Saturday 30 June 2012

政府エネ・環境会議 原発比率0~25%の3シナリオ想定

政府は29日、エネルギー・環境会議を開き、2030年までの中長期的なエネルギー政策について、3つの選択肢を決定した。30年時点での総発電量に占め る原発の比率を0%、15%、20~25%とする3つのシナリオを想定。それぞれについて核燃料処理のあり方や地球温暖化ガスの削減効果などを付記した。 今後、国民が参加する意見聴取会などを開催し、8月中に革新的エネルギー・環境戦略としてまとめる計画だ。

 東京電力福島第1原発事故前の11年、原発依存度は約26%だったが、いずれの選択肢でもこれを段階的に引き下げる。

 30年に原発依存度ゼロの場合、使用済み核燃料は再処理して利用せず、すべてを地中に廃棄する「直接処分」を採用。原発比率が15%と20~25%の場合は、直接処分と再処理を併用する方針だ。

 温室効果ガスの排出削減効果は、原発比率が低くなるほど低下する。

 原発比率が0%と15%の場合は1990年比で23%の排出削減、原発が20~25%の場合は25%の削減を見込む。

 政府は今後、国民的な議論を経て最終的なエネルギー戦略をまとめるが、今回の3つの選択肢から1つを選ぶのか、複数の選択肢を混合する形で一本化するかは未定だ。

http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20120629-00000011-fsi-bus_all

再生エネ買い取り制度の“落とし穴” 発電量が増えるほど消費者負担重く - フジサンケイ ビジネスアイ

再生可能エネルギーの固定価格買い取り制度の導入で、企業だけでなく、個人でも太陽光発電などの導入機運が高まっている。発電量が増えれば二酸化炭素 (CO2)の削減など地球温暖化防止への期待も高まる。だが、発電量が増えれば増えるほど消費者の負担が重くなる。電気料金の大幅値上げが消費を抑制し、 景気を冷え込ませる恐れも指摘されている。

 「最初は太陽光発電などの設備投資が拡大し、景気押し上げ効果が大きいが、中長期的には電気料金値上げで家計の購買力が低下してしまう」。今回の買い取り制度についてこう指摘するのは、農協共済総合研究所の古金義洋上席研究員。

 同制度では一部を除き、発電した分を全量買い取る仕組み。買い取り価格が固定されているため、企業や個人は採算を考えながら発電設備に投資しやすくなるが、電力会社が買い取った費用は「賦課金」として電気料金に上乗せでき、普及すればするほど電気料金も上昇する。

 古金氏の試算では、水力を除く再生エネの比率が現在の1%から今後10年間で20%まで増えた場合、初年度で月75~110円の家計の負担額が、10年後には1600円に跳ね上がるという。

 同様の制度で先行したドイツでは、消費者負担は固定価格化した2000年から10年間で10倍以上に増加。このため全量買い取りをやめ、買い取り価格も 段階的に引き下げている。同様に、スペインでも太陽光“バブル”が発生。電力会社の料金を低く抑え、買い取り価格との差額を財政負担している同国政府はこ れに耐えられず、価格引き下げや新規買い取り凍結などに追い込まれている。

 日本でも、買い取り価格は通常の電気料金に比べ割高に設定されている。投資回収を容易にするためだが、再生エネの普及が一気に加速すれば、ドイツやスペインと同様の事態に陥ることも懸念されている。

http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20120629-00000009-fsi-bus_all

<発電>太陽光、風力の新規参入は原発2.5基分

電力会社による再生可能エネルギーの固定価格買い取り制度が1日から始まるのを受けて、太陽光、風力など新たな発電事業の認定件数が12年度で計250万 キロワット超になる見通しであることが30日、経済産業省資源エネルギー庁の集計で分かった。政府が「脱原発依存」実現の切り札として建設費などのコスト を考慮した買い取り価格を設定したことで新規参入が相次ぎ、発電能力では初年度で原発2.5基分が電力供給に上乗せされることになる。

 同庁によると、28日現在で買い取り対象の認定を受けた事業は44件で、総発電量は4万1605キロワット。近畿地方で1万2000キロワットの水力発電が1件認可された以外はすべて太陽光発電という。

 太陽光発電所は今秋以降に完成が相次ぎ、年度末までに計250万キロワット超になる見込み。制度導入前の再生エネ(大型水力を除く)の発電能力は1945万キロワットのため、新制度導入によって1割強増える計算になる。

 1キロワット時当たりの買い取り価格は発電規模によって異なるが、太陽光は1キロワット時=42円。期間は出力10キロワット以下の太陽光が10年間、他は20年間。価格と期間は毎年見直されるが、認定を受けた年度の価格と期間が固定される。

 電力会社は買い取り費用を電気料金に転嫁するため、7月以降の標準家庭の電気料金は75~111円(平均87円)上がる。【丸山進】

http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20120630-00000072-mai-bus_all

企業が相次ぎ発電参入、原発2基分 再生エネ買い取りスタート

買い取り制度により、企業の発電事業への参入が相次いでいる。経済産業省が買い取り対象として認定した大規模太陽光発電所(メガソーラー)、風力発電所は 6月28日時点で44件で、発電能力は計約4万1600キロワット。同省は今年度中に認定する施設は原発2基分にあたる250万キロワットにのぼると試算 しており、全国の再生エネによる発電能力は現在の計約1950万キロワットから約2200万キロワットに拡大する見通しだ。

 「太陽光発電の普及に向けた歴史的な転換点になる」。太陽光発電協会の片山幹雄代表理事(シャープ会長)は6月29日の会見で、買い取り制度をこう評価 した。同協会では、太陽光発電の累計発電能力が、平成22年度の350万キロワットから、42年度には1億キロワットに拡大し、国内電力消費量の10%を 賄うと予測する。

 発電事業への新規参入が相次ぐのは、再生エネの普及を促すため、政府が買い取り価格を事業者の希望通り高めに設定したからだ。太陽光は発電コストが1キロワット当たり最低約30円と、42円の買い取り料金は大きな魅力だ。

 ローソンは6月29日、平成26年2月末までに全国の2千店で導入すると発表したほか、ヤマダ電機も来年3月までに約300店の店舗の屋上に設置する方 針だ。三井化学は三井物産などと共同で、出力5万キロワットのメガソーラーに加え、6千キロワットの風力発電も建設する。太陽電池メーカーの京セラや シャープも自ら発電事業に乗り出す。

 地熱発電の計画も動き出している。国立・国定公園内での建設を条件付きで認める政府の規制が緩和されたことも追い風となり、出光興産や三菱商事などの9 社連合が福島県で開発調査の意見交換を開始。北海道でも丸紅や石油資源開発がそれぞれ地元合意を前提に調査を検討している。

 ただ、再生エネには課題も多い。太陽光発電は天候に左右され、実際の発電量は発電容量の30%程度。不安定な出力を制御するための設備が必要なほか、風力発電などは適地が限られるため送電網の整備コストもかかる。

 「不安定な電源の出力が落ちた分を補うため火力発電なども必要」(電力会社幹部)となるため、現在の発電所を減らすわけにもいかない。買い取り制度で発電所の普及は一気に進みそうだが、原発に代わる安定的な電源と位置付けられるまでには時間がかかりそうだ。

http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20120630-00000588-san-soci

中宁建宁夏规模最大光伏屋顶发电项目

记者6月28日从宁夏回族自治区住房和城乡建设厅了解到,近日,中宁县政府与宁夏百事德新能源科技有限公司、宁夏银星能源有限公司签署屋顶光伏发电 项目合作协议,3年内在中宁县建成总装机容量为35兆瓦的农村屋顶光伏发电项目。该项目不仅将成为我区最大的太阳能光伏屋顶发电项目,也让生态移民村房顶 能发电,移民们坐在家里就能赚钱。

  该项目将中宁县生态移民区建筑工程屋面与太阳能光伏发电相结合,集中推广中小型太阳能光伏发电并网系统,既节约土地又增加农民收入,开辟了宁夏中南部 生态移民搬迁群众从发展新兴产业中分红获利、增收致富的新路子。该项目建成后,年发电量可达5110万千瓦时,节约标煤约1.7万吨,减排二氧化碳 4.233万吨;受益农户达1.2万户、约5.4万人,每户每年可增加纯收入约1000元。

http://www.pvnews.cn/chanyeyaowen/2012-06-30/43371.html

中国电建湖北院中节能两农业光伏项目通过可研评估

日前中国电力建设集团下属湖北院编制的《中节能汉川10MWp光伏农业科技大棚电站项目可行性研究报告》及《中节能应城10MWp光伏农业科技大棚电站项目可行性研究报告》通过专家评估。

