Archive for the ‘Government’ Category

Sweden gives green light for huge wind farm with more than 1100 wind turbines

March 12th, 2010 | Posted in Wind | No Comments

The Swedish government has recently given the go-ahead to Markbygden Vind AB, a Swedish wind energy company, to build 1101 wind turbines with a height of no more than 200 meters, to be used at a wind farm (comprised of interconnected smaller wind farms) in the Piteå Municipality (northeast of Sweden). The wind farm will have anywhere from 2500-4000 MW of installed capacity, depending on the final decision on which wind turbines to use. It will cover an area of about 450 square kilometers. Enercon became part owner of Markbygden Vind in 2008, so it is expected the wind turbines will come from Enercon. Wind turbines will have capacities of 2-6 MW, depending on the final decision on the best technology to use.

The wind farm, when fully operational, will produce 12 TWh of electrical energy annually, which is four times more than what the country currently produces from wind power, but more significantly, this production is equivalent to the energy output of two Ringhals nuclear power reactors, produced in 2005-2008.

Sweden is expanding its renewable energy portfolio, with wind as one of the main sources of renewable energy. The country has formidable wind potential. In order for the project to move forward, it has to comply with several necessary terms, such as health and environment standards, but also satisfy the interests of defence and industries such as the reindeer industry.

[source: Swedish Ministry of Energy, image: Energy Technology Centre]


Acciona to build three wind farms in Mexico – totalling 306 MW of capacity

March 11th, 2010 | Posted in Wind | No Comments

Mexico will be getting 306 MW of new wind energy capacity.

Three new wind farms will be built, with 1.5 MW wind turbines to be supplied by Acciona, under a supply contract awarded to the company by the Mexican government. Acciona won the tender against three other companies, all from Spain – Iberdrola Renovables, Recursos Eólicos de México (ACS), and Enerfin Sociedad de Energía (part of the Elecnor group).

The wind farms will be located in the Oaxaca state, Mexico, and represent an investment of about EUR 450 million, totalling in 306 MW of new wind energy capacity. Construction is expected to begin in 2010, and operation of the new wind farms is planned to begin near the end of 2011. Once completed, the new 306 MW of capacity will represent 12.7% of Acciona's strategic wind power implementation plan to install 2400 MW of new wind capacity by 2013.

The particular wind farms are Oaxaca I, II and III, each to have 102 MW of installed capacity. The model of choice for these projects is Acciona's AW 70/1500 wind turbine.

[source: Acciona]

US DoE loans USD 117 million to Hawaii wind energy project

March 9th, 2010 | Posted in Wind | No Comments

The US Department of Energy is conditionally loaning USD 117 million to an "innovative" wind energy project on Hawaii. The island state is going to get a wind farm with 30 MW of capacity, using 2.5 MW wind turbines, but with an additional component which will ensure electricity load stability – batteries for storing produced energy. The Kahuku wind farm, to be developed by Kahuku Wind Power, will be receiving the 117 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Once completed, the Kahuku wind farm will output electricity estimated to be enough to supply about 7700 average homes on the island state with clean electricity. The construction of the wind farm will provide about 200 jobs.

The Kahuku wind farm will be located on the island of Oahu. Hawaii has set a very high goal for renewable energy, which is to achieve 70% of electricity generation from renewable energy sources by 2030. At the moment, each of the islands is using its own separate power grid, mostly using fossil fuels to produce electricity. The company sponsoring the project is First Wind Holdings.

[source: US DoE, image: Hawaii State]

UK wave and tidal industry get a boost from the SEA

March 5th, 2010 | Posted in Hydro | No Comments

From the SEA report - map showing wave energy potential around the UK.

Tidal and wave energy in England and Wales are have received a push forward as the first full wave and tidal assessment document was released – the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) report.

According to the Department of Energy and Climate Change, the report will additionally clear the way for carbon dioxide storage, as well as offshore wind and oil and gas activities in the country, at the same time ensuring environmental concerns have been answered with progress of UK offshore development.

DECC hopes the new document will help identify opportunities for new development with respect to the environment. Having included wave and tidal energy in the assessment for the first time, the government is supporting commercial deployment of these technologies. The SEA document, together with another forthcoming document – the Marine Action Plan – are hoped to be able to generate the kind of safe investment environment that will attract investors to put their money into UK renewable energy projects.

