28 Mar 2012
Alameda County unveils its cutting edge microgrid in the fifth largest Santa Rita jail and offers a demonstration of large-scale distributed generation.
What happened
Ucilla Wang of Gigaom writes that Chevron and political dignitaries unveiled a microgrid, featuring solar, wind, fuel cells and a lithium-ion battery system, at the Santa Rita Jail. Chevron built the microgrid at the one million square foot facility in Dublin, California.
Background
Smart Planet’s Kirsten Korosec ties the project back to California’s 2001 energy crisis, which caused Alameda County to stabilize the facility’s power. With around 4,000 inmates,...
03 Apr 2012
A review of the energy news stories most recommended by Engerati’s Users, Founders and the team.
March has been a busy month at the Engerati Newsdesk. Here is a look at the ten best news stories of the month, from across our global energy community.
1. Bolivian Lithium Stash
Latin American Energy Storage
Bolivia has an abundance of Lithium. Its panoramic salt flats contain almost half of the world’s lithium stocks but the country lacks the expertise to exploit this sought-after resource, say experts.
2. Microgrid in massive jail
North American Microgrids
Alameda County...
09 Feb 2012
Hybrid truck sales to growSolar panel recycling profitable …BP forecasts strong growth in the renewable energy sector.
Pike Research: Hybrid Medium and Heavy Duty Trucks
The Pike Research report analyzes the prospects, and obstacles, faced in the market by hybrid electric, plug-in hybrid and battery electric medium and heavy-duty trucks. The study predicts that hybrid truck sales will exceed 100,000 vehicles annually by 2017. The main reasons for this are climbing diesel fuel costs and stringent emissions requirements. The majority of hybrid electric, plug-in hybrid electric and battery electric trucks will...
14 Feb 2012
Indian solar funding up 7-fold on 2010 … Solar atlas to energize Indian solar market … Waste-to-energy technology hits the Philippines … Fronius moves to China to be part of green tech standard … Japan’s home energy packages offer glimpse into energy future
Engerati: India’s Solar Investments Explode!
Natalie Obiko Pearson, at Bloomberg, reports that India’s clean energy investments grew by 52% to US$10.3bn, more than any other country worldwide. According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF), most of the money went into the solar sector.
US$4.2bn funding was pumped into solar plants connected to the grid, seven times more investment than 2010. Solar capacity increased to an estimated 277MW from 18MW in 2010, and could reach over 1...
07 Feb 2012
China gets ahead in storage market … while solar grows faster than expected in Asia Pacific … and Mittal hedges solar panel bets
SmartGridUpdate.com: China: Taking the lead on renewable energy storage
John French at SmartGridUpdate.com looks at the launch of China’s first commercial battery storage facility for renewable energies. The project combines 140MW of solar PV and wind energy generation with 36MWh of energy storage and a smart transmission system. French explains China’s dire need of solutions for its grid stability, adding that the country is well on track toward its 2015, 9% renewable energy...
06 Mar 2012
Bolivia’s panoramic salt flats contain almost half of the world’s lithium stocks but the country lacks the expertise to exploit this sought-after resource, say experts.
What happened
Delays in industrial production of Bolivian lithium are due to a lack of scientific expertise and skilled workers, writes SciDev.Net. But, Luis Alberto Echazú, manager of lithium extraction at Bolivia's state-owned mining corporation, Comibol, says unsigned contracts, and “technical, social and environmental challenges” are to blame.
A research pilot plant, which was due for completion by 2009, will now only be ready in May 2012, and the first industrial...
06 Mar 2012
Tidal and wave power development offers huge opportunities … While Prepay meters are surprisingly popular … Gates and Chu talk power … And Envia to halve battery costs!
Engerati: Turning The Tide on Renewable Energy
Jenni McCann of Engerati looks at two wave and tidal power reports by the Department of Energy (DoE.) These reports conclude that there are “major opportunities for new water power development in the US.”
With a reputation for being expensive to build, these technologies have progressed slowly, but by utilizing marine and wind energy data, these costs are recoverable and this production costs are still lower than that of other...
06 Mar 2012
Bolivian Lithium Stash ... While Honduras’ first wind farm inaugurated … And hybrid vehicles gain ground in Costa Rica… Even as first lithium battery to be manufactured in Argentina
Engerati: Bolivia – The Lithium Saudi Arabia!
Bolivia has an abundance of this valuable resource and has even been called the “Saudi Arabia of lithium.” Its panoramic salt flats contain almost half of the world’s lithium stocks but the country lacks the expertise to exploit this sought-after resource, say experts.
Some blame delays in industrial production of Bolivian lithium on a lack of scientific expertise and skilled workers, while local miners blame unsigned...
17 May 2012
“An innovative product named KONČAR Hybrid Power Supply combines KON wind, solar and hydrogen power as well as battery and provides constant supply to telecommunications operators’ base stations.”
Exclusive interview with Dr Miroslav Poljak, member of the Management Board of KONČAR – Electrical industry Inc., Zagreb, Croatia – an exhibitor at African Utility Week.
1) What are you most excited about currently in terms of KONČAR’s products and solutions?
KONČAR finished the first phase of the construction of the Pometeno brdo power plant and six wind turbines of 1.0 MW have been connected to the power supply network. The end of this phase is extremely...
29 Feb 2012
New standards could be dampen Chinese wind sector enthusiasm … Welspun wins 250MW solar in India … Hong Kong gets EV right … and Pike compiles list of world’s top ten Li-ion manufacturers.
Engerati: Chinese Distributed Wind Operators Discouraged by Tech Specs
Power Engineering says China’s wind energy sector has to standardize technical reconstruction in order to thrive. China’s State Grid introduced technical standards, which distributed wind power generators must meet before they can access the power grid.
The National Energy Administration issued guidelines for distributed wind power development and construction. However, the technical standards will raise...
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