Thursday, April 28, 2016

Give solar thermal a chance, industry urges DECC





Falling returns for solar PV under the feed-in tariff offers solar thermal a fighting chance, says Solar Trade Association, but only if Ministers retain some support for technology
The recent cuts to solar Feed-in Tariff (FiT) incentives may spell good news for solar thermal installers - but only if the industry can convince the government to keep supporting the technology under the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI).
The solar industry is urging the government to abandon its plans to remove support for solar thermal under the Renewable Heat Incentive, arguing that it now has a fighting chance to thrive following the cuts to support for PV.
The reforms come as the government battles to improve its sluggish performance on renewable heat in time to meet its legally binding 2020 renewables targets. Ministers have admitted the UK is currently on track to miss the target, primarily becasue of slower than expected progress with renewable heat and renewable transport fuel technologies.
Key changes proposed for the Domestic RHI include the introduction of "heat demand limits" to prevent larger homes claiming too much of the budget from the scheme, new rules allowing households to reassign their right to RHI payments to companies that have installed low-carbon technology, and higher tariff rates for heat pumps. Notably, under both the domestic and non-domestic systems, support for solar thermal would be removed altogether from 2017.
It is perhaps unsurprising that solar thermal is in the crosshairs for DECC. Data released earlier this year suggested solar thermal systems accounted for just two per cent of total non-domestic applications under the RHI and 12 per cent of domestic applications as of December 2015. Applications for biomass and heat pumps, the two other main technologies supported under the scheme, far outstrip interest in solar thermal, the data revealed.
Industry body the Solar Trade Association (STA) admits that to date solar thermal has not been a runaway success under the RHI. "Clearly, solar thermal has suffered in recent years in terms of its deployment," Mike Landy, head of policy at the STA, told BusinessGreen. "One of the main reasons that it has suffered is the boom in PV deployment that has taken place under the Feed-in Tariff... Not only that, but in the years soon after the launch of the FiTs there was huge uncertainty about whether the domestic RHI would happen at all."
But that picture is beginning to change, he argued, as a result of the recent upheaval to the FiTs scheme that has seen support for solar PV deployment slashed. In January the government substantially cut the subsidy rates available to PV installations and introduced a quarterly cap on deployment - and early data suggests installation rates are falling sharply as a result.
Earlier this year, the STA conducted a poll of its members asking them to compare the level of enquiries into solar thermal for the first two months of 2015 compared to the first two months of this year. Members reported an 88 per cent jump in interest, which Landy suggests is a sign that solar thermal may be poised to benefit from the cuts to the FiTs as households keen to cut their carbon emissions and energy bills look at alternatives to solar PV panels.
In light of this increase in customer interest, the STA is urging the government not to halt its support for solar thermal under the RHI. "Our number one ask to DECC is to just leave it for the time being," said Landy. "We're not asking for an increase in tariff, we're simply saying do not remove it and allow the market to recover."
Meanwhile, other renewable heat providers are also concerned about how the proposed changes to the RHI will affect the deployment of their chosen technology.
The Renewable Energy Association (REA) warns DECC's plans to move all non-domestic biomass systems to a single tariff will cause a "collapse" in the deployment of biomass boilers. The REA has said it has responded to the consultation by warning the proposed move would result in job losses and a slower rate of decarbonisation at odds with the country's 2020 renewable targets.
"We need a range of technologies to decarbonise a range of properties," said Frank Aaskov, policy analyst at the REA, in a statement. "Rural locations for example with no access to a gas network cannot be left behind. Biomass boilers are low cost, provide significant carbon savings compared to oil boilers, and support the growth of healthy British forests. It is distressing that the government's proposals would shutter this growing industry and would have us rely instead on largely untested technologies."
DECC has claimed the planned reforms will deliver a "reformed and refocused" scheme for renewable heat technologies, predicting the revamped scheme would support 23TWh of renewable heat generation by 2020/21 and deliver between 27 and 40 megatonnes of CO2 abatement under the fourth carbon budget, which runs through the mid 2020s.
However, some industry bodies have voiced concerns the proposed changes do not go far enough. A new report published today by the Energy and Utilites Alliance suggests the proposed RHI policy changes are unlikely to drive significant progress towards the 2020 renewables target or major change in the UK heating market.
Isaac Occhipinti, head of external affairs at EUA, called the plans "fundamentally flawed". "We advocate that the RHI should be used in a much more targeted way," he said in a statement. "For each sector of the housing market the most appropriate heating solution should be identified, this would deliver the most effective result both in terms of cost and carbon savings."
Similarly, the Heating and Hotwater Industry Council (HHIC) is calling on DECC to make the RHI more focused by targeting funding at homes that can accommodate a renewable heating system and those where the current heating system is especially carbon intensive.
DECC will now consider all the consultation responses put forward by the renewable heat industry, with a final decision expected in July. It is clear that bolder action is needed on renewable heat for the UK to get back on track to meeting its renewables targets and provide the foundations for the full decarbonisation of the energy sector. But only time will tell whether DECC agrees with the industry over what form that action takes.



