Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Alternative Clean Energy Roundup: 4 February 2014

UAE plans renewable energy projects in five Pacific Nations
Jan. 22, 2014 - The UAE has signed partnerships to deploy renewable energy projects in five Pacific island countries, including Fiji, Kiribati, Samoa, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

The projects will be financed from the $50 million UAE-Pacific Partnership Fund, with grant financing from Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), it was announced in a statement during the ongoing Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.

All five projects will be co-designed and implemented by Abu Dhabi clean energy company Masdar, in cooperation with each nation’s government. read more>>>

Endesa to roll out electric buses in Europe through ZeEUS
Jan. 23, 2014 - ZeEUS (Zero Emission Urban Bus Systems) is a 42-month demonstration project carried with a budget of Euro 22.2 million involving 40 European partners.

* Its aim is to demonstrate the economic, environmental and social viability of using electric urban buses in eight European cities.
*Endesa’s participation focuses on recharging processes and the impact of electric buses on power grids.
*Project ZeEUS is included in the EC’s Seventh Framework Programme, which encompasses all its research initiatives.

Endesa is the only Spanish utility, and one of just two representatives from the European electricity sector, to be included in the consortium involved in the EC’s Project ZeEUS (Zero Emission Urban Bus System). read more>>>

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ASP: Some energy decisions unpopular, but necessary
January 30, 2014 - The American Security Project (ASP) has released a report regarding the choices America faces regarding energy production and consumption, predicting that 2014 will be a year of continued upheaval for America's energy system and laying out the choices to ensure the vitality of the U.S. economy, national security, and the global environment.

The report developed three critical policy considerations surrounding the United States' energy choices: energy security, economic stability, and environmental sustainability. These areas are examined in terms of fossil fuels, nuclear power, and renewable power. read more>>>

Anti-soiling coating keeps solar reflectors clean and efficient
January 29, 2014 - Soiling -- the accumulation of dust and sand -- on solar power reflectors and photovoltaic cells is one of the main efficiency drags for solar power plants, capable of reducing reflectivity up to 50 percent in 14 days. Though plants can perform manual cleaning and brushing with deionized water and detergent, this labor-intensive routine significantly raises operating and maintenance costs (O&M), which is reflected in the cost of solar energy for consumers.

Under the sponsorship of the Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy SunShot Concentrating Solar Power Program, Oak Ridge National Laboratory is developing a low-cost, transparent, anti-soiling (or self-cleaning) coating for solar reflectors to optimize energy efficiency while lowering O&M costs and avoiding negative environmental impacts. read more>>>

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EVSE sales to reflect rise in EV popularity worldwide
January 31, 2014 - Global sales of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) rose by more than 55 percent in 2013, and the market is expected to continue to grow at a steady pace over the next nine years, according to Navigant Research, leading to solid growth in the market for electric vehicle charging/supply equipment (EVSE). This growth is expected to accelerate over the next several years.

In fact, global revenue from EVSE sales will grow from $567 million annually in 2013 to $5.8 billion in 2022, Navigant predicts. read more>>>

Solar to become cheaper than fossil fuels by 2030 according to Fraunhofer report
28 January 2014 - Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE has found that costs for renewable energy will soon be less than those for fossil fuels

The study compares the present costs for conversion of different energy forms into electricity and gives a prognosis for the further cost development up to 2030. Fraunhofer scientists in Freiburg analysed both the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) from renewables as well as from conventional energy technologies and presented comparative figures for new power plants constructed in Germany, based on solar, wind energy and biogas as well as brown coal, hard coal and gas. read more>>>

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Wind power increased by 175 MW in Spain in 2013, lowest growth rate since 1997
29 January 2014 - The wind sector installed 175 MW in Spain in 2013, up 0.77 percent on a year-by-year basis. This is the lowest growth rate in the sector since 1997, the year in which it was regulated for the first time in the Electrical Sector Law, according to the Spanish Wind Energy Association (AEE).

On December 31st total accumulated power in the sector stood at 22,959 MW, the organization said.

This installed power is 2,000 MW below the 24,988 MW envisaged in the Renewable Energies Plan (PER) 2011-2020, approved by the Cabinet on November 11th 2011 to meet European Directive 28/2009 on renewable energies. read more>>>

Today’s solar homes draw inspiration from the past
The solar homes being built today represent an agglomeration of the latest technologies and designs that work together to reduce energy consumption and create a comfortable living environment. While many of the best ideas for solar homes evolved over the past two decades, some design features that we take for granted have a longer history, dating back to the Case Study program of the 1940s–60s.

The Case Study program was the brainchild of John Entenza, editor of the magazine Arts and Architecture. Entenza was a visionary who believed that the coming postwar building boom presented a unique opportunity to rethink the American housing paradigm. To encourage innovation, he invited some of America’s best-known architects to submit contemporary home designs that catered to the new postwar interest in low-cost, single-family housing. Ultimately, the magazine published designs for 34 homes and two small apartment buildings. Many, but not all, were actually built. read more>>>

Solar farm means more tax revenue for Durham County
January 31, 2014 - A Chapel Hill solar-energy company got a stamp of approval last week for building a high-power “solar farm” in rural Durham County.

Strata Solar won the Board of Adjustment’s unanimous OK for a 5-megawatt sun-power plant on Bacon Road, west of Rougemont near the Orange County line.

“It (will produce) lot of electricity,” said Lance Williams, Strata Solar’s development manager. “It produces enough … to (power) 700 houses on average. Which means on a summer day, it’s probably producing enough electricity for more like 1,500 houses.”

“Solar farm” is an array of photovoltaic cells that collect sunlight and convert it to electricity that may be dedicated to a particular building or development, or sold to the local electrical utility. The 43-acre Bacon Road farm’s power will be sold to Duke Energy Progress, said Strata Vice President Blair Schooff. read more>>>

Cleantech industry and Duke Energy butt heads over solar
Jan 31, 2014 - Among the challenges the clean energy sector faces while growing in North Carolina is the possibility that a desire by Duke Energy to cash in on the growing number of solar panels on houses will slow the growth of the sector.

Duke Energy wants to pay those who are generating power with rooftop solar panels less by changing pricing rules that were designed to spur production of solar power. North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association Director of Communications Lowell Sachs says this debate is unproductive and has stakeholders nervous. read more>>>


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