Subject: #82, TRENDS in RENEWABLE ENERGIES
issue #82 for May 31
A 'heads up' overview of developments in renewable energy.
Forward TRENDS to colleagues; subscription is free.
Archives posted at http://www.renewables.ca.eu/iea/contents.htmlhtmlst-archive/ers
If contact information is not provided, it is not available.
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IN THIS ISSUE:
Merger Creates World Distribution Leader in PV Systems
U-S Government Wants to Cut Renewables Funding
U-K Wants Green Energy, but Price is a Barrier
Int'l Energy Agency Wants More Study of Renewables
Calgary Firm Becomes Biggest Developer of Green Energy
U-S Pentagon Installs Photovoltaic System
More Green Energy for U-S Midwest
Solarex Buys Into Swedish PV Grid Market
Merchant Wind Project Being Built in California
Green Energy Supplier Enters ISP Market
New Hampshire Launches PV Program for Schools
Illinois To Spend $250 Million on Renewables
Wind Power Moves Ahead
Author Releases New Book on Micro Wind Turbines
Bangladesh Wants Cheaper Photovoltaics
Growth of Green Energy to Create Problems in Advertising
Green Energy Option Expanded in Wisconsin
Green Energy Exchange in Australia
Price Drops Still Needed in PV Electricity
U-S NREL Hits 15.8% Efficiency in CdS/CdTe
Australia to Push Solar Exports
Electricity Price Will Rise in Two States Under Reregulation
U-S Deregulation Pits States Against Washington
European Industry Leaders Do Not Want Energy Tax
Going Green in the Battle to Win Clients
Colorado Companies Explore Use of Energy Alternatives
Coal-Linked Group Wants to Debunk GHG Myth
ENERGY TIDBITS
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Merger Creates World Distribution Leader in PV Systems
Kyocera and Golden Genesis will merge, creating a PV
company that company officials predict will have annual sales
of more than $1 billion. Kyocera is the world's leading
producer of photovoltaic cells; Golden Genesis (formerly
Photocomm) is a major integrator and distributor of solar
systems. Kyocera has been involved in manufacturing PV
systems since 1975; last year, the Japanese parent company
had net sales of more than $6 billion.
Details: http://www.kyocera.com/solarnewscontents.htmlhtmlst-archive/ers
--
U-S Government Wants to Cut Renewables Funding
Committees of the Congress and Senate have voted to cut or
limit federal spending on renewable energy and related clean
energy programs. Senators in the Energy Appropriations
subcommittee voted to cut 22% from funding for renewables
programs, leaving it 10% below last year's actual spending
and rejecting last week's request by 54 senators to support
increases. A committee of Congress (including eight
members of its Renewable Energy Caucus) approved a bill
that will lower spending on renewables and energy efficiency
programs by $180 million over the DoE request. That House
committee had earlier increased spending for fossil fuel and
nuclear programs by more than $42 million above DoE's
request. The Sustainable Energy Coalition has vowed to
support anticipated amendments by the full House and Senate
to increase funding for sustainable energy programs.
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U-K Wants Green Energy, but Price is a Barrier
A study shows that consumers in Britain are very interested in
electricity from renewable energy sources, but are reluctant to
pay a premium of more than 10%. More than 90% said they
would switch if no premium was involved; half would pay
between 2% and 4% above normal rates. It found that 52%
were very or fairly interested in switching to a green energy
supplier; 65% were likely or very likely to switch. The
Datamonitor report, Global Green Energy Marketing, says
more than ten million households may switch electricity
supplier in the deregulated home energy market. The survey
found 16.6% of consumers said they will buy electricity from
an alternative supplier within the next year. That market
would represent almost $2 billion a year.
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Int'l Energy Agency Wants More Study of Renewables
The IEA wants to assess all energy issues and choices,
including renewable energy and nuclear power. At its recent
meeting, energy ministers said liberalized energy markets and
environmental sustainability are critical to long-term energy
security. Sustained low oil prices could induce complacency
about energy and "slow development of and investment in
new, more efficient and cleaner energy technologies,
including those based on renewable energy sources."
