US drilling, European renewables, China’s leap, solar in Alice Springs and UK / Netherlands power link
US offshore drilling set to resume
The ban on offshore deep-water oil drilling in the USA, imposed amid BP’s disastrous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, is likely to be lifted in late November, although much tougher safety and environmental requirements will be imposed on companies.
US Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar promised to “eliminate the gap between the technology that allows oil and gas companies to tap reserves beneath 5,000 feet of water and the laws, regulations and tools needed to ensure that energy companies are operating safely and responsibly on the outer continental shelf”.
With the resumption of drilling, oil exploration will be quick to return to its former level of activity. However, tens of thousands of jobs have been lost among fishermen, food processing companies, restaurants and in the tourism industry in the southern states bordering the Gulf. These activities are expected to take many years to recover.
Europe’s massive renewable potential explored
Europe and North Africa could generate almost 100 percent of all their electricity and perhaps even all their energy requirements, from renewable sources by 2050 or even sooner, according to a Pricewaterhouse- Coopers report, 100% Renewable Electricity (see www.pwc.co.uk/eng/publications/100_ percent_renewable_electricity.html). Key components for such a vision would be a regional power system based on a ‘supersmart grid’, the rapid scaling up of all forms of renewable power, a unified European/North African power market and the production of electricity at the most suitable sites with the most suitable renewable technologies. The vision, however, requires simultaneous and coordinated progress on many fronts – finance, technology, research, the development of adequate supply chains, and changes in the generation mix and grid capability.
On the issue of expenditure, the report says that the short-term costs of transforming the power system may not be as large as previously thought. The prices of individual renewable technologies are continuing to decrease and once the transformation has taken place, a power system based on low cost renewable technologies could provide countries with opportunities for substantial economic growth. However, the full potential of such solutions will necessitate cooperation on a pan-regional scale.
China’s great leap forward
Total renewable power generating capacity in China reached 228 GW last year as the country continued to prioritise the installation of hydro, wind and other forms of renewable power. With 197 GW of hydro and 25.8 GW of wind power, it is the latter that is seeing the greatest growth, having surged from very low levels only five years ago. China is already second to the USA in total wind generating capacity and is level-pegging with Germany, Europe’s largest wind power producer. Chinese manufacturers have emerged as major producers of wind turbines and of photovoltaic solar plants. The government has set out plans for 2020 that call for 300 GW of hydro, 150 GW of wind, 30 GW of biomass and 20 GW of solar power.
Alice Springs aims to set new solar standards
Alice Springs, in central Australia, is one of seven of the country’s towns and cities participating in trial development of energy efficiency, solar and new pricing and metering technologies. Work has commenced on a 235 kW concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) installation at Alice Springs airport to input power into its internal electricity grid. Similar installations are underway at a hotel, anaquatic centre and a large solar farm. When completed, these will contribute about 2.2 MW to the town’s electricity grid. Around 300 homes in Alice Springs are being monitored for energy consumption and CO2 emissions. There is also a demonstration centre for visitors.
Spain takes the lead in CSP
As Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) begins to gather momentum as a renewable power source, Spain is currently in the forefront of development and deployment of a resource that could become a major supply of electricity in the coming years. Spanish company Abengoa is pioneering projects in the USA, the Middle East, Algeria and Morocco.
Abengoa’s Helioenergy 1 and 2 solar power plants, each producing 50 MW of power, are due to enter service in the next 12-18 months. They use parabolic trough technology and pipes that heat to 400̊C, creating steam to drive turbines for generating electricity.
Across the world, the addition of 20 GW of CSP is possible by 2020, up from about 1 GW today, according to recent forecasts. The USA built the world’s first plant in the Mojave Desert but there have been planning delays in building further US capacity. China, India and Australia are also taking a strong interest in CSP.
Power link ready next year
The BritNed high-voltage direct current submarine power cable is being laid between the UK and the Netherlands to improve British access to European power trading markets. Spanning 260 km and costing €600 million, BritNed will transmit up to 1 GW of power between AC/DC converter stations in the Thames Estuary and Maasvlakte in the Netherlands, starting in 2011. The scheme is one of the European Union’s priority projects for securing energy supply by strengthening power transmission capacity and creating a trans-European energy network.
