends on government policy because retailers rely on tax incentives to offset the cost.
Corporate officials describe a federal tax credit for renewable energy, one that Congress has let expire and then renewed several times, as particularly important. A Congressional deadlock over offshore oil drilling has held up legislation that would renew the credit for next year.
“Every project that starts development has to be finished by Dec. 31 or you lose tax equity advantage, and nobody’s willing to take that risk,” said George Waidelich, vice president for energy operations at Safeway. “You’re talking about millions of dollars.”
Retailers are fast becoming energy experts. They are experimenting with traditional solar panels, a new type of thin solar panel and ground-mounted tracking systems that move with the sun.
They are also combining those systems with other rooftop technologies like skylights and solar water heaters.
“Solar has become part of the kit that we think about when we open a store,” said Sharon Im-Lee, REI’s energy manager.
American retailers are following the lead of stores in Europe, which are much further along. Store-roof projects are so numerous in parts of Germany that they can be spotted in satellite photos. Government subsidies there, however, have lasted for years.
“In Germany, there are none of the concerns you find in the United States about whether support will be around next year,” said Jenny Chase, an energy analyst in London.
Retailers in the United States tend to buy their own solar-power systems, at $4 million to $6 million for a store the size of a Wal-Mart, or enter into an agreement with a utility company that pays the up-front costs and then gives the store a break on power bills — an approach that appeals to big chains.
“It really helps make it economical for the retailer,” said Kim Saylors-Laster, Wal-Mart’s vice president for energy.
Retailers are also looking at other ways to extend their use of renewable energy by testing technologies like wind turbines and reflective white roofs, which keep buildings cooler in warm weather.
Bernard Sosnick, an analyst with Gilford Securities who has examined Wal-Mart’s plans, said the day might come when people can pull their electric cars up to a store and recharge them with power from the roof or even from wind turbines in the parking lot.
“It’s not as over the horizon as it might seem,” he said.
Source - Newyork Times
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