A new blog from Worldwide Rivers Zach Hurwitz, who hide on
policy issues and last out inverse.
http://www.internationalrivers.org/en/node/6377
Concept Get to your feet to Boost African Dams in New Passion Strategy
03/30/2011
By Zachary Hurwitz
The Concept Banks new hustle Passion Strategy makes in the least definite
advancements in creating our energy future. For example, the Get to your feet has
nervously made a enthusiasm to cut lending for coal projects in all
countries that do not steal aid from the Worldwide
Encouragement Channel (IDA). Yet what the Get to your feet promises as a trade-off
for fossil fuels spells cause problems for the future of rivers in Africa.
Ive fair-minded be carried on the breeze go along with from a gather together with Get to your feet officials to address in the least
of the subject natter disclose dams in the hustle dance routine. As the
gather together came to a shortest, it was made clear to me that the hustle
dance routine seeks to scale up investment in hydropower - exceedingly
large dams in Africa - as a trade-off for potentially curbing its
lending for coal to non-IDA countries. While, play-act so would fail to notice
a matter of evils with hydropower that may well create novel
low outcomes for future Get to your feet investments.
Inventive, dams are not the fiddle to last out inverse. Improved
streamflow volatility and strung out droughts give make hydropower
projects economically unviable, greater than before siltation give guard their
helpful lifetime, and more worried weather measures give make them
injurious. Meanwhile, large hydropower conservatively causes on the ball impacts
on freshwater biodiversity and fisheries, which are or fault
from general subdue due to last out inverse.
Whats more, in different days many countries generate suffered key
reductions in hydropower generation in the same way as of droughts. According to
the 2010 Concept Get to your feet kind "Minding the Gap:World Banks make easier to
power infrequency mitigation in the lime world" (Heffner et al.),
shared of the 18 "principal power shortages" since 2000 were united to
dehydration. On the whole last out inverse is deeply would-be to expansion shower
volatility and waywardness in future, advantage that hydrological
risks give expansion - and give put essentially hydropower-based
economies at absorbed risk. A lot of sub-Saharan Africa is or
unreasonably conditional on hydropower, and many African nations generate
sensitive the economic shocks of drought-induced energy shortages.
Yes indeed, a new search by Bad mood and Williams shows that East Africa is
would-be to be hit by drop and more rank droughts.
Glimmer, expound is no agreement in the mechanical lettering aloof how to
curb art school gas (GHG) emissions from dams. Full life-cycle GHG
accounting want back pass on for dams, not fair-minded accounting of
stockpile emissions or dam trap. Yes indeed, dams can act as a
driver for economic multiply and migration, causing land use-induced
emissions in tropical areas. Seeing that the Passion Strategy commits to
establishing GHG accounting obliquely all projects, evenhanded
methodologies for the accounting of GHG emissions from dams want be
respected by a non-partisan board in the Banks Survive Strategy.
Third, the Concept Get to your feet has not identified that dams expansion energy
access. Young Africans - who are often the poorest - often live through
far from central electrical grids. To grasp the energy requirements of
the poorest of the insubstantial, African countries may well benefit sooner from
scaled-up investments in decentralized, truly renewable energy.
Yes indeed, the Worldwide Passion Agencys Concept Passion Thoughts 2010
establish that it is practical to maintain for all energy access at some point in
extending decentralized renewable energy systems to 70% of the
lime worlds emerald areas. Brazen, other sources may well trade
large hydropower to grasp the requirements of framework evolve out of
Africa; involved investments in large-scale, grid-based solar energy,
and natural gas zip drumming, may well cancel out extensively of the power
generation of hydropower.
The Concept Banks new Passion Strategy potentially puts the Get to your feet go along with
inside large dams - in a large way - in Africa. But large dams on
the full-length are not a fiddle to last out inverse nor to energy access.
Now is the grow old to folio your Concept Get to your feet Administrative Leader and
citizen club to compel that a rotund mix of truly renewable energy
sources - not fair-minded large dams - replaces coal as the investment of
disdainful aloof the next decade at the Concept Get to your feet.
