30 Apr 2012
The 2.8GW HidroAysen hydropower project will give Chile the power boost it needs.
What happened
Chile's Supreme Court approved the 2.8GW HidroAysen hydropower project, after it rejected seven appeals, reports Reuters. The US$3.5bn project consists of five hydroelectric dams on two rivers in Patagonia.
President Sebastián Piñera approved the project last year, but plans were put on hold as environmentalists protested its construction, concerned about a negative impact on the region’s ecosystem. The dams will generate over 18TWh per year – 33%...
04 Apr 2012
Demand reaches record level in Argentina … As net metering regulation approved in Chile … Eight pillars for Chile’s future energy policy outlined … And Hoosier linemen to power Guatemala.
El Inversor: Demand reaches record high in Argentina …
January 2012 saw Argentina break electricity demand records, as temperatures across the country soared, El Inversor reported. Temperatures reached 41oC in the capital and almost 50oC inland in Córdoba. This pushed demand up to 436.6GWh according to Roberto Baratta, the planning ministry’s sub-secretary of coordination and management control. This tops the previous record of 432.8GWh set in March 2011. January...
10 Apr 2012
Sydney project for 100% local power and reduced carbon emissions by 70% by 2030.
What happened
The staff writer at Ecos Magazine interviewed Allan Jones, the man behind Sydney’s ambitious green energy targets. Jones has had success with a similar drive in Woking, London, UK. During his tenure as chief engineer, Woking produced 100% of its power from local energy sources and reduced emissions by 77%.
Background
At Sydney 2030, the City of Sydney details its energy master plan for 2030. The plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 70% by 2030 could also cut...
23 Jan 2012
Smart grid venture capital funding plunged in 2011; Duke-Progress merger delayed and ABB Nissan testing new use for old Leaf batteries.
Smart Grid News: Smart Grid Venture Funding Plunges
Mercom Capital Group released its annual report on merger and acquisition and funding activity for 2011. Jesse Berst of Smart Grid News reports on the dramatic decrease in venture capital (VC) funding in 2011. ...
13 Mar 2012
Brazil leads Latin America to smart energy future ... But there are challenges ... And a new tariff structure approved.
Metering International: Brazil leads Latin America towards a smarter energy future, Metering Latin America confirms
Jonathan Spencer Jones, editor of Metering International, in a metering.com commentary wrote that during 2011, a number of important smart grid developments in several countries in Latin America, especially Brazil, were made.
There are now three smart city projects in:
Sete Lagoas (Cemig)
Buzios (Ampla)
Aparecida (EDP Brazil)
Two utilities are busy developing...
09 Feb 2012
Vienna is the world’s smartest city … will the EU cope without Iran’s oil? … UK’s “green” data centers not that efficient.
Smart Planet: Top 10 smartest cities in the world
Tyler Falk of Smart Planet writes about the world’s current top 10 ten smart cities, as listed by researcher Boyd Cohen, at Fast Company’s Co.Exist blog. The cities have been chosen according to:
· Past innovations
· Standard of life
· Sustainability and digital community
· ...
18 Nov 2011
Brazil has the largest electricity market in Latin America. 97% of its households have access to grid electricity. Energy consumption is expected to rise sharply. This is due to a projected GDP growth between 2010 and 2013, which will exceed the US, Canada. The International Energy Association projects that the rate of energy consumption for...
The country’s higher rate of consumption has resulted in power outages. There will be a further increase in consumption of 5.3% per year, between 2009 and 2019. The growing demand needs a total investment of US$128bn. Some analysts blame the pressured infrastructure onan “unwieldy bureaucracy and political system.” Richard Dubois, infrastructure partner at PwC in São Paulo, says that “there is a chronic lack of planning”.
The National Interconnected...
17 May 2012
“Watch this space, we are coming with alternative energy sources that will make Joburg the benchmark to show how best energy resources can be utilized to benefit citizens.”
Exclusive interview with Thabo Mahlatsi, the Director of the Energy Sector in the Infrastructure and Services Department in the City of Johannesburg – the host city for African Utility Week.
What would you regard as the biggest energy challenges that Johannesburg is facing?
Energy usage in all sectors is on the increase and as a result the pressure on the networks and infrastructure of electricity is high. Little and slow uptake of alternative renewable energy sources will make the...
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