  评估会由湖北省工程咨询公司主持,湖北省发展和改革委员会、省财政厅、省环保厅、省物价局、省电力公司、孝感市发改委、汉川市发改委、应城市发改局、 中节能太阳能科技、中节能武汉太阳能发电有限公司等单位的领导、代表及中南电力设计院、无锡尚德太阳能电力公司、荆楚理工学院、赛维LDK光伏科技公司、 湖北省气象服务中心等单位的技术和工程经济方面的专家出席了会议。

  据悉,湖北汉川、应城10MWp农业科技大棚光伏并网发电项目是湖北省首次将太阳能与现代农业相结合的大型并网发电项目,其施工建设具有可行性,距电 网近,联网运行方便,太阳能资源有一定利用价值,适合建设太阳能发电场。项目建成投产后,可以缓减地区的供电需求矛盾,增加当地税收,经济、社会效益十分 显著。

http://www.pvnews.cn/chanyeyaowen/2012-06-30/43345.html

昱辉阳光青海光伏项目CDM 获国家发改委批准

消息,近日,昱辉阳光青海乌兰一期20MW并网光伏发电项目CDM正式通过了国家发改委清洁发展机制项目审核理事会的专家组评审,这意味着该项目已获国家发改委批准,其每年实现的减排量预计超过3万吨。

  据悉,青海昱辉20MW并网光伏电站项目是由昱辉阳光集团控股公司青海昱辉新能源有限公司独立建设,装机容量为20MW,年发电量预计为3,405万千瓦时,项目已于2011年年底正式并入西北电网。

  根据《京都议定书》中引入的清洁发展机制(CDM),允许发达国家与发展中国家进行项目级的减排量抵消额的转让与获得,在发展中国家实施温室气体减排项目。通过CDM的实施以履行发达国家在《京都议定书》中所承诺的限排或减排义务,发展中国家则获得一定的项目收益。

  根据青海昱辉新能源有限公司与格林斯高有限公司(Greenscot Limited)签署的碳减排量购买协议,青海昱辉20MW并网光伏电站项目每年的减排量将根据当年欧洲市场碳价置换,获得相应收益。

  据介绍,作为绿色能源项目,昱辉阳光集团在项目建设初期开始积极的推进CDM工作,经过8个月努力现场监控数据都已达标,为此次顺利通过专家组的评审 奠定了良好的基础。根据CDM的审核机制,通过中国国家发改委审批的CDM项目,还需通过联合国CDM执行理事会的审核,获得签发碳核证减排量 (CERs)。昱辉阳光青海CDM项目预计于今年年内在联合国执行理事会完成注册工作。

http://www.pvnews.cn/chanyeyaowen/2012-06-30/43355.html

德国政府最终确定上网电价补贴缩减方案

消息,削减上网电价补贴的讨论像一团乌云笼罩着德国市场,本周这一争论终于拨云见日,德国联邦议院与联邦参议院双方达成妥协。默克尔政府表示政府将为太阳 能行业保留“发展空间”,保证每年新增光伏装机容量2.5到3GW,总补贴上限52GW。政府将进一步明确中等规模项目和屋顶系统的分类标准。所有的补贴 计划将从2012年4月1日起开始计算。

  10到14kW的屋顶光伏系统90%的发电量可以享受每千瓦时0.185欧元的上网电价补贴,该税率从2014年1月开始执行。10MW规模的光伏项目补贴额度不变。

  EuPD Research称,“2011年安装的10到40kW光伏系统总计1.8GW,占总市场的四分之一。预计今年这一规模的系统仍将占据相当的市场份额,头四个月的安装量已经达到600MWp。”

  Jefferies则表示,“尽管回报率较低,但德国复兴银行提供的廉价融资使得市场仍具有吸引力。光伏系统的价格可能进一步降低。考虑到目前的市场环境,我们继续看好太阳能行业,逆变器制造商优于组件制造商。”

  德国政府还决定投资5000万欧元开展储能技术的研发项目,预计该研究计划将从2013年1月1日开始。

  自去年日本发生核电事故后,德国开始关停本国核电站,并计划在2050年前将可再生能源的使用比例提高到80%,德国2011年新增光伏装机容量7.5GW。

  今年年初,德国政府决定在经济部长Philipp Roesler对补贴系统进行彻底审议之后缩减上网电价补贴。3月份,太阳能行业的上千名从业者上街抗议政府的补贴缩减计划,政府随后决定将缩减幅度从28%降至24%。

  而新当选的环境部长Peter Altmaier表示,“这对德国的新能源产业是重要的一天,我对太阳能的前景表示乐观,太阳能可以不依赖补贴在未来几年中在成本上与传统能源匹敌。同 时,我们会加大研发方面的投资力度,保证德国太阳能行业与全球其他公司获得公平的竞争机会。”

http://www.pvnews.cn/hangyezhengce/2012-06-30/43364.html

金乡太阳能光伏材料项目获中央投资资金180万元

6月30日消息,近日,从省发改委获悉,金乡县申报的太阳能光伏材料研发综合公共服务平台项目被列入2012年国家服务业发展引导资金重点扶持项目,争取 中央预算内投资180万元。该项目总投资3840万元,主要建设综合研发楼2栋,购置研发、实验、计量等设备70余台/套,打造集光伏材料研发创新、技术 服务和生产示范于一体的综合服务平台。该项目的建设对于推动光伏材料等新能源产业的发展具有重要意义。

http://www.pvnews.cn/chanyeyaowen/2012-06-30/43369.html

北川福德太阳能扶贫专项资金启动仪式举行

  PV News 6月15日消息,北川福德新能源股份有限公司对口支持小坝乡太阳能扶贫专项资金启动仪式在小坝乡政府门口隆重举行。仪式由小坝乡乡长李永川主持,北川羌族 自治县人大常委会主任李春寿、北川县经开区副主任代学好、北川县经发局局长袁显荣、小坝乡党委书记石卫国等县乡领导,以及北川福德新能源股份有限公司董事 长房富民、总经理段有名等公司领导出席。
  
  上午9时,启动仪式正式开始。首先,小坝乡党委书记石卫国致辞,他表示北川福德公司作为援川企业时刻不忘回馈社会,对小坝乡开展的太阳能专项扶贫支持是大爱北川的真实写照,并代表小坝乡党委、政府和人民,感谢北川福德公司的无私帮助。

  北川县人大常委会主任李春寿发表讲话。他说,北川是一个山清水秀、人杰地灵的地方,为响应国家及省市有关政府部门“节能减排”的号召,同时加快推进北 川特色社会主义新农村建设,北川福德公司联合北川县有关部门推出太阳能专项扶贫支持。通过支持,10年内能为小坝乡节约木材6万公斤,不仅方便了当地群众 的生活用水,也最大程度上支持了国家和地方的“退耕还林”事业。作为北川县重生的兄弟省份,山东省不但以最快的速度完成了北川的灾后重建工作,而且以北川 福德新能源股份有限公司为代表的援川企业,除了扎实推进企业发展,还时刻不忘“感恩和回馈”,真正承担起落地生根、造福一方的社会责任。

  北川福德新能源股份有限公司董事长房富民发表讲话,他表示,“热心公益,关爱社会”,是福德人“真实、灿烂、感恩、分享”心态的体现,更是企业文化的 重要组成部分,在福德人看来,企业人参与公益事业的程度恰恰是社会责任感的体现,而具有社会责任感是一个企业人最基本的素质。自成立以来,福德团队始终秉 承“福临天下、德浴万家”的品牌理念,怀着一颗感恩的心,在力所能及的范围内积极参与公益事业、回报社会。

  随后,房富民代表北川福德正式向小坝乡党委书记石卫国递交太阳能扶贫专项资金100000元。凡小坝乡居民购任意一款北川福德生产的太阳能惠民机型, 均可享受800元的专项资金补贴。在启动仪式现场,北川县人大主任李春寿亲手把第一笔补贴款送到农户手中。绵阳、北川等主流媒体对活动分别进行了专题采访 和追踪报道。

  对口支持小坝乡太阳能扶贫专项资金,是福德“热心公益,关爱社会”的真实写照,它为北川福德公司深入农村、开辟农村市场打下了坚实的基础,为加快推进 北川“新农村”建设、提高当地居民生活水平和质量,提供了强有力的保障。这不但是一次爱心行动,也是一种有效的市场开拓行为,真正把优秀的产品以最优惠的 方式送到最需要的人身边。

http://www.pvnews.cn/chanyeyaowen/2012-06-30/43370.html

德国肖特太阳能将停产晶体硅光伏产品

 据报道,德国肖特太阳能Schott Solar AG将于今年10月关闭其位于德国的一家晶体硅光伏产品工厂。此后,该公司产品开发与公司总部仍将位于德国美因茨(Mainz)。

  据报道,在6月28日举行的会议上,监管层已作出决定。预计大约有870名员工将受到此次波及。

  据这家德国媒体报道,与此同时,预计Schott的太阳能热电站接收器将继续生产。但目前还未得到Schott公司内部人员的证实。

  最近几个月,该公司已成功缩减了其在德国光伏市场的规模。最初,该公司关闭了德国阿尔岑瑙(Alzenau)的组件生产工厂,并停止了德国古镇耶拿(Jena) 的硅片生产。这已造成600名员工失去工作。

  未来,Schott仅仅预计公司将继续在德国开发高效电池及组件产品。除此以外,公司将增强其在项目开发领域的地位。

http://www.pvnews.cn/qiyedongtai/2012-06-30/43372.html

Energy storage – Q2 2012 review and analysis

John Petersen

While I jumped the gun last week and published my third quarter outlook for the energy storage and vehicle electrification sectors early, it's worthwhile to take a look back and see how my tracking list of companies performed over the last quarter and examine the past to see what the tea leaves in the bottom of the cup portend for the coming quarter. So without further delay I'll present my price performance table for the second quarter that ended on Friday.