Reducing emissions of greenhouse gases is one of the most
urgent challenges, and "it is vital to use energy efficiently and
to promote the use of less carbon-intensive energy
technologies and sources." Long-term technology R+D is
needed to deploy a new generation of sustainable energy
technologies. The 24-member IEA was created in 1974 by the
OECD to respond to the OPEC oil crisis.
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Calgary Firm Becomes Biggest Developer of Green Energy
Canadian Hydro Developers has become Canada's largest
independent developer of renewable energy with its purchase
of Canadian Niagara Wind Power, owner of the 19 MW
Cowley Ridge windfarm in southern Alberta. CHD now owns
more than 46 MW of renewable capacity in eight existing
plants, and is constructing a 12.75 MW run-of-river hydro
plant in Alberta, as well as a 6 MW natural gas generation
plant. The 52 turbines at Cowley Ridge generate 55 million
kWh a year, which is sold for 5.84 cents/kWh to TransAlta
Utilities under long term contracts until 2013. Southern
Alberta has strong wind resources, but the province generates
90% of its electricity from coal and CHD expects emission
offsets to have significant future value. CHD may sell two
hydro stations in Ontario to CWP. The 3 MW sites would be
worth $6.8 million, and were purchased by CHD in 1998.
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U-S Pentagon Installs Photovoltaic System
A 15 kWp PV system has been installed at the Pentagon
outside Washington, to produce 24,500 kWh a year and
displace the emission of more than 34,600 pounds of CO2,
100 pounds of SO2 and 50 pounds of NOx. The array uses
60 ASE Americas modules (developed under NREL's PVMaT
Initiative) connected to the grid of Virginia Power, with no
storage.
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More Green Energy for U-S Midwest
A Colorado-based electricity supplier is providing wind power
to half of its 32 members in Colorado, Nebraska and
Wyoming. Tri-State launched its voluntary green energy
program, approved last year, after a survey showed that rural
electric consumers have a significant and growing interest in
purchasing power from wind, solar, and other renewable
sources. The wind power is generated on a Wyoming
windfarm owned by PacifiCorp, and Tri-State will soon buy
470 MWh a month from two other suppliers. Terra Moya Aqua
will generate 300 MWh a month from four unique 250 kW
stacked vertical axis turbine generators. Conventional
turbines will also be sited at the Simpson Ridge facility in
Wyoming. Platte River Power of Colorado will generate 170
MWh a month for Tri-State later this year.
Details: http://www.tristategt.org/index.cfm?furl=wind.htmst-archive/ers
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Solarex Buys Into Swedish PV Grid Market
Solarex will acquire a minority share of Gallivare PhotoVoltaic,
the only producer of solar modules in Scandinavia. Solarex
will ship semi-finished cells to GPV's plant in Sweden, where
they will be assembled into solar modules and sold in central
Europe for the grid-connected market. Quality and reliability
are important issues for grid operators.
Details: http://www.solarex.comorg/index.cfm?furl=wind.htmst-archive/ers or www.gpv.co.gellivare.se
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Merchant Wind Project Being Built in California
Enron Wind has started construction of its 22-turbine Green
Power I project to supply green energy to the California
market. The 16.5 MW windfarm will take three months to
complete, and power will be sold through retail marketers and
to the clothing company Patagonia, which chose wind energy
last year. The windfarm will offset 77 million pounds of Co2,
400,000 pounds of SO2 and 260,000 pounds of NOx, and is
equivalent to taking 10,000 cars off the roads. Green Power I
will use Zond Z-750 kW turbines, with 50-m rotors.
Details: http://www.wind.enron.com/index.cfm?furl=wind.htmst-archive/ers
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Green Energy Supplier Enters ISP Market
Keystone Energy will become an Internet service provider that
blocks access to pornography, obscenity and violence on the
web. Surveys indicate that many parents do not supervise
their children's surfing, and Keystone will filter access for
families, churches, schools and businesses that will block
sites with pornography, bomb-making instructions, dangerous
chemical formulas and misinformation. Keystone has signed
nearly 8,000 customers for its renewable 'EarthChoice' green
energy supply in California.
