Alternative Clean Energy Roundup: 5 December 2013

‘Dithering’ on green economy could cost UK billions, warns TUC

November 25th, 2013 - The failure of UN negotiations in Warsaw to secure global carbon emission reductions, along with David Cameron’s recent comments – in which he allegedly told aides to “get rid of this green crap” – are threatening investment in low-carbon technology and thousands of jobs, the TUC has warned.

The federation of trade unions said that the proceedings in Poland were evidence of government delegates prioritising the interests of energy companies over efforts to curb climate change.

Members of NGOs including the International Trade Union Confederation, Greenpeace, Oxfam and the WWF walked out of the talks before they entered the final day on Friday. In a statement, the organisations warned, “The Warsaw Climate Conference, which should have been an important step in the just transition to a sustainable future, is on track to deliver virtually nothing.” read more>>>

Mayor recognises London “green trailblazers”

25th November 2013 - A group of London entrepreneurs who are boosting the capital’s green economy have been recognised for their innovative sustainable solutions by the Mayor of London Boris Johnson.

The 12 individuals run a range of new businesses – from a project turning waste coffee grounds into biofuel to an online peer-to-peer clothes rental marketplace. The entrepreneurs have been picked to join the Mayor’s London Leaders programme, which showcases green entrepreneurs in the capital.

"It’s vitally important to support and nurture the next generation of entrepreneurs," said the Mayor. "Boosting London’s status as one of the world’s most forward thinking and sustainable cities, these green trailblazers have the ideas, vision and innovation to make life cleaner, greener, and even better in this city and beyond." read more>>>

Sustainability Leaders Gather For Responsible Business Forum In Singapore

Nov 25 2013 -- Singapore's first carbon neutral event gathered some 500 participants in the city-state on Monday for a series of high-level discussions based on the theme "Transformation, Growth and the Green Economy".

Singapore's Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, officially opened the Responsible Business Forum on Sustainable Development (RBF) at Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands.

The forum, in its second year, is the first of its kind for a large-scale event in Singapore with government, business and civic society leaders taking part.

Significant efforts were made to reduce resource consumption at the event, and all carbon emissions related to the event will be offset in line with its sustainability focus, making it carbon neutral. read more>>>

NREL releases 2012 Renewable Energy Data Book

22 November 2013 - The US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has released the 2012 Renewable Energy Data Book on behalf of the Energy Department’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

The publication is produced by the NREL's Strategic Energy Analysis Center and is an important assessment of U.S. energy statistics for 2012, including renewable electricity, worldwide renewable energy development, clean energy investments, and data on specific technologies.

“The 2012 Renewable Energy Data Book is filled with information-packed charts and graphics, which allows users, from analysts to policymakers, to quickly understand and summarize trends in renewable energy - both on a U.S. and global scale” said NREL Energy Analyst Rachel Gelman. read more>>>

Walgreens Debuts Nation’s First Net Zero Energy Retail Store Sporting 850 Solar Panels

21 November 2013 - Sporting two wind turbines, nearly 850 solar panels and a geothermal system burrowed 550 feet into the ground, Walgreens (NYSE: WAG) (Nasdaq: WAG) today celebrates the official opening of what is believed to be the nation’s first net zero energy retail store, anticipated to produce energy equal to or greater than it consumes.

Located at 635 Chicago Ave. in Evanston, Ill., the store opens to the public at 11 a.m., Thursday, Nov. 21, following store tours for invited guests by the Walgreens sustainability team and a ribbon cutting by Walgreens executives, government dignitaries and sustainability advocates.

“As we celebrate the grand opening, we begin a one-year effort to operate a retail store that will generate more energy than it consumes. read more>>>

Duke Energy to build three solar projects in Eastern North Carolina

Nov. 25, 2013 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Duke Energy Renewables, a commercial business unit of Duke Energy, has begun construction of three utility-scale solar power projects totaling 30 megawatts (MW) AC in Eastern North Carolina.

The 20-MW Dogwood Solar Power Project is located in Halifax County, near Scotland Neck. The company is also building two 5-MW projects, one in Bertie County near Windsor, named Windsor Cooper Hill Solar. The other, Bethel Price Solar, is in Pitt County, near Bethel. read more>>>

Hillary Clinton tells green builders sustainability is priority

11/22/13 - Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told a gathering of 10,000 advocates for green construction Thursday that sustainability must be one of the country’s top priorities.

