Alternative Energy Risk Analysis
Anyone with a financial interest in renewable energy has exposure to weather and climate-related risk. Understanding, quantifying and managing that risk is absolutely essential to the successful development and operation of renewable energy projects.
Solyndra To File For Bankruptcy, Despite $535 Million DOE Guarantee
Solyndra, a California-based thin film solar company that received a $535 million loan guarantee from the US Department of Energy, has halted operations and plans to file for bankruptcy. Solyndra is the third US solar manufacturer to close its doors in less than a month, and like Evergreen Solar and SpectraWatt before it, Solyndra says it is unable to compete with larger rivals in Asia, as the price of solar panels continues to drop. President Obama visited Solyndra's DOE-supported facility in May 2010 to promote the agency's investments in renewable energy. The company's failure will undoubtedly fuel the fires of the administration's critics. For several months Republicans have been calling for an investigation into how Solyndra was chosen to receive a loan guarantee.
U.S. Solar Industry Was Net Global Exporter by $1.9B in 2010
A new report shows that the U.S. is central to the global solar supply chain. In 2010, U.S. solar firms achieved a positive trade flow of $1.9 billion globally according to SEIA® and GTM Research's U.S. Solar Energy Trade Assessment 2011. Photovoltaic (PV) components accounted for more than 99 percent of the year's exports, with solar heating and cooling (SHC) claiming the remainder of the positive balance. For the U.S. PV manufacturing industry, 2010 was a record year. Exports totaled more than $5.6 billion, with PV polysilicon feedstock and capital equipment leading all components at $2.5 billion and $1.4 billion respectively. The leading destinations for U.S.-sourced PV components were China and Germany. Meanwhile, U.S. imports of PV products totaled $3.7 billion, the majority of which ($2.4 billion) came from procurement of modules assembled overseas. China and Mexico were the top two sources of PV goods headed to the U.S. in 2010. Furthermore, the U.S. was a net exporter of solar products to China last year by more than $240 million. The U.S. primarily sold capital equipment and PV polysilicon to China, while China primarily sold PV modules to the U.S.
Wind Farm Development: Efficiently Capturing Governmental Incentives in Project Contracts
Developing a wind farm is a complex process requiring the integration of a number of third parties such as engineers, contractors, and turbine suppliers/erectors. Fully capturing available federal, state, and local incentives will require communication, cooperation and some flexibility. Owners and developers should not rely on ad hoc solutions after bids are placed and contracts are signed, because that will increase transaction costs and the risk that certain incentives will be permanently lost.
The Battle for Energy
The share of renewables in electricity generation is around 18%, with 15% of global electricity coming from hydroelectricity and 3% from new renewables. This paper aims to disseminate new methods of obtaining energy.
EU Engagement Key to Marine Energy Sector Commercialisation
Through events, direct engagement with Commission staff and membership of technology platforms, SEGEC is focused on delivering innovative, low carbon energy projects - the key for marine energy is to unlock the deployment opportunities and to demonstrate the benefits that wave and tidal energy projects provide for emissions reduction.
KACO new energy comes to North America
KACO Canada is a manufacturing and assembly plant. Components are mainly shipped from KACO headquarters in Neckarsulm Germany. Certain parts are found locally in Ontario. All assembly is done by members of the London community.
Case Study: PowerScrew System
This 20MW Demonstration Project is the first power plant in Hainan, and it is a joint venture of Hainan Tianneng Electricity Co., Ltd., Hainan Provincial Water Conservancy & Hydropower Group Co., Ltd. and Yingli Solar. Various types of solar mounting systems, such as ground screw, concrete post, roof power plant and BIPV, will be employed.
Solar Powered Lighting Case Study - Brattleboro Hospital
Even during Vermont's shortest days, the systems can collect enough energy to support their normal operation through 15 hour nights. This is partly due to algorithms built into the controller to monitor and adjust voltage from the solar module (Maximum Power Tracking).
US to Reach 12% Global Market Share by 2015
Despite a struggling domestic economy, the US solar photovoltaic (PV) market will double in 2011, according to the latest Solarbuzz® United States PV Market Report. 2011 growth rates vary significantly by market segment, an outcome of the vast movements in incentives and policies at the federal, state and local government level over the past 12 months. “With rapid declines in factory gate prices over the past eight weeks as manufacturers and distributors focus on depleting module inventories, demand has picked up across residential, corporate and government segments,” noted Craig Stevens, President of Solarbuzz. “This acceleration is being supplemented by explosive utility demand and the rush to install before federal cash grants are scheduled to expire at the end of the year.” The US is forecast to become the third-largest solar photovoltaic market, behind Germany and Italy in 2011. While the US currently comprises 5% of the world PV market, Solarbuzz projects an increase to 12% by 2015.
7 ways the military is embracing cleantech
The U.S. government is growing into one of the most important cleantech customers. It’s been investing and proselytizing the value of clean power, biofuels and energy efficiency products and services for job creation, energy security and (insert your favorite cliché here). And it’s a natural extension that it also should set an example as a major consumer of these technologies. The U.S. Defense Department, which uses 80 percent of the energy consumed by the federal government, is increasing its efforts to fund and use cleantech. A lot of these efforts are centered on drafting purchase plans and testing technologies in the field and one thing to consider is that larger companies might have an easier time convincing the military to buy than startups. Click here for a list of some of the military’s plans and projects .
Solar power plant switches to PV from thermal
Developers of the giant Blythe Solar Power Project in California have switched from solar thermal technology to photovoltaic solar panels, one of a string of similar changes at large-scale solar projects. Solar Millennium today said that the first 500-megawatt phase of the Blythe plant will use photovoltaic (PV) panels because the economics work better. The company earlier this year had received a conditional loan guarantee from the Department of Energy to develop a concentrating solar thermal plant, where heat from mirrored troughs makes steam which is passed through a turbine to generate electricity. But Germany-based Solar Millennium and its US subsidiary said it will use commercial financing and PV technology instead. Seven other utility-scale solar projects in the southwest U.S. have decided to scrap concentrating solar power (CSP) for PV. All told, that's about 2,515 megawatts of solar capacity that has converted, according to GTM Research analyst Brett Prior.
The moves underscore how falling costs have improved the competitiveness of PV for large-scale projects. Solar PV prices have fallen by more than 50 percent over the last two years, making them more attractive to both the energy developer and institutions putting up the money to finance these projects.
The Solar Decathlon 2011 - Part 2
Here are 5 more entries in this years Solar Decathlon for your interest and enjoyment.
Biofuels Potential to Transform the Global Economy
The technology is in place, the product has been certified, and at the end of the day, one is talking about an agricultural product which, depending on where it is sown, can produce one or even two harvests a year.
Energy Storage Solutions
Energy storage is set to play a vital role in ensuring the economic viability of renewable energy by addressing its intermittency issues to make it available on demand. Equally, energy storage can play an important political role in the change to a low carbon economy by ensuring that the lights always stay on.
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