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New Hampshire Launches PV Program for Schools
Four high schools in New Hampshire will have 2 kW
photovoltaic systems installed as part of the state's new 'Solar
on Schools' program. Each system will generate 2,800 kWh
of electricity and reduce CO2 emissions by 3,000 pounds
each year. Governor Jeanne Shaheen says DoE estimates
that 70,000 new jobs will be created in the renewable energy
industry during the next decade. Funding for the modules
came from the Governor's energy office, the Public Service
electric utility, and small contributions from the schools. All
high schools are eligible, but chosen on their proposal to
integrate material on renewable energies into the curricula
and to educate their communities about renewables. The PV
systems will be included in DoE's Million Solar Roofs Initiative.
New Hampshire currently uses photovoltaic systems to
provide power for traffic and river flow monitoring devices, and
fire towers in remote locations.
Details: http://www.state.nh.us/governor/govecs.htmlnd.htmst-archive/ers
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Illinois To Spend $250 Million on Renewables
The government of Illinois has created a $250 million Clean
Energy Community Trust that will fund renewable energy,
energy efficiency and clean coal initiatives, and support
environmental causes. The money will come from state utility
ComEd, which recently made a profit of $3.5 billion on the
sale of coal generating stations. The Trust will provide
venture capital support, grants, loans and financial incentives
to develop and implement energy efficiency and renewable
energy projects and programs. NEG Micon recently opened a
wind turbine manufacturing plant in Illinois.
Details: http://www.elpc.org.us/governor/govecs.htmlnd.htmst-archive/ers
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Wind Power Moves Ahead
Production of wind electricity has jumped from almost nothing
to more than 20 TWh per year in less than twenty years. Paul
Gipe of California says global generating capacity has topped
10,000 MW, with another 2,000 MW expected this year. The
investment in wind exceeded $3 billion in 1998, and
Germany's installed capacity of 2,900 MW surpasses all of
North America and represents us$1 billion in turbine sales. In
California, installed capacity stands at 1,550 MW from 12,700
turbines. More than one million farm windmills are still in use
worldwide, although they generate only 250 MW in pumping
power in rural areas. In 20 years, availability has jumped from
60% to 98%, productivity has increased from 500 to as much
as 1,000 kWh/m2/yr, and installed costs have plunged from
$4,000 to $1,250 per kilowatt ($0.40 to $0.06 per kWh under
ideal conditions). Wind turbines need from 5 hectares per
MW in California to 15 hectares per MW in northern Europe,
but that is no more land than consumed in the fuel cycle of
coal. Every kWh produced from wind offsets the emission of 1
kg of CO2 from conventional sources, as well as 7 grams of
SO2, NOx and particulates. Wind generation offsets 10,000
million kg of GHG annually and, at present growth rates, will
offset twice that by 2000.
Details: http://rotor.fb12.tu-berlin.de/overview.htmld.htmst-archive/ers
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Author Releases New Book on Micro Wind Turbines
Paul Gipe says micro turbines, that can be purchased for
$1,000 and carried in your hands, will compete with PV panels
in remote off-grid power applications, such as charging
electric fences and powering remote telephone sites. Small
scale wind turbines have been used for decades on sailboats,
but now are growing at 60% per year. Gipe says the only
method to rate the power of a turbine is by its rotor diameter,
and says roof-top mounting is not worth the trouble. By next
year, he says more than 40,000 medium-size turbines will be
in operation globally, most in California, Europe, and India.
Details: http://www.chelseagreen.com/de/overview.htmld.htmst-archive/ers
/catalog/booklist.htm#energy
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Bangladesh Wants Cheaper Photovoltaics
Officials in Bangladesh want cheaper devices that will make
solar power more affordable, especially in remote regions that
cannot access conventional electricity. They say the private
sector could make profits by cutting production costs and
increasing the number of consumers. Currently, only 15% of
Bangladesh has access to electricity.
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Growth of Green Energy to Create Problems in Advertising
The U-S Federal Trade Commission says deregulation in the
electricity sector may attract scam artists, and consumers
should expect illegal billing practices and false advertising.
