$20 mil. solar powered catamaran to cruise globe

A vessel seemingly straight out of a vintage James Bond movie slipped into Miami’s Government Cut sometime around 8 a.m. Saturday.

The craft, a strange mash-up of gleaming glass arrowhead, sleek flying saucer and knife-nosed catamaran, was not designed by an evil madman plotting world domination. It’s the brainchild of Raphael Domjan, a Swiss engineer and self-described “eco-adventurer’’ with a not-all-that crazy scheme to circle the world using only sunshine for fuel.

“We want to show what we can do with solar power,” said Domjan during a satellite phone interview last week as the world’s largest solar-powered boat cruised north of Haiti bound for a four-day stop at Miami Beach Marina, one of only two planned in the United States. “We have the technology to change the world, not tomorrow, but today.”



The 102-foot-long Turanor PlanetSolar -- which its team of Swiss-German builders says translates into “power of the sun’’ in the Elvish language JRR Tolkien invented for Lord of the Rings -- is far from the first boat to run on the sun.

Back in 2007, the 46-foot Sun21 catamaran arrived in Miami from southern Spain to complete the first Atlantic crossing by a solar boat. Dozens of domestic builders now offer small craft capable of plying lakes or Biscayne Bay. But the Turanor is the biggest, most advanced and easily most eye-catching design yet. It’s also built with the ambitious goal of circumnavigating the globe without burning a thimble of gasoline.

Complex course

Nearly two months into an Atlantic Ocean crossing that began in Monaco, Domjan said the sailing was mostly smooth for him and a five-member crew. Of course, in a solar-powered craft, charting a course isn’t as simple as plotting straight lines in the global positioning system. Instead, they study daily weather reports to steer toward bright sun and favorable winds.

“What we are doing now, nobody does this sort of navigation,” he said. “We have to find the sun to go as fast as possible.”

Built by a German yacht maker with weight and energy efficiency the foremost concerns, the Turanor’s deck is covered in 5,700 square feet of photovoltaic panels of thin glass that are still tough enough to withstand waves and the weight of crew members. Underway, the crew can extend more panels like wings, increasing the boat’s length to 115 feet and its beam, the nautical term for width, from 50 to 75 feet.

The solar cells generate power to charge to what is also billed as the world’s largest lithium ion battery. The builders say the massive 13-ton unit will hold enough juice to run the vessel’s electric motors, computers and navigation systems overnight and for up to three cloudy days -- or more if running on minimal power.

The catamaran also was constructed of light but strong carbon fibers with sharp-nosed ‘‘wave-piercing’’ hulls designed to both reduce ocean drag and electrical drain on twin motors.



Stroher said it didn’t take him long to jump aboard and bankroll a vessel he figures cost him about 15 million euros, roughly $20 million.

“I was really excited about the idea of going around the world,” he said.

Stroher doesn’t expect immediate profit from the PlanetSolar project, which has since added additional sponsors, but he hopes a voyage promoting the possibilities of solar will pay off in the long term -- for his companies and a planet with what he views as a damaging fossil-fuel addiction.



The savings“What you put on a boat, you can put on a car, you can put on a roof top, you can put in the desert and produce energy that in the end will be cheaper than any kind of other energy,” he said. Perhaps eventually. For now, nascent renewable sources typically run far more expensive than fossil fuel and nuclear -- though, as Stroher point outs, those calculations don’t factor in the costs of dealing with pollution and radioactive waste.

Though the Turanor’s design is extreme, much of the technology has practical real-world applications for marine and other industries, he said.



At anchorIt would require far too many panels to propel huge, heavy tankers but solar arrays might provide all the power a ship needs while at anchor, Stroher said, eliminating the need for running diesel engines that pump out foul fumes.

Many small boaters already use solar panels or wind vanes to charge batteries but improving technology that can put solar cells in flexible plastic promises expanded benefits, he said. In Australia, one company is even trying to tap two renewables at once by covering a hard sail with solar cells.

Still, for all its high-tech, the Turanor still has some serious limitations as an ocean-going vessel -- most notably in the speed department.

Its electric motors can pump out perhaps 130 horsepower at full power, Domjan said, but that would drain the batteries within 10 hours. Typically, the boat putts along powered by about 30 horses going to the twin props. The typical 14-foot whaler in South Florida boasts an outboard with more giddy-up.

For the Turanor, wind also can be boon or bane. With favorable conditions, the boat was breezing along at a 6.5 knot clip toward the Turks and Caicos Islands at midweek but at other points, the crew has had to fight the wind. Just off Monaco, the boat encountered squalls with 40-knot headways.



Feeling safeHandling an underpowered vessel can be a nightmare, even downright dangerous, in rough weather but Domjan said the boat proved solid and “really safe.”

“We were sailing with the wind against us,” he said. “The boat was still going, not that fast, of course.”

In comparison, the typical sailboat puts that other renewable energy, wind, to far more efficient and less expensive use, easily matching the Turanor in speed. Some designs can routinely top the 20 mph mark and even hit 40 mph or more -- at least for short periods.

Stroher said he has heard that point raised more than once.

“Some people say, ‘You have built the most unnecessary vessel in the world because it is running without an engine,’ but that’s what people have done with sails for 3,000 years,” he said, laughing. “They are right, of course. It’s not my main purpose to have boats or ships run on solar but to show what renewable resources are able to achieve.”

