Solar Energy Update

Europe Continues to Dominate Solar Market in 2011 El Segundo, Calif., March 25, 2011Despite brewing trouble for the solar industry in the region, Europe in 2011 will continue to account for the lions share of photovoltaic (PV) installations in the world, claiming 68.6 percent of the global total, according to the latest IHS iSuppli research.

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Solar Energy Update

Obama And McCain on Wind Power Energy Use – Where Do They Stand?

Evangeline Cortez asked: Barack Obama, Democratic Presidential candidate, and John McCain, the Republican contender both continue to address major issues on energy. The topic of Obama versus McCain on Wind Energy Use is quickly gaining increased attention from constituents. Senator Obama has stressed his proposal that the United States sell oil coming from its strategic reserve in the hopes of lowering gasoline prices. He is also pressing for the utilization of alternative sources of energy. Senator McCain, on the other hand, gears towards offshore drilling and an expanded utilization of nuclear power instead. Apparently, Obama is against expanded nuclear power exploration and investment. He has proposed a windfall profits tax policy which will result to a lowered supply and raised prices. Experts have stated that this policy have already been implemented during the Carter administration and it did not work. What is needed instead is higher supply and decreased consumption. The good news, however, on the whole issue of Obama versus McCain on wind energy use is that no matter who wins the election, the so-called green energy industry will surely be on the winner’s side. Obama focuses on the issues of oil. Last October 2007, he had said that when he becomes President, he will help automobile manufacturers to retool their factories in order for the latter to manufacture cars that will use lesser oil. McCain, on the other hand, has leaned more towards using wind power. This is apparent in his desire to cut down greenhouse gas emissions. It is known for its pollution-free nature. Unlike fossil fuels, wind power usage does not emit greenhouse gas. Obama, however, also supports the cap and trade policy for a system that will cut down greenhouse gas emissions. Development to use wind power is an endeavor the new president must look into. Central to this issue of Obama and McCain is the fact that a vast part of the United States is actually prime resource. Canada and Europe are world leaders of wind power projects. Other countries are also looking into building production facilities in the United States. The major wind turbine manufacturers in other world regions have already explored this. This is because the expenses that may be incurred in building the wind turbine systems in the US are far lesser compared to building the wind turbines overseas and then shipping them. These systems are a leading projects in the green energy system that promises to support whoever will win in the Obama versus McCain presidential elections. Another area of the green energy system is the solar thermal power plants. Although the entire Obama versus McCain on wind energy use issue can be a strain, it is at the very least still comforting to know that the country can depend on the green energy system to address the pressing concerns of oil and wind power problems that have arose and may be arising. Solar power Read more on Obama And McCain on Wind Power Energy Use – Where Do They Stand?… Energy Tags: wind power , energy

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Obama And McCain on Wind Power Energy Use Where Do They Stand?

Studying Sea Waves with Radar

Off shore wind is steady and blows harder. If a country is densely populated it is hard to find open space to install wind farms. That is why there are more and more offshore wind farms in densely populated Europe where there is limited space on land and relatively large offshore areas with shallow Posted in: Environment , Wave Power , Wind Farms

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Studying Sea Waves with Radar

Wind power capacity growth strong in 2006

This post is brought to you by ? Curt Rosengren ~ Passion Catalyst TM ? ? “Love your work. Change your world.” Wind power grew by leaps and bounds last year, according to the Worldwatch Institute: The 15,200 megawatts of new wind turbines installed worldwide last year will generate enough clean electricity annually to offset the carbon dioxide emissions of 23 average-sized U.S. coal-fired power plants, according to a new Vital Signs Update from the Worldwatch Institute. The 43 million tons of carbon dioxide displaced in 2006 is equivalent to the emissions of 7,200 megawatts of coal-fired power plants, or nearly 8 million passenger cars. Global wind power capacity increased almost 26 percent in 2006, exceeding 74,200 megawatts by years end. Global investment in wind power was roughly $22 billion in 2006, and in Europe and North America, the power industry added more capacity in wind than it did in coal and nuclear combined. The global market for wind equipment has risen 74 percent in the past two years, leading to long backorders for wind turbine equipment in much of the world. [via the CNET Tech news blog ] —

