Clean Energy Transition

The world needs to build 30 nuclear power stations and the equivalent of two Three Gorges dams every year to prevent dangerous climate change, the International Energy Agency has said. It also needs to build 13,000 wind turbines and 40 coal and gas power stations fitted with carbon capture and storage technology each year between 2013 and 2030, the head of the Agency told the climate change conference in Bali.

Would electric cars really be any better for the environment than our current gas guzzlers? So much of our electricity comes from coal, after all, which isn't exactly the cleanest source of energy. Might we all be better off simply upgrading to more fuel-efficient vehicles—that is, ditching our Hummers in favor of Toyota Corollas?

Time to dispair? Not according to Monbiot: “We must confront a challenge which is as great and as pressing as the rise of the Axis powers. Had we thrown up our hands then, as many people are tempted to do today, you would be reading this paper in German. Though the war often seemed impossible to win, when the political will was mobilised strange and implausible things began to happen. The US economy was spun round on a dime in 1942 as civilian manufacturing was switched to military production(25). The state took on greater powers than it had exercised before. Impossible policies suddenly became achievable.

Carbonrally lists many competitions like bringing in your grocery bags or adding air to your vehicle’s tires to reduce CO2 emissions of 6 pounds and 29 pounds in one month, respectively.

While the draft directive , made available by Friends of the Earth Europe (FoEE), does not specify the precise percentage figures by which each member state will be required to increase its share of renewable energies, the following criteria are put forward: By 2014, each member state's share of renewables must be at least the amount it used in 2005 plus 51% of the 2020 target;  by 2016, the figure must increase to 66% of the 2020 target; and; by 2018, member states should have achieved 83% of their 2020 target (compared to the 2005 level as usual).

An early draft of an upcoming Commission proposal to increase the use of renewables in final EU energy consumption includes guidelines for establishing individual national targets, provisions for mandatory use of certificates for renewables trading and sustainability criteria for biofuels production.

20% of their energy needs from renewables

t was a huge event, with close to 2,000 participants and a palpable energy and a sense of - finally - progress. The conference was attended by the ministers for energy or senior political representatives  from several countries (the UK, Germany, several Nordic countries - see the link above) and happened at the same time as an important German government meeting that decided to increase offshore tariffs to 14c/kWh, a strongly supportive measure which is likely to be the starting point of a massive wave of investment in the sector in that country. Interestingly, despite that decision, and the excitement it generated, the UK market is still seen as likely to be bigger than the German one over the next 10-15 years, with all other markets being somewhat smaller.

John Hutton, business secretary, will outline at a conference in Berlin proposals to create 25 gigawatts of offshore wind energy capacity by 2020 in addition to that under construction.

A young married couple in their first home, shoestring budget, baby on the way - how can they possibly afford to add solar energy to their house? "By renting it", said Ed Begley Jr., six-times Emmy nominated actor and environmentalist. November 5, 2007

We decided to tackle a large problem—Power.  We were involved in the human power concept and developing the power for the one-laptop project per child project.  We took the opportunity, developing the underlying power technology for it.

The production of wind power varies and is harder to forecast than the fluctuations in electricity demand.

The results indicate that the frequently stated claim of wind power requiring an equal amount of reserve power for back-up is not correct. A substantial adjustment tolerance is already built in to our power network, and the impacts of wind power fluctuations can be further balanced through a variety of measures.

The impact of a large share of wind power can be controlled by appropriate grid connection requirements, extension and enforcement of transmission networks as well as integration of wind power production and production forecasts into system and market operation. The state-of-the-art report presents the assessments of the impact of wind power on the reliability and costs of the power system conducted in different countries.

The Commission has decided today to give a favourable opinion to the initiative of Natsionalna Elektricheska Kompania (NEK) of Bulgaria to build a new nuclear power plant at the site of Belene

This article investigates the advantages and disadvantages of decentralized electricity generation according to the overall concept of sustainable development.