Cheap energy hope with Wrexham university solar cells

A £4.4m project to develop new photovoltaic (PV) cells could result in cheaper, more efficient solar energy, says Glyndŵr University in Wrexham.



The university's Centre for Solar Energy Research (CSER) hopes to develop cells designed to collect solar energy from Wales' weather conditions.



Researchers will work with scientists from Bangor and Swansea universities.



Glyndŵr University says it has been estimated PV solar cells will provide 20% of Welsh electricity needs by 2050.



However, it says take-up has been slow due to high costs and the cells being unable to gain maximum efficiency from solar energy in countries with temperate climates like Wales.



The university said its research would help to tackle both challenges.



Its target is to create 50 jobs through the project: through the research itself, the supply chain and from companies benefiting from increased take-up of solar cells.



Professor Stuart Irvine, director of the CSER, in St Asaph, Denbighshire, said: "We have world-class facilities in St Asaph with the capability to see everything through from initial research to the production of small thin film solar cell modules.



"We're currently operating with cells of 5cm square but the aim is to get up to test modules of 30cm square - taking us much closer to a size of solar cell which can be used commercially to provide the future electricity needs of Wales."



The three-year project is part-funded by the Convergence European Regional Development Fund, which is distributed by the Welsh Assembly Government.

Prince Charles seeks 'big society' role in shaping UK towns and cities

Critics believe bid by prince's charity to play key role in neighbourhood planning system is dangerous and inappropriate

The Prince of Wales is attempting to extend his influence over Britain's towns and cities by taking a key role in the neighbourhood planning system under changes launched by the government.

The prince's aides have been advising the government on one of David Cameron's "big society" policies aimed at handing people, rather than officials, power over what is built in their neighbourhoods.

The Prince's Foundation for the Built Environment, a charity of which Charles is president, is lobbying to co-ordinate community groups that would set the planning vision for local areas, including what housing and public facilities should be built and how they should look.

The innovation is expected to be announced in the coming weeks as part of the localism and decentralisation bill and is meant to turn the planning system on its head with the public "collaborating" rather than simply being consulted on official policies.

Planning experts believe the foundation's involvement in steering meetings would mean more neighbourhoods shaped according to the prince's favoured traditional and conservative architectural values, and have warned it could embed his influence in the democratic planning system.

Will Alsop, one of Britain's leading architects, said the bid was dangerous and threatened to stifle architectural innovation, while campaigners opposed to Charles's influence over democratic processes branded it "grossly inappropriate".

The foundation's decision to press for the role comes amid a resurgence in Charles's influence over planning under the Conservatives. Last month his foundation proposed taking over the design review of major planning applications from the government design watchdog, which has had its funding slashed.

The charity has also been drafted in by the Qatari developers of a £3bn housing plan at Chelsea barracks after the developers scrapped the original Richard Rogers design amid fears that Charles's objection might influence the London mayor, Boris Johnson, who has the power to veto major developments in the capital.

The Conservatives are understood to be keen to involve the Prince's Foundation in the planning changes. John Howell, the Conservative MP who originally proposed the new approach to planning in a green paper, said the foundation's method of running community design sessions was "one which had a good track record and people will be interested in learning of its success".

The prince's charity has used its Enquiry by Design workshops to develop housing plans from East Ayrshire to Northamptonshire which have resulted in proposals that reject modern architecture and favour traditional approaches.

Under proposals expected to be included in the bill, local authorities will be required to adopt the outcomes of community workshops as a planning framework unless there is a significant problem with their legality or practicality. The plans would be drawn up at ward, parish or town council level and district and borough councils would be expected to stitch them together. Planning sources claimed the foundation was "gearing up its machine" to seize the opportunity to advance its philosophy."We were asked by [the Department for] Communities and Local Government for input into ways that community engagement could promote more sustainable development, and we have provided information about our Enquiry by Design process, and ways that similar processes could aid local planning," said Hank Dittmar, chief executive of the foundation.

"If the localism and decentralisation bill does enhance local planning through stakeholder engagement, the Prince's Foundation would be pleased to help local authorities to respond, by community planning training sessions and by conducting Enquiries by Design."

Dittmar recently denied promoting any particular style, saying: "Unlike the critical elite, with its allegiance to often vain statement buildings by famous architects, our bias is toward design in service of walkable, mixed-use neighbourhoods, linked by streets and squares and landscape."

That has not prevented criticism of the bid for increased influence. "It is grossly inappropriate for the heir to the throne to be involved in an organisation that wants to take such a central role in government business, especially in the controversial area of planning," said Graham Smith, director of Republic, the campaign for an elected head of state. "We know that Charles has deep prejudices on architecture and planning and it would be very worrying to have that influence spread across the country."

Will Alsop, winner of the Stirling Prize for architecture for Peckham library, said the prince's involvement in the often politicised planning system would breach accepted norms about the royal family keeping out of politics and would be "bad news for architecture".

"This is dangerous," he said. "We already know that the vast majority of people would favour the Prince of Wales's attitudes, but architecture, like all forms of art and science, thrives on the new and asking interesting questions as well as protecting the old. With the Prince's Foundation involved, the new would go out of the window."

Coalition calls on 'Big Society' to embrace small energy

Communities and businesses keen to take advantage of the UK's renewable energy incentives will from today be able to receive additional guidance from the government, after the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) launched a new website designed to help organisations generate their own energy.

