Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Alternative Clean Energy Roundup: 27 March 2013

NJ drives 1/3 of US solar, adds 33% to state grid
March 25, 2013 - New research reports that solar is the fastest growing energy source in the U.S. at a record setting 3,313 MW of solar PV installed in 2012, according to a report from the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and GTM Research -- growing the market 34 percent from $8.6 billion in 2011 to $11.5 billion in 2012.

New Jersey added more than 33 percent to its power grid in 2012 and was solely responsible for almost one-third of the country's non-residential installations, including business, government and non-profit, surpassing 1 GW of installed capacity for the state. New Jersey ranks third in the nation for solar installations -- one of just three states that have hit the 1 GW mark. California and Arizona rank first and second, respectively. read more>>>

Manufacturing energy use down
March 25, 2013 - Energy use and intensity in the manufacturing sector is down since 2002, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

From 2002 to 2010, total energy consumption in the sector decreased by 17 percent, according to the most recent data, which was released last week. Gross output decreased by only 3 percent over the same time frame.

Collectively, this data indicates a significant decline in the amount of energy used per unit of gross manufacturing output, reflecting both improvements in energy efficiency and changes in the manufacturing output mix, according to the research. read more>>>

Renewable Energy bag

Ethiopia: Can it adapt to climate change and build a green economy?
25 March 2013 - Climate change poses a huge challenge to Ethiopia’s government and people. The country is faced with increasingly unpredictable rains, and sometimes the complete failure of seasonal rains – problems which are linked to climate change. Millions of Ethiopians often face severe food shortages as a result.

But it is also a front runner in Africa when it comes to economic growth. The country has achieved a double digit growth rate in recent years (2005-10) and is set to achieve a real gross domestic product growth of more than 8% per annum over the next five years according to forecasts of the International Monetary Fund. This growth is in line with the governments’ ambition to achieve middle income status by 2025, reflected in its Growth and Transformation Plan. read more>>>

Forests Africa: Opportunities for a Green Economy Conference
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) will convene a three-day conference, Forests Africa: Opportunities for a Green Economy. The event will provide a platform for key forest players to openly discuss the challenges and opportunities that Africa’s forests present for the development and comparative advantage of the continent and its transition to a Green Economy. The conference will aim to take a step toward repositioning forests within Africa’s economic and political landscape.

The Conference will be held on the 17-19 September at the U.N. Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. Key forest stakeholders, will be invited to share knowledge and experience on two key topics 1. how improved policies and fiscal incentives attract increased investment and stimulate green growth and 2. how landscape-level planning can be improved to achieve win-win scenarios across different land-use demands. read more>>>

Brunton Explorer2 Solar Charger

Science: Flow batteries promise more resilient microgrids
25 March 2013 - The future of energy storage has taken root on an onion farm in southern California. Seeking to offset its electricity bills, Gills Onions in Oxnard has installed a flow battery. When electricity prices from the grid peak, the farm can tap stores of energy created by processing agricultural waste. The battery can supply 600 kilowatts of electricity over six hours to run farm machinery for a fraction of the usual cost.

Flow batteries are centred around two aqueous electrolytes, which are held in separate tanks when the battery is idle. To get electricity from it, the liquids are pumped into a chamber separated by a membrane, sparking an electron-producing chemical reaction across the membrane. read more>>>

Are developed nations falling short on their climate finance commitments?
Mar. 20, 2013 - At the 2009 U.N. climate change conference in Copenhagen, developed nations committed to provide a collective $100 billion per year by 2020 to help developing countries mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change’s impacts. Recently, the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) released some surprising new data on this pledge. The figures indicate that developed nations’ recent climate finance contributions have fallen rather than risen toward the level of their 2020 commitment.

A Look at the New OECD Data read more>>>


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