6.30.12 Price Table.png

It was a dreadful quarter for Maxwell Technologies (MXWL) and ZBB Energy (ZBB) as their prices fell by 64% and 41% respectively. While the declines were precipitous, they were also one-off events and I believe both companies are trading at very attractive prices for investors who want to position their portfolios for the mean reversion upswing that usually follows fast on the heels of a painful downturn. My long-term tracking charts for both companies show distinct bottoms forming and I believe they're both likely to trend up for the rest of the year.

Q2 was also an ugly quarter for UQM Technologies (UQM), Valence Technology (VLNC) and Tesla Motors (TSLA). While I believe UQM is attractively priced, I'm convinced that Valence and Tesla are only seeing the beginning of storms that are likely to get more severe through the summer and fall months.

The following table tracks several key financial metrics for the companies I follow. Today I'll try to explain why I track this data and show how I use peer group comparisons to identify stocks that are either overvalued or undervalued. If you want to understand the balance of this article, you should pay close attention to the table instead of simply blowing past the data and focusing on the words.

6.30.12 Metrics Table.png

The first metric I consider when analyzing any company is working capital adequacy. I see development stage companies that don't have at least twelve months of working capital as problem children because as sure as the sun will rise tomorrow, they'll be going back to the market for more money within a few months. The two companies with the worst working capital positions are A123 Systems (AONE) and Tesla. Both had less than six months of working capital at March 31st, even after adjusting A123's numbers for a recent $50 million toxic debt offering, and both will look truly dismal when their June financial statements are released in early August. Wunderlich Securities recently cut its price target on A123 to $0.50 and I think they're being generous. Absent a major turnaround, I expect A123 to follow the path blazed by Solyndra, Beacon Power and Ener1. While Tesla has a couple more financing rounds left in its bag of tricks, I don't expect the terms to be particularly generous to existing stockholders because the execution risks are so immediate.

The second financial statement metric I key on when trying to distinguish overvalued from undervalued is the difference between a company's market capitalization and its book value. That number is a good proxy for the value the market puts on a company's technology, customer base and other intangibles that don't show up on the balance sheet. When the market premium is a low or negative number, it indicates either opportunity or risk. When market premium is an objectively high number, it's a sign of extreme price risk – much like a robotic voice screaming "Danger Will Robinson, Danger!"

Turning to the table, A123 is trading at a modest discount to book value that doesn't fully reflect the risks it will face over the next six months as it tries to recover from a simple calibration error that gave rise to roughly $70 million in warranty costs and inventory write-offs. A123's cash needs will be huge and the best they could do in their last financing round is a death spiral note that's payable bi-monthly and convertible at 85% of market. Possible future product offerings in the micro-hybrid and aviation battery markets aren't even interesting because neither is soon enough or large enough to materially improve A123's operating results over the short-term.

Next on the list is Valance technology, which has had a deficit in its stockholders' equity for years. A bad capital structure has finally caught up with Valence and it will probably lose its Nasdaq listing sometime in July. Valence's LiFePO4 battery technology is proprietary, but it's not all that different from A123's proprietary LiFePO4 battery technology. With both companies needing major equity infusions, I see more risk in Valence than I do in A123 because the market values its technology, customer base and other intangible assets at a $167 premium to A123. Frankly I just don't see a good reason for the discrepancy.

The only company in the table with an obviously low market premium is Exide Technologies (XIDE) which trades at a 35% discount to book value because the market has grown weary of exaggerated losses flowing from a multi-year business restructuring that's finally coming to an end. Once the bleeding stops, I expect Exide to perform very well.

On the extreme high end of the market premium spectrum we have Tesla which trades at a silly level of 21.4 times book value while every other company I follow trades at three times book or less. That valuation excess is solely attributable to the Hype Cycle, which seems to have run its course. Over the last two years Tesla has been driven higher and higher as the delivery date for its first Model S cars drew nigh. The long anticipated event finally happened a week ago Friday and the Model S drew spectacular reviews from the automotive press. Despite the good news, the price fell by 7% last week.

The reason is simple. The market expected the deliveries to go off without a hitch and it expected rave reviews. So there was no "good" left in that news. Now, however, the business dynamic has changed. Instead of sounding like a politician and focusing on how good it's going to be, Tesla will have to begin dealing with day-to-day business realities like actual reservation conversion rates, actual production problems and actual manufacturing costs. While I suppose Tesla could be different from every new manufacturer in the history of business, I see very little in the way of unexpected good news that could lift its stock price when the business is entering a target rich environment for disappointments that could depress its stock price. This is not a favorable risk reward dynamic for investors who care about their portfolio value.

The thing I like best about the market premium metric is that it lets an investor assemble a hierarchy of opportunity to compare the different companies in a sector. The following table is a simple example that excludes several outliers and shows market premium as an absolute number, and as a relative number compared to book value, my "BS to Book ratio."

6.30.12 Premium Table.png

I'm not a fan of electric cars because the entire sector has been mercilessly over-hyped while the real economic costs and illusory benefits are just now coming to light. If I did want to make an EV investment that had a good chance of significant appreciation, I'd pick UQM and Kandi Technologies (KNDI) over Tesla. Kandi is profitably selling low cost transportation for the masses in China, a country that's striving to raise living standards for all of its people. Kandi has a healthy working capital balance and a low BS to Book ratio. UQM is still reporting modest losses, but its balance sheet is strong and its BS to Book ratio is one of the lowest in my tracking group. The risk-reward dynamic for both companies is quite favorable because the potential for additional price deterioration is modest while the potential for future price appreciation is substantial. In other words, they're both polar opposites of Tesla.

The same kind of analysis holds in the middle range where Axion Power (AXPW.OB), ZBB, Active Power (ACPW) and Maxwell carry market premiums that range from $14.3 million to $72 million and have BS to Book ratios of 2.0 or less. A blog like this one is not a good place to  slice and dice the respective technical strengths of four companies that are focused on different products that have different applications that don't really compete with each other. But all four of them are one or two solid announcements away from market premiums in the $200 to $400 million range which A123 and Maxwell both carried at some point in the last twelve months.

When you're betting on trees to grow, you don't pick the tallest one in the forest because it's the one most likely to get struck by lightning. You don't pick the diseased trees because of their inherent risks. Instead you pick healthy saplings that have modest mortality risks but are poised to enter a growth spurt. For my money all four of these mid-range companies have that kind of potential through the end of this year and beyond.

Disclosure: Author is a former director of Axion Power International (AXPW.OB) and holds a substantial long position in its common stock.

http://www.altenergystocks.com/archives/2012/06/energy_storage_q2_2012_review_and_analys is_1 .html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AlternativeEne rgyS tocks+%28AltEnergyStocks.com%29

Solar - powered charger for the apple iPhone



 
 
 

   
    Solar-Powered Charger for the Apple iPhone (via Clean Technica)
   

       The Apple iPhone already has a pretty decent battery life, but with the new EnerPlex from Ascent Solar Technologies, that battery life could grow even more. The EnerPlex is a new line of consumer products that incorporates Ascent solar cells into a sleek protective case for the iPhone 4 and iPhone…
   

 

 

Solar energy estimate report (for consumers & solar providers)



 
 
 

   
    Solar Energy Estimate Report (For Consumers & Solar Providers) (via Clean Technica)
   

         For anyone who wants to dig into the options a solar contractor looks at when he or she decides what to install on your property, or what a potential solar system should provide for you, the Solar Energy Estimate (SEE) Report offers a pretty detailed look. From the SEE Report website: “The SEE…
   

 

 

New York state encouraging big renewables

In the future, the state of New York won’t be known only for its world-famous city and picturesque northern landscape, rather it may soon also be known for its renewable energy projects. Two interesting developments this week should start to attract developers of larger solar and wind power projects to various regions in the state.