Dubbed Community Energy Online, the new site offers local authorities and community groups detailed advice and case studies demonstrating how to select and deliver local low carbon and renewable energy projects.

The guidance aims to provide step-by-step advice on how to deliver community-scale renewable energy projects, including information on how to select the right technology, raise the necessary finance, qualify for relevant incentives such as the feed-in tariff and renewable heat incentive, and comply with regulations.

Announcing the launch of the new website at the Combined Heat and Power Association annual conference, climate minister Greg Barker said the government's support for community-scale renewable energy projects such as district heating systems or wind farms epitomised the government's 'big society' agenda.

"Community energy is a perfect expression of the transformative power of the Big Society," he said. "With the right combination of incentives and freedoms, community groups, businesses and organisations can get together to build a cleaner, greener future. They can generate their own heat and electricity, and their own profits, and as a by-product, help the UK to save energy and help to cut carbon emissions."

The new site is the latest in a series of measures from the government designed to accelerate the roll out of community scale renewable energy projects, which critics have long claimed have been neglected in favour of onsite and larger scale projects.

For example, the coalition recently overturned the ban on local councils selling electricity back to the grid in an attempt to make renewable energy projects on local authority land more attractive.

The push to promote community projects has been broadly welcomed by the renewable energy industry, although concerns remain that while the government has committed to launching the renewable heat incentive next year it could still scale back the feed in tariff scheme.

DECC said in the wake of the spending review that it would aim to keep incentives at their current level for the first phase of the scheme which runs until 2012. But speaking in the Commons earlier this month climate minister Greg Barker hinted that changes could come thereafter, signaling that the government was looking at changing the incentives for larger photovoltaic field arrays.

M&S Makes Progress on 2015 Eco Goals

UK retailer Marks and Spencer says it’s on track to become the world’s most sustainable major retailer by 2015, reports Energy Efficiency News. The retailer expects to meet half of its 180 sustainability targets by April, well ahead of schedule, according to the company’s latest progress report.

As part of the retailer’s Plan A eco plan introduced in 2007, Marks and Spencer has introduced 399 aerodynamic ‘teardrop’ trailers that improve fuel efficiency by 10 percent and carry 10 percent more stock, which has reduced the company’s carbon footprint by 2300 tonnes a year, according to the article.

In June, Marks & Spencer announced that it had achieved a 20 percent reduction in food packaging, increased energy efficiency in stores 19 percent, used 417 million fewer carrier bags last year and invested over £50 million, or $73 million of profit from its Plan A activities back into the business.

The retailer also is addressing the environmental impact of its refrigeration systems across its portfolio of stores. Twenty-five stores are now using environmentally friendly CO2 refrigeration systems and a further 175 stores have been converted to refrigeration systems that use a cleaner HFC (R407a) gas that cuts emissions by 50 percent.

The company also is making progress towards its target of increasing recycling of operational waste at its stores, offices and distribution centers, which now stands at 92 percent, reports Energy Efficiency News. This is up from 53 percent reported in June. The company’s goal is to achieve zero waste to landfill by 2012.

Marks and Spencer also distributed 35,000 energy monitors to its employees to help reduce their energy use at home.

The retailer also stepped up its plans to sell only items that have at least one “eco” or “ethical” attribute, announcing plans in March that half of its products would meet this standard by 2015. By 2020, the goal is 100 percent.

Industry gathers to fight large-scale solar threat

Following the recent media hype surrounding Greg Barker’s statement in the House of Commons on November 11, which alluded to the possibility that large-scale solar installations in the UK could be under threat, a meeting between representatives of the solar industry, including the Renewable Energy Association (REA), the Micropower council and the Minister has been set up for November 24.

The main objective of this industry meeting is to make the Minister aware of the very wide nature of developments in the market, including the significant amount of 5MW parks announced across the country, so that he could understand the implications of an early review of tariffs.

Several industry associations, bodies and solar companies have been briefed on this issue in order to form a response to this statement and to begin lobbying against it.

A feed-in tariff pre-meeting discussion and reception and speech by Greg Barker will take place tomorrow, November 23.

Renewed UK Government business plan clarifies renewable energy scheme

As part of coalition changes, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has published a business plan confirming and clarifying commitments for the period up until 2015.

The Business Plan 2011 – 2015 provides details of how commitments will be implemented, including dates for milestones, coalition priorities and departmental expenditure.

Renewable energy generation
As before the DECC's overall aim is to obtain 15% of energy from renewable sources by 2020;
As previously announced the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme is due to start in June 2011.

The RHI scheme will provide support for renewable heat technologies, from household thermal panels to industrial wood pellet boilers. Full details of the scheme, including tariffs and technologies supported, are due to be announced before the end of this year;

A review of feed-in tariffs is scheduled for 2012 and the Government has identified scope to cut feed-in tariff costs by 10%;

There is only one reference to offshore renewable energy, which is that "proposals for tackling the regulatory, legal, planning and technical barriers to coordinated offshore grid development in the North and Irish Seas" are to be published in December 2012; and The plan highlights the importance the DECC places on international support for the UK’s low-carbon development and energy security objectives. Outlined in the plan are: Agreement plans for cooperation with “Norway on oil and gas, CCS and renewable”; launch of new energy dialogues with China and Brazil; and secure multi-country and business commitments on overcoming the barriers to deployment of CCS at the Clean Energy Ministerial to be held in Abu Dhabi.