Original Post: Madeleine Cuff

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Developed nations should encourage renewable energy programmes: India




EW YORK: India has said that developed nations should encourage renewable energy programmes and not "put a spoke into it" as it termed "unfortunate" a recent WTO ruling against its power purchase agreements with solar firms.

Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar, who is here to sign the historic Paris climate change agreement at theUnited Nations today, said he will use the occasion to raise the "unfortunate" case of the US going to the WTO on the issue.

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"I will definitely raise (this issue) in my speech. This is unfortunate, not the ruling, even America going to WTO, that is unfortunate," he told PTI here. Javadekar added that India has launched the world's largest renewable program and reserved a "very small" part of it for Indian manufacturers.

Yet, if that is being "challenged without seeing the things in proper context and perspective" and on technical grounds, it is discouraging for the developing nations, he said. Such an action "discourages. This is not multilateralism. We must encourage" nations undertaking clean energy programs. "India generating 175 GW of renewable energy is the biggest program. One should not put a spoke into it. You are lecturing one thing and practicing the exact opposite," he said. He said while it is up to the Commerce Ministry to take a call on how to proceed with the matter, "such things should not happen."

Ruling against India, WTO had recently said the government's power purchase agreements with solar firms were "inconsistent" with international norms -- a matter in which the US had filed a complaint before the global trade body alleging discrimination against American firms. The US had dragged India to WTO on this issue in 2014, alleging the clause relating to Domestic Content Requirement (DCR) in the country's solar power mission were discriminatory in nature and "nullified" the benefits accruing to American solar power developers.

Javadekar will join heads of state, foreign ministers and other representatives from more than 165 countries who will sign the historic climate change agreement reached in Paris last December at the signature ceremony hosted by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
The large number of countries will set a record for the most countries to sign an international agreement on one day, previously set in 1982, when 119 countries signed the Law of the Sea Convention. Javadekar expressed hope that "collective wisdom" will ultimately prevail and both developed and developing nations will do their part to address the issue of climate change. "India has come to New York for signing the Paris agreement with full confidence that ultimately the collective wisdom will prevail and all countries - developed and developing - will do their bit," Javadekar said.

Noting that the issue of climate fund continues to remain a concern, he said developed countries have to mobilize USD 100 billion "sooner than later" and they must also take enhanced targets for 2016-2020, which is the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol. "Their actions should be declared immediately. That will give more confidence to the developing world that the developed world is also walking the talk," he said.
Javadekar underscored that India is "leading by example" as he highlighted that the country has put a six dollar cess per tonne on coal, besides already taking another 26 initiatives post the Paris pact to address climate change.

"The cess is the highest tax put on coal. It is a solid action taken against carbon emission," he said, adding that nations have applauded India's decision of taxing its coal.
"India has showcased its leadership and if developed world follows this example" and puts a similar cess on their coal production, "they will easily mobilize" the USD 100 billion required by 2020 for the climate fund, he said.

"We have led by example, taxed our coal. The developed nations should also do that. They have to show their commitment otherwise whole Paris agreement will fall apart," he said. He said every climate action has a "cost" and developed nations are asking the developing world to pay that cost.

"The developed world has caused the climate change of today because of their 100 years of relentless carbon emissions. We are much cleaner at our development stages as compared to those of the developed world," he said, adding the developed world "behaved irresponsibly" and the developing nations are suffering.

Outlining the measures taken by the government to cut carbon emissions, Javadekar said India has incentivized and given subsidy to electrical and hybrid vehicles and enacted an 'e-rickshaw bill'. The government has also taxed petroleum and diesel vehicles, aiming to "disincentivize" polluting vehicles.

