Renewable Energy Group's feed | Diigo Group

Commissioner Piebalgs adresses the Parliament on high oil prices

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 13:53:04 -0000

Highlights and Sticky Notes:

As a result of these policies, we can expect a gradual decrease in oil consumption in the EU over the coming years, and the beginning of the switch to cleaner more efficient, and often renewable transport.

the era of cheap energy is over, and at a time when, in any event, we have an absolute obligation to future generations to move to clean, carbon free energy sources for heat, power and transport due to climate change. This is the challenge facing us.

draft directive guaranteeing 20% renewables

Practically all of these measures were already cost effective at 60$ pr barrel of oil.

lead efforts in an increased drive for Energy Efficiency

ensure that 10% of EU transport is powered by renewable fuel by 2020 into practice. It should be noted that this 10% can be covered by biofuels, or electricity from renewable sources.

There is an energy future for all of us. This future will most likely be organised around different patterns of production, consumption and behaviour. Like with climate change, action is needed now.

Tags: no_tag

Posted by: ingenheiro

Storing the Sun - molten salt

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 10:51:28 -0000

Highlights and Sticky Notes:

solar technologies suffer the limitation of most renewable technologies: an unpredictable operating profile due to weather variations.

it offers the capability to dispatch electricity as needed without requiring the use of natural gas

Tags: no_tag

Posted by: ingenheiro

Wind Energy in ‘07 « Euro Avia blog

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 19:29:29 -0000

Tags: china spain usa wind

Posted by: keulenae

Homeowners Associations and Solar Panels Don't Always Mix

Wed, 21 Nov 2007 07:30:48 -0000

Highlights and Sticky Notes:

Having built a swimming pool for his children in his backyard, Matt Burdick of Chandler, Arizona planned to heat it in winter with solar hot water panels. It would be an environmentally responsible and economical way to heat a non-essential part of his home, he thought. But the $5,000 panels had not been in place on his roof for long before he received an official letter ordering their removal. Not from the State of Arizona, the local police department or the Chandler Planning Department, but from the Homeowners' Association of which he was a dues-paying member.

Tags: action nimby solar usa

Posted by: keulenae

New Geothermal Energy Project in Halifax to Use Cold Energy Storage

Wed, 21 Nov 2007 06:31:51 -0000

Highlights and Sticky Notes:

The project includes the first large-scale application of geothermal cold energy storage.

Tags: canada geothermal storage

Posted by: keulenae

Solar power edges towards boom time | UK | Reuters

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 02:14:56 -0000

Highlights and Sticky Notes:

Subsidies are needed because solar is still more expensive than conventional power sources like coal, but costs are dropping by around 5 percent a year and "grid parity", without subsidies, is already a reality in parts of California.

Very sunny countries could reach that breakeven in five years or so, and even cloudy Britain by 2020.

"At that point you can expect pretty much unbounded growth," General Electric Co's Chief Engineer Jim Lyons told the Jefferies conference in London on Thursday, referring to price parity in sunny parts of the United States by around 2015.

Tags: costs photovoltaics

Posted by: keulenae

The Future of Free Energy | Solar Islands Will Bring Electricity From the Desert & Sea

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 01:29:52 -0000

Highlights and Sticky Notes:

CSEM, the Swiss Center for Electronics and
Microtechnology, has signed a contract with the government of the Emirate of Ras Al-Khaimah (RAK) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), to develop a prototype of a “Solar Island”. The aim of the project is to validate a concept for the large-scale transformation of solar energy into hydrogen and electricity at very low cost. It is funded by 5 mio US$ by the Gouvernment of Ras al Khaimah. The plan is to build large “Solar Islands” floating in the sea. These giant floating islands will be fitted with solar panels which will convert solar energy into electricity and/or hydrogen. A prototype of such a solar island, equipped with thermal solar panels, is to be built and tested in the desert of the United
Arab Emirates.

Tags: hydrogen ocean solar thermal

Posted by: keulenae

US House tries to surpass EU on renewables « 3E Intelligence

Fri, 19 Oct 2007 12:29:36 -0000

Highlights and Sticky Notes:

The “25 by 25″ resolution is the result of a big lobbying campaign by a coalition consisting of more than 600 agricultural, energy, and environmental groups, business and labour interests and NGOs.

Tags: renewables usa

Posted by: keulenae

European Solar Industry Introduces Voluntary Recycle System for PV Modules

Wed, 17 Oct 2007 05:50:24 -0000

Highlights and Sticky Notes:

The photovoltaic solar electricity industry in Europe plans to voluntarily take back defective or used solar modules to recycle them and to recover valuable materials.

Tags: photovoltaics recycling

Posted by: keulenae

Technology Review: Fixing the Power Grid

Wed, 17 Oct 2007 00:48:28 -0000

Highlights and Sticky Notes:

Large-scale power storage is crucial to our energy future: the Electric Power Research Institute, the U.S. utility industry's leading R&D consortium, says that storage would enable the widespread use of renewable power and make the grid more reliable and efficient.