Energy efficiency and smart metering
As previously announced, the Green Deal is due to be available from October 2012. The scheme will offer householders and businesses the opportunity to fund energy efficiency improvements through savings on their energy bills. The plan sets out the stages in the development of the Green Deal, including that a precursor to the Green Deal (an Early Green Deal) will be developed with potential providers and launched in December 2010.

Furthermore, an Energy Security and Green Economy Bill is due to be introduced to parliament in December 2010 that will create the legislation underpinning the Green Deal and the new energy company obligation;
The plan sets out a framework in which to establish a smart electricity grid which includes working with industry to develop a framework for smart energy standards.

Also, as part of the Electricity Market White Paper (due for publication May 2011) aims to “set out a strategy for future electricity networks to increase efficiency and reliability of the network; enable flexible demand management and the use of electric vehicles; and support integration of more local and wind-powered generation.”;

The implementation plan for smart electricity and gas meters is due in April 2011 with full roll out due to start summer 2012; and DECC is developing a National Energy Efficiency Data (NEED) framework that will include property level data on energy consumption and energy efficiency and fuel poverty for around 4 million properties.

Expenditure
The plan sets out annual DECC expenditure, broken down to administration spending, programme spending and capital spending; and
Spending is due to increase from a £2.9 billion baseline in 2010/11 to £3.7bn by 2014/15 although this rise is mainly due to capital spending for the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.

The plan also includes a section on what the DECC will no longer fund, including "technologies unless [DECC is] confident that they are the most critical to meeting long-term decarbonisation and energy security objectives."

This implies that much stricter criteria will be applied to any grant funding or other financial support that is available, as well as having implications for the review of the feed-in tariff in 2012 and the review of the Renewable Obligation Certificate (ROC) banding in 2013.

Chris Huhne announces CRC consultation

The second phase of the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme could be delayed until 2013, the secretary of state for energy and climate change, Chris Huhne, announced today. Speaking at the CBI Climate Change Summit in London, Huhne told delegates that a nationwide consultation into postponing the start of Phase II of the CRC has been published, adding that the extra time could allow the government time to reduce the administrative burden on businesses. He explained: "This will create a window for us to engage in a proper dialogue with participants about what we need to do to improve the CRC."

Huhne also announced that thousands of businesses will be exempt from the scheme. He said: "I can reveal that we are proposing to exempt over 12,000 information declarers from the scheme. We now have enough feedback from the first stage of the CRC to remove obligations on information declarers without compromising the scheme’s environmental aims."

The largely unpopular decision that funds raised from the CRC will not be recycled back to participating businesses was raised at the conference and was described as a 'debacle' by CBI's director general Richard Lambert. He said: "Those who feared that green taxes would simply turn into another kind of stealth tax have had their prejudices amply confirmed by the way the Carbon Reduction Commitment has been converted, without consultation, into just another source of revenue for the Treasury." When questioned about this decision by the summit's chair, Roger Harrabin, Chris Huhne said the revision to the CRC would simplify the scheme but acknowledged that tough decisions had been made as part of the comprehensive spending review (CSR).

Costs could see UK left behind in smart meter market, expert suggests

Residential smart metering needs to be made cheaper for more people in the UK to take up the option, it has been suggested.

Recently-published figures from Datamonitor have revealed that the global market for smart metering is set to increase by 350 per cent over the coming years, reaching $5.7 billion (£3.54 billion) by 2015.

However, the study also showed that deploying the technology in the UK in order to keep energy bills down is currently more expensive than anywhere else in the world.

Jon Lane, energy director at Datamonitor, said: "The UK solution looks very expensive compared to, say, France where ERDF expects to drive down the cost of its meters to €32-35 (£27-29). The equivalent figure for the UK's meters is around €65.

"These higher costs are only acceptable as the government has used carbon savings and an anticipated reduction in demand in its calculations. If consumers don't reduce usage then the UK system becomes an expensive white elephant

Renewable Heat Incentive funding confirmed

The government has recently announced as a result of the spending review, that over £800 million of funding will be put forward to the Renewable Heat Incentive throughout 2011-2012.

More precisely, George Osbourne has confirmed the total of funding will amount to £860 million and he provided certainty that the RHI will definitely be going ahead.

The increase this will cause in the production of renewable heat will be outstanding throughout the next ten years, the government has commented that it will result in "shifting renewable heat from a fringe industry firmly into the mainstream".

This advance has been welcomed by the Renewable Energy Association, viewing it as a massive breakthrough in the energy arena. Gaynor Hartnell, chief executive of the organisation has said that "we need to see the details but it looks like they're serious about supporting massive growth and employment in the UK's renewable energy sector."

Currently our heat usage results in 47 per cent of the UK’s carbon emissions. The previous government attempted to overcome this with a renewable heat levy, but the new coalition government is no longer going ahead with this.

By Www.greenenergy.uk.com

Ground-mounted solar PV market under threat

The Government is considering making changes to the Feed-in Tariff (FiT) scheme to stop the development of ground-mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) field arrays, it emerged yesterday.Speaking in Parliament, yesterday morning, Energy Minister Greg Barker said the Government had inherited a FiT system that had failed to anticipate PV field arrays, which he said ran the risk of distorting the solar market.

