11 Apr 2012
Australian consumption report released … EV charging goes solar … Australia’s Victoria ignores own emissions target!
Climate Spectator: Primed for a power surge
Roy Orchison discussed findings in a report by Ernst & Young on energy consumption in Australia. The report tracked power consumption from 1973-74 to 2008-09. Highlights include:
Total electricity supply rose from 74TWh in 1973-74 to 242TWh in 2008-09 (now fallen back to 236TWh)
The manufacturing share increasedby 2.8%, and accounted for 28% of the consumption market in 2008-09
Commercial and public services’ power needs...
04 Apr 2012
South African shopping mall to get Echelon microgrid ... Eskom chooses coal over renewables ... Monte Trigo, Santo Antão electrified ... Morocco aims for 42% renewable energy by 2020!
Electric Light & Power: Echelon working with microgrid projects in India, South Africa
Electric Light & Power reports that Echelon plans on two microgrid deployments, one in South Africa and one in India. The microgrids alleviate power interruptions by adjusting power distribution. According to the report, these microgrids are ideal for developing countries that struggle with erratic power supplies, and those that aim to include renewable and intermittent energy sources into their...
10 Jan 2012
The EU has submitted its updated National Renewable Energy Actions Plans (NREAPs) and, if met, the region’s renewable energy sector will see major growth.
What happened
The Energy research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN) published an update of the EU’s National Renewable Energy Action Plans (NREAPs). The report shows European Union renewable energy projections for the 27 Member States. 20 countries have released updated data, which seems to point towards substantial future growth in renewable energy. The report speculates that over the next 10 years, offshore wind capacity will multiply 17 times, onshore wind and biomass electricity will...
15 May 2012
Japan sounds alarm bells at electricity shortages… Smarter innovations stand to overshadow AMI … South Korean lawmakers unite for carbon trading vote … China courts EU green energy leaders
Prensa Latina: Japan admits to seriousness of energy crisis
Prensa Latina reports that Japan’s Minister of Industry, Yukio Edano, acknowledged his country may face an unprecedented energy crisis. The minister’s admission comes after Japan retired the last of its 54 nuclear plants on May 5, 2012, thereby losing about 30% of its electricity generation.
Edano said there...
08 May 2012
The UK’s smart grid upgrade will increase employment and bring significant economic benefits.
What happened
The UK will see a £13bn (US$21bn) boost to its economy, as well as the creation of 10,000 highly skilled jobs if the country upgrades its electric distribution network with smart grid technology. This is according to an Ernst & Young report, “Smart Grid: A race worth winning.” Click Green says this report offers the “most detailed assessment yet” of the smart grid’s potential benefits for the UK’s economy.
Reuters reports...
19 Apr 2012
Duke Energy courts loyal, efficient and satisfied customers … and utilities look to a “democratized energy” future … while Landis+Gyr pilot New York smart grid!
Smart Grid News: Duke Energy’s path to a more engaged, energy efficient and loyal utility customer
Jesse Berst of Smart Grid News writes about Duke Energy plans to roll out an electric consumer behavioral study program to all 1.2 million customers, which it must do state by state after regulator approval.
Delta Sonderman, Product Development Manager at Duke Energy, says, “We discovered that some energy efficiency is … about the house – but some is behavioral. And we...
16 Jan 2012
Recent themes: World Bank solar in Ouarzazate, Morocco; “Trans-African Caravan of Hope” at the Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa and Iranian nuclear plans.
Smart Planet: World Bank unleashes Africa’s solar potential.
David Worthington from the Smart Planet reports that the World Bank has approved a US$297m loan, to finance the 500MW Desertec Concentrated Solar Power Plant (CSP) in Ouarzazate, Morocco. The plant is set to generate 2,000MW, by 2020. The article points out that the project costs less than its American counterparts, and will have a larger capacity. Sunny climes, low humidity, and available flatland make Morocco the ideal place...
19 Apr 2012
South African industry stumbles under rising energy tariffs and international demands for ‘green’ products.
Rising energy prices and an ever-increasing pressure to conform to international environmental and climate change demands. These are some of the main challenges facing big industry in South Africa, according to Barry Bredenkamp, senior manager: Energy Efficiency at the South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI). He is one of several of the continent’s foremost power experts who will be addressing large power users at the African Utility Week (AUW) conference...
05 Feb 2012
Greg Laden of Scienceblogs.com looks at the “noise” that is being generated by climate change “denialists.”
By using a signal-to-noise ratio to demonstrate his point, he accuses “denialists” of creating “noise” to trick people into believing that the “jury is still out” on climate change.
Laden ends off by saying “Oh, and by the way, when you repeat those lies, or say things like "Huh... global warming ... the jury is still out..." then you look and sound, well, dumb.”
Read more about North America’s energy market
Sources
Science Blogs...
30 Nov 2011
The EU governments’ main focus over the last 3 years has been the economic crisis. This has forced the energy sector into the backseat.
What happened
The IEA announced, in its ‘State of the Energy World Report,’ that 2017 is the cut-off date to take drastic steps towards lowering CO2 emissions. Governments must strive to avoid the 2ᵒC increase in global temperature. The economic crisis has not helped to achieve this global goal. The EU has seen a decline in investment in the energy sector, for much needed infrastructure upgrades and the urgent establishment of renewables.
Background
The EU’s energy...
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