Surveys show that Americans are willing to pay a premium for
green energy, and the FTC warns that this premium will result
in advertising abuses because consumers cannot verify the
claims. It testified before the U-S Congress that some firms
claim that their emissions are 'lower than average' or that the
sources of energy are 'nuclear free' and 'all solar.' Power
companies have increased their advertising budgets by 80%
in the past two years.
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Green Energy Option Expanded in Wisconsin
Wisconsin Electric's 'Energy for Tomorrow' program has been
expanded to allow residential and commercial customers on
Time-of-Use rates to purchase renewable electricity. With
more than 9,000 participants, the program is one of the most
successful in the U-S, allowing customers to buy 25, 50 or
100% of their electricity from renewables. The 100% option
has a premium of 2c/kWh; the 50% option is half that. The
changes mean that customers on TOU rates will pay the same
premium for green energy, regardless of on-peak or off-peak
period. Large commercial customers can buy renewables at
the same levels as their smaller counterparts, or purchase a
set number of kWhs of renewable power at the 2c premium.
Details: http://www.wisenergy.comcom/de/overview.htmld.htmst-archive/ers
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Green Energy Exchange in Australia
Australian may develop a Green Electricity Exchange to track
the generation from renewable energy sources. It would
provide renewable energy generators with a method to
capture the value of their green electricity (separate from the
actual electricity) to allow the power to be sold at wholesale
while the green value is traded on the Exchange. It would
also provide electricity retailers with a flexible mechanism to
meet green electricity compliance requirements.
Details: http://www.earthwatts.com.au/exchange.htmtmld.htmst-archive/ers
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Price Drops Still Needed in PV Electricity
Solarex officials says the price for PV power needs to fall from
$8 to $4 per watt if it is to compete in the U-S, but it competes
in Japan where the electricity costs are three times higher.
About 3% of new homes in Japan have rooftop solar modules.
The company is bidding on a multi-million contract to provide
Los Angeles with rooftop units, and will provide modules for
200 BP service stations (the company's parent) that will
convert to solar.
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U-S NREL Hits 15.8% Efficiency in CdS/CdTe
DoE's National Renewable Energy Lab hopes to reach an
efficiency level of 16% on CdS/CdTe devices by the end of
this year, and has confirmed efficiency of 15.8% on a recent
device that ties the world record set in 1992 for a thin-film
CdTe device by University of South Florida.
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Australia to Push Solar Exports
Government and industry in Australia will exploit exports in the
electricity sector to Asia. With $20 billion in domestic annual
sales, only $830 million is exported, including solar cells.
Australia has expertise in remote power systems and
renewable energy technology, which will be in high demand
as economies expand in Asia. Electricity demand on the
continent is forecast to grow by 5% a year to 2020.
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Electricity Price Will Rise in Two States Under Reregulation
A report from the DoE says power costs would rise in Montana
and Washington under U-S deregulation legislation, not in 19
states as an earlier government report implied. Washington is
debating a proposal to introduce competition in the $215
billion electricity sector by 2003, and the White House claims
that annual savings will be $20 billion. Electricity prices would
drop by 16% by 2010, says the report, and consumers would
pay uniform rates for power at any time of day, eliminating the
premium for peak consumption. The proposed mandate that
utilities generate 7.5% from renewable energies would reduce
greenhouse gas emissions by 40 to 60 million tonnes by 2010,
but that clause has angered Republicans, who say is not
realistic and it is burdensome to utilities.
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U-S Deregulation Pits States Against Washington
Power regulators believe the role for the federal government
in restructuring the U-S electricity industry should be limited to
ensuring reliable service and free competition. Utility officials
told the Senate Energy Committee that more than half the U-S
population already has retail competition, and restructuring
should remain under state control. The committee chair,
Republican Frank Murkowski, repeated his opposition White
House proposals to mandate 7.5% of power from renewable
energies.
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European Industry Leaders Do Not Want Energy Tax
A major business group in Europe, Unice, is opposing a plan
by Germany that the European Union adopt a continent-wide
tax for energy products. It says the move would damage
international competitiveness, and prefers more flexible
measures that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The
proposal would include nuclear power for the tax, and Unice
says that shows the EU's inability to control GHG emissions.