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Wind power capacity growth strong in 2006

Positive predictions for hydrogen vehicles

This post is brought to you by ? Curt Rosengren ~ Passion Catalyst TM ? ? “Love your work. Change your world.” Yesterday I posted about the prediction in India that hydrogen energy will be a viable alternative to fossil fuels for its transportation sector by 2020. In a story about efforts to develop hydrogen options, there are more glowing predictions for hydrogen fuel’s potential … Honda, BMW and General Motors Corp. report they are developing vehicles that will run on hydrogen, the simplest, lightest and most abundant of elements. GM predicts it could have cleanburning, hydrogenpowered fuel cell vehicles on the road within the next five or six years. The company estimates that fuel cell propulsion is about twice as efficient as that of an internal combustion engine. Earlier this year BMW presented its new hydrogen vehicle, the Hydrogen 7, as part of the company’s global clean energy promotional campaign. Not everybody has a rosy view though… Other major automakers do not predict mass production of hydrogen vehicles until at least a decade from now, citing the difficulty and cost of producing, storing and transporting the element in either its gaseous or liquid form. But even in that arena, some are decidedly bullish on the possibilities… The FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership, made up of the U.S. Department of Energy along with BP America, Chevron, Exxon Mobil, Conoco Phillips, Shell Hydrogen LLC and a council of three major automakers, believes that by 2010 it can create the national hydrogen fuel infrastructure needed to support fuel cell vehicles. —

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Positive predictions for hydrogen vehicles

Why Alternative Energy?

A poll carried carried out for the BBC World Service of nearly 20,000 people from across 19 countries found wide support for alternative energy strategies. The poll illustrates a perceived triple threat from the way the world produces and uses energy. Majorities across all 19 countries indicate that citizens fear: the climate and environment are being harmed that the global economy will be destabilised that competition for energy will lead to greater conflict Some eight out of 10 of those questioned were worried about the threat to the environment. In Australia, Great Britain, Canada and Italy the level of concern topped 90%. Doug Miller, president of the poll firm GlobeScan, said: “What’s fascinating is that in the midst of historically high energy prices and geopolitical tensions, the number one energy concern in every industrialised country we surveyed is the environmental and climate impacts.” Creating tax incentives to encourage the use of alternative energy sources such as wind and solar power found favour with 80% of respondents. But there was lukewarm support for more nuclear energy to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. On average, 49% were in favour of building more nuclear plants. Majorities of 60% or more in 18 of the 19 countries polled said they feared energy shortages and prices would destabilise the world economy. The least concerned was Russia, a major oil and gas producer, which benefits from higher prices. Both US and EU leaders have warned Russia not to use energy as a tool of foreign policy. Earlier this year, the nation’s monopoly, Gazprom, cut off gas supplies to Europe during a price dispute with Ukraine. Some 73% of those questioned were worried that energy shortages would lead to greater conflict among nations. In total, 19,579 citizens were interviewed in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Egypt, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Israel, Italy, Kenya, Mexico, Philippines, Poland, Russia, South Korea, Ukraine and the US. Polling was conducted for the BBC World Service by polling firm GlobeScan and its research partners. Full Article on BBC News

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Why Alternative Energy?

$4b Investment in Wind Power by BP Alternative Energy

BP is making its first major investment in wind power with a joint venture that will lead to a major expansion of its generating capacity. The oil company announced it had entered a five-year supply and development agreement involving five wind power projects in the US with Clipper Windpower. The news sent Clipper shares up 80p, or 28 per cent, to 362.5p in London. The projects, with an anticipated total generating capacity of 2,015 megawatts, are situated in New York, Texas and South Dakota. BP has also secured a mix of firm and contingent orders of up to 2,250 megawatts of additional Clipper wind turbines in its global wind energy portfolio, the companies said. BP launched BP Alternative Energy to focus on solar, hydrogen and wind power but its wind operation has up to now been confined to two projects with a combined output of only 31 megawatts. Steve Westwell, the chief executive of BP Alternative Energy, said: “We believe the Clipper turbine is a breakthrough in reducing the total cost of renewable energy and we are pleased to be the first large customers for this innovative technology.” This is thought to be the biggest single investment in wind power estimated at $4 billion US dollars. The announcement, came in the same week that the British government published its energy review and a telephone poll found that 79% of respondents thought solar power and 76% wind power were the best investments in electricity generation for the UK.

