News-in-Brief 31/01/07

- Solar energy and biofuels were top choices in a UPI-Zogby International poll on alternative energies in the United States. During January, 6,882 residents were asked to select which alternative energy source would be most useful in the future, and 49% chose either ethanol / biomass (26.7%) or solar (22.3%). Hydroelectric was 10.5%, wind at 9.9% and thermal at 2.3%. Of respondents, 39.8% said ethanol / biomass were most likely to replace fossil fuels, 10.8% said solar and 10.6% said hydroelectric, but 61.1% said the odds were less than 25% that current fossil fuel use would be replaced by renewables in ten years.

- The government of Denmark has unveiled plans to double the use of renewables within 18 years, while reducing the use of fossil fuels by 15%. “We must reduce Denmark's dependency on fossil fuels like oil, natural gas and coal, in the long term,” says prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen. Renewables will provide up to 30% of the country's total energy consumption by 2025, up from the current 15%, and it will double annual energy research funds to 1 billion kroner (Euro 134 million) starting in 2010. The plan will be debated this year in Parliament.

- The share of renewables in Germany reached 7.7% last year, up from 6.8% in 2005, according to the federal renewables association BEE. Green power output was 71.5 billion kWh, 11.6% of total power consumption in Germany and up 12% from 2005. The national target for green power is 12% by 2010.

- Endesa of Spain wants to increase its green power capacity by 79% by 2009, according to filings released to the Spanish stock market commission. The plan is part of a Euro 12.3 billion three-year investment plan and will increase total capacity from 1,600 MW to 2,900 MW.

- Greenpeace wants the Senate in the Philippines to pass the Renewable Energy bill before Congress adjourns. “The Senate must realize that the massive uptake of renewable energy is both urgently necessary and technically possible,” it notes. “All that is missing is urgent policy support.” The National Geothermal Association of the Philippines is also urging fast track approval of the proposed Act before a three-month break starts in February. The bill provides incentives to accelerate development of renewables and has been passed by the House of Representatives but has encountered delays in the Senate.

- China is failing to make progress on improving and protecting the environment, according to a government report. The report, prepared by academics and government officials, ranks China as 100 out of 118 countries surveyed. Thirty indicators were used in the evaluation, and the country wants 15% of its energy to come from renewables by 2020.

- Only one-third of the premium paid to Portland General Electric for green power is used to purchase the electricity from renewables, while the majority is used for market and overhead costs, according to media reports. PGE has one of the most successful green power programs in the U.S. but 56¢ of every $1 goes to marketing, administration, overhead and related expenses, and only one-third buys green tags from wind, geothermal or biomass sources. The marketing budget exceeded US$1 million in 2005 and is one of the most expensive in the country, according to government research.

- Half of the street lights in Dallas, Texas, will soon be lit by green power. City council approved the purchase of 30 million kWh of green credits from the Texas General Land Office, to power 34,000 of street lights starting in mid-February. The credits guarantee that power will come from solar, wind, geothermal, biomass or low-impact hydropower sources in the state.

- South Africa will promote renewable energies as part of its efforts to make the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup ‘green’. Environmental minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk says the government is “committed to ensuring that South Africa learns from the Green Goal experience which vastly reduced the environmental impact of the 2006 World Cup in Germany.” The German Green Goal initiative is one of the most comprehensive programs seeking to reduce the environmental impact of sport, and uses a number of innovative techniques to reduce its impact on climate change.

- The world's leading producer of aluminium has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with India’s Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) to partner in research projects on renewables, energy efficiency and environmental technologies.

- DTE Energy of Michigan will seek renewable energy facilities based in the state to feed its proposed GreenCurrents option to 2.2 million customers. The utility wants to buy only Michigan-generated energy for the program, and is asking for proposals to be submitted online before March 15. GreenCurrents will cost US$2.50 a month for 100 kWh of green power; for 100% green power, the monthly premium would be 2¢ per kWh. GreenCurrents is waiting for approval from the Michigan Public Service Commission and could be available this spring.

- The School of Engineering at Cardiff University in Wales has received £3.8 million to create a Centre for Integrated Renewable Energy Generation & Supply. The university is one of seven in the UK to be funded through the latest round of the Science & Innovation Awards Scheme. The centre will focus on research into renewables and will encourage students to become involved in renewable energy technologies. The awards are designed to stimulate research in areas which help the UK to remain competitive, and Cardiff was the only institution to receive an award for research in the area of renewables.

