Investing In the Future of Energy » Wind

6 Green Technologies to “Dominate” Next 5 Years: New Report

globalfundexchange — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 17:49:29 +0000

Market research company SBI has published a report highlighted 6 green technologies predicted to “dominate” the field over the next five years.

Below are some excerpts from the report:

Electric Vehicles: Worldwide hybrid electric vehicle sales predicted to double by 2014. Exponential growth predicted in Europe, Australia and South Korea. New market opportunities in India & China.
Enhanced Oil Recovery: Practice can improve oil producing methods by 70 – 90%. Oil viscosity is improved through steam, gas or injection of chemicals.
Green Building: Use of recycled materials, sustainable sources, efficient building insulation and improved construction techniques contribute to sector growth. Predicted to grow to $580bn by 2015, a 21% combined annual growth rate.
Offshore Wind: Installations expected at higher rate than land-based turbines. U.K. in particular may more than double offshore market value to $5bn by 2015.
Smart Grid: Growth in grid infrastructure, information and communications technology and software and applications slated to grow as more renewables come online. Predicted growth to $171bn by 2014.
Solar: Concentrated solar power (CSP) market to jumpstart by 2012. This fastest-growing segment of solar may grow to $3bn by 2014 from $700,000 in 2010, representing a 42% annual growth rate over the time period.

Read more here…

China Updates Renewable Energy Policies; Overtakes U.S. as World’s Leading Clean Energy Investor

globalfundexchange — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 19:22:18 +0000

China’s renewable energy industry has skyrocketed in recent years, and the nation has now overtaken the United States as the world’s leading clean energy investor. The Chinese government continues to encourage this growth with favorable policy support. Some key Chinese policy developments as related to the industry are as follows:

Renewables

Total renewable power capacity in China reached 226GW in 2009, representing 1/4 of the nation’s total. The government is calling for a total of 500GW of renewable power capacity by 2020, or about 1/3 of total power capacity.
Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) for Chinese utilities require 8% of all capacity and 3% of power to be generated from non-hydro renewables by 2020.
Revisions to the 2005 Renewable Energy Law will require increased cooperation between new renewables and the grid to ensure the generated power is transmitted efficiently. The revisions also strengthened the Ministry of Finance’s renewable energy fund, which collects a tax on all electric power sales.

Wind

Chinese wind power in particular grew thirty times over between 2005-2009. China is now just behind the U.S. in total installed wind capacity. Its turbine manufacturing industry grew to the world’s largest in 4 years. The government has amended the wind power Feed-in-Tariff, and aims for 150GW of new installations by 2020.

Solar

The “Golden Sun” program, introduced in 2009, will provide generous subsidies for solar PV installations. Currently 300 projects have been proposed, totaling nearly $2.9 billion in investment.

Nuclear

China has expanded its pledge to achieve 15% of all primary energy from “non-fossil fuel sources” by 2020. This expanded directive will allow nuclear power to be included in the total accounting.

Carbon

New carbon intensity targets were announced in Dec 2009, which aim to reduce the carbon intensity of GDP by 40-45% by 2020 relative to 2005 levels.

Energy Efficiency

The 5 Year Plan for 2006-2010 aims to increase energy efficiency by 20%, including pumps, fans, boilers and the production of materials like steel and cement.

Read the full article here ….

Renewables Account for over 50% of all New Power in U.S. & Europe

globalfundexchange — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 21:23:40 +0000

A new report from the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21), a body affiliated with the United Nations and the International Energy Agency (IEA), says renewable energy accounts for over half of all new electricity capacity added in the United States and Europe during 2009.

The REN21 report highlights the shift in manufacturing and deployment of these new energy technologies from developed nations to growing ecnomies like China, Brazil and India.

In 2009, China produced 40% of global solar PV and 30% of all wind turbines; a massive increase from 10% in 2007.

However, despite its advances in implementing green power, China’s carbon dioxide emissions also increased in 2009. It has overtaken the United States and now claims the title of highest emitting nation in the world.

Read more here…

€6 Billion EU Initiative Aims for 50% Wind Energy by 2050

globalfundexchange — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 20:55:36 +0000

The European Union (EU) Presidency announced the launch of a €6 billion public-private partnership to vastly increase the amount of wind energy used in Europe.

The European Wind Initiative (EWI) is the result of a collaboration between the European wind industry, the EU comission and EU member states. The EWI aims to supply 20% of all European energy demand with wind energy resources by 2020, 33% by 2030, and finally 50% of total demand by 2050.

The EWI will support research on advanced turbine and component technology to increase efficiencies and reduce costs. The Initiative aims to speed deployment of both on- and off-shore wind installations, and ease integration of large-scale systems into the grid.

“The European Wind Initiative is a big step forward in our efforts to maintain and strengthen Europe’s global leadership in wind energy technology,” remarked Christian Kjaer, CEO of the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA).

