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Fukushima, Japan Rebuilding Communities with Solar, Commits to 100 Percent Renewable Energy by 2040

Fukushima, Japan Rebuilding Communities with Solar, Commits to 100 Percent Renewable Energy by 2040

Posted on 21 May 2014. Tags: , ,

Fukushima experienced the world’s worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl when a 9.0 magnitude earthquake hit three years ago. Now, the region is trying to turn the “lost landscape” into massive renewable energy fields. The prefecture has declared “zero dependency on nuclear energy” and created a goal to meet 100 percent of its electricity needs with renewable energy, such as solar, by 2040. The prefectures also believes that investing in renewable energy will spur economic development and create jobs to help its recovery and rebuilding efforts.

Prefecture-Led Initiatives

In April, a 1.2-MW solar photovoltaic (PV) system was completed at the Fukushima airport that is very visible not only to local people but also outside visitors. The 400 million yen (US $3.9 million) project was fully funded locally, and meant to signify the prefecture’s strong commitment to renewable energy.

According to a city official, the prefecture invested 45 million yen (US $443,000) to create the Fukushima Power Company, a special purpose entity, to develop the Fukushima Airport Solar Power Project. Local city governments and businesses also made equity investments in the company, while local banks provided 200 million yen in debt financing. Furthermore, citizens in Fukushima raised an additional 100 million yen for the project.

The solar project installed at the airport parking areas consists of 4 ground-mount structures: a 500-kW system, created by 2,000 SunPower modules and one 500-kW TMEIC inverter donated by Toshiba, a 501-kW system with SunEdison modules, a 22.5-kW tracking system using Fuji Premium modules, and a 169-kW system consisting of 30 different solar panels provided by various domestic and foreign manufacturers and six different mounting system structures.

In the same month, the prefecture opened the “Fukushima Renewable Energy Research and Development Center” with the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), a publicly funded research institution, for advancement of solar technologies in the prefecture. The Research Center monitors and analyzes the efficiency and effectiveness of different modules and system structures at the airport. The center will also research other renewable energy technologies such as wind and geothermal, and transfer knowledge and advances to create jobs in the prefecture.

Near Future Plans for Fukushima

For the fiscal year 2015, ending March 31, 2016, the prefecture has a renewable energy goal of 805 MW (cumulative installed capacity). This goal is equivalent to 24 percent of the retail electricity demand of the prefecture. Out of 805 MW, solar PV technology will represent 447 MW. By 2030, the cumulative installed capacity of solar will be 2 GW.

This goal appears to be easily attainable. As of January 2014, Fukushima already had nearly 1.6 GW of FIT-approved PV capacity.

While the federal government described nuclear power as an “important baseload power source” in the energy plan released in April, Fukushima is making important strides toward zero nuclear power.

Posted in Renewable Energy, Solar Energy0 Comments

Scotland approves 22-turbine wind farm in Dumfries and Galloway

Scotland approves 22-turbine wind farm in Dumfries and Galloway

Posted on 19 May 2014. Tags: , ,

The Scottish Government has approved a 22-turbine wind farm in Dumfries and Galloway.

The Ewe Hill project represents a £65m investment by developer ScottishPower Renewables and will have a generating capacity of up to 51MW.

The project is expected to create around 80 short-term construction jobs, with further employment opportunities likely to arise during the decommissioning process.

It is estimated that around £20m will be spent for development of civil and electrical infrastructure, with ScottishPower Renewables seeking to encourage contractors to hire from local suppliers, the government said.

Meanwhile, the government has refused an application to construct the 21-turbine Rowantree wind farm near Oxton in the Scottish Borders, citing noise and visual impacts to nearby residents, among other issues.

The Ewe Hill project will provide a community benefits scheme totalling around £6.3m over the lifetime of the development to local projects.

Ewing said, “The Ewe Hill wind farm will create a significant number of jobs, as well as generating power for many thousands of homes.

“It’s encouraging to see that a solution has been found to deal with the aviation radar issues which have held the proposal up.”

“Projects like this provide considerable benefits to the local community, and play an important part in helping Scotland reach its target of 100% of electricity demand generated from renewables.”

“The Scottish Government wants to see the right developments in the right places, and Scottish planning policy is clear that the design and location of renewables projects should reflect the scale and character of the landscape, as well as being considered environmentally acceptable.”