In April, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the NY-Sun Initiative, a plan that brought together the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), Long Island Power Authority (LIPA), and the New York Power Authority (NYPA) to help develop and fund a solar energy expansion plan. The goal is to double the amount of non-ultility owned solar power installed annually in New York, and quadruple that amount by 2013.
Yesterday, LIPA announced a CLEAN solar initiative, otherwise known as a feed-in tariff to spur up to 50 MW of commercial and large-scale solar projects in its region over the next two years. Under the program, LIPA will purchase all of the energy generated by local solar projects at a fixed-rate of 22 cents per kilowatt-hour for 20 years.  Projects must be at least 50 kilowatts (kW) in size so residential systems won’t qualify. LIPA said that it expects the largest projects to be in the 3-MW range. The program is capped at 50 MW.

Notably, the state of New York recognized that balance of systems (BOS) costs must be reduced in order for solar to be competitive. As part of the NY-Sun initiative, the state created the NY-Sun BOS initiative, which will work with private and public partners across New York State to try to implement statewide standardization and streamlining of the procedures for permitting and interconnection, and development and training.
On the topic of permitting, the NY Public Service Commission (PSC) has just completed the comment period for rulemaking on the somewhat controversial “Article 10.” In a nutshell (and straight from the PSC website), “Article 10 provides for the siting review of new and repowered or modified major electric generating facilities in New York State by the Board on Electric Generation Siting and the Environment (Siting Board) in a unified proceeding instead of requiring a developer or owner of such a facility to apply for numerous state and local permits.” New projects must be at least 25 MW in size to qualify for state siting board review.

For renewable energy, Article 10 specifically addresses wind farm siting and permitting, which often faces challenging and aggressive local opposition.  Essentially it gives the state the ability to approve wind farms and takes some of the oversight from local governments.  Major industry players like Iberdrola and EDP Renewables are strongly in favor of the measure.
As you might imagine, there are opponents to the article as well.  Resident Mary Kay Barton said, “what’s at stake is our long-held, constitutional right to ‘home rule’ — the right to decide for ourselves what we want our communities to look like 20, 40, and 60 years down the road,” in an op-ed she wrote for The Daily News.
Local towns and municipalities are fearful of having less oversight in what is built within their borders. The PSC will make a final determination on rulemaking for Article 10 sometime this summer.

Like it or not, New York State is embracing renewables in a big way – encouraging the development of solar and big wind.  Our readers have supported the state in its initiatives so far.  Last February, the 32-MW solar farm at the Brookhaven National Laboratory on Long Island was selected at the Readers’ Choice Project of the Year.
Perhaps Sinatra was right about New York. For renewables, "if I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere." We’ll see.

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/blog/post/2012/06/new-york-state-encouraging-big-renewables

Two closures illustrate the need to chart a new course for solar

Energy efficiency without trying (and With)

John Lennon wrote that life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.  Apparently, the same is true of energy efficiency. Energy savings happen when we’re busy doing other things — Internet-based things specifically.
We use email, bank online and download music not to save energy, but to make life easier and more interesting.  Energy efficiency is a happy byproduct.
What online pursuits serve up the most energy savings in day-to-day life?
The Global e-Sustainability Initiative, or GeSI, recently commissioned the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) and the Yankee Group to answer this question. The study, “Measuring the Energy Reduction Impact of Selected Broadband-Enabled Activities within Households.” looked at eight broadband-related activities in the US, UK, Spain, Italy, Germany and France:  telecommuting, Internet news, online banking, e-commerce, music and video downloads or streaming, e-education, digital photography, and e-mail.

Telecommuting provides the greatest energy savings among the activities (83 to 86 percent). From an energy efficiency perspective, it’s better to log-on to the office than drive there. Reading the news online and participating in e-education offered the least energy savings.  Consumers tend to undertake these activities to complement, not replace, the old-fashion way of doing things. They still read the newspaper and travel to classes, so offset the savings gained by the online activity.
As telecommuting expands, and more of our daily routine takes place online, these eight activities could cut energy use by about two percent or the equivalent of 500 million barrels of oil annually. Not bad, but still small compared with the savings offered by a series of ‘scale’ activities: smart grid, manufacturing and building upgrades, electric cars, combined heat and power.
So while it’s nice that we inadvertently save energy, say by banking online, it won’t revolutionize our energy picture.  But another recent report by the ACEEE shows what might: Intelligent efficiency.
Think systems or cities instead of light bulbs or refrigerators. That’s intelligent efficiency. The US could reduce its energy use by as much as 22 percent by focusing more on system rather than gadget efficiency, says the report “A Defining Framework for Intelligent Efficiency.”
“This is not your father’s device-driven approach to energy efficiency,” said R. Neal Elliott, ACEEE associate director for research.  “A large portion of our past efficiency gains came from improvements in individual products, appliances, and equipment, such as light bulbs, electric motors, or cars and trucks. And while device-level technology improvements will continue to play an important role, looking ahead we must take a systems-based approach to dramatically scale up energy efficiency to meet our future energy challenges. Through intelligent efficiency, utility systems, interconnected cities, transportation systems, and communications networks can become the new normal across the United States and will undergird national and regional economies that, even in the face of increasingly scarce resources, grow and thrive.”

ACEEE cites several examples of intelligent efficiency already in the works. Among them is Envision Charlotte, an attempt to reduce energy use in city buildings through a partnership of Duke Energy, Cisco, and Verizon. Interactive video monitors in the lobbies of downtown office buildings display the collective energy used, in near real time, by buildings in the core of the North Carolina city. People pass by the monitors and see the easily readable data, learn energy efficiency ideas, and hear about success stories. They become more conscious of energy through this repeated exposure and their behavior changes — that’s the theory. Duke Energy expects the project to reduce electricity usage 20 percent by 2016 in uptown Charlotte’s business community.
One important point here. None of this – our online household activities or intelligent efficiency – excludes a tried-and-true approach to save energy: utility sponsored programs. A third recent study by ACEEE (Yes, this is a productive organization.) finds that utilities increased energy efficiency budgets four fold in a decade, from $1.1 billion in 2000 to $4.6 billion in  2010. Often when utilities save energy rather than buy it, it turns out to be the cheapest approach.
“The concept of energy efficiency as a utility resource is really very simple,” said Marty Kushler, ACEEE senior fellow and co-author of the report, ‘Three Decades and Counting: A Historical Review and Current Assessment of Electric Utility Energy Efficiency Activity in the States.’ “To keep an electric system in balance, you can either add supply resources or reduce customer demand.  Utilities, regulators, and policymakers have increasingly come to realize that it is far cheaper to reduce demand through energy efficiency programs than it is to construct, fuel, and operate additional electric generating plants.”

The report found that energy efficiency remains the lowest cost energy resource available to utilities by a wide margin. Saving electricity through efficiency is about one-third the cost of generating it from a power plant.

It’s not surprising, therefore, that states have set aggressive energy efficiency goals; no states are scaling back. Instead, “the momentum is toward growth across the map,” says the utility report.
Sometimes we save energy inadvertently, and sometimes by design. Whichever, it is clear that our digital economy, combined with our increasing understanding of the programs and behaviors that lead to energy savings, create a clear path for growth in energy efficiency.

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/blog/post/2012/06/energy-efficiency-without-trying-and-with

Japan renewable energy investments may double as incentives start

The government initiative will require utilities to buy power from renewable energy providers at premium prices under so-called feed-in tariffs. As a result, investment in solar, wind and other forms of clean energy may jump to $17.1 billion from $8.6 billion in 2011, Bloomberg New Energy Finance estimates.

“The level of interest in clean energy is at its highest ever,” Yugo Nakamura, an analyst at New Energy Finance said. “The national government has shown strong commitment to renewables by setting generous feed-in tariff rates.”
The tariffs are part of efforts to cut Japan’s dependence on nuclear power following the Fukushima disaster last year, which forced the closure of all reactors in the country for safety checks. They also aim to curb a surge in imports of fossil fuels to switch on non-nuclear plants that cost utilities an additional 2.3 trillion yen ($29 billion) in the year ended March 2012 and pushed the country into a trade deficit for the first time since 1980.
Industry researchers and business lobby groups say the generosity of the subsidy, which is paid for by consumers in higher electricity bills, will require frequent reviews to prevent a boom and bust scenario that played out in Europe.

Scaling Back

Germany, Italy, Spain, France and the U.K. are scaling back feed-in tariffs for solar energy after a bigger than expected boom in installations made the subsidies unsustainable.
Japan should consider cutting solar tariffs every month or two, setting a cap on installations and matching tariffs with international levels, said Kenji Asano, a researcher who studies renewable energy at the Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry in Tokyo.
“It is important not to introduce too much solar power,” Asano said. Geothermal power is the most ideal source of clean energy for Japan, he said.
The earthquake and tsunami that crippled the station at Fukushima last year caused radiation leaks, mass evacuations and power shortages, splitting politicians and industry leaders about the future of atomic energy.