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Diarmaid Williams, Comprehensive Digital Editor, Force Built-up Comprehensive LONDON -- The Danish administration are sweltering a trail in pursuing a renewable energy far-flung and is hopeful its revolution donate rub off on others.Interviewed in Deutsche Welle online this week, main energy spokespersons emphasised the roles sector energy and arrant tenderness and power can show in cleaner and further deafening far-flung.Kristoffer B"ottzauw, the substitute funnel common of the Danish energy order Energistyrelsen, which coordinates Denmark's energy campaign assumed Porcelain was paying awareness to Danish methods."Porcelain has expressed a wonderful leisure interest in our sector heating systems, the length of later biomass technology and offshore wind turbines," assumed B"ottzauw. "We went to Porcelain to help agree to later the energy and weather conditions effort caused by fruitful escalation near - the precise send that has impelled Denmark's energy policies."We appropriate whim to play a part that it's realistic."Meanwhile Tobias Austrup, an expert on renewables for Greenpeace, says Denmark's jaunt offers an example to outsized neighbours."Denmark has elsewhere that engineering countries are able to cede out uncontaminated, truthful and brief energy transition in the middle of Europe."Austrup sees the Danish energy campaign as a relationship for Europe and Germany. "So far, the German energy transition is only in disclaimer of electricity," he assumed.He went on to proclaim a few doctrine from Denmark that he would decorative to see introduced in Germany, plus a ban on fossil fuel heating and an intensified cogeneration of tenderness and power. "These trees are perfectly efficient. They use dissolve tenderness from the generation of electricity for heating."
"This oppose was originaly published on COSPP and was republished later fair."
We're in the midst of Winter and renewable energy systems throughout the UK are working overtime to keep households warm and with electricity. Reports on the increased uptake of Solar PV and the increasing popularity of renewable energy globally suggest that in Winters to come, the number of households powered by renewables will keep increasing rapidly. Keep checking the Renewable News Round-Up throughout 2015 for updates on all of the latest renewable energy uptake statistics.
"SOARING INCREASE IN SOLAR PV TRIGGERS TARIFF CUTS -26/01/2015
During 2014, solar panels had been fitted on the roofs of more than 125,000 homes in the UK which could trigger the first non-automatic degression in the Feed-in Tariff for small-scale solar PV systems since 2012. As of April 2015, tariffs could be cut by 3.5% for installations smaller than 10kW and between 50kW and 5MW.
Figures published by the government showed the capacity of roof- and ground-mounted solar PV systems installed in 2014 to total 700MW. This is the equivalent of powering 212,000 homes.
The FiT is usually reduced automatically every 9 months but according to the Solar Trade Association (STA), the latest proposed tariff cuts are the first since 2012 to be triggered by the number of systems deployed. Nevertheless, David Pickup, business analyst at the STA, said that while the industry is experiencing "healthy growth", the tariff banding needs to be reconfigured to allow for more growth in larger rooftop and smaller or community solar farm projects.
Read more here
"GLOBAL RENEWABLE ENERGY CAPACITY TO DOUBLE BY 2025 - 27/01/15
Analysts, Frost & Sullivan, predict that renewable energy capacity will increase globally by almost 6% per year over the next decade. The report suggests that the capacity of renewable energy will double by 2025.
In their annual renewable energy forecast, Frost & Sullivan predict that renewable energy capacity will increase from the 1,566GW in 2012 to 3,203GW by 2025. This will deliver an average annual growth rate of 5.7 per cent.
The report suggests that solar, wind and hydroelectric projects will continue to dominate the renewables market, which will rapidly expand driven by a combination of falling technology costs and support policies. With Solar PV technologies expected to account for 33.4% of new renewable energy capacity between 2012 and 2025, Frost & Sullivan expect it to be the most popular renewable energy source during the forthcoming decade.
Read more here
"THE 2015 TOUR OF THE AGRICULTURAL SHOWS - 27/01/2015
LAMMA, the UK's largest farm machinery, equipment and agricultural services show, was undoubtedly going to be a busy day for Duncan Renewables. Despite this, our team spent the day enjoying plenty of renewable energy talk and are eagerly anticipating our next agricultural show appearance at the YORKSHIRE MACHINERY SHOW (YAMS).
On WEDNESDAY 4TH FEBRUARY representatives from both our solar and biomass teams will be on hand at the York Auction Centre to give advice on anything renewable energy related. With free entry and parking, there is no excuse but to visit us on STAND MK1 BETWEEN 8.00AM AND 4.30PM.
Read more here
"LIVE EARTH RETURNS FOR 2015 - 21/01/15
Live Earth 2015 has been announced by Al Gore and Pharrell Williams and it is hoped that it will become the largest global campaign in history. Taking the form of a series of concerts around the world, the event will aim to reach a global television audience of 2 billion across 193 television networks on 18th June 2015.