Clinton, considered an potential contender for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, pulled on her experience as first lady, a U.S. Senator and the nation’s top diplomat during a speech in Philadelphia at a conference at a conference presented by the U.S. Green Building Council. She told the conventioneers that they should continue to talk about their ideas in hopes of swaying more people that it makes ecological and financial sense.

“At the top of any agenda about America’s future, sustainability has to be viewed as one of the key goals,” she said in the speech at Temple University. read more>>>

Brandywine's green campus a state model for efficiency

Hanby-Bush complex earned a LEED Gold certification

Nov. 23, 2013 - When it comes to energy efficient and environmentally friendly school buildings, Hanby Elementary and Bush Early Education Center may be the models for the future.

Everywhere you look on the 80,000-square-foot campus that has housed both schools since opening in January 2012, you can find some way energy is being conserved. read more>>>

Tide changing for offshore renewable power generation

November 26, 2013 - As countries and regions commit to offshore renewable power generation, demand for high-voltage submarine electricity cables is growing. In fact, the number of installed submarine cables will grow from 110 in 2013 to 304 in 2023, according to a conservative forecast from Navigant Research. From a more aggressive perspective, Navigant projects that number could reach 453 by 2023.

As cable technology advances, more projects, like linking remote land masses and interconnecting national grids, are being proposed that require longer, deeper, and higher-capacity cables. read more>>>

Copper Nanowires Offer Efficient, Inexpensive Approach To Solar Energy Harvesting

November 22, 2013 - Copper adorns the Statue of Liberty, makes sturdy, affordable wiring, and helps our bodies absorb iron. Now, researchers at Duke University would like to use copper to transform sunlight and water into a chemical fuel.

Converting solar energy into storable fuel remains one of the greatest challenges of modern chemistry. One of the ways chemists have tried to capture the power of the sun is through water splitting, in which the atoms of H2O are broken apart so the hydrogen may be collected and used as fuel. Plants do this naturally through photosynthesis, and for half a century, scientists have tried to recreate that process by tinkering with chemical catalysts jumpstarted by sunlight.

Indium tin oxide (ITO) is one material they’ve commonly tried to use. Researchers prefer it for its transparency — which allows sunlight to pass through and trigger the water-splitting reactions — and its ability to conduct electricity. But ITO is far from an ideal material. read more>>>

Alternative Clean Energy Roundup: 4 December 2013

China Doubles Renewable Energy Capacity Amid Pollution Cut Push

December 04, 2013 - China doubled the pace of adding renewable energy capacity in the first 10 months of the year as the government worked to cut pollution in its largest cities.

Including nuclear power, the nation installed 36 gigawatts of clean energy capacity in the 10 months through Oct. 31, the National Energy Administration said today in a statement on its website. Wind power increased by 7.9 gigawatts, while solar rose 3.6 gigawatts and nuclear expanded 2.2 gigawatts. Hydro electric power accounted for the remainder.

The additions bolster China’s case that it’s tackling climate change by using less-polluting forms of energy in economy that has surpassed the U.S. as the biggest polluter. China is on course by 2035 to add more electricity generating capacity from renewables than the U.S., Europe and Japan combined, according to the International Energy Agency. read more>>>

IBC SOLAR inaugurates its first Portugese solar project

26 November 2013 - IBC SOLAR has developed an important turnkey project for Sol Selvagem in Fanhões, Portugal, with the collaboration of Inempi

IBC SOLAR in partnership with Inempi, has celebrated the completion of its As Galegas 2.3MWp solar park at Fanhoes, Portugal, for Portugese company Sol Selvagem. The project incorporates 9,600 polycrystalline IBC PolySolar 240MS solar modules and is expected to produce around 3,500 megawatt hours (MWh) of electricity annually. This is enough power to supply around 1,500 households and will save around 1,640 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

The opening ceremony for the As Galegas project was attended by António Dias Emidio, President of the Municipal Council of Fanhões-Loures, as guest of honour.

“Since this is the first photovoltaic project in Fanhões, and considering the benefits that this initiative brings to the economy and environmental quality of the locality, I can only thank Sol Selvagem, IBC SOLAR and Inempi for the commitment they have shown” said Mr Emidio. read more>>>

SolarWorld AG acquires Bosch (Germany) solar cell and module operations

26 November 2013 - European solar technology manufacturer SolarWorld AG has announced it has acquired the cell and module production operations of Bosch Solar Energy AG in the German federal state of Thuringia

Around 800 jobs will be preserved as a result of the acquisition, being secured in the wholly-owned SolarWorld subsidiary SolarWorld Industries-Thüringen GmbH. The purchase agreement has already been signed and the deal means that SolarWorld will now take over a cell production plant with a nominal year-end capacity of 700MW and a module production plant with a nominal year-end capacity of 200 MW from Bosch Solar Energy AG. The acquisition will also establish the first European solar energy group with a production capacity of over 1GW. read more>>>

How radical innovation can shake up the energy sector

November 27, 2013 - Energy management increasingly has become more accessible. Services such as All Power Labs' personal scale biomass gasifiers, Sungevity's "solar as a service" and Mosaic's energy investment platform for individuals are enabling more people to participate in clean energy provisioning.