Since May 2007, Scotland has approved 63 renewable energy planning applications, which included 36 onshore wind, one offshore wind, 19 hydro, four wave and tidal and three Renewable Thermal Plants, and 19 non-renewable projects.

Posted in Renewable Energy, Wind Energy0 Comments

Why New Nuclear Technology Hurts the Case for Renewables

Why New Nuclear Technology Hurts the Case for Renewables

Posted on 19 May 2014. Tags: ,

New Hampshire — Does nuclear energy deserve a seat at the table alongside renewable energy technologies in weaning us off of fossil fuels and transitioning into a cleaner energy world? A new report published yesterday suggests not only will newer small modular reactor (SMR) technology be at least as expensive as larger reactors, it won’t fit the needs of a more flexible grid system, and its development will siphon away funding from the truly renewable energy options that need it.

Few debates rile up the renewable energy sector, and our own readership, more than the issue of whether nuclear energy should have a starring role in our energy shift from fossil to clean technologies. Proponents point to its baseload functionality and lack of emissions; opponents rail against enormous costs, high-profile accidents and vast long-term impacts including what to do with the waste. Both sides rely on extensive subsidies to be viable, though at vastly different levels, and renewables (notably solar and wind) are quickly proving viable without them in an increasing number of markets. (At least neither side believes this Spurious Correlation.)

Yet analysis from international economic, climate change, and energy groups all reach the same conclusion: “Nuclear power is among the least attractive climate change policy options and is likely to remain so for the foreseeable [future],” says Dr. Mark Cooper, senior fellow for economic analysis at the Institute for Energy and the Environment at Vermont Law School, author of The Economic Failure of Nuclear Power and the Development of a Low-Carbon Electricity Future: Why Small Modular Reactors Are Part of the Problem, Not the Solution (PDF here, audio summary here). “Worse still, pursuing nuclear power as a focal point of climate policy diverts economic resources and policy development from critically important efforts to accelerate the deployment of solutions that are much more attractive: less costly, less risky, [and] more environmentally benign.”

Here’s why he says SMR nuclear not only isn’t part of the renewable energy equation, it actually undermines it:

  • It won’t be cheaper. Like any significant technology leap SMR involves substantially more costs, from using more material per MW of capacity to establishing the infrastructure to design and build the reactors: up to $90 billion by 2020 to fund just two designs and assembly lines, he predicts. That’s three-quarters of the total projected investment in all electricity generation — and of course it’s far more than renewables’ slice of that pie. And the flip side of this coin is subsidies. For 60 years nuclear has been deeply reliant upon vastly more subsidies than renewables have received, and it’s still dependent upon them — except in the current scrutinous political climate many of the key ones for nuclear aren’t on the table, from liability insurances and waste management to decommissioning, water use, and loan guarantees.
  • The strategy is bad. The aggressive deployment strategy being proposed for dozens of SMRs near population centers is reminiscent of the ‘Great Bandwagon Market’ of the 1960s-1980s when utilities ordered hundreds of reactors and ultimately cancelled more than half of them. That was followed by the ‘nuclear renaissance’ in the 2000s but only 10 percent of those planned reactors are under construction. Now SMR is in the spotlight, five years on and still on the drawing boards, with key developers Westinghouse and Babcock & Wilcox reigning in their SMR efforts (partly blaming low-cost natural gas) as they struggle to find customers and major investors. “It is always possible that nuclear power’s fairy godmother will wave her magic wand over the technology and solve its economic, safety, and environmental problems,” mused Cooper in an e-mail exchange, “but there is nothing in the 50-year history of commercial nuclear power that suggest this is anything but a fairy tale.”
  • Safety is not first. Despite a raft of safety issues that SMR technologies have to overcome, proponents actually want pre-approvals, limited reviews, and reduced safety margins including staff and evacuation zones. With Fukushimastill in the headlines three years later, good luck getting policymakers and regulators to agree to de-emphasize safety — as long as we’re all reminded about it.
  • What’s best for the future? The trend toward a more decentralized energy delivery system is the opposite direction from the passive one-way 24/7 baseload delivery model of a nuclear reactor. “Any resource that is not flexible becomes a burden on the system, rather than a benefit to it,” said Cooper.

Billing SMR nuclear technology as more flexible and cheaper than larger reactors is an even better argument to support non-nuclear renewable energy options unencumbered by the same security, proliferation, and environmental risks, Cooper points out. But giving nuclear power a central role in current climate change policy will “not only drain away resources from the more promising alternatives, it would undermine the effort to create the physical and institutional infrastructure needed to support the emerging electricity systems based on renewables, distributed generation and intensive system and demand management.”