England and Wales will be getting the most benefit from SEA. Both regions are welcoming new wave and tidal developments, both for the many megawatts of clean electricity that will come with them, but also for the fact that these projects will bring many jobs.

Wave and tidal energy have already begun their course in the UK, with the establishment of research and development centers, such as the one in Orkney, Scotland. The SEA document, and the upcoming Marine Action Plan, will add significant momentum for the development of marine energy in the UK.

You can read the entire SEA report here.

[source: DECC]

Infrastructure Planning Commission will improve renewable energy development in the UK

March 4th, 2010 | Posted in General | Comments (1)

Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) has officially started receiving applications for energy projects having potential to provide about GBP 50 billion worth of international investment in the UK energy sector, resulting in electricity supplies for 22 million UK homes.

The new body has been set up to consider and possibly approve major energy and transport projects in a more efficient manner. Included in the project pipeline are 17 energy schemes that combined could quite easily produce about three quarters of the total energy needs of homes in the UK, as well create a large number of jobs.

The total amount of capacity waiting for consideration by the IPC is about 22 GW, a large portion of which is to come from renewable energy sources.

The IPC is a new development consent process for large scale projects like wind farms, power stations and major roads. Eight former planning systems have been combined into one process, reducing the time needed to reach a decision about a project from seven years, to only one year. This represents about GBP 300 millio annually in savings for the country.

With no more "red tape" obstacles, the UK is poised to progress along its path to achieving reductions in carbon emissions, and reach the renewable goal by 2020.

Some of the renewable energy projects to be considered by the IPC in the first wave of projects are two wind farms and a biomass power plant – Atlantic Array wind farm project (RWE npower, in the Bristol channel), Irish Sea offshore wind farm (Airtricity, in Ceredigion, Wales) and Blyth biomass power plant (RES New Ventures, in Northumberland).

The IPC is currently appointing more staff to ensure it has all the resources necessary to start work.

[source: UK Infrastructure Planning Commission]

Australian RET revised, wind energy market expected to grow

March 1st, 2010 | Posted in General Wind | No Comments

The Australian government has recently introduced reforms into the country's legislation to support the newly set renewable energy target (RET) of 20% renewable energy by 2020.

The new reforms make a distinction between small scale solar PV and solar water heating technologies and large scale renewable energy projects. It is these large scale RE projects that are expected to allow the country to reach the set renewable energy goal set for 2020.

One of the major global renewable energy companies, Vestas, expressed great content over the Australian government's announcement about the reforms, stating the changes will give investors confidence to invest into the Australian renewable energy sector, emphasizing large wind energy projects, being first and foremost a wind energy development company.

The revised legislation is not yer in effect, as it needs to appear before the Australian parliament in winter (June/July). Vestas is working with the Australian government on the details of the revised legislation, hoping to achieve a start of major wind energy developments in Australia during 2010.

Other renewable energy developments in Australia include geothermal and solar energy. The country also has significant marine energy resources as well, and with the development of this renewable energy sector, we may be seeing marine energy harvesting technology installed in Australia soon.

[image: Cristina Archer (Stanford University)]

Mitsubishi may be establishing presence in wind energy sector in the UK

February 26th, 2010 | Posted in Wind | Comments (1)

Currently, Mitsubishi offers MWT-1000 with 1 MW of capacity as its top offer. A 2 MW version is in development.

In what may the loudest bit of news regarding European wind energy industry, Mitsubishi Power Systems Europe (MPSE) may be entering the UK wind energy market. The company has recently "signaled" its plans for establishing a UK based wind turbine R&D project. The UK government and Mitsubishi have signed a non-binding MoU, under which Mitsubishi is to invest up to GBP 100 million in an offshore wind turbine project in the UK. This project could create as many as 200 highly skilled jobs.

The UK government is working with MPSE and will provide up to GBP 30 million in finance support for the project. The project could be the first step towards establishing a much stronger presence of Mitsubishi in the UK wind energy market. The company could choose the UK for its manufacturing base for next generation wind turbines, which could result in more than 1500 new jobs.