As Dan Rosen, Mosaic CEO, said, "We believe the fastest way to grow the clean energy economy is to enable the most people to benefit from the transition to clean energy."

Microgrids make an impact read more>>>

Oklahoma Gas and Electric world's highest ranked smart grid project

November 27, 2013 - "OG&E is delivering well against all pillars of achievement …and is enhancing the customer experience, actively reducing demand, reducing system losses, and increasing security while at the same time reducing costs," VaasaETT's Smart Grid Global Impact Report said.

OG&E's smart grid project is one of 99 projects co-funded by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Smart Grid Investment Grant (SGIG) program, which is a grid modernization activity funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, and has total budget of about $293million with a federal share of $130 million. read more>>>

BRE reveals plans for "Green Growth Generation" skills push Work under way on new campaign to boost awareness of green job opportunities among young people

28 Nov 2013 - Green building consultancy BRE is working on plans for a major new green skills drive designed to help attract young people to the fast-expanding green economy.

BusinessGreen understands the group is preparing to launch a campaign dubbed the Green Growth Generation in response to mounting concerns among renewable energy, green building, and clean tech employers that the UK could face skills shortages as investment in low carbon infrastructure increases over the coming two decades. read more>>>

Stricter regulations required to reap benefits from China`s green investments

Nov. 26, 2013 - China has made significant investments in industrial energy efficiency, which resulted in a 19 percent reduction in energy intensity per unit of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) between 2006 and 2010.

Despite China's rapid advancement towards a green economy, the country is facing significant environmental and social challenges that must be addressed if it is to achieve its sustainable development goals, according to a joint report released this week by China's Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). read more>>>

Ontario to be first jurisdiction in North America to ban coal

Nov. 21, 2013 - Environmental Defence today hosted Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and former U.S. Vice-President and Chairman of the Climate Reality Project, Al Gore, at an event to announce the elimination of coal-fired electricity in Ontario.

The largest coal plant in North America - Nanticoke Generating Station on the north shore of Lake Erie - will stop burning coal this year. As global climate talks enter the final hours in Europe, Ontario is proving that meaningful action on climate change is possible.

“Ontario has shown the world that bold action on climate change can be done,” said Tim Gray of Environmental Defence, read more>>>

Green Universities Lead Renewable Usage

November 26, 2013 - American colleges and universities have long been facilitators of social and political change. That they should lead the crusade on widespread renewable energy usage is no surprise, given the increasingly ‘green’ mentality of the current generation.

Maine’s Colby College achieved complete carbon neutrality two years earlier than it was scheduled to. In 2003 the institution adopted 100% renewable energy, replaced fuel oil with wood heat and hot water, improved the energy efficiency of buildings (and implemented LEED standards for new construction), and installed geothermal systems to heat and cool newer construction projects. Two other colleges are carbon neutral: Green Mountain College (Poultney, Vermont), and College of the Atlantic (Bar Harbor, Maine).

In just Pennsylvania, eight colleges have already signed on to purchase alternative energy sources, and are responsible for decreasing carbon emissions equal to those from 70,233 cars. Other schools in other regions have followed suit, such as Goshen College in Indiana, which is powering its campus with 100% renewable energy. read more>>>

Government Considers Incentives To Turn the Economy Green

November 27, 2013 - The government plans to introduce incentives for industries that implement green practices into their operations in Indonesia, a senior minister has said.

Industry Minister MS Hidayat said that he has proposed the package to the current administration. “I’ve seen that in countries where there are well-developed green industries, favorable incentives play a big part,” Hidayat said in Jakarta after honoring 69 companies for their environmental programs.

However, according to Hidayat, the package would not be in the form of tax holidays or allowances but rather focus on things that would encourage green practices. “For example, we could remove import taxes on goods necessary for green industries,” he added.

“There are indeed many companies that are already implementing green practices, but the idea of these incentives is to make it the norm and spread such practices across the archipelago,” said Hidayat. read more>>>