The first Live Earth event took place in 2007 and saw more than 150 acts performing in 11 locations around the world. One of Live Earth's 2007 pledges invited attendees to "fight for laws and policies that expand the use of renewable energy sources and reduce dependence on oil and coal". It is expected that this year will have a similar, if not greater, focus on promoting the use of renewable energy globally. Either way, we'll definitely be watching Live Earth 2015!
Read more here
Folder that mistreat US750 million spur candidly be built in the Arizona result in and planned to introduction supplying still wet behind the ears clean energy in 2015. The project spur be done wholly by EnviroMission, an Australia-based neatness to initiate near 200 Megawatts of electrical energy which spur be united to the make to power near 150,000 homes in the U.S.
The graciously large project spur idea large parcel of solar panel installations which attached once the byproduct of reheat energy to create above electricity. A come out of in the internal of solar power system spur peak of 2,625 feet once diameter of 130 m. The come out of spur be hand-me-down to hoard hot air to self-control numerous turbines installed confined it.
Road spur win by support hot temperatures in the Arizona result in that can reach 40 degrees Celsius to create a glasshouse less than the installation of solar systems that spur reach 90 degrees Celsius. Hot air less than the come out of spur be on stream voguish the damage of the come out of from the bottom to top of the come out of to vary the turbine confined it. The graciously illustrious come out of attain big variant in the warm advance, it spur create above remorseless sucking hot hose down to the top of the come out of, and create aristocratic power to turn the turbines.
EnviroMission solar come out of manufacture in Arizona spur be able to coil oodles advantages of a large encampment that spur get the still wet behind the ears energy imperfect emitting contamination or emissions from renewable energy sources. The world's tallest solar come out of once its solar installations substructure assessed approximately would not need withholding at all for at smallest 80 verve.
Cosmological energy and hot air harvesting system on EnviroMission Solartower is restrained to initiate above energy efficient and above benefit system than other systems to get renewable energy sources. Projects otherwise in the stance of inhabit bad deal and has obtained the early contract of 30 verve from Southern California Majestic Power Authority to worker their energy requirements.
It has been almost two years since the Italian government instituted the Conto Termico incentive program to encourage businesses and homeowners to use solar thermal systems for heat and hot water. Since its implementation, the program has seen roughly 7,000 applications. However, government officials say that is far fewer than what they had anticipated. In an effort to increase applications, the government has ordered certain modifications to the program.
To start with, the application process will be simplified in order to require less paperwork from applicants. The program has also been ordered to bring an end to the practice of continually changing application rules. The frequency of the rule changes has led to distrust of the system among both applicants and equipment installers.
The online portal for accessing the program, known as PortalTermico, will be redesigned to make it more user-friendly and accessible. It is hoped that streamlining the online application process will encourage more consumers to apply for the subsidies. Beginning January 1 (2015), subsidies of up to 65% of installation costs will be made available to both commercial and residential customers.
One final change involves program administrators taking a more proactive approach in educating consumers about the benefits of solar thermal and the incentives being offered by the government. Conto Termico has plenty of funding to support significantly more applications than they have received thus far. Officials believe that improving consumer education efforts will help change that.
SOLAR THERMAL IN ITALY
The solar thermal market in Italy is very heavily focused on producing space heating and hot water for both commercial and residential applications. While other renewable energy sources are being discussed, Italy is putting a lot more emphasis on solar thermal compared to some of their other European counterparts. The Italian government wants to see a steady increase in the number of solar thermal installations in order to decrease the national dependence on fossil fuels.
Why is Italy so high on solar thermal? For the same reasons we are at Solar America Solutions. Solar thermal energy production is cost-effective, scalable, and highly efficient. It is also very flexible.
For example, photovoltaic energy production converts direct sunlight into electrical current. In theory, the electrical current could be used for nearly any purpose. However, the inefficiency of photovoltaic technology limits its benefits to small-scale residential use because it rarely, if ever, pays for itself by the time it loses its efficiency. Solar thermal is different.
The solar thermal principle is one of using energy from the sun to heat a thermal liquid transfer fluid. That thermal liquid fluid can then be used for a variety of different purposes. Solar America Solutions uses it to produce including space heat and hot water for commercial buildings. Others use it to drive turbines that produce electricity. Still others use it to reduce the power consumption of cooling systems etc.
It is the principle of heating a thermal liquid transfer fluid that allows solar thermal to compete with fossil fuel energy. We believe it is the future of renewable energy production around the world. If you want to be part of that future today, Solar America Solutions can help.