Tags: batteries epri storage usa

Posted by: keulenae

Lessons in RE Development From Navarre, Spain

Tue, 16 Oct 2007 07:29:30 -0000

Highlights and Sticky Notes:

As a case study of a successful approach, let’s take a look at what Spain has been able to accomplish. Spain has tackled its development of renewable energy sources aggressively. With 11,615 megawatts (MW) of installed wind capacity at the end of last year, Spain is second in the world to Germany in capacity (and about on par with the United States). The 23,372,000 MWh generated in 2006 provided just over 8.5% of Spain’s electricity: only Denmark boasts a higher percentage.

Tags: renewables spain usa wind

Posted by: keulenae

RESNET - RESBlog - Post

Sat, 06 Oct 2007 06:44:35 -0000

Highlights and Sticky Notes:

The two reports on the impacts of EE/RE on Texas -- Role of Energy Efficiency and Onsite Renewables in Meeting Energy and Environmental Needs in the Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston/Galveston Metro Areas and The Economic Benefits of an Energy Efficiency and Onsite Renewable Energy Strategy to Meet Growing Electricity Needs in Texas -- were released today by the American Council for an Energy-Efficiency Economy (ACEEE). These studies build upon an ACEEE report released last March that examined the statewide impacts of a suite of EE/RE policies that showed Texas could meet most of its projected needs for electricity while also addressing concerns about peak demand.

Tags: efficiency renewables usa

Posted by: keulenae

Google Solar Panel Project

Sat, 06 Oct 2007 06:42:34 -0000

Highlights and Sticky Notes:

In October 2006, Google announced a commitment to solar energy production and launched the largest solar panel installation to date on a corporate campus in the United States. Google has installed over 90% of the 9,212 solar panels that comprise the 1,600 kilowatt project. Panels cover the rooftops of eight buildings and two newly constructed solar carports at the Googleplex (check out this fly-over video).

Tags: action corporate photovoltaics renewables usa

Posted by: keulenae

Clean energy can't meet growing demand - USATODAY.com

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 08:54:01 -0000

Comments:

Renewables cannot meet growing demand for energy, but now they also cannot meet the growing demand for themselves. An illustration of the predicament we're in.
posted by keulenae

Highlights and Sticky Notes:

Demand for renewable energy is outstripping supply, pushing up prices and raising the specter that some states may not meet clean-energy mandates.

Tags: no_tag

Posted by: keulenae

Technology Review: Storing Solar Power Efficiently

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 13:00:13 -0000

Highlights and Sticky Notes:

Solar proponents love to boast that just a few hundred square kilometers' worth of photovoltaic solar panels installed in Southwestern deserts could power the United States. Their schemes come with a caveat, of course: without backup power plants or expensive investments in giant batteries, flywheels, or other energy-storage systems, this solar-power supply would fluctuate wildly with each passing cloud (not to mention with the sun's daily rise and fall and seasonal ebbs and flows). Solar-power startup > Ausra > , based in Palo Alto, thinks it has the solution: solar-thermal-power plants that turn sunlight into steam and efficiently store heat for cloudy days. >

Tags: solar storage technology thermal.power usa

Posted by: keulenae

INTERVIEW-FPL sees renewables soon competitive with coal | Markets | Reuters

Thu, 27 Sep 2007 13:43:51 -0000

Highlights and Sticky Notes:

Power generation from low-carbon energy sources like wind, solar and nuclear should soon become competitive with electricity generated by coal, the cheapest of fossil fuels, the chief executive of FPL Group Inc. (FPL.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Wednesday.

Tags: costs economics renewables

Posted by: keulenae

Kyocera PV Modules to Power 13.8 MW Spanish Facility

Thu, 27 Sep 2007 00:57:17 -0000

Tags: photovoltaics renewables spain world.records

Posted by: keulenae

European Parliament Calls for Renewable Heat Obligations

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 12:21:51 -0000

Highlights and Sticky Notes:

Yesterday, the European Parliament approved by overwhelming majority the "Thomsen Report" on the Roadmap for Renewable Energies in Europe. Crucial for the future of solar thermal: the call for the adoption in all Member States of renewable heat obligations, at least in new buildings and those undergoing major renovation.

Tags: europe heat policy renewable.energy solar

Posted by: keulenae

New Zealand Commits to 90% Renewable Electricity by 2025

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 12:20:23 -0000

Highlights and Sticky Notes:

In a speech this week, New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clarke announced New Zealand's intention to commit to 90% renewable electricity by 2025, according to a press release issued by the New Zealand government.

The country already uses 70% renewable electricity, primarily hydro- and geothermal power and will continue to increase its use of renewables over the next 20 years.

Tags: new.zealand renewables targets

Posted by: keulenae

Planet2025 News Network - ntext

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 03:32:52 -0000

Highlights and Sticky Notes:

Companies that have switched to renewable energy are reporting a number of bottom line advantages, including reduced corporate greenhouse gas emissions, diversification of energy sources to hedge against fluctuating fossil fuel prices, as well as strengthening customer relationships and brand differentiation.

Tags: costs csr economics renewables

Posted by: keulenae