New Plan

Noda on June 16 approved restarting two reactors. No timetable has been set for restarting any of the country’s 48 other reactors offline.
The government in Tokyo is debating long-term policies on where it will derive power, with a final decision due in August.
“The new energy blue print will paint an ambitious plan to increase power supply from renewables from 10 percent in 2010 to 25-35 percent by 2030,” BNEF said in a report.
For solar, the subsidized rate utilities pay is 42 yen (53 cents) a kilowatt-hour for 20 years, about triple the rate industry users pay for conventionally-generated power. Wind gets 23.1 yen per kilowatt-hour for 20 years. The incentives also cover biomass, geothermal and small hydroelectric plants.
“There should be a regular review of the program including the possibility of scrapping the program,” Keidanren, Japan’s most powerful business lobby, said on June 1 in reference to the feed-in tariffs.
Softbank, Japan’s third largest mobile phone company, will begin operations at a 2.1 megawatt-facility in Kyoto prefecture and a 2.4-megawatt station in Gunma July 1. It plans to build several plants with more than 200 megawatts of solar capacity, according to the company’s renewable energy unit SB Energy Corp.
“We are getting more and more inquiries,” said Yasushi Yamamoto, a spokesman for GS Yuasa, which makes power conditioners that convert direct current from solar panels into alternating current suitable for the power grid. “We are preparing to produce about twice as much as last year.”

Worker Shortage

Solar projects could be delayed by shortages of workers and power conditioners, Takashi Watanabe, who led research on feed- in tariffs for Goldman Sachs Group Inc. in Tokyo, said in a June 18 report. There are a limited number of manufacturers of power conditioners used in large-scale projects and delivery is three to six months, the note said.
The majority of solar projects will begin in the second half of the fiscal year, between October and March, the Goldman report said.
“There could be a shortage of workers” because work on other projects that depend on government funding hits peak between January and March, the Goldman Sachs analysts said.
The current tariffs will be good until March 31, 2013.
The industry minister will set the terms and rates paid each year, or every six months if necessary. Costs will be passed on to consumers in the form of surcharges, which the government estimates will total 87 yen ($1.10) a month for average households.
“Feed-in tariff is the first step,” said BNEF’s Nakamura. “But that is not enough,” he said, adding that the cost of clean energy must decline, deregulation is needed and grid infrastructure needs to be upgraded.

“Geothermal has the potential if Japan pushes through deregulation,” Asano said. “It is good for Japan because it is not intermittent” like power from solar and wind.

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/06/japan-renewable-energy-investments-may-double-as-incentives-start

Microgrids 2.0: New technologies require a second look at an old concept

NRG-backed Sunora: A different kind of solar construction firm?

Sunora inaugurated its headquarters and factory in Phoenix last week, and it intends to provide not just manufacturing but also power plant engineering and construction services to its customers.
Sunora’s presence reflects NRG and GCL-Poly’s expansion into the solar power plant construction business in North America. Within the past four years, New Jersey-based NRG has invested heavily in solar power plants, including the 290-MW Agua Caliente project in Arizona that is being built with First Solar’s panels and the 250-MW California Valley Solar Ranch project in central California that uses SunPower’s equipment. China-based GCL-Poly, one of the world’s largest silicon and silicon wafer makers, meanwhile, also has been aggressively pursuing project development opportunities worldwide.

NRG and GCL-Poly first announced the formation of Sunora back in February this year. In a Feb. 6 press release, NRG and GCL-Poly said they would each own a 50 percent stake in Sunora. In another press release dated Feb. 3 and provided by NRG, it said each company “will invest or contribute US$7 million of cash or in kind assets in Sunora and own 50 percent interest accordingly.”
Though Sunora is partly owned by NRG, which itself is a project developer, Sunora intends to attract other developers as customers, said Keith Bluford, vice president of sales and marketing. The company’s ties to NRG will not present a conflict of interest if its customers compete with NRG for contracts, he added. Sunora is working on NRG projects including a 26-MW plant in Borrego Springs, Calif.
Bringing manufacturing into its operation will set it apart from other engineering and construction firms, and it can significantly reduce the cost of a project, said John Plumlee, CEO of Sunora. In fact, Sunora’s approach could lower the installation cost by 15 percent to 40 percent, depending on the size, location and other aspects of the projects, Plumlee said.
“If you really are going to take the responsibility of dropping the installed cost, you can’t do that as a general contractor using a bunch of third-party stuff,” Plumlee said. “A lot of people are more system integrators who piece together projects that create a lot of layers and inefficiencies.”
Part of Sunora’s strategy is to pre-assemble solar panels with racks that NRG has designed at its factory. The factory will fabricate the racks and use solar panels made by others, and it will put them together before shipping them to a project site. This way, Sunora can better control the labor and transportation costs, particularly for projects that would otherwise rely on expensive labor from a union shop, Bluford said. Traditionally, builders would ship solar panels and racks to the construction site and assemble them there.

Part of the strategy, too, is to standardize rack-and-panel designs for ground and roof installations to also reduce costs, Bluford said. The company offers both racks that tilt solar panels to face the sun at a fixed angle and trackers that rotate the panels to follow the sun's movement throughout the day.
The Arizona factory will serve projects primarily in the southwestern region of the country, and Sunora plans to open other factories to serve projects elsewhere in the U.S. and Canada. The Arizona facility has three production lines occupying 58,000 square feet of the factory, and its annual production capacity ranges from 40MW to 120MW, depending on the complexity of the projects, Bluford said. the facility has another 60,000 square feet of production space that Sunora could use to increase the annual capacity to 400MW.
The company faces tough competition since North America is a growth market that has attracted experienced solar project builders from Europe, where the solar market is much larger and mature. Competitors also include American firms that have gained scale through acquisitions of project pipelines, such as solar panel makers First Solar and SunPower, or SunEdison, which is a subsidiary of silicon wafer maker, MEMC.

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/06/nrg-backed-sunora

Driving electric powered by solar and geothermal

The new generation of electric vehicles (EVs) have recently been rolling out here in Minnesota. We caught up with early adopter Stuart Rauvola of Stillwater, MN to learn more about his experiences.
 
Joel Haskard: What initially got you interested in owning an electric vehicle?
Stuart Rauvola: I received an email from Nissan over two years ago asking me if I would be interested in placing a $99 deposit down on an all-electric vehicle. I figured, why not? I had not done any research on electric vehicles, but I knew I would own one someday. I added solar photovoltaic panels on my roof and had a ground-source heat pump installed — both within the last five years — so I thought maybe an electric vehicle would be a natural next step to carbon-neutral or net zero energy life. I did not expect the wait would be over two years, but the wait was worth it.
Joel: What vehicle did you buy, and where did you buy it?
Stuart: 2012 Nissan Leaf. Comes with cold weather package and quick charge port. I bought it at Kline Nissan in Maplewood. They told me that they had an allotment of six Leafs in the initial rollout carefully orchestrated by Nissan HQ.

Driving electricJoel: What has been your experience so far?
Stuart: Much better than expected. Instrumentation is an electrical engineers dream. Range of 100 miles was overstated, but I have not run it out of juice yet, so I really donlt know what the absolute range is. It fits perfectly with my drive to work and all errands. My employer is installing a 240 outlet for me to charge at work if I need to drive to job sites or meetings.
Joel: Has there been anything surprising?
Stuart: The acceleration is amazing! Ride is really good for a small car, mainly because the batteries are located under the seats and that makes the center of gravity low. It is really fun to drive. Also, when it is connected to “shore” power, you can set it to preheat or precool the cabin for 10 minutes to lessen the climate control load on the battery.
Joel: What does your family think of the car?
Stuart: I haven’t let my wife drive it yet! Shame on me!
Charging in the garageJoel: How do you charge the car?
Stuart: I have a Level 2 charger installed in my garage, which is a 240 volt, 16 amp charger. It is actually not a charger because the charger is located in the vehicle next to the batteries — it is called an EVSE which is short for electric vehicle supply equipment. I have a web-based monitoring system that I can log the total energy used by the Leaf. I am at about 175 kWH energy consumed for 800 miles of travel, which works out to be about 4.5 miles per kWh. At $0.10/kwh, that equals 2.2 cents per mile. My 2004 Jeep runs about 20 cents per mile, so the Leaf is almost 1/10th the cost to operate than the Jeep.
Joel: Have you had any difficulty finding charging locations?
Stuart: No. They are pretty well identified on various websites like Drive Electric MN, Chargepoint.net, etc. The navigation system in the car also identifies them and can plot the shortest route to them. More locations would be better as more EV’s hit the road. I would hate to have a situation where I thought a charging station was available at the start of a long triop only to have someone else charging there once I got to my destination. We’ll see what the future holds.
Joel: Do you have any suggestions for a potential electric vehicle buyer?
Plugged in
Stuart: Be sure your daily driving habits align with the range of the electric car. Also, never pass up an opportunity to top off the charge.
Regarding my other home sustainable and energy saving projects, I had a 5.67 kW solar electric system installed in 2010 that is grid tied to the utility for 1:1 offset of house loads, and I have a 3 ton ground source heat pump installed in 2008 that has worked wonderfully to heat and cool our house. Estimated payback for the GSHP is 12 years and 10 for the PV system. In 2020 I will have a payback party for both systems.