- Even if production of renewable energies grows at double digit rates, it will remain less than 2% of world energy supplies, the CEO of Exxon Mobil told the Davos summit. Rex Tillerson says global energy consumption in 2030 will be 50% higher than current levels, equal to 350 million barrels of oil per day compared with today's 230 million. He says 80% of world energy will come from fossil fuels.

- The chief executive of NTR of Ireland, Jim Barry, warned business leaders at the Davos summit of the dangers involved in the rush to find green energy sources. He expressed optimism about the direction companies were taking in their hunt for alternative energy but stressed the real global threats implicit in the search for new energy alternatives. The risk of ‘dysfunctional consequences’ include burning rainforests to make way for plantations to provide biofuels for Europe.

- The second phase of a solar PV system at a winery in California’s Napa Valley has been commissioned by SPG Solar. The 170 kW system at Grgich Hills winery will meet 100% of the winery’s energy needs and will pay for itself within five years. Grgich Hills owns the largest biodynamic vineyards in the U.S.; all 366 acres are biodynamically farmed and all the vineyards are certified organic.

- Global Solar Energy of Arizona will invest Euro 30 million to build a production facility for thin-film solar cells in Germany, with capacity of 30 MW. Production will commence at the Berlin facility early next year, and the company will expand capacity at its Tucson site from 4 to 40 MW.

- Demand for solar PV modules will triple from 2005 levels to 531 MW by 2010, predicts The Freedonia Group of Ohio, a market research firm. Falling prices for solar power due to technological innovations, growing economies of scale and a rising level of government tax incentives and rebates at state and federal levels, will raise the market’s value to US$1.3 billion by the end of the decade, but the report warns that if incentives are scaled back or withdrawn prematurely, it would negatively affect solar energy product demand.

- Plextronics of Pennsylvania, which develops active layer technology for printed electronic devices, has received US$750,000 from the Sustainable Energy Fund to develop Plexcore PV technology for organic solar cells which use thin layers of plastic semiconductors, instead of silicon, to absorb light and generate electricity. SEF’s mission is to invest in economically viable, energy projects that promote environmentally sound and sustainable energy use.

- Silicon Solar of New York has launched a national campaign to promote solar water heating systems and its SunMaxx brand.

- The reduction of GHG emissions is the most significant environmental benefit of solar PV, says a report from Energy Business Reports of Arizona, ‘Solar Photovoltaic Market Potential.’ The 129-page report says generation from PV produces less than 15% of the CO2 from a conventional coal-fired power plant, even when emissions related to solar cell manufacturing are considered. Customer acceptance is a barrier to uptake, as many people still do not consider it a viable option for their own homes or companies because they do not have the information necessary to make educated decisions about PV, it explains. The PV manufacturing industry has passed through three phases and now is reaching a stage of global consolidation. The global PV industry reached $7.6 billion in sales in 2004, compared to $5.8 billion in 2003, and is expected to grow 20% per year over the next several decades as a result of market introduction programs and rural electrification programs in countries around the world.

- Goldman Sachs Group is negotiating to buy 30% of Solel Solar Systems, with an option for an additional 20%, according to Globe media sources. The manufacturer of solar thermal panels saw revenues rise from $4 million in 2005 to $30 million last year, and is projected to rise to $90 million this year, the story explains. Last November, it signed an $890 million agreement with Grupo Sacyr-Vallehermoso of Spain to build three 50 MW solar power stations.

- A community of 2,500 new homes in San Diego, California, will install solar PV on at least 20% of the units and will be one of the largest solar-powered communities in the state. Homeowners in Del Sur will save a collective $58,000 each year, which is equivalent to not combusting 35,000 barrels of oil. Developer Black Mountain Ranch says some neighbourhoods will install PV panels on 40% of the homes.

- Investment banker Merrill Lynch has initiated coverage of solar energy companies, and its first report, ‘The sun will shine but pick your spots,’ says a reason for the continued high price for solar energy is that demand outpaces supply of semiconductor-grade polysilicon. Analysts expect the gap to ease by the end of 2008 as new silicon refining plants come online.