The FiT incentive scheme was introduced in April to kick-start renewable energy generation in the UK. It guarantees an inflation-linked income for on-site renewable electricity projects under five megawatts (MW) in size for a period of up to 25 years. The attractive rates have led to a number of companies setting up to develop solar projects based on roof and land space across the UK. Private individuals are also investing in ground-mounted solar arrays on their property.

Yesterday, Barker said the Government would not act retrospectively, but that large field arrays should "not be allowed to distort the market" for roof-mounted PV or other renewables.

Warning to solar investors
The Renewable Energy Association (REA) responded to the statement by issuing a warning to potential investors in field arrays.

"The minister stated that the Government would not act retrospectively, so comfort can be gained that no project that starts generating will see its revenue diminished, but this statement is likely to worry potential investors in ground-mounted schemes," said Gaynor Hartnell, chief executive of the REA. "Those that have acted in good faith, and already made substantial investments on legal works and preparation of planning applications, will be feeling very uncomfortable indeed."

Ground-mounted solar investment
Within the last few months, two ground-mounted solar plants have been given the greenlight in the South West. 35 Degrees, a company with plans to invest in further solar PV arrays around the UK, won planning permission to build a 1 MW ground-mounted plant in Cornwall in September. Meanwhile, a couple was granted permission to build a 450 kilowatt solar array on private land in Somerset last month.

In all, 35 Degrees plans to build and manage 100 MW of PV in the UK and has already spent £500,000 on start-up costs on the 18 month-old Cornwall project. Its managing director Stephen McCable has already indicated that any changes to FiTs scheme would stop the company going ahead with its plans and put the whole industry at risk.

"Our business plan and the entire industry will be stopped in its tracks even at the suggestion that the Government is going to revise the Feed-In Tariffs," he toldGreenWise in September. "It will have a devastating impact on the industry – what is required is absolute certainty."

Other investors in the market include Vigor Renewables, which launched in March to partner with landowners and commercial property owners and managers to build, own and operate solar and wind power generating assets on roof and land-based sites across the UK.

REA said it would be "seeking clarity" from the Department of Energy and Climate Change on its policy for ground-mounted solar systems..

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Source: Green Wise Business.

In future, water also must be smart

For now, the focus in smart metering is mostly on electricity, though dual electric-gas smart meters have already made their way into some households across Europe and the US. Smart metering, though, will eventually train the spotlight on consumption habits for yet another precious resource: water.

It’s all part of the greater smart-grid/smart-city vision, where everything from ground-source heat pumps and plug-in cars to microturbine energy output and city-centre traffic congestion are monitored, measured and even controlled through a network of devices designed to reduce waste and maximise efficiency in every aspect of modern life.

The extension of “smart” services from mere electricity to many other areas creates vast new opportunities again in a market reality already rife with opportunity. And smart metering firms with recognised names in the electricity niche aren’t ignoring the potential to branch out.

Switzerland-based Landis+Gyr, for example, has wrapped up a “total metering solution” for Denmark’s Energi Fyn and the utility’s 81,000 customers.



Similarly, Itron is working on an automated meter reading (AMR) project with the UK’s Severn Trent Water, which provides service to some 8 million customers. As part of the project, Itron expects to roll out some 400,000 smart water meters for households by 2013.

Echelon’s LonWorks system has even made possible a symbol not of conservation but of conspicuous consumption: the Las Vegas-based Bellagio Hotel’s 27-million-gallon lake and dramatic water display. Even in the setting of “Sin City,” a certain amount of frugality is critical: the hotel needed smart technology to ensure uninterrupted power, water leak prevention and real-time monitoring to ensure maximum performance efficiency.

It all goes to show that — on the consumption end as well as the production side (water is a critical resource in electricity generation, particularly in coal-fired and nuclear power plants) — managing water use will be as important an element of tomorrow’s smart cities as will be managing electricity or gas consumption. And today’s truly smart smart-metering companies recognise that.

What's Next For Renewable Energy?

What's Next For Renewable Energy?
by Energy Matters


Renewable energy sources like concentrated solar and photovoltaic solar systems are the most viable technologies likely to challenge the dominance of fossil fuel on the global energy scene, according to a report released by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG).

The report, entitled "What’s Next for Alternative Energy?" looks at seven of the most promising renewable energy technologies - advanced biofuels, electric vehicles (EVs), concentrated solar power (CSP), solar photovoltaic (PV - solar panels), onshore wind power, offshore wind, and so-called "clean coal" through carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) - and assesses their potential to make a market impact on cheaper, more conventional energy sources.

The report finds that for some of these technologies, solar energy in particular, the day is fast approaching when solar penetration will disrupt the status quo.
According to Balu Balagopal, a senior partner at BCG and a co-author of the report. "[A] few of these green-energy technologies will make their presence felt very likely within the next few years. Their costs are falling quickly and significantly, pushing them closer to where they can compete on price—without subsidies - against fossil-fuel-based sources."

Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) would be necessary to ultimately curb carbon emissions, but the BCG report concludes this technology is still decades away from realistic implementation, while photovoltaic solar would achieve cost competitiveness by 2015-2020 in sunny regions. For total deployment and market confidence however, scientific breakthroughs in large-scale energy storage would need to occur.

As for Concentrated Solar Power (CSP), it would also reach parity in the 2015-2020 time frame, and is uniquely able to provide on-demand power though cost-effective thermal storage.

As with all new technologies however, "their adoption will be constrained more by barriers such as the need for new supporting infrastructure. However, we believe these barriers will likely prove surmountable," added Balagopal.