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/blog/post/2012/06/driving-electric-in-minnesota-powered-by-solar-and-geothermal-interview-with-an-early-adopter

K road wants to modify calico solar project -- Again

Schott solar to halt crystalline PV production in Germany, close US plant

Further details about the plan will unfold after the company formally announces the closure. The paper however said that 870 of Schott's 1,100 employees are to be affected by the decision.
Schott has also announced that it will be closing its manufacturing plant in Albuquerque, N.M. by the end of the summer, with manufacturing set to halt on Friday. About 250 employees will lose their jobs. The plant produced both photovoltaic modules and concentrated solar power recievers. Schott said that it will continue business in the U.S., but not in a manufacturing capacity. 
Schott manufactures PV cells, modules and wafers and CSP receivers at facilities in Germany, Spain, Czech Republic and the U.S.

These closures closely follow Schott's decision to halt its cell manufacturing facility in Alzenau, Germany last December, when it cited a weak market. It also shut down its multicrystalline wafer production in Jena, Germany in January due to industry overcapacity and falling module pricing. Both closures led to the loss of around 600 jobs.

Schott is expected to continue its presence in high-efficiency cells and modules with an increased focus on product development, according to the newspaper.
To date more than 18 solar manufactureres have announced bankruptcies or restructuring in the past 12 months.

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/06/schott-solar-to-halt-crystalline-pv-production-in-germany

Τώρα θα κλέβουν και φωτοβολταϊκά ! Πρώτο κρούσμα στη Δράμα

Ένα νέο πεδίο φαίνεται ότι βρήκαν οι κλέφτες που επιδίδονται σε διάφορες λεηλασίες και στη συνέχεια πουλάνε τα αντικείμενα σε εξευτελιστική τιμή σε κλεπταποδόχους, έχοντας προκαλέσει μεγάλες καταστροφές.

Όπως συμβαίνει με τους μετασχηματιστές της ΔΕΗ που κοστολογούνται πάνω από 10.000 ευρώ ενώ οι κλέφτες αποκομίζουν 200-300 ευρώ πουλώντας την για χαλκό, έτσι φαίνεται ότι σκέφτηκαν και οι δράστες της κλοπής από φωτοβολταϊκό πάρκο στη Δράμα.
Πιο συγκεκριμένα, συνελήφθησαν τις πρώτες πρωινές ώρες της Πέμπτης στη Δράμα, από αστυνομικούς του Τμήματος Ασφάλειας Δράμας, δύο (2) ημεδαποί, ηλικίας 26 και 28 ετών, κατηγορούμενοι για κλοπή.
Συγκεκριμένα, σε έλεγχο που πραγματοποίησαν οι αστυνομικοί στο Ι.Χ.Ε. αυτοκίνητο στο οποίο επέβαιναν οι δύο δράστες, βρέθηκαν και κατασχέθηκαν:
  • Είκοσι τέσσερις (24) μπαταρίες
  • μία (1) πόρτα πίνακα ελέγχου
  • τριάντα πέντε (35) ασφάλειες
  • 57 τεμάχια καλωδίων χαλκού, μήκους 0,50 έως 2 μέτρων
  • δυο (2) μεγάλες λάμπες
Από την αστυνομική έρευνα προέκυψε ότι οι δύο δράστες αφαίρεσαν λίγη ώρα νωρίτερα, τα παραπάνω αντικείμενα από φωτοβολταϊκό σύστημα, σε αγροτική περιοχή της Δράμας
Οι συλληφθέντες θα οδηγηθούν στην κα. Εισαγγελέα Πρωτοδικών Δράμας.

http://www.xanthipress.gr/eidiseis/astynomika/15100-2012-06-29-14-23-51.html

Πράσινο φως από ΡΑΕ για τρία φωτοβολταϊκά της SPES-SOLARIS

Τρία μεγάλα φωτοβολταϊκά έλαβαν άδεια παραγωγής ηλεκτρικής ενέργειας από τη ΡΑΕ αυτή την εβδομάδα, τα οποία αναμένεται να εγκατασταθούν σε Θήβα και Λάρισα από την εταιρεία SPES-SOLARIS.

Ο πρώτος είναι φωτοβολταϊκός σταθμός ισχύος 28,19 MW στη θέση «Κουκουβάγια», της Δημοτικής Ενότητας Θηβαίων, του Δήμου Θηβαίων, ο δεύτερος ισχύος 28,19 MW στη θέση «Θύμαρος» της ίδιας περιοχής και ο τρίτος ισχύος 26,26 MW στη θέση «Δεκαοκτάρια», των Δημοτικών Ενοτήτων Πλατυκάμπου και Λάρισας, των Δήμων Κιλελέρ και Λαρισαίων.

http://www.ecofinder.gr/news/%CE%95%CE%9D%CE%95%CE%A1%CE%93%CE%95%CE%99%CE%91/1/%CE%A0%CF%81%CE%AC%CF%83%CE%B9%CE%BD%CE%BF_%CE%A6%CF%89%CF%82_%CE%B1%CF%80%CF%8C_%CE%A1%CE%91%CE%95_%CE%B3%CE%B9%CE%B1_%CE%A4%CF%81%CE%AF%CE%B1_%CE%A6%CF%89%CF%84%CE%BF%CE%B2%CE%BF%CE%BB%CF%84%CE%B1%CF%8A%CE%BA%CE%AC_%CF%84%CE%B7%CF%82_SPES-SOLARIS

Αποκρατικοποιήσεις: πρώτος στόχος ο ΟΣΕ – «Όχι» σε υποδομές ενέργειας

Τη διαδικασία αποκρατικοποιήσεων επιχειρεί να επισπεύσει η κυβέρνηση, ως απάντηση στις ασφυκτικές πιέσεις της τρόικας, αλλά και για να βελτιώσει τη διεθνή εικόνα της χώρας ως επενδυτικό προορισμό.

Σύμφωνα με πληροφορίες του euro2day, είναι ειλημμένη απόφαση οι ιδιωτικοποιήσεις να μην αφορούν σε υποδομές στρατηγικής σημασίας, όπως τα δίκτυα ηλεκτρισμού υψηλής τάσης της ΔΕΗ, καθώς και εκείνα μεταφοράς φυσικού αερίου
Σύμφωνα με το δημοσίευμα θα επιταχυνθούν αποκρατικοποιήσεις σε εταιρείες που συνδέονται με άμεση εισροή επενδυτικών κεφαλαίων και δημιουργία θέσεων εργασίας.
Σε αυτή την κατηγορία εμπίπτουν οι σιδηρόδρομοι (ΟΣΕ, ΤΡΑΙΝΟΣΕ), τουριστικά ακίνητα, αλλά και τα λιμάνια σε Πειραιά και Θεσσαλονίκη.

—Τι γίνεται με τον ΟΣΕ

Όπως αναφέρει το δημοσίευμα έχει εκδηλωθεί ρωσικό ενδιαφέρον για τον ΟΣΕ, ο οποίος αποτελεί το νέο στοίχημα του υπουργού Ανάπτυξης Κωστή Χατζηδάκη μετά την Ολυμπιακή.
Παράλληλα, Κινέζοι δείχνουν να ενδιαφέρονται για την ΤΡΑΙΝΟΣΕ ώστε να την εκμεταλλευτούν σε συνδυασμό με τους σταθμούς εμπορευματοκιβωτίων στο λιμάνι του Πειραιά.
Αξίζει να σημειωθεί ότι οι δύο εταιρείες εμφάνισαν ίσως για πρώτη φορά στα χρονικά θετικά αποτελέσματα το 2011, όχι βεβαίως χάρη στην αύξηση των λειτουργικών τους εσόδων, αλλά εξαιτίας της περικοπής του μισθολογικού κόστους σε ποσοστό 53%.
Είναι ενδιαφέρον δε το στοιχείο ότι το εργατικό δυναμικό που προβλέπουν τα νέα οργανογράμματα των ΟΣΕ, ΤΡΑΙΝΟΣΕ και ΕΡΓΟΣΕ προβλέπουν περισσότερους εργαζομένους από όσους απασχολούνται σήμερα μετά τις περικοπές και τις μετατάξεις.
Ειδικότερα, 2.800 από 2.650 στον ΟΣΕ, 920 από 800 στην ΤΡΑΙΝΟΣΕ και 202 στην ΕΡΓΟΣΕ, όσους απασχολεί σήμερα μετά την αποχώρηση 100 και πλέον ατόμων.
Υπενθυμίζεται τέλος, πως μέχρι τα τέλη του έτους είχε προγραμματιστεί η ιδιωτικοποίηση 35% των ΕΛΠΕ που κατέχει το Δημόσιο.