- Output from wind turbines in Belgium last year increased 70% over 2005, to 120,000 MWh from 40 turbines. Wind represents 0.3% of the country’s total power, but the government wants the share to be 3% by 2012. The Walloon department of energy is considering permits to build 99 turbines.

- The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin has approved plans to develop a 160 MW windfarm in Fond du Lac County. We Energies of Milwaukee will install 88 turbines for the Blue Sky Green Field facility, and is prompted by a state mandate to source 10% of electricity from renewables by 2010.

- Portuguese utility Energias de Portugal (EDP) wants to triple its wind generation as part of a Euro 3.4 billion investment in renewables, according to a business plan submitted to the Portuguese stock market regulators.

- Developers want a windfarm in Tasmania to be eligible for a green power scheme in Australia’s Victoria state. Roaring 40s, a joint venture between Hydro Tasmania and China Light & Power of Hong Kong, has met with government officials in Victoria and Tasmania to explain why the facility planned for Musselroe Bay, in northeast Tasmania, should be eligible for the Victorian Renewable Energy Target scheme. The Musselroe Bay facility has been on hold since 2004, when the federal government refused to expand its Mandatory Renewable Energy Targets.

- NamPower of Namibia has asked for proposals to install a 40 MW windfarm, and will allow bids to be made online. The national utility will be involved in planning, design, construction and operation of the project to be erected along the coast.

- China wants to triple its wind capacity by 2010, according to the Global Wind Energy Council. The National Renewable Energy Law, which came into force in 2006, prompted installation of 1,050 MW last year, and the current target is 5,000 MW of wind capacity by 2010 and 30,000 MW by 2020.

- The world's largest manufacturer of nuclear reactors, Areva of France, has offered Euro 600 million to buy REpower Systems of Germany, which makes wind turbines.

- The state of Montana is considering Senate Bill 337 that would allow zero-interest bonds for two windfarms in the eastern region. The legislation, sponsored by democratic senator Dave Wanzenried, would allow the Green Electricity Buying Cooperative to issue US$31.7 million in no-interest bonds to finance development of two wind facilities by selling shares to 6,000 consumers. The two windfarms would each cost $16 million and generate 10 MW, with four or five turbines each, depending on how many people buy into the co-op.

- Scottish & Southern Energy has signed a partnership agreement with Viking Energy, the company established to represent the interests of Shetland Islands in windfarm development. The partnership will submit a planning application for a 600 MW windfarm in Shetland.

- The wind energy subsidiary of American Superconductor of Massachusetts has sold a license in China for its wind energy system to Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Research Institute. The license includes an upfront fee of US$2 million as well as a royalty payment for each system installed, and the company says the potential revenue exceeds $30 million. Windtec manufactures the 1.65 MW turbine.

- Xcel Energy is planning a wind power marketing initiative in North Dakota, but critics say the utility wants to charge too much for the green power and have asked state regulators to examine if any premium is justified. The Windsource program would offer 100 kWh blocks of wind energy for $3 under a one-year commitment, and the Public Service Commission is reviewing the program. Electric cooperatives in North Dakota charge less for their green power options, the critics claim. Xcel offers Windsource in Minnesota, Colorado and New Mexico.

- Manila Electric (Meralco) will bid for the 275 MW Tiwi geothermal plant in Tiwi, Albay and the 425 MW Makban geothermal plant in Laguna and Batangas.

- The province of Quebec has started construction of a Cdn$5 billion hydroelectric project that will add 883 MW of generating capacity to the provincial utility's network. Hydro-Quebec will build two powerhouses in the province's northern James Bay region, to provide power for 425,000 homes by 2010. It estimates power will cost 5.1¢ per kWh to generate and will sell for 8¢ on the open market. It will take 4,000 workers to build the Eastmain and La Sarcelle facilities.

- The United States will need to import more ethanol, in order to meet a federal mandate to reduce gasoline consumption. Energy secretary Samuel Bodman told the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that he does not foresee a subsidy of 51¢ a gallon to farmers remaining in place beyond 2010 or an import tariff of 54¢ a gallon on ethanol beyond 2008.

- Walt Disney World in Florida has won the state’s 2006 Energy Achievement Award from the University of Central Florida’s Florida Solar Energy Center.

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