UPDATE: Wind Power as Alternative Source of Energy is Growing!

In 2013, California, Texas, Oklahoma, Iowa, and Illinois were the top wind energy producing states according to the EIA. but it has been growing quite fast in almost every state. Wind power is actually now the cheapest option for new electricity in many if not most markets around the world, so there’s clearly an avenue open for growth there. An article on Planetsave.com points out: “the head of the IEA, Executive Director Maria van der Hoeven, notes that solar and wind power can’t be add-on solutions. Our entire electricity systems need to transform.” The chart above shows the beginning of that transformation wonderfully, but we still need much more. Another great social media share we recently received comes from Sami Koreibi, who highlighted via a tweet that the power that individual wind turbines can generate has increased 100x over in the past 30 years..........http://cleantechnica.com/2014/11/09/wind-power-growth-gif-wind-generating-100x-electricity-30-years-ago-chart/

SOLAR ENERGY: White Solar PV Modules Open New Windows Of Possibilities In Building-Integrated Solar Power Market

The Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM) recently announced that it has created white solar PV modules which would be apt for use in buildings and may offer applications in several other consumer-centered sectors. Conventional solar PV modules are blue or black in colour, which may adversely impact the aesthetics of a building. The dark colour of the modules comes from the cells and electrical connections within the module. The dark colour also helps in greater absorption of solar radiation. The technology developed by CSEM uses a scattering filter to produce white light while allowing the infrared radiation to pass through to the solar cells. This technology can be used to modify any crystalline solar PV module to produce white or coloured modules. Additionally, the scattering filter can be applied to already installed modules or integrated into the modules during the manufacturing phase. Integration of this technique into the assembly line would help module manufacturers widen their product portfolio. Coloured solar modules can be used in laptops, mobiles, tablet computers, cars, and several other consumer products. Rumours of an iPhone equipped with solar cells have been prevalent for years now; this technology may finally help mobile manufacturers achieve this goal without compromising on the looks of the device. http://cleantechnica.com/2014/11/09/white-solar-pv-modules-open-new-windows-possibilities-building-integrated-solar-power-market/

UPDATE: India Eyes $100 Billion Investment In Renewable Energy

The new Indian government is taking serious initiatives to boost the power sector, which is in dire need of financial and structural reforms. A large number of these reforms will be implemented in the renewable energy sector. India’s minister for coal, power, and renewable energy last week announced that his government would push for an unprecedented $100 billion investment in the renewable energy sector over the next few years. With this plan, he also announced seemingly impossible solar energy capacity addition targets for the next five years. Piyush Goyal announced that the government has increased the solar power capacity addition target to 100 GW by 2019 compared to the previous 22 GW installed capacity target by 2022. Prime Minister Modi has promised to enhance the solar energy target under the National Solar Mission during his election campaign but this new target is extremely ambitious, and seems virtually impossible to achieve. Goyal also announced the target to double install wind power capacity to 40 GW by 2019. The target would be part of the National Wind Energy Mission expected to be launched soon. Wind energy companies across the country are upbeat, as two important financial incentives are now available to project developers. The government is planning to open up the offshore wind energy capacity to companies and also promote states with relatively lower wind energy resources as new markets. The Indian government is hoping to get significant foreign investment into the renewable energy sector, and the power sector as a whole. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) will organise India’s first global renewable energy investors summit in February next year. The government hopes to secure investment worth billions of dollars from international companies during the summit. http://cleantechnica.com/2014/11/09/india-eyes-100-billion-investment-renewable-energy/

RENEWABLE ENERGY IS GROWING! Solar in Southern California, Wind Energy in America & Natural Gas in the East!