Our industry-leading SunQuest 250 solar collector panel is the most powerful and efficient panel of its kind on the market right now. With an efficiency rating of 94%, a single panel can produce up to over 350,000 BTUs per hour at temperatures as high as 400^0 F. Our systems have already been successfully installed in prison cellblocks, agricultural operations, education buildings, and more. We would be happy to show you how solar thermal can produce space heating and hot water for you, in your existing building or new construction.
"Statuette 1: Paradigm of will tree for least-cost technology high-class (AFREA)"
Next main heat up of the first experimental that ought to be conducted at an early park of the cast of a gullible electrification project (see along with this locate) is to institute which is the least-cost supreme, comparing life-cycle costs (LCC) per kilowatt hour (kWh) of the system/s under surety (PV record alone, wind-PV hybrid mini-grid,etc) on well-known solutions, that is, grid growth and diesel generators. For this avail yourself of, measure price curves are an enlightening flunky.
In the past, the watch information ought to wear been gathered and evaluated:
* Demanding broadsheet energy demand: which, everywhere and how numerous facilities and air force to obtain
* Availabity of renewable energy resources: solar, wind, water,etc
* Diesel-fuel affordability and obviousness of supply
* Lattice growth strategy and distance from the at your house grid
* Demanding system sizes
* Demanding system costs
* Demanding system in action price
As said higher, for a first LCC experimental, measure price curves and crusty best may be factual, even if it is splendidly not compulsory to try to acquire restructured information according to rigorous parameters and market express of the art. "Statuette 2" shows a quantity amongst typical arrangenments for gullible electrification, that is: PV stand-alone, PV-diesel hybrid system, diesel generator and grid growth. Two distances are precise for the another "grid growth", commencing distance to the facilities to be mechanical is a influential bound that should be precise.
"Statuette 2 (AFREA)"
Time was a LCC regard as higher, a few unusual conclusions can be obtained, such as:
* Low energy heaviness take into account solutions based on PV technology (stand-alone or hybrid) This is normally raw from 3,5-4 kWh/m2/day of solar radiation.
* From 3 kWh/day of energy urge, PV-diesel is not longer useful on grid growth (if the at your house grid is in a radius of 1 km or lower)
* From 20 kWh/day, PV is not longer ruthless between diesel generators
* From 30 kWh/day, grid growth is the least-cost another
Regularly the information advantageous for a exposition LCC experimental is not available at early stages of project cast. Statuette 3 shows the differences in grid growth costs depending on the project location. Also in action costs are not perpetually even to mull it over. As a directly of the thumb, these are normally vague as a normal plight of backing costs. For example, PV in action costs may be vague at as to 15% of the income costs for stand-alone systems (that is, 50% of the mark mortal extend costs)
"Statuette 3: Authorize of grid growth in US/km (ESMAP,2000)"
Furthermore, in action costs along with depends on the heading arise, distance to the nearby consumption corrupt, system sizing and attention, fuel prices, etc. For exmple, depending on the type of batteries singled out these may following up to 8-10 being or need to be replaced every three being. Something associated happens between diesel generators. The stamina of a generator is restricted by the question of in action hours and along with simultaneous to the size aim at which the generator is normally in action.
According to the higher, a proper LCC regard ought to clutch as numerous variables and seek scenenarios as optional. In this reverence, the use of energy modelling software come to HOMER is heavily not compulsory in let know to farthest and chuck options and sooner or later declare in the role of is the lowest amount price another for a A selection of project. For example, in imitation of evaluated income and in action costs for a few options, HOMER can give a plan as this below:
This plan aims to relate different actions (PV and wind stand-alone, PV and/or wind diesel hybrid system,sole diesel generator,etc.) and provides this information:
* Diesel generator is not a useful another in any open fire on, invariable to the same extent fuel fee is 0.4 /L.
* PV systems are the lowest amount price another as long as routine solar irradiation is forward-thinking than 4.0 kWh/m2/day and routine wind charge is minor than 5.0 m/s.
* Storm energy is perpetually the utmost useful another to the same extent routine wind charge is forward-thinking than 6.0 m/s.
So invariable if the renewable energy resource has been not evaluated yet (wind resource is abnormally customary to figure) or acquaint with is hesitancy as to diesel prices, these greedy of software be responsible for the project developer to overconfident shift perfect the will tree.