Almost 40 per cent of India's energy mix by 2030 will be from non-fossil fuel.
"America will not achieve such a mix through their INDCs. So developed nations must take up more targets," he said.




Original Post: ET

BRICS Bank Approves $811 Million Funding For Renewable Energy Projects





As promised, the BRICS New Development Bank has approved its first funding for renewable energy projects.
The BRICS New Development Bank has approved funding for a total of $811 million to banks and institutions in Brazil, India, China, and South Africa. Bank President KV Kamath has repeatedly stated that the first funding from the New Development Bank will go to a renewable energy project.
Brazil’s Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Economico e Social will get the largest lending support worth $300 million. The credit line will be used for setting up 600 MW of renewable energy capacity. India’s Canara Bank will receive $250 million, of which $75 million has been earmarked for 500 MW of renewable energy projects.
South Africa’s Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd. will receive funding worth $180 million which will be used for the implementation of transmission and renewable energy projects. Eskom needs to substantially upgrade its transmission network to absorb the rapidly increasing renewable energy capacity. The funding will also be used for the implementation of 500 MW renewable energy capacity.
China’s Shanghai Lingang Hongbo New Energy Development Co. will receive $81 million funding, to finance a 100 MW rooftop solar power project.
The BRICS New Development Bank is expected to approve more funding for renewable energy projects. Demand for renewable energy funding will be very high from all member countries, except Russia. China and India have among the largest renewable energy targets in the world. South Africa and Brazil also have very ambitious renewable energy target.




Original Post: CleanTechnica

Sunday, April 24, 2016

Unfair Play: India Accuses US in Double Standards on Renewable Energy







India's Power, Coal and Renewable Energy Minister Piyush Goyal told Indian NDTV channel that several US states apply policies, similar to those adopted in India, to promote their own renewable energy companies.

According to Piyush Goyal, 16 states in the US "have similar Domestic Content Requirements when they procure solar panels for their energy needs".
"(It is) very unfortunate that they took this route rather than promoting renewable energy in developing countries," he added.
Earlier this year, the WTO ruled that India's requirement that only Indian products be used in solar panel manufacturing is "inconsistent" with a range of global trade regulations. This ruling was implemented following the US's claim.
India filed an appeal against the WTO decision to the Organization's highest court — the Appellate Authority — pointing out that 16 US states apply have policies similar to Indian in effect. As New Dehli awaits the final judgment by the Appellate Authority, they also prepared 16 cases to be filed against American States on renewable energy policies.



Original Post: Sputnik News



Thursday, April 21, 2016

Apple rings in Earth Day with video highlighting iMessage and renewable energy



Tomorrow is officially Earth Day and while it has already revealed some of its efforts, Apple this evening has uploaded a new video to its YouTube channel highlighting its green initiatives. The ad, entitled “iMessage – Renewable Energy,” highlights the company’s renewable energy efforts and encourages everyone to “show some love for the earth.”
In the ad, Apple uses iMessage to explain how every day users of services like iMessage are taking advantage of its green initiatives. The company shows that every time an iMessage is sent, it makes it away to an Apple data center, which is powered by 100 percent renewable energy.
Every time you send an iMessage, you’re showing some love for the Earth.
It’s an especially clever video to highlight Earth Day and Apple’s continued efforts to leave the world better than they found it. Last week, Apple launched a new campaign in the App Store to raise funds for the World Wide Fund for Nature, while Apple Stores around the world are also going green ahead of Earth Day. This week, Apple shared collection of new playlists on Apple Music that the company said provides the “perfect soundtrack for Earth day – and beyond.”
You can view Apple’s new ad with an Earth Day focus below. The video is said to the song “Ophelia” by The Lumineers.





Original Post: Devvrat


Tuesday, April 19, 2016

India bright spot for global renewable energy investments in Q1




India was one of the bright spots in clean energy investments in the first quarter of calendar year 2016, amid a fall in markets such as China and Brazil, according to data from Bloomberg New Energy Finance. As per the data, India’s clean energy investments reached $1.9 billion in the January-March quarter, up 6 per cent from the comparable period in 2015.

The Narendra Modi-led BJP government has set an ambitious target of increasing renewable power capacity to 175 gigawatts by 2022 as part of its plan to supply electricity to every household.
Ashish Sethia, head of India and Southeast Asia, Bloomberg New Energy Finance, said in an email response: “While a rise in investments is a positive sign, they have to almost double from here to meet PM Modi’s ambitious 175GW target.”