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Going Green in the Battle to Win Clients
(condensed from the Herald Scotland)
If a recent survey of electricity consumers in Scotland is
anything to go by, most of us want our electricity to come from
renewable sources such as wind, sea waves and the sun, and
a lot of us would be prepared to pay a premium for it.
It is widely assumed that the most potent tool in the
competitive world of electricity supply is price. While that may
be the case, the issue of 'green' environmentally friendly
electricity is running a close second.
As competition between suppliers intensifies, going green will
be conscripted in the battle to win new customers. The U-K is
committed to reducing the emissions of CO2 by 20% in 2010
over 1990 levels. Electricity suppliers are waking up to the fact
that, not only is it morally the right thing to do, it is what
consumers are increasingly demanding.
According to pollsters, 86% of consumers would prefer power
from a renewable source, and 24% would be prepared to pay
extra for it. About 10% of electricity generated in Scotland
comes from renewable sources. ScottishPower operates the
biggest windfarm in Europe, while Scottish Hydro-Electric
generates its power from water.
However, there is a debate as to the exact definition of
'renewable.' Wind, waves and sun speak for themselves.
Friends of the Earth is happy to describe the willow trees as
renewable because it is fast-growing and is easy to replace.
But they object to nuclear fission's uranium being described
as 'green' and they are unimpressed that burning municipal
waste could be called renewable because the fuel includes
such non-renewables as plastic.
A lot of electricity suppliers are beginning to offer so-called
'green tariffs,' but FoE is guarded in its welcome.
"What ScottishPower means by 'green tariff' is that customers
pay a little more than they ordinarily would and the money
goes towards new renewable energy projects," said FoE
spokesman Richard Dixon. "It is not paying extra to guarantee
the electricity that is supplied to them comes from a renewable
source, although that kind of guarantee may emerge over the
next few months."
Government support for renewable energy projects is
embodied by what are known as Scottish Renewables
Obligations, licences awarded to projects that will generate
electricity from renewable sources for a guaranteed price for
15 years. Fifty-three licences were awarded in March as part
of a third wave of SROs. Controversially, municipal waste
burning proposals were among those given the go-ahead.
Also included were ten large windfarms (plus a number of
smaller ones), small hydro schemes, generators powered by
the methane gas tapped from a waste tip, three wave-power
projects and one forestry waste power station. Some of the
licences awarded in previous rounds still must hurdle local
planning permission, and may never mind see the light of day.
Scotland accounts for one-quarter of the wind that blows over
Europe, yet it lags considerably behind its continental
neighbours. By 2030, Denmark wants half of its electricity to
come from wind, and the case for wind power is fast becoming
economic, as well as environmental, as improvements in
technology push down the average cost of generation.
Dixon's advice when it comes to buying a green tariff is, "Read
the small print; the best packages will offer real renewables
today but those that are funding future renewables are still
worth a look. Whatever you do, make sure you also do as
much as you can to make your homes more energy efficient."
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Colorado Companies Explore Use of Energy Alternatives
(condensed from Rocky Mountain News)
Last year, Big Horn Materials in Frisco installed a solar
electric system on its rooftop and the owner Don Sather liked
it so much, he's installing another this year that is roughly
three times larger. New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins
decided to use wind power exclusively for its electricity needs.
More than 200 Colorado companies have signed on to power
a portion of their operations using wind-generated electricity.
Big Horn, IBM, Coors, Lockheed Martin and others, are using
wind and solar power because they believe the switch benefits
the environment and serves as a potent marketing tool.
"It's the right thing to do," says Allan Crumbaker, manager of
Denver's Patagonia Store, powered exclusively by wind
electricity. The store spends 39% more per month to buy the
wind power.
Crumbaker and other business leaders gathered at DoE's
NREL facility to examine how renewable energy can be
incorporated into more corporate power portfolios, especially
of large industrial users. Corporate interest in solar and wind
is causing a stir in Colorado's fledgling renewable energy
industry because it could help create large amounts of
demand for clean energy quickly.