Posted in Nuclear Energy, Renewable Energy0 Comments

STOCKTON CONSIDERS PROPOSALS FOR 45MW BIOMASS PLANT

STOCKTON CONSIDERS PROPOSALS FOR 45MW BIOMASS PLANT

Posted on 09 May 2014. Tags: , ,

Proposals to build a new renewable energy plant on Teesside have been lodged with Stockton Borough Council.
Port Clarence Energy Ltd, a new company formed for this project, is seeking permission to build and operate the 45MW biomass plant, which will be powered by burning waste wood, plant on land to the north of the River Tees.
The company was created through a partnership between Eco2 Limited and Temporis Capital LLP, which specialise in the building and operating of renewable energy projects.
The proposed development will be based around three main buildings comprising the turbine hall and boiler house, a fuel reception area and a fuel storage barn, and will be built on industrial land at Clarence Works on the north bank of the River Tees, close to the well-known Transporter Bridge.
The planning application describes how the plan would burn approximately 325,00 tonnes of waste wood per annum, with the fuel mainly sourced from areas to the south of the site and drawn from a variety of sources including construction and demolition sites, civic amenity sites and packaging.
Andrew Toft, director of projects at Eco2 Limited, said: “This is an exciting time for Teesside to increase its contribution to the production of renewable energy and we are delighted to be able to progress the long-held ambition to bring this technology to Port Clarence.”
It is anticipated that the total capital cost of the plant will be around £160 million, with around £40 million being spent on locally sourced good and services.

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Hydroelectric power, other renewables forecast to grow, EIA report says

Hydroelectric power, other renewables forecast to grow, EIA report says

Posted on 09 May 2014. Tags: ,

A report released this week by the U.S. Energy Information Administration projects national growth amongst renewables — including hydroelectric power — in coming decades.

According to EIA’s Annual Energy Outlook 2014 (AEO2014), the increase in kilowatt hours generated by renewables will fall second only to natural gas through 2040, while nuclear, coal, petroleum liquid and other forms will flatline or decrease.

EIA cites the United States’ emphasis on reducing carbon emissions and both state and federal legislation as the biggest contributors to green energy’s growth.

Key amongst these policies are state renewable portfolio standards (RPS) — many of which have been amended in recent years to include eligibility for larger hydropower plants. Tax credit extensions for hydroelectricity and other renewables will also be a significant factor in their development, AEO2014 said.

The development of American hydropower has been a point of emphasis in recent months, with the Department of Energy announcing a plan to set long-term goals for the sector’s growth in April.

The Annual Energy Outlook 2014 report is available via EIA’s website here.

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Transocean plans UK North Sea offshore drilling offshoot

Transocean plans UK North Sea offshore drilling offshoot

Posted on 08 May 2014. Tags: ,

Transocean LTD (NYSE: RIG) (SIX: RIGN) announced it intends to pursue the creation of an entity comprising eight of its UK North Sea midwater drilling rigs.  The company expects to establish the new entity, Caledonia Offshore Drilling Company (Caledonia), during the second half of 2014 and, at an appropriate stage, separate Caledonia from Transocean.  The offshore drilling assets currently contemplated for transfer to Caledonia include the following rigs:

Sedco 704, Sedco 711, Sedco 712, Sedco 714, Transocean John Shaw, Transocean Prospect, GSF Arctic III and J.W. McLean

The UK North Sea remains an important market for Transocean and the company is committed to maintaining its presence in the region.  As such, various options for the separation of Caledonia are under consideration.  Caledonia is expected to have a focused approach to assets and operations in the UK North Sea and it will continue to provide best-in-class service to customers.

The creation of Caledonia reflects the continued execution of Transocean’s asset strategy to improve the overall capability of its offshore drilling fleet by divesting non-core assets, complemented by the addition of new, high-specification offshore drilling rigs.

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Strata completes nine utility-scale solar projects across North Carolina

Strata completes nine utility-scale solar projects across North Carolina

Posted on 06 May 2014.

Strata Solar, a leading utility-scale solar provider, announced it has installed nine utility-scale solar power projects across North Carolina using more than $100 million of tax-equity financing provided by a subsidiary of Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC). North Carolina utility Progress Energy Carolinas will purchase the power. The projects produce enough electricity to power 5,000 households and displace 28,000 metric tons of CO2 per year. Supported by a 35 percent North Carolina Renewable Energy Tax Credit, the projects create local jobs and provide additional income for those who lease their land for the solar projects.