Global investments in renewable energy fell 12 per cent during the first three months of 2016, due to the slowdown in emerging economies, according to data released Tuesday by Bloomberg New Energy Finance. The decline in overall investment comes after a record year for clean energy investments in 2015, when the spending reached $328.9 billion.

Spending on renewables fell to $53.1 billion in the first-quarter this year when compared to $60.5 billion in the first quarter of 2015, it said. The first quarter is often the weakest of the year for global investment, and totals may be revised up if more deals come to light, BNEF said.
In the first quarter of 2016, spending on clean energy fell 37 per cent to $11.8 billion in China and investments in Brazil fell 27 per cent to $1 billion from the comparable period last year. Other key markets also saw a slow start. South Africa recorded almost no deals in Q1 2016, when compared to $3.7 billion in the same quarter of 2015.

Japan’s investment was down 19 per cent to $6.8 billion, while Chile, Mexico and Uruguay, all significant centres for investment in 2015, had quiet starts to 2016, it said.

Europe recorded the strongest growth, where spending rose 70 per cent to $17 billion, driven by three big billion-dollar wind project investments. In the US, spending rose 9 per cent to $9.7 billion.

Michael Liebreich, chairman of the advisory board at Bloomberg New Energy Finance, said: “Based on Q1 figures, 2016 is going to be hard-pressed to beat last year’s record investment total.



“The fundamentals behind global clean energy investment remain strong, with our latest research showing solar PV and wind again reducing their costs and competing strongly despite lower coal, oil and gas prices. But China accounted for more than one third of all new financings last year, so what happens there in 2016 will be crucial.”




Original Post: The Hindu

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Support Dries Up for Renewable-Energy Tax Breaks



An attempt by renewable-energy advocates to have their tax breaks hitch a ride on a Senate aviation bill looks like it isn’t going to get off the ground.
The breaks in question included some odds and ends that had been left out of last year’s tax-extensions law, such as tax credits for geothermal heat pumps, clean-energy manufacturing facilities and fuel cells.
They came under criticism from some Republicans and from Americans for Prosperity and Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce, groups tied to the industrialists Charles and David Koch, who pegged them as “corporate welfare.”
The effort to extend the breaks fell apart on Tuesday.
“The minimal Republican interest seems to have evaporated,” said Sen. Sherrod Brown, (D., Ohio). “When the Koch brothers tell them no, they don’t move.”
Taking the tax breaks out will make it easier to pass the aviation bill. Supporters of the renewable-energy breaks will try again later this year.



Original Post: washwire

Monday, April 11, 2016

GE uses CO2 to solve solar energy's biggest drawback




Renewable energy is the way forward if tackling global warming and averting the fast-approaching energy crisis is high on every nation's list of priorities. While progress is being made in harnessing the power of the sun and the solar energy market is expected to add between 265GW and 568GWth of cumulative capacity by 2020, coal-powered thermal plants still fuel 41 percent of the world with some nations relying extensively on the fuel source.
These plants release large amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere, and while steps are being taken to reduce CO2 emissions and capture and store the gas, the big question is what to do with it.
Fortunately, GE has an answer. The biggest drawback of solar energy is that it's entirely dependent on the availability of sunlight. If the sun is down, then you've got no power and when the sun is up, there's a surplus of energy that is difficult to store.
"That's the grand challenge," says Stephen Sanborn, senior engineer and principal investigator at GE Global Research (GRC). "We need to make renewable energy available to the grid when it is needed."
Sanborn and his team are tackling this problem by storing the heat generated by solar thermal plants in CO2. Solar thermal plans work by reflecting sunlight with a vast array of mirrors. The heat from the sun is then used to produce steam, which spins a turbine, thus generating electricity.
In the innovative new process developed by Sanborn and his team, the CO2 is used like a battery to quickly release energy when required.
The system functions in two parts, one in which heat is collected from the sun and stored in molten salt. In the other, some of the surplus electricity is used to cool a pool of liquid CO2 and turn it into dry ice. The molten salt is used to heat the solid CO2 to create a supercritical fluid — a state where CO2 will present the characteristics of both a gas as well as a liquid — which will then power an innovative turbine called a sunrotor.
Based on GE's gas turbines, the sunrotor has the potential to generate 100MW of power, enough to power 1,00,000 homes. According to Sanborn, the entire system is compact enough to be placed on the back of a truck and he hopes to bring the costs down to $100 per megawatt-hour of energy produced from the current $250.
According to GE Reports, GE is currently looking at commercial applications of the system — a product of a research partnership between GRC and U.S. Department of Energy — although the irony is that CO2 is the major cause of global warming and climate change, which is why the world is turning to renewable sources of energy in the first place.