Andy Sulkko, of the Public Service Company 'Wind Source'
program, says residential demand for wind power could easily
reach 50 MW in coming years. "Based on what we've seen in
California and what's happening here, the commercial market
for wind will be at least 50 MW."
Though renewables supply a tiny fraction of U-S electricity,
the Department of Energy estimates that electricity generated
using solar, wind, hydro and biomass will provide nearly 50%
of electricity needs in another 50 years.
"Renewables will be dominant in the next century," says Allan
Hoffman of DoE's Office of Power Technologies. Rising use
will come as environmental concerns force the shutdown of
traditional coal-fired electric plants and as other fuel supplies,
such as natural gas and oil, shrink. The challenge, Hoffman
said, will be to make renewables cost effective.
Companies using renewable energy now are willing to pay
more because they think it's worth the environmental benefit
and they want to see a larger, cost-effective market develop.
"We should put at least a small amount of money into this
power, even though it's more expensive, to keep the
infrastructure developing," says Bob Brady, chairman of the
Colorado Air Quality Control Commission. "We can't continue
using what we're using now and maintain the air quality that
we have now."
One factor stimulating commercial demand for renewable
power locally is ready access to these alternate energy forms.
Public Service of Colorado has a small, but fast-growing, wind
program that serves 11,000 people, including dozens of
companies. PSC and NREL are actively pushing the use of
solar electric programs.
This year, PSC agreed to buy back power from certified solar
systems that are connected to its grid, a move that offsets the
cost of the systems. And NREL is offering an array of R+D
technology assistance programs to companies interested in
renewable energy sources.
Rudd Meyer, a green marketing manager, says companies
trying to incorporate renewables into their power supplies
need to examine how to pay for it, which kinds are most cost
effective and available, and which are likely to fit in best with
their corporate missions. Companies intent on buying
renewables often tap marketing budgets to cover the tab
because corporate environmental activism is a strong
marketing tool.
People who are selling the high-priced power, say demand is
growing faster than most people had anticipated, evidenced
by companies such as Toyota and Fetzer Vineyards that are
powering their California operations using renewable energy
exclusively.
"There are more dimensions to demand for renewable energy
than we originally thought," says PSC's Sulkko, from
community ethics to price to marketing plans driving demand.
"If 1% of Colorado's big companies signed up to buy 1% of
their power through wind or solar - that's a lot of renewable
energy."
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Coal-Linked Group Wants to Debunk GHG Myth
The Greening Earth Society says global warming is good, that
increases in CO2 levels are beneficial to the environment, and
that efforts to reduce GHG emissions are misguided. The
GES was formed by the coal industry to provide an alternative
voice and to fight the backlash against fossil fuels that is
growing as a result of global warming. It says the earth is
getting greener from increased levels of CO2, and thousands
of lives would be saved from warmer winter temperatures.
Details: http://www.greeningearthsociety.orgge.htmtmld.htmst-archive/ers
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ENERGY TIDBITS
- The U-S National Park Service in Colorado will purchase
nine prefabricated restrooms that use air liftable evaporator
waste treatment systems operated by photovoltaic panels.
- Northern States Power has launched a multi-million-dollar
fund to boost renewable energy sources in Minnesota. As a
result of 1994 legislation related to waste storage at a nuclear
reactor, the utility must invest $4.5 million in 1999 and at least
the same amount next year, to fund projects that produce
electricity from non-traditional sources.
- An environmental group in Germany wants 75% of the
country's energy to come from renewable sources by 2030.
NABU says the largest potential is solar power, both thermal
and photovoltaic, with "drastic price reductions" possible only
through mass production. The group wants nuclear power to
be phased out, and has concerns with wind energy due to its
impact on birds and the landscape.
- Canadian Hydro and Great Lakes Power have received an
environmental permit to build the 25 MW Pingston run-of-river
hydroelectric plant in the interior of British Columbia, following
18 months of regulatory work.
- More than 350 entries were received in the Green Power
Student Art Awards in Los Angeles, offered as part of the city
utility's 'Green Power for a Green LA' program.
- Five 660 kW turbines will be installed this fall by Platte River
Power of Colorado, at its Medicine Bow windfarm in Wyoming,
to triple the current capacity of the facility.