Read more here…

UK’s Offshore Renewables Equivalent to One Billion Barrels of Oil

globalfundexchange — Fri, 21 May 2010 20:45:42 +0000

The United Kingdom’s offshore renewable energy capacity could one day generate as much electricity every year as would one billion barrels of oil, according to a recent report from the Offshore Valuation Group.

The Group projects that utilizing just one third of the available wind and tidal resources off the UK coast could eventually transform the nation from a net importer to a net exporter of electricity by 2050. At the same time, deploying these resources would result in a savings of 1.1 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions and create infrastructure with a positive net present value of £35 billion.

“We have long been saying that the North Sea will become the Saudi Arabia of wind energy,” says Peter Madigan, head of offshore renewables at industry advocacy body RenewableUK.

Read the full article here…

“American Power Act” Bill Unveiled in U.S. Senate

globalfundexchange — Tue, 18 May 2010 16:02:40 +0000

U.S. Senators John Kerry and Joseph Liberman have unveiled a much anticipated climate bill as a counteroffer to the version passed nearly a year ago by the House of Representatives, calling it the “American Power Act.”

The bill’s main goal is to reduce U.S. carbon dioxide emissions; aiming for a reduction of 17% by 2020 and over 80% by 2050. These reductions would be achived by imposing new emission limits on factories, utilities and transportation vehicles, which in aggregate emit nearly 6.4 billion metric tons of pollution every year – a level second only to China. A regulated market for the trade of pollution credits is included in the legislation, as are tax and loan incentives to expand domestic nuclear power plant construction.

In response to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill catastrophe, the proposed expansion of offshore drilling now includes protection measures for states who do not want offshore rigs off their coasts. Concessions to the oil, coal and gas industries have been included in the hopes of drumming up support for the bill, which the Obama administration sees as essential to establishing a comprehensive energy policy in the United States. However, it appears unlikely that debate upon this legislation will commence this year.

Read more here…

US DOE Pledges $200M to Wind & Solar – Not “Waiting Around” for Climate Bill Passage

globalfundexchange — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 18:32:06 +0000

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) under the leadership of Energy Secretary Steven Chu is not waiting around for the Senate as it works to draft new climate legislation.

Secretary Chu announced Friday that the DOE will invest over $200 million over the next five years to increase deployment of solar and wind energy technology throughout the United States. This funding will “help strengthen American competitiveness in renewable energy and transform the US into a lasting manufacturing presence in the 21st century clean-energy economy,” said Chu.

The DOE funding will support both manufacturing-focused research projects in wind and solar, as well specific funding for research into advanced processes for use in the photovoltaic (PV) industry.

Read the full article here…

Who are the World’s Top Wind Players?

globalfundexchange — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 17:51:01 +0000

The wind energy industry is on the up-swing around the world, providing a multitude of opportunities for companies all along the supply chain, from turbine manufacturing to installation and operation.

A recent article from Power-Technology.com tracked some of the world’s most active players in the wind sector and compiled a “Top 10 List”. Their selections include such well known names as German giant Enercon, Spanish manufacturer and operator Gamesa, and US comglomerate GE Energy. Yet other top picks include Renewable Energy Systems (RES), Nordex AG, Iberdrola and Vestas.

For a complete list of companies, read the full article here.

GBI Foresees $650bn in Renewable Energy Investment by 2015

globalfundexchange — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 20:21:13 +0000

Research expects investments in renewble energy to grow to $653.35 billion within five years, as governments and investors around the world funnel money into this growing sector.

Despite the widespread economic malaise and the tight credit market, global investment in renewable energy increased 43.4% between 2008 to 2009, reaching $336.78 billion. Since 2001, the industry has achieved a combined annual growth rate (CAGR) of 30.8%.

China’s total investment of $11.48 billion made it a major player in the Asian markets, says GBI, with notable investments made in wind and solar projects.

Read the full article…

EU Aims for 80% CO2 Reduction with New Renewables & Smart Grid

globalfundexchange — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 18:17:44 +0000

European Union countries aim to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide by 80% below 1990 levels by 2050; keeping within scientific recommendations to limit global temperature increases to 2°C. Major new investment will be needed to achieve cuts on this scale, specifically in renewable power projects and electricity infrastructure upgrades.

However, despite these costs, a new report from three leading consulting firms predicts that the cost of electricity in Europe in 2050 would be no higher than it would under a “business as usual” plan with no carbon-reduction action taken.

The study, jointly published by McKinsey, European Climate Foundation and E3G, highlighted the following 3 points:

- Renewable power infrastructure is capital-intensive at the onset, yet over time costs less to run than do traditional power plants.

- Replacing outdated coal-fired power plants with new ones is actually more expensive that substituting wind or solar farms instead

- Smart grid investment continent-wide will provide major savings in energy efficiency, and help improve the reliability (and price) of renewables.

Read more here…