Smart meter firm Bglobal loses 8.5% as chief executive leaves

The market never likes it when a company's chief executive suddenly leaves, as smart metering specialist Bglobal is finding out today.

Its shares have dropped 4p to 39p - an 8.5% decline - after it announced towards the end of a trading statement that chief executive Tony Barnes would leave immediately. He had apparently decided that "now is an appropriate time for him to leave the group in order to pursue other interests."

Strange choice of words because the company looks like it is in a crucial period at the moment. It said it was profitable and cash generative in the first half, but its installation of meters was below expectations in the first quarter, leading to additional costs as it ramped up capacity. The performance was stronger in the second quarter, but not enough to meet earlier forecasts. So it has cut its full year installation expectations by 10% and anticipates raising operating costs, which will hit its overall performance.

New chief executive Tim Jackson-Smith - the current commercial director and general counsel - said the company was confident of the outlook, and was preparing for the expected residential roll-out of smart meters expected to start in late 2012.

EU biofuels growth on hold as green benefits queried

(Reuters) - The European Union's biofuels industry is unlikely to expand until the debate about their impact on climate change is resolved and clear policies emerge, the head of major UK biofuels firm said on Wednesday

"The (biofuels) industry is being held back by a lack of robust discrimination between what is good and what is bad," Alwyn Hughes, chief executive of Ensus said, referring to the differing environmental footprints of biofuels.

The European Commission is due to report to the European Parliament later this year on a concept known as indirect land-use change (ILUC).

Biofuels are seen by advocates as a way to cut greenhouse gas emissions that contribute the climate change. There are concerns, however, that changes in land use caused by the expansion of biofuels may in some cases lead to the release of carbon stored in soil, offsetting any positive benefits.

Nine environment groups issued a report this week that concluded the EU's goal of getting 10 percent of transport fuel from renewable sources by 2020 could accelerate climate change as well as deprive the poor of food.

A major strategic review of the EU's energy policy was issued on Wednesday.

The clearance of rainforests to allow for the expansion of crops such as palm oil, which can be used to make biodiesel, is often cited as one example of when biofuels could have a significant adverse impact on climate change.

"The uncertainty around this (the ILUC debate) clearly puts question marks over the growth of the industry but it is equally clear there are some very good biofuels out there," Hughes said.

"The NGOs (environment groups) are really having a go at the people who are driving deforestation. I agree with them that they should be taken out of the (biofuels) mix," Hughes said.

Hughes said his company would need "a clear policy framework in order to allow us to invest."

"I think it is important the ILUC issue is resolved at the end of the year clearly and crisply," he said.

REFINERY OPERATIONS IMPROVING

Ensus runs one of Europe's largest biorefineries in north-east England which has the capacity to make around 400 to 450 million liters of bioethanol a year from about one million tons of feed wheat.

The refinery entered commercial operation earlier this year and now regularly runs near capacity, Hughes said.

"We are often running at above a one million ton (per year) wheat rate," he said.

"We are clearly running a lot better today than we were three, four months ago. Hopefully in 12 months time we will be running even better," Hughes added.

Solar Powered blood pressure machine-

Third-world countries, with rapidly rising rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD), could benefit from a device that harnesses solar power to measure blood pressure.

The devices have been heralded by research published in medical journal Hypertension as an affordable way to help reduce rapidly rising rates of CVD in low-income nations.

According to the research, team lead author Dr Eoin O’Brien, a professor at the Conway Institute of Bimolecular and Biomedical research in UCD, by using solar energy to power these kinds of devices it cuts out the need for rechargeable batteries that can prove costly in remote areas where electricity and availability are scarce.

Tests in medical centres in Africa showed that the $32 (around €23) devices are "94pc in agreement" with the standard blood-pressure testing method for systolic blood pressure – a top blood pressure reading that represents the maximum pressure when the heart contracts.

Shane Hulgraine

A GLUT IN GAS - Why are we paying higher bills?

Gas glut threatens investment in renewables sector, IEA warns

• Liquefied gas capacity will shoot up 47% by the end of 2013
• Shell and Exxon-Mobil are repositioning as gas producers

by Tim Webb guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 9 November 2010

A global gas glut which could last a decade will act as a "major barrier" to the development of renewable energy, cleaner coal plants and nuclear power, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).

"The golden age of gas" will lead to cheaper gas prices for consumers, particularly in Europe. But the IEA added that it is also likely to result in a rush to build gas-fired power plants at the expense of much cleaner forms of electricity generation.

The IEA's chief economist Fatih Birol also said that "Big Oil" – oil majors such as Shell and Exxon-Mobil – are suffering an "identity crisis" because they find themselves increasingly shut out of regions like the Middle East where most of the world's remaining oil reserves lie. They are repositioning themselves as gas producers, which companies like Shell are marketing as a cleaner form of energy, he said. "In terms of climate change, gas is definitely a good solution compared to coal and oil. But it's not very innocent compared to renewables and nuclear."

The world faces a long term gas glut because of recent technical advances which have made possible the exploitation of previously untapped shale gas, coal bed methane and tight gas deposits, mostly in the US, China and Australia. The IEA, publishing its annual world energy outlook now estimates that 35% of the increase in global gas production to 2035 will come from such unconventional projects. Last year it estimated that unconventional gas production would account for 20% of the growth, although this covered the period 2007 – 2030. Gas is also the only fossil fuel for which it expects demand to grow by 2035.

