India sets goal to provide 24/7 electricity to entire nation 

within 5 years, emphasizes solar

Indian PM Manhoman Singh at World Economic Forum (Wikipedia; Eric Miller)

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has announced a goal to ensure affordable access to electricity 24 hours a day, seven days a week to all households in the nation within five years. 

In a speech at the inauguration of the International Seminar on Energy Access, PM Singh put an emphasis on solar and other renewable energy technologies in meeting that goal. He noted that one million households in India are now using solar energy to provide lighting, and reiterated a goal of supplying 20 million rural households with solar home lighting by 2022.

Indian Minister of New and Renewable Energy Dr. Farooq Abdullah also spoke at the inauguration, noting that renewable energy can be an excellent tool to provide energy access, and noting that India has one of the largest decentralized, off-grid renewable energy programs in the world.

UAE poised to become leader in renewable energy

(Staff Report) / 10 October 2012

There is no shortage of natural resources in the UAE which holds the world’s sixth-largest oil reserves and has the fifth-largest national gas reserve, a privileged position which has garnered substantial economic benefits for the nation ever since the union in 1971.

In recent years, however, with ecological scarcities plaguing the planet, and energy consumption continuously on the rise, the UAE has sought to considerably reduce its dependency on oil. Instead, it has focused on the sustainable development approach, which encourages the use of renewable resources that can be naturally replenished and create pure ‘clean’ energy that can supply electricity, cooling and heating requirements. Indeed, with global energy demand set to double or even triple by 2050, the emirates has demonstrated an unyielding commitment to a renewable energy future, launching a host of initiatives which aim to significantly reduce its carbon footprint.

Dubai — A solid ground for sustainability

The second largest of the seven emirates, Dubai boasts abundant natural resources — many of which can expedite the delivery of renewable energy. In the past decade, the Government of Dubai has established a slew of plans which aim to reap the benefits of this resource-endowment as well as drive the emirate’s eco-mission and shape the future of global sustainability. One of the most ambitious of these projects is the creation of a multi-billion-dirham solar-energy park managed by the Dubai Water and Electricity Authority (Dewa) and to be completed by 2030. Announced in January 2012, The Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park symbolises a true milestone for the UAE, especially as it intends to reach a capacity output of 1,000 megawatts (MW) by 2030.
 The Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, which will be managed and operated by Dewa, is instrumental to the DSCE’s Integrated Energy Strategy 2030.

Southwest needs power lines to become solar hub

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Pick any stretch of road slicing through the American Southwest. The sun beats down on the asphalt like nowhere else and heat waves distort the landscape.

It's here, in these open expanses, that experts say is a massive untapped source of energy that could meet the nation's growing needs. But only if developers can get it out of the desert.

Even as renewable power projects get a boost from the federal government, a lack of transmission lines prevent states such as New Mexico – where the sun shines more than 300 days a year – from converting the obvious potential into real watts that can charge smartphones and run air conditioners thousands of miles away.

Aside from Phoenix, the nation's sixth largest city, and Las Vegas, which glows around the clock, the region's rural stretches – the ideal places for acres of solar panels – have few energy demands. And sending solar power from there to population centers isn't as simple as loading coal into boxcars and shipping it cross country.

"We have incredible renewable energy resources," U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said during a visit earlier this year to a solar research lab in New Mexico. "The bad news is they're where there are not many people. We need a distribution system that can accommodate that."

Transmission lines are key to developing the region's solar resources. The problem is existing lines are maxing out, especially as the push intensifies to bring online more renewable energy. Building new lines can take years or even decades of cutting through a tangle of bureaucracy.

Spanning some 200,000 miles, much of the nation's existing transmission system is aging and will need replacement before 2030, according to preliminary findings of a new Department of Energy study on transmission congestion.

Germany sets new solar power record with 22 GW electricity per hour 

Reuters

Berlin: German solar power plants produced a world record 22 gigawatts of electricity per hour - equal to 20 nuclear power stations at full capacity - through the midday hours on Friday and Saturday, the head of a renewable energy think tank said.

The German government decided to abandon nuclear power after the Fukushima nuclear disaster last year, closing eight plants immediately and shutting down the remaining nine by 2022.

They will be replaced by renewable energy sources such as wind, solar and bio-mass.

The plant produced 22 GW of solar power per hour, which met nearly 50 per cent of the nation's midday electricity needs.

Norbert Allnoch, director of the Institute of the Renewable Energy Industry (IWR) in Muenster, said the 22 gigawatts of solar power per hour fed into the national grid on Saturday met nearly 50 per cent of the nation's midday electricity needs.

"Never before anywhere has a country produced as much photovoltaic electricity," Allnoch told Reuters. "Germany came close to the 20 gigawatt (GW) mark a few times in recent weeks. But this was the first time we made it over."

The record-breaking amount of solar power shows one of the world's leading industrial nations was able to meet a third of its electricity needs on a work day, Friday, and nearly half on Saturday when factories and offices were closed.

Government-mandated support for renewables has helped Germany became a world leader in renewable energy and the country gets about 20 per cent of its overall annual electricity from those sources.

Japan’s renewable energy options: costs and potential

By Associated Press, Updated: Thursday, May 3, 1:41 PM

Japan’s shutdown of all its nuclear power plants leaves it with an energy gap, mostly being made up through greater use of costly imported LNG, coal and oil. Below are some details of the resource-scarce country’s “green energy” options.