Το θέμα των αποκρατικοποιήσεων αναμένεται να έχει κεντρική θέση στην ομιλία των προγραμματικών δηλώσεων του Αντώνη Σαμαρά στη Βουλή.

http://www.econews.gr/2012/06/29/apokratikopoiiseis-ose-energeia/

Ναύπλιο: Ηλεκτροδοτήθηκε και πάλι το Μπούρτζι

Ξεπεράστηκαν και οι τελευταίοι σκόπελοι από πλευράς ΔΕΗ και ξεκίνησε χθες η διαδικασία ηλεκτροδότησης της καστρονησίδας Μπούρτζι. Στις 12 το μεσημέρι, άρχισε η βύθιση του νέου καλωδίου, παρουσία του δημάρχου Ναυπλιέων Δημήτρη Κωστούρο.

Ο δήμαρχος Ναυπλιέων, αφού αναφέρθηκε στο ιστορικό της ηλεκτροδότησης, από την απόφαση του δημοτικού συμβουλίου έως την προπληρωμή, ύψους 9.000 ευρώ, που ζήτησε η ΔΕΗ προκειμένου να προχωρήσει στην ηλεκτροδότηση, ανέφερε ότι η διαδικασία ηλεκτροδότησης προχωρά πλέον, και αν δεν υπάρξει οποιαδήποτε νέα καθυστέρηση του εκ μέρους του ελληνικού Δημοσίου, αυτή θα ολοκληρωθεί πολύ σύντομα.

Χθες το βράδυ αργά φωταγωγήθηκε και πάλι το Μπούρτζι προσδίδοντας αίγλη ξανά τον αργολικό κόλπο.

http://www.energia.gr/article.asp?art_id=59397

ΗΠΑ: 2 εκατομμύρια νοικοκυριά χωρίς ηλεκτρικό ρεύμα εξαιτίας των σφοδρών καταιγίδων στην περιοχή της Ουάσινγκτον

Σφοδρές καταιγίδες έπληξαν την ευρύτερη περιοχή της αμερικανικής πρωτεύουσας Ουάσινγκτον αργά χθες Παρασκευή το βράδυ, προκαλώντας το θάνατο ενός ανθρώπους και στερώντας την ηλεκτροδότηση σε σχεδόν δύο εκατομμύρια νοικοκυριά, όπως μετέδωσαν τα αμερικανικά μέσα ενημέρωσης. Μία γυναίκα που ζούσε στα βόρεια της Βιρτζίνια σκοτώθηκε όταν ένα δέντρο έπεσε στο σπίτι της, μετέδωσε το τηλεοπτικό δίκτου NBC News.

Πριν τις καταιγίδες είχε προηγηθεί μια ημέρα καύσωνα στην περιοχή με θερμοκρασίες ρεκόρ.
Ο κυβερνήτης της Δυτικής Βιρτζίνια Ερλ Ρέι Τόμπλιν κήρυξε την πολιτεία σε κατάσταση έκτακτης ανάγκης, καθώς εξαιτίας της κακοκαιρίας διακόπηκε η ηλεκτροδότηση σε 500.000 νοικοκυριά.

http://www.energia.gr/article.asp?art_id=59396

Βουλγαρία: Αντιδράσεις από τη μείωση των εγγυημένων τιμών στις ΑΠΕ

Σε δραστικές περικοπές των επιδοτούμενων τιμών για τις ΑΠΕ προχωρά η ρυθμιστική αρχή ενέργειας της Βουλγαρίας, υπό το φόβο υπερφόρτωσης του εθνικού δικτύου και εκτόξευσης των τιμών του ηλεκτρισμού.
Όπως μεταδίδει το Reuters, στην περίπτωση των φωτοβολταϊκών οι μειώσεις της ταρίφας ξεπερνούν το 50% ενώ για τα αιολικά φτάνουν το 22%. Οι νέες τιμές θα ισχύσουν από την 1η Ιουλίου και θα αφορούν τα συστήματα που θα εγκατασταθούν μέχρι τον Ιούλιο του 2013.
Θα πρέπει να σημειωθεί ότι δεκάδες εταιρίες από την Κίνα, την Αυστρία τη Γερμανία και τις ΗΠΑ είχαν σπεύσει να εκμεταλλευτούν τις επενδυτικές ευκαιρίες που προσέφεραν οι, μέχρι πρότινος, ιδιαίτερα υψηλές ταρίφες στη χώρα, οι οποίες σε συνδυασμό με το σημαντικό αιολικό και ηλιακό δυναμικό εξασφάλιζαν μεγιστοποίηση των επενδύσεων.

Την ανακοίνωση για τη μείωση των εγγυημένων τιμών ακολούθησαν σκληρές δηλώσεις τόσο από εγχώριους όσο και από ξένους επενδυτές οι οποίοι κάνουν λόγο για αυτοσχεδιασμούς της κυβέρνησης στον τομέα των ΑΠΕ και για έλλειψη συγκεκριμένου σχεδίου.
Παράλληλα, αρκετοί είναι οι επενδυτές οι οποίοι αναμένεται να ακυρώσουν την κατασκευή έργων ΑΠΕ που είχαν δρομολογήσει καθώς με τα νέα δεδομένα, όπως λένε, οι επενδύσεις κάθε άλλο παρά συμφέρουσες είναι.

http://www.energia.gr/article.asp?art_id=59390

Friday 29 June 2012

Solar manufacturing: To compete or not to compete

The question is no longer whether America will be a major customer for the solar industry – we will. The real question is whether the U.S. will also continue to be a major manufacturer of solar technology, producing many new jobs for American workers.

Some in Washington believe that the United States cannot, or should not, compete with China when it comes to solar manufacturing – and aren’t willing to make any investments or take on any risks to win the global clean energy manufacturing race. Meanwhile, China offered more than $30 billion in government backed loans to its solar manufacturing companies in 2010 alone and is surging to capture roughly half the market. That’s because China realizes this is a huge global market and a competition worth winning.
We respectfully disagree with those who are willing to cede thousands of high paying jobs and the innovations to come over the next decade and beyond to our competitors in China and around the world. Americans invented solar technology, and with the right support our companies can out-innovate and out-build any competitor, anywhere in the world.
But we also know that our competitors are not simply going to cede that fight to us, and that the global solar manufacturing industry is facing market conditions that are straining even the strongest of our global competitors. In such an intense competition and with the price declining 47 percent last year alone, not every company, nor every investment, will be a success – but America will be stronger and more competitive if we continue to support and build a thriving solar industry here at home.

Through our Loan Program, the Department is working to answer the challenge from China and others by supporting a large number of solar projects. The vast majority of those are power generating projects that benefit from falling prices for solar panels and – as the Independent Report by Herb Allison noted earlier this year – carry very limited risk to the taxpayer because they have firm contracts in place with utilities to buy the power they produce.
Of our total loan portfolio, about 35% was for solar generating projects – which benefit from falling prices – while less than 4% was for solar manufacturers, an industry that is suffering around the world from the steeper than expected collapse of pricing for solar modules, which has been driven in part by what the Commerce Department has found to be unfair practices by competitors in China.
Next week, Abound Solar, a startup company that borrowed $70 million through the Department’s loan program, will close its doors and file for bankruptcy. Abound was an innovative manufacturer of next-generation, cadmium telluride thin-film photovoltaic modules that had developed and demonstrated a process for producing thin-film solar panels at a cost that was expected to be substantially less than traditional solar panels. When the cost of polysilicon was high, Abound’s technology offered the promise of a lower cost alternative that would be built here the United States.
In 2007, the Department awarded the company a grant to support a pilot project to demonstrate the viability of its manufacturing process.  In December 2010, the Department issued a loan guarantee to support the construction of two commercial scale plants: one in Longmont, Colorado and a second new facility in Tipton, Indiana. The Tipton facility was an abandoned auto parts manufacturing facility that Governor Mitch Daniels wanted to help convert to solar manufacturing.  
The company received widespread support, including from members of Congress and Senators from both parties and the private sector. As of December 2011, Abound had raised more than $300 million in private equity financing. Its backers included large and established energy investors -- including BP Alternative Energy, the Invus Group, DCM and others.
When the floor fell out on the price of solar panels, Abound’s product was no longer cost competitive. As a result, the company was unable to meet some of the financial milestones built into the loan agreement to protect the taxpayers and – in September 2011 – the Department halted disbursements on the loan. Of the $400 million that Abound was originally approved for, the Department only lent the company less than $70 million.