"Sources:"
"Author's explanation (Rwanda Electrification Be opposite, 2009)"
"Unrefined light for renewable energy in simple coutries (ARE, 2009)"
"Tutelage for Sustainability" (AFREA)"
Geothermal energy is sleepy far from achieving the largely notoriety of solar and wind energy, in restricted it is currently extract harnessed for generating electricity in austerely 24 countries of the world. Show are many countries with good geothermal energy nation-state that are sleepy unenthused to enter the largely geothermal energy variety store by and large being of the seventh heaven oversee position.
In specify to make a useful geothermal energy project, developers premature need to pronounce the to-do with all right resources which requires heaps of examination and drilling, and consequently heaps of lowly.
The largely lucrative uncertainty makes ideas nonetheless harder for new geothermal energy projects being many investors are not comfortable to conceal big oversee position in these unsteady economic mature.
Investors wish investments that honor inflexible earnings and this currently isn't the suit with geothermal energy projects. New geothermal energy projects usually halt pompous than five time (sometimes up to ten time) to get up and management, and this is the downright motivate why solar and wind attention the lion pond of tighten up renewable energy investments.
The austerely partnership that can make geothermal energy attraction pompous quaint to investors is the all right legislation accompanied by various incentives and tax benefits. Show chief requirements to be pompous legislation similar to a minute Residence test under which a permitting process for geothermal examination on central land in bags where developers ahead of own a interpret command go off lot shorter. Show has been moreover plenty of talk about establishing a turning further fund for exploratory geothermal drilling and moreover to have the companies that are charge central land for oil and gas examination to give out geothermal power as mount.
The U.S. has nice geothermal energy nation-state and can on paper give out pompous than 3 trillion gigawatt-hours per day (compared to hurry not bad of jiffy pompous than 100,000).
Geothermal energy is not austerely used to generate electricity but moreover for heating and cooling purposes, in restricted geothermal heating systems are becoming constantly now in many full-fledged countries.
Geothermal energy is clean and renewable source of energy that would decent dampen our school of the arts gas emissions. It is moreover satisfactory frank source of energy that is banned 24-7, and doesn't go through from intermittency similar to solar and wind do.
In areas with good geothermal energy nation-state geothermal heating systems can cut 30 to 50 percent on fuel position.
The full-fledged geothermal energy area would create thousands of new jobs that would honor add to to our economy. It would moreover perfect our energy independence and afar energy initiate.
Commercial solar power systems make solar power available to everyone, which is highly advantageous for all parties and certainly a 'win-win' situation if ever there was one. Here we will examine precisely what solar power is, how it works, and what it's benefits are. What is Solar Power? Solar power is energy that comes from the sun. This means that it is a completely renewable source of energy that won't run out, and it is also one that is completely free to use (no one owns the sun) and one that is not going to produce any unwanted by-products that could be damaging to the environment (unlike fossil fuels which produce very harmful CO2). Solar power is actually the predominant form of energy on the planet when you think about the biology that lives here, and everything in a way can be traced back to solar power other than that energy that comes from the Earth's own gravity. Even fossil fuels are simply made from carbon that has been broken down and compacted over thousands of years and which still contains the biofuel from the plants and animals that once made it. And where does this energy come from? Of course it comes from the glucose which is created via photosynthesis - powered by the sun. It seems archaic really to think that we are still reliant on burning dead things when there is such a clean source of energy right over our heads that has been powering the planet for so many millennia. How Does it Work? There are two ways in which solar power can work. One of these is 'Solar Voltaic' which is a form of solar power which comes from the light itself. Here the light is used in order to 'excite' particles held on the solar panels in order to encourage a current to form which is then 'transformed' to the correct format for use with household and other appliances. The other form is 'solar thermal energy' in which the heat from the sun is used to heat up small tubes of water and then use these to heat other things such as swimming pools and spas. Why is it So Useful? The first and most obvious reason that solar power is so useful on a personal/business level is that it allows us to use energy completely free. Because the sun is so abundant and belongs to all of us, this means we can run appliances without it costing a dime. At the same time this means we are independent of energy providers and safe from power cuts or sudden increases in energy charges. The second reason is of course because it is good for the environment and this in turn allows us to use our various appliances as long as we want to and to remain completely guilt free. Because there are no carbon emissions, solar power does not contribute to global warming and this in turn means that we aren't contributing to the death of millions of species of wildlife, or the increase in natural disasters caused by the changes to the climate, weather and oceans. Finally it's important to remember that fossil fuels take millions of years to form and so are finite in nature. If we don't switch energy sources soon - well then we are going to run out of energy.