“We are very proud of our ability to invest and build in North Carolina’s rural communities.  These projects bring jobs, significant local spend, and an increase in the tax base without the requirement of county dollars which is typical of development projects,” said Markus Wilhelm, Strata Solar’s CEO.  “On a number of occasions we’ve witnessed these projects having an impact on attracting additional investors who are looking for business-friendly environments.”

The three largest projects – Bladenboro, Wagstaff and Nash 58 – all exceed six MWs in capacity and provide a significant boost to the local tax base without requiring additional county expenditures on sewer, roads or any other infrastructure.

“As a leading provider of capital in renewable energy and cleantech across the U.S., Wells Fargo is excited to participate in the rapid expansion of solar in the Southeast,” said Barry Neal, Head of Wells Fargo’s Environmental Finance Group. “We are proud to partner with top-tier developers like Strata who share in our commitment to support communities and deploy clean energy.”

Since 2006, Wells Fargo has provided over $4 billion in tax equity and construction financing for renewable energy projects in 28 states, including over $1.3 billion for more than 300 solar projects. Renewable project finance is part of the comprehensive goal Wells Fargo announced in 2012 to deploy by 2020 an additional $30 billion in financing to build a greener economy, including loans and investments for clean technology and environmental innovation and projects such as green buildings, renewable energy projects and green businesses.

Posted in Renewable Energy, Solar Energy0 Comments

The Time for Wind and Solar Energy Is Now

The Time for Wind and Solar Energy Is Now

Posted on 02 May 2014.

The U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC’s) latest report, which explores ways to cut carbon emissions, put the world on notice. Despite efforts in the United States, Europe and developing countries such as China to ramp up energy efficiency and renewable energy, global carbon emissions have been increasing at a much faster clip than they were just a few decades ago. To avoid the worst of the worst, IPCC scientists say emissions will have to be reduced 40 percent to 70 percent by 2050 and warn that we only have a 15-year window to reverse course.

“We cannot afford to lose another decade,” said Ottmar Edenhofer, a German economist who co-chaired the committee that wrote the report. “If we lose another decade, it becomes extremely costly to achieve climate stabilization.”

As Edenhofer points out, the cost of doing nothing likely would dwarf whatever we might spend today to address climate change. That said, it makes the most sense to replace fossil fuels with the most cost-effective, safest, carbon-free and low-carbon options that can be deployed as quickly as possible.

For the biggest source of U.S. carbon pollution — electric utilities — the best solution is wind, solar and other renewable energy technologies, which, according to the new IPCC report, “have achieved a level of technical and economic maturity to enable deployment at a significant scale.” In other words, renewables are now a lot cheaper and better than they were when the last IPCC report came out seven years ago.

What about nuclear power? Although it now provides the most carbon-free electricity in the country, without a national carbon tax or cap-and-trade program, it’s not economic, even with more than 50 years of generous federal subsidies.

Instead the cost of solar and wind has dropped dramatically. Solar panel prices have plummeted more than 75 percent since 2008, and the cost of generating electricity from wind turbines declined more than 40 percent over the past three years, sparking a construction boom. Last year, solar installations in the United States amounted to a record 5.1 gigawatts, boosting the national total to nearly 13 gigawatts — enough to power nearly 2.2 million typical American homes. And by the end of December, there were enough wind turbines across the country to power 15.5 million homes and cut annual electric power sector carbon emissions by 4.4 percent.

Given solar and wind’s exponential growth, experts see tremendous potential. The Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), for example,projects that wind and solar could produce 15 percent of U.S. electricity by 2020, 27 percent by 2030, and 50 percent by 2050.

Posted in Renewable Energy, Solar Energy, Wind Energy0 Comments

Massive wind power farm moves Mars toward carbon neutral operations

Massive wind power farm moves Mars toward carbon neutral operations

Posted on 01 May 2014.

Mars, Incorporated, in partnership with Sumitomo Corporation of Americas, announced an agreement today on a new 200 MW wind farm that will generate 100 percent of the electricity needs of Mars’ U.S. operations, which is comprised of 70 sites, including 37 factories and 25,000 Associates.