- A conference on hydrogen says production via electrolysis is
inefficient, but is good to capture sources of renewable energy
for use elsewhere. Atomic Energy Canada said nuclear
generation can be used to produce hydrogen
(strategis.ic.gc.ca/SSG/ea01669e.html?he=y).
- The State of Oregon will remove two dams to restore fish
habitat in the Sandy River Basin, after 90 years of
hydroelectric generation. Removal will take two years.
- Almost 150 towns in Ethiopia have been linked to power
generation during the past eight years, at a cost of almost
$300 million, due to the installation of hydroelectric facilities.
A 7 MW geothermal project is also under construction.
- Bonneville Power Administration will purchase 110 proton
exchange membrane fuel cell systems, and will test the 3 kW
units in residences. The power units boast an efficiency of
85% when waste heat is recovered for space and water
heating, compared to less than 35% for conventional
generators. The cost of the beta units is $30,000 each, but
officials predict the price will drop below $10,000 by 2002.
- The privately-owned Denggao hydro facility in south China
has been commissioned. Each of three units generates 25 million
kWh, and another hydro station will be completed next year.
- Uganda must convince Kenya to buy more of its electricity
before foreign investors will build two hydro-electric stations
on the River Nile. Capacity of the two sites would be 750 MW,
but Uganda's peak demand is only 260 MW. The 180 MW
Owen Falls dam supplies all of Uganda's generation, resulting
in power outages in Kampala.
- Zambia will spend $213 million over four years to improve
generation at the Kafue Gorge and Kariba hydro stations, and
to improve power transmission.
- An Illinois research centre for ethanol requires $20 from
federal and state governments, if it is to create 195,000 jobs,
raise annual farm production by $5 billion, increase the price
of corn by 25c a bushel, and reduce the cost of ethanol by 10c
a gallon.
- The largest solar cooker in the world is working in Taleti
(India), and can cook 33,800 meals a day and boil 3,000 litres
of water using 84 parabolic mirrors to generate steam. It will
save 400 litres of diesel a day.
- Emissions of greenhouse gases in Britain fell 9% between
1990 and 1997. Britain's commitment under the Kyoto
Protocol are to reduce emissions by 12.5% below 1990 levels
by 2012, and it expects to exceed that target, with a 20% drop
in CO2 levels.
- The Canadian government will pay up to $67,800 to Richard
Drouin, to co-chair the Electricity Issues Table under the
National Process Climate Change. The Table will study the
generation, transmission and distribution, including the
potential of renewable energy, to GHG reductions. More than
30 experts from utilities, environmental groups, renewable
energy companies, manufacturers and governments volunteer
on the table. Drouin is former Chair / CEO of Hydro-Québec.
- The U-S East Central Area Reliability Council says demand
for electricity will increase 2.6% over last year's record peak,
when prices went from $30 per MWh to $7,000 in the Midwest.
- Friends of the Earth attended ceremonies to mark the $87
billion merger of Mobil and Exxon, and warned that the oil
companies may be so large that they could block alternative
energy sources and called them "fossil fuel dinosaurs."
- The Seabrook nuclear reactor in New Hampshire has been
given permission by U-S regulatory agencies to kill seals as
part of its routine water-cooling operations. Each year, more
than 20 seals swim into intake pipes and drown in the cooling
system. The reactor owners recently decided to install bars
on intakes to prevent seals from entering the plant.
- Sales of natural gas in Canada were up 5.2% in March over
last year, to 7,355 million m2. Residential sales were up 7.9%
and commercial sales rose +8.5%, while industrial sales were
up 2.9% due to higher demand for gas by electric utilities.
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TRENDS in RENEWABLE ENERGIES is circulated by the
Canadian Association for Renewable Energies. Many sources
are examined, and it is assumed that these sources are
credible; however, CARE is not responsible for content.
Back issues posted on http://www.renewables.casociety.orgge.htmtmld.htmst-archive/ers
Canadian Association for Renewable Energies
Bill Eggertson
We CARE
mailto:eggertson@renewables.ca