Original Post: NR



Graphene breakthrough produces solar energy in the rain




Much like making hay, the best time to produce solar energy is when the sun shines. Researchers in China have discovered that by using graphene; energy from solar panels is possible even when it's raining. 
Graphene is essentially a one-atom thick layer of carbon, arranged in a honeycomb like structure. It is essentially graphite that is only one atom thick. Graphite, being able to conduct electricity, lends graphene the ability to do the same.
Researchers at Ocean University of Qingdao in China used a modified dye-sensitised solar cell, a thin, film-type solar panel, with a layer of graphene on top. When they simulated rain using salty water, they were able to generate electricity. What happened was that when the salty water hit the surface of the solar panels, the ionised salt particles in the water (ammonium, sodium and calcium, which are positively charged) were separated from the water to produce electricity.
The tests resulted in a 6.53 percent energy conversion — dye-sensitised solar cells, which were used in this experiment, have an efficiency of about 14.1 percent. While this isn't much, it is still very promising as the technology is merely a proof of concept and still has a long way to go in terms of development. Meanwhile, the researchers believe this will definitely help in the evolution of solar panels.

As rainwater isn't inherently salty and comes mixed with a variety of other ions, the future course of action for this technology is to figure out how to generate electricity in situations closer to what we experience in real life.





 Original Post: NR

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Intersolar Istanbul Turkey Summit 2016







Original Post: Devvrat 

Intersolar Summit Turkey: Signs point towards industry growth





On April 6, politics and business representatives will convene within the framework of the Intersolar Summit Turkey being hosted at the WOW Istanbul Hotels & Convention Center in order to discuss the potential and investment opportunities in the growing solar market of the surrounding region. Participants can expect high-caliber lectures which will enable them to envisage particular framework conditions and unique opportunities for the solar business in Turkey. 

Especially in Turkey, experts expect strong market growth in the next few years. For a more precise market entry strategy, investors and companies need anchor points which can be used to open up access to target markets. “We are very pleased to be returning to the Intersolar Summit Turkey in Istanbul. From our point of view, the developments in the Turkish solar market are positive and contribute to overall sustainable growth for the sector - especially the organic growth within and throughout Turkey as well as the resulting synergistic, domino effect”, says Markus Elsässer, Managing Director of Solar Promotion International GmbH.

The Intersolar Summit Turkey, which takes place on April 6 in the Turkish metropolis of Istanbul, provides participants with a very special opportunity to obtain profound market knowledge of the region and make excellent contacts with prominent local and international players. Turkey is a prospering, driving force in the expansion of renewable energies in and throughout Europe, with an additional increase of around 500 MWp expected in this year. Experts agree on the enormous potential of the market and see an annual capacity of GWp in 2017 as being a realistic possibility. The high demand in the unlicensed segments for installations up to 1 MWp also contributes to the positive developments. An accumulated value of 5 GWp in the Pre-Application-Phase has thus far been submitted and approved. 

The one-day conference offers an extensive program with well-established experts including high-level representatives from politics, industry and associations. In addition, the conference also serves and functions as an excellent opportunity to enrich and expand existing contacts and initiate new business relationships.

The keynote speakers at the event are Münib Karakılıç, General Manager of the Renewable Energy General Directorate (YEGM), Oliver Schäfer, President of Solar Power Europe as well as Dr. Kemal Gani Bayraktar, President of the GÜNDER Turkish Section of the International Solar Association ISES. In addition to the evaluation of profitable business models for the Turkish market, experts analyze the opportunities and risks of recently introduced import duties for solar modules. 

Further contributions are being brought from international companies such as Bloomberg New Energy Finance, the German Solar Industry Association (BSW), PI Photovoltaic Solar Institute Berlin, AEG, SCHMID Group as well as RCT Solutions and will focus on new business opportunities with a view of both the licensed and license-free segments, new financing models as well as the potential of local production. Within the framework of a podium discussion moderated by Ali Murat Becerikli, Head of EU Financial Institutions and Department Directorate General for Foreign Relations at ETKB, current trends for the financing of solar projects will be evaluated and assessed carefully and on the basis of experiences from the field.