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$4b Investment in Wind Power by BP Alternative Energy

Alternative Energy Argentina: Bringing Wind Power to Remote Areas

Max Seitz reports for the BBC that wind power is the most widespread renewable energy source in Argentina – and Patagonia in particular has extraordinary potential due to its strong and constant winds. He travelled to southern Chubut province, about 890 miles south of Buenos Aires, where wind power is making life easier for a number of isolated communities In the midst of a dark wilderness, wind-generated electricity is changing lives in the region, lighting homes and schools in remote areas. “Patagonia provides ideal conditions, unique almost, for the development of wind power,” explained Hector Mattio, Director of the Regional Centre for Wind Power (or Cree in Spanish). “We get very strong sustained winds of 11 metres per second, while in Europe they usually only reach about nine,” Mattio added. Cree – funded by the Chubut government and located in the provincial capital Rawson, near Trelew – currently has many community projects on the go to install wind generators. So far, more than 300 isolated rural villages in Chubut have received small wind turbines which provide them with light, communication and power for domestic electric appliances. A 66-year-old Araucano Indian, Julian Ibanez, welcomed us to his stone-built house. Julian owns horses and sheep but his prize possession is a three-blade, 12-metre high wind turbine with 600-watt power (the equivalent of 10 light bulbs). Like others in the region, he simply calls it the “windmill”. “They installed the windmill a while ago now and it’s changed our lives. We didn’t have electricity before, just a kerosene lamp and that was it; now we have light and we can listen to the radio.” Julian led me to a plain bedroom, where he had a fuse box attached to the wall and a 12-volt car battery, and explained how everything worked. The wind turns the windmill blades and a cable takes the energy produced into the house. The fuse box controls the voltage and battery charge. Marcos added that the electrical supply is constant – whether it comes directly from the generator or, when there is no wind, from what has been stored by the accumulator. Some dwellings have installed an inverter, a gadget to transform a 12 volt output into 220 volts – ideal for domestic appliances. Another inhabitant of the area, 30-year-old Adelino Cual, also an Araucano, had this to say: “We have electricity 24 hours a day, not just the little lamp we had before. We no longer have to buy kerosene or gas-oil. It works out cheaper for us.” The engineers had shown him how to work and maintain the generator and the fuse box: “They taught me, for example, how to change the fuses if they blow; I’ve changed them several times,” he said. And Marcos added that the idea is for those benefiting from the technology to be self-sufficient. After visiting the hamlets around about, we made our way to the heart of Chacay Oeste, which comprises a dozen or so houses and a school-shelter which accommodates some 30 pupils from neighbouring settlements. The school has been provided with six wind turbines, installed by Cree in the highest part of the town. “They provide energy for our building, for the shelter and also the teachers’ houses. During the school holidays, they are used to supply energy to the rest of the village”. Before turbines were installed, Chacay Oeste got its electricity from a petrol generator, the noise of which had become part of the landscape for the locals. “The windmills have changed things a lot for the youngsters. Now they have access to computers, and teachers can educate them through television programmes.” “Now I feel I communicate more with other people. Not like before – we were a bit unsociable,” Julian confessed after telling me that he regularly listens to the radio to find out what is going on, and that he really appreciates the Cree technicians’ visits. And at Cree they confirm that this is indeed what it is all about: The social impact the technology has had on the communities has helped to integrate them more. Full BBC Article

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Alternative Energy Argentina: Bringing Wind Power to Remote Areas