Because of the strong protections we put in place for taxpayers, the Department has already protected more than 80% of the original loan amount. Once the bankruptcy liquidation is complete, the Department expects the total loss to the taxpayer to be between 10 and 15 percent of the original loan amount.
While disappointing, this outcome reflects the basic fact that investing in innovative companies – as Congress intended the Department to do when it established the program – carries some risk. As Herb Allison noted in his report earlier this year, the solar manufacturing projects in the loan portfolio carry increased risk as compared to other projects in the portfolio. But those risks are taken into account by the loan-loss reserve established by Congress to offset losses. For projects like this, the Allison report estimated that the credit subsidy amount computed for projects like Abound was approximately 24% of the total loan origination amount.
Finally, as Allison’s report also noted, our loans are not static entities. The Department has tools in place to reduce the risk associated with the projects they support. In fact, those tools are the reason Abound was not able to draw down the full loan amount.
This effort has seen many successes as well as a few setbacks, but one thing is clear: America must continue playing to win in the clean energy race. We need not allow our dependence on foreign oil to be followed with a dependence on foreign solar panels and wind turbines.  Instead, we can and must fight to ensure that the next generation of solar panels is invented in America by American innovators, built in America by American workers, and sold around the world.

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/06/solar-manufacturing-to-compete-or-not-to-compete

Solar thermal scales new heights in China

By Barbel Epp, Solrico

Millions of roofs in Chinese cities now host solar thermal systems, often at great heights and increasingly integrated into buildings' designs.

Panasonic: Αύξηση 30% στην παραγωγή φωτοβολταϊκών το 2013

Η Panasonic ανακοίνωσε την αύξηση της παραγωγής φωτοβολταϊκών κατά 30% εντός του επόμενου έτους, ωθούμενη από τα οικονομικά κίνητρα που ανακοίνωσε η ιαπωνική κυβέρνηση.

Όπως διευκρινίζει και ο επικεφαλή της Panasonic, Kazuhiro Yoshida, λόγω  της απόφασης της Ιαπωνίας, το ενδιαφέρον για την εγκατάσταση φωτοβολταϊκών έχει ενισχυθεί σε μεγάλο βαθμό.

Η εταιρεία στοχεύει, επίσης, να αυξήσει την παραγωγική της ικανότητα στα 1,5 γιγαβάτ έως το 2016.

http://www.ecofinder.gr/news/%CE%95%CE%9D%CE%95%CE%A1%CE%93%CE%95%CE%99%CE%91/1/Panasonic_%CE%91%CF%8D%CE%BE%CE%B7%CF%83%CE%B7_30_per_cent_%CF%83%CF%84%CE%B7%CE%BD_%CF%80%CE%B1%CF%81%CE%B1%CE%B3%CF%89%CE%B3%CE%AE_%CF%86%CF%89%CF%84%CE%BF%CE%B2%CE%BF%CE%BB%CF%84%CE%B1%CF%8A%CE%BA%CF%8E%CE%BD_%CF%84%CE%BF

Το μεγαλύτερο ηλιακό πάρκο της Βρετανίας κατασκευάζει η TGC Renewables

Την έγκριση των τοπικών αρχών για να κατασκευάσει το μεγαλύτερο ηλιακό πάρκο στη Βρετανία έλαβε η TGC Renewables.

Το έργο, εγκατεστημένης ισχύος 8MW, θα εκτείνεται σε 150 στρέμματα στο South Brent του Ντέβον, και η παραγόμενη ενέργεια θα μπορεί να καλύψει τις ανάγκες περίπου 2.500 νοικοκυριών.
"Ανταποκρινόμαστε στο ολοένα και αυξανόμενο ενδιαφέρον αγροτών για την εκμετάλλευση ΑΠΕ. Με την τεχνογνωσία μας, είμαστε σε θέση να φέρουμε εις πέρας τα έργα, από τη διαδικασία ανάπτυξης μέχρι τη σύνδεση του στο δίκτυο", δήλωσε ο διευθυντής της TGC Renewables, Rob Denman.

http://www.ecofinder.gr/news/%CE%95%CE%9D%CE%95%CE%A1%CE%93%CE%95%CE%99%CE%91/1/%CE%A4%CE%BF_%CE%BC%CE%B5%CE%B3%CE%B1%CE%BB%CF%8D%CF%84%CE%B5%CF%81%CE%BF_%CE%B7%CE%BB%CE%B9%CE%B1%CE%BA%CF%8C_%CF%80%CE%AC%CF%81%CE%BA%CE%BF_%CF%84%CE%B7%CF%82_%CE%92%CF%81%CE%B5%CF%84%CE%B1%CE%BD%CE%AF%CE%B1%CF%82_%CE%BA%CE%B1%CF%84%CE%B1%CF%83%CE%BA%CE%B5%CF%85%CE%AC%CE%B6%CE%B5%CE%B9_%CE%B7_TGC

Υγρή μπαταρία ψεκάζεται σε οποιαδήποτε επιφάνεια – Επαναστατική τεχνολογία

Μια πρωτοποριακή μπαταρία που μπορεί να ψεκαστεί σε οποιαδήποτε επιφάνεια ανέπτυξαν ερευνητές από το πανεπιστήμιο Rice στο Τέξας.
Πριν παρουσιάσουν το επίτευγμά τους την Πέμπτη, οι ερευνητές δοκίμασαν την υγρή μπαταρία σε διάφορες επιφάνειες, από πλακάκια μπάνιου μέχρι ποτήρια μπίρας.
Εκτιμάται ότι η νέα τεχνολογία θα μπορούσε να αναζωογονήσει την ανάπτυξη μπαταριών ιόντων λιθίου, που τροφοδοτούν φορητούς υπολογιστές, κινητά τηλέφωνα και ηλεκτρικά αυτοκίνητα, οδηγώντας τελικά σε ελαφρύτερες και λεπτότερες συσκευές.
Για να αναπτύξουν την μπαταρία που ψεκάζεται οι ερευνητές χρησιμοποίησαν τα ίδια συστατικά που περιέχουν συμβατικές μπαταρίες ιόντων λιθίου, στην υγρή εκδοχή τους.
Ειδικότερα, δημιούργησαν υγρές εκδόσεις δύο ηλεκτροδίων, μιας ανόδου, μιας καθόδου και ενός διαχωριστικού από πολυμερές υλικό.

Στη συνέχεια οι επιστήμονες δοκίμασαν την υγρή μπαταρία σε ποικίλες επιφάνειες, γυάλινες, ατσάλινες, κεραμικές, επίπεδες ή καμπυλωτές.
Μάλιστα σε ένα από τα πειράματά τους ψέκασαν την υγρή μπαταρία σε εννιά πλακάκια μπάνιου, συνδεδεμένα μεταξύ τους.
Σε ένα από τα πλακάκια είχε ενσωματωθεί ένα φωτοβολταϊκό στοιχείο, το οποίο φορτιζόταν με λευκό, εργαστηριακό φως.

«Όταν φορτίστηκαν και συνδέθηκαν, τα πλακάκια διέθεταν αρκετή ενέργεια για να τροφοδοτήσουν 40 κόκκινα LED για περισσότερες από έξι ώρες», επισημαίνουν οι ερευνητές στη μελέτη τους, που δημοσιεύθηκε στην επιστημονική επιθεώρηση «Nature Scientific Reports».
Σύμφωνα με τους ερευνητές, που χαρακτηρίζουν το επίτευγμά τους «παράδειγμα αλλαγής στον σχεδιασμό μπαταριών», η απόδοση της υγρής μπαταρίας ήταν σχεδόν ίδια με αυτή που θα είχε μια συμβατική μπαταρία.
Με τη νέα τεχνολογία κάθε αντικείμενο ή επιφάνεια μπορεί να μετατραπεί σε μπαταρία, τονίζουν οι επιστήμονες.

«Με τα κεραμικά πλακάκια που ψεκάζουμε και μετατρέπουμε σε μπαταρίες θα μπορούσαν να χτιστούν οι εξωτερικοί τοίχοι ενός σπιτιού», δήλωσε ο επικεφαλής της μελέτης, Neelam Singh παρουσιάζοντας τη νέα τεχνολογία την Πέμπτη.
«Οι τοίχοι που ψεκάστηκαν με την υγρή μπαταρία θα μπορούσαν στη συνέχεια να καλυφθούν με φωτοβολταϊκά και αυτός ο συνδυασμός φωτοβολταϊκών και μπαταρίας θα μπορούσε να χρησιμοποιηθεί για τη δέσμευση και την αποθήκευση της ηλιακής ενέργειας», προσέθεσε ο ερευνητής.

http://www.econews.gr/2012/06/29/ugri-bataria-psekazetai/