Original Post: Intersolar

Monday, April 4, 2016

India on course to install 4 GW of solar this year, says Mercom Capital




The 'hibernation period' of India’s solar sector is coming to an end, believes Mercom Capital CEO and co-founder Raj Prabhu, who has forecast the market to exceed 4 GW of solar PV installations in 2016.
The stirring of this sleeping solar giant will deliver a significant boost to global installations this year and next, with India forecast to double its 2016 capacity additions further in 2017, reaching more than 8.1 GW of new solar installations.
In 2015, solar grew by 142% following three years of relatively flat growth, the Mercom Capital report found. Last year’s solar PV installations hit 2,133 MW, up from 883 in 2014 and 1,004 in 2013. This year, Mercom is forecasting 4,054 MW of new solar additions.
Currently, India has just over 10 GW of solar projects under development, and cumulative capacity stands at 5,632 MW, the bulk of it solar PV, with solar thermal making up the numbers. Over the coming few months, a further 8.4 GW of new PV projects are expected to be auctioned off.
"There is cautious optimism in the solar industry as aggressive bidding remains a major concern throughout the sector," said Prabhu. India’s recent swathe of solar auctions delivered industry-beating lows of INR 4.34 per kWh ($0.064/kWh), which represents a 6% price decrease in just three months.
According to Prabhu, projects with tariffs of $0.0735/kWh are "extremely risky and difficult to finance" unless they are built at below a total cost of 5 Crores, which is $0.7 million.
The hope, however, is that most of these projects will be commissioned in 2017, by which time the industry will have engineered greater cost reduction in balance of systems (BOS) and further falling interest rates in order to deliver viability to the projects.
New budget brings cheer
In this year’s recently announced Indian budget, a suite of amendments should serve to boost the solar sector, not least accelerated depreciation from 80% to 40% at the beginning of fiscal year (FY) 2017. Further, an increase in the Clean Environment Cess tax – from INR 200 (approx. $3) per ton to INR 400 ($6) per ton will make solar projects more competitive against coal, which will now be more expensive to produce and consumer.
A downside of these efforts are likely to be higher energy bills for consumers, Prabhu adds, with much of the additional tax collected likely to be steered towards the Ministry of Water for its Ganga rejuvenation project.
Further reforms outlined in January include an amendment of the Renewable Power Obligation (RPO) policy, which now requires solar to provide 8% of electricity generation by March 2022 – a significant step towards the National Solar Mission’s goal of achieving 100 GW of solar capacity nationwide by that date.
A recent World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling against India’s domestic content requirement (DCR) for solar cells and modules will likely have minimal long-term impact on the industry, harming instead only those solar firms that have built their business model on the DCR in the short-term.



Original Post: PV Magazine

First Solar reached 1 GW of sales in India





1 GW of PV capacity shipped to India makes First Solar the first thin film manufacturer to achieve this milestone in the country.
India’s ambitious solar goals have begun to look more achievable as First Solar announces its 1 GW milestone of PV capacity supplied for the country.
In its fourth quarter and full year 2015 results, the U.S.-based solar producer and developer had mentioned 20.03 GW of “booking opportunities”, with a substantial part of them in India, Latin America and the Middle East.
In February 2015, at India's first renewable energy global investment conference and expo RE-INVEST 2015 in New Delhi, First Solar made a “Green Energy Commitment” to develop 5 GW of solar capacity in the country by 2019. Four months later, the company has successfully powered a 20 MW PV plant in the southern Indian state of Telangana.
To date, 200 MW of utility-scale solar projects, wholly owned by First Solar, are under construction in India. This year, India is expected to add a total of 4.8 GW of utility-scale PV plants.



