Moving to a wind power grid
Ministers from ten European countries have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop an offshore grid to serve northern Europe. The aim of the project is to connect the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe to the 140GW of offshore projects planned for the North Sea. The signatories are the UK, Ireland, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. The next step will be to discuss planning, technological, regulatory and legal issues.
The European Commission recently identified a North Sea grid as one of four essential connections to ensure the EU’s electricity network is able to transport power produced by wind and other renewable sources. Other recommendations included the development of connections in southwest Europe to transport wind and solar power, and stronger regional networks in central and south-east Europe.
Business potential of renewables
New private investments in renewable and clean power projects in G20 countries could total $2.3 trillion by 2020, according to a study by the Pew Charitable Trusts.
Every G20 member has the opportunity to attract more private investment in clean and renewable power projects and compete more effectively for business in this emerging global industry, says the study, entitled ‘Global Clean Power’. It examines projected private investment in wind, solar, biomass/energy from waste, small hydro, geothermal and marine energy projects.
“The message of this report is clear: countries that want to maximise private investments, spur job creation, invigorate manufacturing and seize export opportunities should strengthen their clean energy policies,” said Phyllis Cuttino, Director of the Pew Climate and Energy programme.
PV costs are falling
The costs of photovoltaic (PV) solar power are reported to be falling. On average, crystalline module prices fell by 37.8 percent, solar wafer prices by 50 percent, and polysilicon prices by 80 percent between 2009 and 2010.
A senior director at iSuppli Corp said the fall of PV prices represents “a permanent ratcheting down of price structures that will transform the industry into a more competitive marketplace”. Growth markets have been identified as the US, Italy and China, which accounted for approximately 50 percent of the worldwide market in 2010.
US and Chinese firms collaborating on solar
DuPont of the US and China Everbright International have completed an on-grid 1.3 MW rooftop solar photovoltaic thin-film installation at the DuPont Apollo production facility in Guangming New District, Shenzhen, China.
The project is thought to be the largest single-structure solar thin-film rooftop installation in China to date. With the capacity to generate an annual output of approximately 1.5 GWh of electricity a year, the solar thin-film rooftop system is expected to operate for 25 years. Chen Xiaoping, CEO at Everbright International, said: “Our collaboration with DuPont Apollo has made this showcase project a significant green milestone in Shenzhen’s history and has provided remarkable value to both the society and economy as a whole.”
Harvesting Canada’s winds
Calgary-based TransAlta Corporation has brought two new wind power projects online in the Canadian provinces of Alberta and New Brunswick, becoming the first power producer in Canada to surpass 1GW of installed wind energy capacity. Wind now accounts for about 10 percent of the company’s generating portfolio.
TransAlta CEO Steve Snyder said his company has gone from zero to 1GW in less than ten years. “By deliberately testing the waters in early years, then investing proactively in both our own new projects and quality acquisitions, we were able to attain this milestone,” he said. Wind will continue to be important as the company builds a generating fleet that balances a mix of technologies and fuel sources.
Copenhagen commitments softened
Over the course of 2010, it has become clear that the commitments of major countries to reducing their carbon emissions have become considerably less ambitious than they might have been, had they reached agreement in Copenhagen at the end of 2009. Most of the signatories of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change made no commitments at all, but there were 76 that did. These were mostly large carbon emitters, but their commitments, taken as a whole, suggest that their reductions would only amount to half of what might be needed to limit global warming to 2°C.
Some countries weakened their initial positions, or added conditions. The US, which had pledged a 17 percent cut on its 2005 baseline by 2020 (equivalent to a 3 percent cut from the conventional baseline of 1990), adjusted its position and said that it would make cuts in conformity with anticipated US energy and climate legislation. Canada also amended its target to align with the final economy-wide emissions target of the US.
The EU, which had agreed a 20 percent cut, but had also offered 30 percent if other countries moved ahead, stayed at 20 percent. Australia and Norway similarly continued with their lower offerings. China repeated its promise to cut carbon intensity on an entirely voluntary basis.
India, although it had pledged to reduce emissions growth by up to 25 percent from 2005 levels by 2020, softened this to a promise to try. India’s position did not change markedly at the more recent Cancun meeting although Environment Minister Jairem Ramesh said the country might make binding commitments once it better understood the penalties of non-compliance.