The world is already awash with cheap gas because of a fall in demand after the global economic downturn and unexpectedly high production of shale gas in the US, despite fears that the industry would be held back by environmental regulations. This has coincided with a surge in the construction of new LNG facilities and equipment which liquefies gas so it can be shipped by tankers from remote areas to market rather than having to build new pipelines. LNG capacity will shoot up 47% by the end 2013, the IEA said. As a result of higher gas supplies and lower demand, globally only about two thirds of pipelines and LNG facilities will be full this year. The figure will be even lower in Europe, which could prompt energy companies such as E.ON to try renegotiating their long term contracts with exporters such as Russian firm Gazprom to get a cheaper deal.

The IEA said that the utilisation rate of pipelines and LNG facilities will still not have returned to 2007 levels by the end of the decade. This assumes that no new infrastructure is commissioned, which it said was extremely unlikely. It has cut its long term global gas price forecasts, by as much as 10% in the US after 2020.

There are environmental benefits to a gas glut because cheaper gas-fired plants are more likely to replace old coal plants, which emit twice as much carbon. But gas plants' low operating cost will make it harder for wind farms and other renewables, including nuclear, to compete and attract investment. "From the perspective of renewables and nuclear it's not good news," Birol said. He also said that despite the £1bn recently committed by the UK government to develop a coal plant fitted with expensive carbon capture and storage technology (CCS), there may be less appetite to invest in CCS.

The IEA report also spelt out the predicament faced by international oil companies. Opec, the body that protects the interests of leading oil-producing countries is forecasting to increase its global share of oil production from a third to more than a half by 2035. State controlled oil companies will account for all of the world's increase in global oil production in the next 25 years, while total non-Opec production will start falling after 2025.

Birol added: "Big Oil face an identity crisis. They got used to being able to explore, produce and market oil. But they're not able to do this in the same way any more. Much of the world's oil reserves are out of reach to them. Therefore they have to redefine their business strategy. Gas becomes one alternative for them to redefine their strategy."

Black gold and greens
The International Energy Agency is estimating that average oil prices will hit $113 a barrel in 2035. This is some way short of the record of $147, set in 2008, and current prices are already close to $90. But the agency admitted that in practice, "short-term price volatility is likely to remain high" – in other words, prices could be much higher or much lower than $113 in decades to come.

The organisation, which advises companies and governments on future energy trends, was also scathing about the Copenhagen climate change summit last December.

It said that based on the extremely loose and uncertain commitments made, global oil production would peak soon after 2035. If governments took firm action to prevent the earth's temperature rising by more than 2C by 2050, it reckoned, "peak oil" would be reached before 2020.


A global gas glut which could last a decade will act as a "major barrier" to the development of renewable energy, cleaner coal plants and nuclear power, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).

"The golden age of gas" will lead to cheaper gas prices for consumers, particularly in Europe. But the IEA added that it is also likely to result in a rush to build gas-fired power plants at the expense of much cleaner forms of electricity generation.

The IEA's chief economist Fatih Birol also said that "Big Oil" – oil majors such as Shell and Exxon-Mobil – are suffering an "identity crisis" because they find themselves increasingly shut out of regions like the Middle East where most of the world's remaining oil reserves lie. They are repositioning themselves as gas producers, which companies like Shell are marketing as a cleaner form of energy, he said. "In terms of climate change, gas is definitely a good solution compared to coal and oil. But it's not very innocent compared to renewables and nuclear."

The world faces a long term gas glut because of recent technical advances which have made possible the exploitation of previously untapped shale gas, coal bed methane and tight gas deposits, mostly in the US, China and Australia. The IEA, publishing its annual world energy outlook now estimates that 35% of the increase in global gas production to 2035 will come from such unconventional projects. Last year it estimated that unconventional gas production would account for 20% of the growth, although this covered the period 2007 – 2030. Gas is also the only fossil fuel for which it expects demand to grow by 2035.

The world is already awash with cheap gas because of a fall in demand after the global economic downturn and unexpectedly high production of shale gas in the US, despite fears that the industry would be held back by environmental regulations. This has coincided with a surge in the construction of new LNG facilities and equipment which liquefies gas so it can be shipped by tankers from remote areas to market rather than having to build new pipelines. LNG capacity will shoot up 47% by the end 2013, the IEA said. As a result of higher gas supplies and lower demand, globally only about two thirds of pipelines and LNG facilities will be full this year. The figure will be even lower in Europe, which could prompt energy companies such as E.ON to try renegotiating their long term contracts with exporters such as Russian firm Gazprom to get a cheaper deal.

The IEA said that the utilisation rate of pipelines and LNG facilities will still not have returned to 2007 levels by the end of the decade. This assumes that no new infrastructure is commissioned, which it said was extremely unlikely. It has cut its long term global gas price forecasts, by as much as 10% in the US after 2020.

There are environmental benefits to a gas glut because cheaper gas-fired plants are more likely to replace old coal plants, which emit twice as much carbon. But gas plants' low operating cost will make it harder for wind farms and other renewables, including nuclear, to compete and attract investment. "From the perspective of renewables and nuclear it's not good news," Birol said. He also said that despite the £1bn recently committed by the UK government to develop a coal plant fitted with expensive carbon capture and storage technology (CCS), there may be less appetite to invest in CCS.