HYDROELECTRIC: Mountainous, rainy Japan relies on hydroelectric power for about 8 percent of its electricity. Having already dammed virtually all possible sites, smaller hydroelectric facilities offer limited potential. Hydroelectric is also unstable since it depends on rainfall and water levels, making it ill-suited to replace the huge and consistent power capacity provided by nuclear plants.

SOLAR: Current capacity is about 3.5 gigawatts (GW), less than 1 percent of total power generation. Installing solar power is 

Crisis-hit Japan mulls shift to renewable energy

  View larger image

In this Wednesday, May 2, 2012 photo, solar panels cover the 11-hectare compound of the Ukishima Solar Power Station in Kawasaki near Tokyo. (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye)

Updated: Thu May. 03 2012 05:07:32

The Associated Press

TOKYO — Another long, stupefyingly hot summer is looming for Japan just as it shuts down its last operating nuclear power reactor, worsening a squeeze on electricity and adding urgency to calls for a green energy revolution.

On Saturday, the last of the country's 50 usable nuclear reactors will be switched off, completely idling a power source that once supplied a third of Japan's electricity. At a time when temptation to set the aircon to deep freeze is at its greatest, companies and ordinary Japanese will be obliged to economize amid temperatures that can climb above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).

2012: A Breakthrough For Renewable Energy?

Submitted by Manish Bapna on February 9, 2012

2012 could indeed see global investment surpass that for fossil fuels, crossing an important threshold toward a clean energy future. Photo credit: flickr/OregonDOT

This piece originally appeared on The Huffington Post.

In his annual State of the Union address, President Obama declared: “I will not walk away from clean energy.”

His words were a sharp rebuttal to critics harping on the Solyndra bankruptcy and others making dire predictions about the downfall of the renewable energy industry.

So, who is right? Will 2012 be a breakthrough year for renewable, or will it collapse?

Despite conventional wisdom, there is a growing body of evidence showing that renewables are no longer decades away from being a viable and affordable alternative to fossil fuels. Instead, onshore wind and solar photovoltaics are close to a tipping point to compete head-to-head with coal and natural gas in many countries.

Good-for-Nothing Polluted Land May Be Good for Renewables

By Avery Fellow on April 26, 2012

• Tweet

The federal government and the private sector have launched new efforts to determine ideal sites for solar and wind energy projects in the United States.

The Environmental Protection Agency and the Energy Department posted new tools April 25 for evaluating commercial and industrial rooftops, parking lots, and contaminated lands for solar and wind energy potential.

The tools, which include solar and wind "decision trees," will help state and local governments and landowners to identify the best sites without technical expertise, according to EPA.

We can have safe, sustainable energy

We can have safe, sustainable energy

With renewables we can contain consumption – and climate warming at 2C – if the big users act now.

The world's energy system is being pushed to breaking point, and our addiction to fossil fuels grows stronger each year. Many clean energy technologies are available, but they are not being deployed quickly enough to avert potentially disastrous consequences.

This is the message the International Energy Agency will deliver on Wednesday in London at the Clean Energy Ministerial, a meeting of ministers and representatives of nations that together account for four-fifths of world energy demand. In a new report we find that achieving a more secure, sustainable energy system, in line with the goal of limiting the rise in global temperatures to 2C, is still possible but requires urgent action by the world's major governments.

Tribal Lands: An Emerging Market for Renewable Energy Development | Renewable Energy News Article

Renewable energy projects on tribal lands are fast becoming a reality. Tribal communities in the Southwestern United States reside on lands that are known to be rich with potential for the development of solar, wind, biomass, and geothermal facilities on a large commercial scale. Studies have found that tribal lands nationwide have the potential for producing up to 10 percent of the United States' renewable energy. This development could mean lower rates for electricity, new directions for the nation's energy industry and a new economic reality for some Native American tribes and their neighboring communities. To that end, tribal communities such as the Navajo Nation have begun to own and develop renewable energy projects on tribal lands.

This is no small feat.  For decades, tribal communities in this region have suffered high unemployment, poor social conditions and widespread poverty.  As the demand in the West for renewable energy grows, tribes have now recognized that they can diversify their resources and sell renewable energy and leverage their assets to spur economic development.  This could create an emerging, domestic market that would serve as a vehicle for economic development and a source of long-term revenue for tribal communities.

Japan Recommends Preferential Price Rates for Renewable Energy

By Chisaki Watanabe - Apr 25, 2012 10:29 AM GMT+0530

• Q

Japan will require power utilities to pay above market rates for electricity generated from renewable energy sources such as solar and wind, based on recommendations announced today by a government panel.

The preferential rate, known as a feed-in tariff, for solar power was recommended at 42 yen (52 U.S. cents) a kilowatt-hour for 20 years, compared with the current rate of 13.65 yen a kilowatt-hour for industry and commercial users, according to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

Twelve Countries to Sign Wind, Solar Agreement, Minister Says

By Sally Bakewell on April 25, 2012

• Tweet

Twelve countries will sign a declaration on solar and wind energy to boost cooperation between nations and encourage investors, Danish Energy Minister Martin Lidegaard said.

The agreement will be signed later this morning, he told a news conference in London. The declaration will include new efforts to map wind and solar resources on a global level to encourage private investment in the renewables sector, the minister said.