Original Post: PV Magazine  

Sunday, April 3, 2016

Give renewable energy a chance




Canada faces some difficult choices when it comes to energy. We are engaged in debates about two approaches to energy:
1) expanding fossil fuel exploration, mining and drilling, and the construction of new power plants, or
2) more energy efficiency, conservation, decentralized renewable energy technologies (RETs), and regulations on energy use.
Opinions reflect sharp divides based on our geo-political positioning. In mid-February, CBC commissioned an online poll on what Canadians think of the energy sector. About 80 per cent thought that we should do more to support the development of clean energy and the associated technology industry.
On attitudes toward energy, the economy, and the environment, the poll showed that 92 per cent were concerned about the economy, 70 per cent recognized that energy plays a key role in the economy, 84 per cent were concerned about protecting the environment and 56 per cent were more worried about the economy than the environment.
A 2007 Thunder Bay Citizen Survey found that 86 per cent of respondents agreed that environmentally-friendly energy projects should be a priority for capital projects.
While people agree that the economy and energy are important for development, the majority acknowledges that we can no longer ignore environmental issues and climate change issues.
De-carbonization efforts are changing Canada’s energy landscape. Low-carbon electricity generation from renewable sources — large hydroelectric dams (72 per cent) and run-of-the-river small hydroelectric (4 per cent), biomass (15 per cent), wind (8 per cent), and solar photovoltaic (1 per cent) — is carving a sustainable energy path.
However, Canada’s development of low-impact RET is falling behind most industrialized nations due to a lack of market support and the absence of appropriate government policies and initiatives.
Current technologies can make a significant contribution to Canada’s carbon emission reduction commitments, help tackle climate change, bring about economic spin-offs like job creation and lower health-care costs. The recent federal budget made allowances for reducing carbon emissions, but it is not yet clear how these will roll out.
We are on the cusp of entering the third generations of RETs. The first generation technologies of hydropower, biomass combustion, geothermal are mature and economically competitive.
The second generation of RET is market-ready and includes solar heating, photovoltaics, onshore and offshore wind power and modern bioenergy. These RETs make up less than 1 per cent of the total primary energy consumption.
The Canadian Industrial Energy End-Use Data and Analysis Centre (CIEEDAC) at Simon Fraser University lists over 1,300 individual renewable energy facilities in Canada. David Ryczko, Solar Logix Inc., Thunder Bay has stressed that solar panels and photovoltaic technology are beginning to find niche applications.
The third generation of RETs include biomass gasification, biorefineries, solar thermal, hot-dry-rock geothermal, and ocean energy. These technologies are heavily dependent on second generation technologies proving their commercial viability.
Ontario’s renewable energy mix is at crossroads too. A centralized power system — a grid that transmits power from large, state-funded power generation units, such as nuclear (57 per cent), hydroelectricity (25 per cent), and natural gas (11 per cent) — is powering our households. Further, Ontario took a smart and ambitious step in shutting down the last of its coal-fired power plants.
While Ontarians get a taste of clean air, there is now a need to eliminate all the other forms of fossil pollution that still dominate.
One such debatable energy source is nuclear, an expensive (and controversial) choice. Though it produces large amounts of electricity with low carbon emissions, mining and enriching uranium is very energy intensive.
As well there is the reality that waste from nuclear fission remains highly toxic for thousands of years; storage and disposal of this waste remains a serious concern.
Ontario's Green Energy Act, 2009 (GEA) and the Renewable Energy Approval (REA) are strengthening the province’s commitment to conservation. These measures reflect Ontario’s leadership in harvesting benefits for the economy, public health and the environment that renewable energy projects create. Specifically, the act created a Feed-in Tariff that guarantees specific rates for energy generated from renewable sources. The choices Ontario makes are critical to a sustainable future.
Renewable energy development is not a silver bullet, nor is it universally supported. There are not only technical challenges, but also social, environmental, economic and political issues that are equally pressing. However, with the improvement of renewables’ storage, efficiency, availability, and declining costs, a shift has started.
With possible government green investments, now is the time for more dialogue about renewable sources, existing RETs, infrastructure and storage requirements and cost-benefit optimums.
Individuals are contributing to the dialogue. Jane Oldale and Frank Ilczyszyn, who reside in the Municipality of Neebing (southwest of Thunder Bay), have made a conscious lifestyle choice to remain off-grid for decades and rely on solar and wind power. They emphasize that energy literacy and conservation at the household level are important for making informed choices.
Julie Rosenthal, a faculty member at Lakehead University, has chosen renewable options to meet her power needs. She found that the lifestyle changes haven't been as difficult as she first expected. The Nolalu Eco Centre in Thunder Bay, supported by the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corp., offers tours showing ecology-centred living.
Community-based and decentralized renewable energy projects, with high levels of public participation, are finding more acceptance than top-down development of large-scale schemes. As consumers, we have choices about how we would like to power and heat our homes and businesses. It is time for energy transition dialogues that consider renewable energy technologies as sustainable options.



Original Post: ROOPA RAKSHIT