Furthermore, the UK government is financially supporting with GBP 18 million a test site for an offshore wind farm which will feature next generation wind turbines, with blades about 100 meters in length. The units will be multi-megawatt machines, to be used in the future for large scale wind energy projects. The test site will be in the North East of England. The New and Renewable Energy Centre (NAREC) in Blyth will be used for testing new turbine blades, and will hopefully create an attractive R&D environment for companies such as Mitsubishi. The UK government regards Mitsubishi's involvement in wine energy R&D in the UK as significant for achieving the countries low-carbon, cleaner energy goals.

[source: Deparment of Energy and Climate Change, image: Mitsubishi Power Systems]

DoE approves $1.37 billion in conditional loan guarantees for BrightSource Energy's 400 MW CSP complex

February 26th, 2010 | Posted in Solar | No Comments

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced conditional commitments for more than $1.37 billion in loan guarantees under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to BrightSource Energy to support the construction and start-up of three utility-scale CSP plants with a combined capacity of 400 MW. This would nearly double the existing generation capacity of CSP in the U.S.

The three-plant Ivanpah Solar Complex will be located on federally-owned land in the Mojave Desert in southeastern California, near the Nevada border, and will be the world's largest operational CSP complex, producing enough energy for about 140,000 California homes.

According to BrightSource estimates, the construction will employ approximately 1,000 people, whereas its operation will create 86 permanent jobs. The company's construction contractor has entered into project labor agreements with various trade unions for the construction of the project.

As for the loan guarantee, it is conditioned on financial and environmental requirements BrightSource must meet before closing on the loan — including local, state and federal regulatory approvals. The Bureau of Land Management will continue leading a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review with support from the Department of Energy.

BrightSource's technology uses thousands of heliostats, with each heliostat having two mirrors that track the sun in two dimensions, allowing the capture of a greater percentage of solar energy than some other solar thermal technologies.

The first plant is expected to begin construction in H2 2010 and come on line in 2012. Commercial operation for the second plant is slated for mid-2013 and the third later in 2013. Electricity from the project will be sold under long-term power purchase agreements with Pacific Gas & Electric and Southern California Edison Company (SCE).

[Via: DoE]

Israel talks renewable energy with Egypt and Jordan

February 23rd, 2010 | Posted in Biomass Solar | No Comments

Just because Israel doesn't get along with most Arab countries in the region, it doesn't mean the cooperation is impossible. Global warming is everyone's problem and solving it should go beyond boundaries and even some principles. On that note, today we're talking about Israel and its plans to work with Egypt and Jordan on renewable energy projects.

In the case of Egypt, the two countries are talking about possibly establishing a joint solar project in Egypt's Sinai Desert, which has clear skies, flat topography and annual average solar concentration of 2,300 KWh per square meter making it suitable for the installation of commercial solar technologies. Under the still-being-negotiated deal, Egypt would give the land and Israel the technology, whereas the energy generated would be used by both countries.

On the other hand, there were talks about building a bio-diesel plant along the border between Jordan and Israel. Salah Azzam, director of the Bio-Fuels Division at the National Energy Research Center in Jordan, outlined plans for the establishment of such a project by the end of 2010.

"This project could serve as a great boost for establishing peace and security in the region and could promote peace efforts between Israel and its neighbors," Azzam said.

[Via: Reuters]

Nigerian hydropower plant project approved

February 9th, 2010 | Posted in Hydro | Comments (1)

According to local media, the hydropower project planned in the Kaduna State in Nigeria has been approved. The news came right after the country has entered into an energy crisis from shortages of gas, resulting in four power plants getting shut down.

The dam project built for the purpose of water supply, has now been reevaluated to show potential for harnessing hydroenergy and producing electricity. Most of the country's power generating capacity comes from thermal plants which burn gas, so there is a need for diversification in the energy sector in order to ensure a more secure supply of electricity in the coming years.

In this context, Nigeria is pursuing several power projects including wind, natural gas, as well as the National Integrated Power Projects, all totalling in about 1345 MW of power generating capacity. The country's goal is to reach the target of 6000 MW no later than March this year.

[source: Afrol]

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