Mesquite Creek Wind, a 118-turbine wind farm was jointly developed by Sumitomo and BNB Renewable Energy and is based near Lamesa, Texas with a footprint of 25,000 acres­.  With an annual output of over 800,000 megawatt-hours, the energy created from the wind farm will represent 24 percent of Mars’ total global factory and office carbon footprint – equivalent to the electricity required to power 61,000 U.S. households. The wind farm represents the biggest long-term commitment to renewable energy use of any food manufacturing business in the United States.

The wind farm is one of the ways Mars is achieving its goal to make its operations ‘Sustainable in a Generation’ by eliminating greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. In the shorter term, Mars has committed to reduce fossil fuel energy and greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2015, using 2007 as its baseline year. The Mesquite Creek wind farm will enable Mars to meet this 2015 goal.

BNB, the originating developer of the wind farm, began discussions with Mars and brought Sumitomo Corporation in to the joint venture.  Sumitomo Corporation and Mars, Incorporated have reached contractual arrangements that allow Mars to receive all the renewable energy certificates from Mesquite Creek, offsetting the energy use for Mars’ entire US facilities.

Barry Parkin, chief sustainability officer at Mars, Incorporated, commented, “We are committed to doing our part to limit climate change. We are therefore delighted to be announcing this major renewable project that takes us a big step towards our goal of becoming carbon neutral in our operations. This is an innovative approach that makes great business and environmental sense.”

“We are pleased to be partnered with Mars to help them reduce their carbon footprint and allow their electricity to be carbon-neutral in the U.S.  Mesquite Creek is a landmark project for Sumitomo and our sixth renewable energy investment in the U.S., further strengthening our commitment as a major developer and owner of renewable energy,” said William Cannon, Vice President, Sumitomo Corporation of Americas.

“By making this extraordinary commitment to buy renewable energy, Mars is sending a clear message that companies, private and public, have the power to lead the world on climate change.  It’s good for the bottom line, it’s good for the environment, and projects like this leave a lasting legacy of values we hold dear. Thank you Mars and Sumitomo,” said Jonathan Butcher, Sr., a founder of BNB.

Development of Mesquite Creek began in 2008 on the 25,000 acre site, which is located in Borden and Dawson Counties, Texas, about eight miles from Lamesa.  Blattner Energy Inc. is constructing the wind farm, and electricity will be generated via 118 GE (NYSE: GE) 1.7 MW turbines. Turbine delivery is scheduled to begin at the end of the summer, with commercial operations expected to commence in the second quarter of 2015.

Posted in Renewable Energy, Wind Energy0 Comments

NEW REA REVIEW HIDES SHARP WARNING FOR GOVERNMENT

NEW REA REVIEW HIDES SHARP WARNING FOR GOVERNMENT

Posted on 01 May 2014.

The UK’s renewable energy industry has attracted almost £30 billion of private sector investment since 2010, which has enabled the industry to sustain more than 100,000 jobs in 2013 and deliver 4.2% of UK energy.
This is revealed in a new report published today by the Renewable Energy Association (REA).
Its REview – Renewable Energy View: 2014, launched in the House of Commons by energy minister Greg Barker, features analysis on the growth of renewables in the energy mix; jobs and turnover in the renewable energy industry;, and investment in renewable energy projects.
REA chief executive Dr Nina Skorupska explained: “This report highlights the close relationship between clear, stable policies and sustained growth and jobs in the renewable energy industry.
“The government’s renewable electricity policies have incentivised nearly £28 billion of private investment since 2010, achieving annual growth rates of over 20%. The world’s first Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) is also beginning to spur positive growth in green heating.”
But, Dr Skorupska warned that drastic cuts in the Feed-In Tariffs (FITs) in 2011/12 led to widespread job losses in the solar industry – and the continued policy uncertainty for renewable transport – has seen employment and investment opportunities in UK refineries go begging.
“We urge the government to learn the lessons from past experiences, such as solar FITs and biofuels uncertainty, and engage closely with industry to resolve outstanding uncertainties.”
She pointed out that renewable energy was helping the UK to keep the lights on, homes warm and cars moving
Analysis by the REA revealed that while the generation of renewable electricity had grown steadily, increasing on average by 20.3% year-on-year between 2009 and 2013, growth would need to accelerate to an average 18% year-on-year between 2013 and 2020 if the government’s ambition of 12% renewable heat by 2020 was to be achieved, with contributions coming mainly from biomass and heat pumps.
However, without an improved policy framework, it was unlikely the government would achieve its legally binding 2020 sub-target of 10% renewable transport.

Posted in Renewable Energy0 Comments

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