The IEA report also spelt out the predicament faced by international oil companies. Opec, the body that protects the interests of leading oil-producing countries is forecasting to increase its global share of oil production from a third to more than a half by 2035. State controlled oil companies will account for all of the world's increase in global oil production in the next 25 years, while total non-Opec production will start falling after 2025.

Birol added: "Big Oil face an identity crisis. They got used to being able to explore, produce and market oil. But they're not able to do this in the same way any more. Much of the world's oil reserves are out of reach to them. Therefore they have to redefine their business strategy. Gas becomes one alternative for them to redefine their strategy."

Black gold and greens
The International Energy Agency is estimating that average oil prices will hit $113 a barrel in 2035. This is some way short of the record of $147, set in 2008, and current prices are already close to $90. But the agency admitted that in practice, "short-term price volatility is likely to remain high" – in other words, prices could be much higher or much lower than $113 in decades to come.

The organisation, which advises companies and governments on future energy trends, was also scathing about the Copenhagen climate change summit last December.

It said that based on the extremely loose and uncertain commitments made, global oil production would peak soon after 2035. If governments took firm action to prevent the earth's temperature rising by more than 2C by 2050, it reckoned, "peak oil" would be reached before 2020.




Gas glut threatens investment in renewables sector, IEA warns

• Liquefied gas capacity will shoot up 47% by the end of 2013
• Shell and Exxon-Mobil are repositioning as gas producers

By -Tim Webb guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 9 November 2010 19.10 GMT

A global gas glut which could last a decade will act as a "major barrier" to the development of renewable energy, cleaner coal plants and nuclear power, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).

"The golden age of gas" will lead to cheaper gas prices for consumers, particularly in Europe. But the IEA added that it is also likely to result in a rush to build gas-fired power plants at the expense of much cleaner forms of electricity generation.

The IEA's chief economist Fatih Birol also said that "Big Oil" – oil majors such as Shell and Exxon-Mobil – are suffering an "identity crisis" because they find themselves increasingly shut out of regions like the Middle East where most of the world's remaining oil reserves lie. They are repositioning themselves as gas producers, which companies like Shell are marketing as a cleaner form of energy, he said. "In terms of climate change, gas is definitely a good solution compared to coal and oil. But it's not very innocent compared to renewables and nuclear."

The world faces a long term gas glut because of recent technical advances which have made possible the exploitation of previously untapped shale gas, coal bed methane and tight gas deposits, mostly in the US, China and Australia. The IEA, publishing its annual world energy outlook now estimates that 35% of the increase in global gas production to 2035 will come from such unconventional projects. Last year it estimated that unconventional gas production would account for 20% of the growth, although this covered the period 2007 – 2030. Gas is also the only fossil fuel for which it expects demand to grow by 2035.

The world is already awash with cheap gas because of a fall in demand after the global economic downturn and unexpectedly high production of shale gas in the US, despite fears that the industry would be held back by environmental regulations. This has coincided with a surge in the construction of new LNG facilities and equipment which liquefies gas so it can be shipped by tankers from remote areas to market rather than having to build new pipelines. LNG capacity will shoot up 47% by the end 2013, the IEA said. As a result of higher gas supplies and lower demand, globally only about two thirds of pipelines and LNG facilities will be full this year. The figure will be even lower in Europe, which could prompt energy companies such as E.ON to try renegotiating their long term contracts with exporters such as Russian firm Gazprom to get a cheaper deal.

The IEA said that the utilisation rate of pipelines and LNG facilities will still not have returned to 2007 levels by the end of the decade. This assumes that no new infrastructure is commissioned, which it said was extremely unlikely. It has cut its long term global gas price forecasts, by as much as 10% in the US after 2020.

There are environmental benefits to a gas glut because cheaper gas-fired plants are more likely to replace old coal plants, which emit twice as much carbon. But gas plants' low operating cost will make it harder for wind farms and other renewables, including nuclear, to compete and attract investment. "From the perspective of renewables and nuclear it's not good news," Birol said. He also said that despite the £1bn recently committed by the UK government to develop a coal plant fitted with expensive carbon capture and storage technology (CCS), there may be less appetite to invest in CCS.

The IEA report also spelt out the predicament faced by international oil companies. Opec, the body that protects the interests of leading oil-producing countries is forecasting to increase its global share of oil production from a third to more than a half by 2035. State controlled oil companies will account for all of the world's increase in global oil production in the next 25 years, while total non-Opec production will start falling after 2025.

Birol added: "Big Oil face an identity crisis. They got used to being able to explore, produce and market oil. But they're not able to do this in the same way any more. Much of the world's oil reserves are out of reach to them. Therefore they have to redefine their business strategy. Gas becomes one alternative for them to redefine their strategy."

Black gold and greens
The International Energy Agency is estimating that average oil prices will hit $113 a barrel in 2035. This is some way short of the record of $147, set in 2008, and current prices are already close to $90. But the agency admitted that in practice, "short-term price volatility is likely to remain high" – in other words, prices could be much higher or much lower than $113 in decades to come.

The organisation, which advises companies and governments on future energy trends, was also scathing about the Copenhagen climate change summit last December.

It said that based on the extremely loose and uncertain commitments made, global oil production would peak soon after 2035. If governments took firm action to prevent the earth's temperature rising by more than 2C by 2050, it reckoned, "peak oil" would be reached before 2020.