The biggest news to come out of the US Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) report for August is that utility solar’s production of electricity is up 93.6% over last year. This is the principal reason that the renewable contribution is up 9.6%, and only half of the story. The EIA does not record production from rooftop solar (which means solar’s overall contribution is significantly higher) and production figures are down in every fossil fuel sector. This trend is also seen in the latest figures from Germany, where solar production is up 7.7%, wind 8%, and biomass 11% over last year. The latest data contradicts myths about renewable energy. Renewable energy does not replace fossil fuels, but rather ensures their use will be perpetuated. The REPORT shows German electrical production for the first nine months of 2014. Note that the only increases are in the solar, wind, and biomass sectors. Brown coal usage is down 4.9%, hard coal down 14.8%, and gas down 19.8% over last year. Germany’s renewables have produced 31% of that nation’s electricity, far more than in the US, but the trends are similar. The REPORT is drawn up from the EIA data from August 2014. As was the case in Germany, the only sectors “in the black” are wind, solar, and biomass. Coal (39%) and natural gas (31.5%) are still the principal sources of US electricity. The renewable sector only contributed about 10% and about half of that was from non-hydroelectric sectors like wind, solar, and biomass. The good news is this is changing, the renewable sector is growing! A German company called Younicos wants to see battery storage plants replace 25 of of that nation’s fossil fuel burning plants. Their 5 MW plant at Schwerin has already proven that battery packs are faster ramping up and more efficient. Though batteries do not provide a total solution — they get expensive when used for long periods of time — they are ideal where there is a need for fast ramping up or down. Phillip Hiersemenzel of Younicos said battery storage plants could carry 60% of the load in Germany. There is a lot of solar in Southern California, wind energy in the middle of America, and natural gas in the East. This is the same trend being reported by the EIA and Frauenhofer. The Latest Data Contradicts Myths About Renewable Energy by Roy L Hales Examining the latest data from EIA and Fraunehofer ISE. Originally published in the ECOreport. http://cleantechnica.com/2014/10/26/myths-about-renewable-energy/

RENEWABLE ENERGY: KENYA: GreenMax Capital Advisors secures financing for large geothermal project

US Overseas Private Investment Corporation grants $950,000 for 40MW geothermal energy project. GreenMax Capital Advisors, a leading global clean energy transaction advisor, has secured a $950,000 grant from the US Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) Africa Clean Energy Facility (ACEF), one of the Power Africa programs sponsored by the US Government, for Akiira One, Ltd., a Kenyan renewable energy project development firm. The grant will support the final stages of project preparation for a 40MW geothermal energy project in Kenya. The grant will also pay for a highly qualified set of international and Kenyan consultants to perform the final technical and legal work necessary to commence drilling for the geothermal resource early next year. The planned project will be constructed on land concessioned to Akiira One, Ltd adjacent to the Olkaria geothermal fields, less than 100km outside of Nairobi. A first phase of 40MW will be followed by additional generation capacity totaling 140MW. Read More: http://www.renewableenergyfocus.com/view/40389/greenmax-capital-advisors-secures-financing-for-large-geothermal-project-in-kenya/

GLOBAL WARMING: Peru's Glacial Melt-Off Reaches 40 Percent in Four Decades

Glaciers near the southern South American country of Peru have shrunk by 40 percent in the past four decades, which has created a number of high-altitude lakes, Reuters reported. Climate change is the cause for the melt-off, which has spawned nearly 1,000 new high-altitude lakes since 1980, the Peruvian government said Wednesday. The glaciers in Peru are small compared to those found in the north and south poles, and are at a greater risk of disappearing. In addition, 70 percent of the world's tropical glaciers are found in Peru, and they are extremely sensitive to the warming temperatures associated with climate change. Read more: http://www.latinpost.com/articles/23782/20141016/global-warming-and-climate-change-stats-update-perus-glacial-melt-off-reaches-40-percent-in-four-decades.htm#ixzz3Grfy0AIF

WELLNESS FOR PEACE: ANTARCTICA: Ocean Health Index, a collaborative effort to assess regional and global threats to ocean health, becomes an invaluable tool

Greg Stone, Chief Scientist for Oceans, Conservation International says: "The Index posits that "a healthy ocean sustainability delivers a range of benefits to people now and in the future." In the Antarctic, it evaluated how well the region is delivering the maximum sustainable amounts of desired benefits. The Antarctic region scored 72 out of 100, based on how well it provided food, natural products, tourism, livelihoods and economies, clean waters, coastal protection, biodiversity and sense of place. Dr. Catherine Longo, project scientist at the University of California at Santa Barbara's National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, led the Antarctica assessment. She saw a mix of good and bad news. On the positive side, the distance from human population centers, industries and agriculture protects Antarctica's clean waters. Protected whales and fur seals are also recovering from over-exploitation. On the other hand, 38 of the assessed species are decreasing. Those include some iconic species such as southern bluefin tuna, basking sharks, porbeagle sharks, gentoo penguins and five species of albatrosses, one of which is critically endangered and two others that are endangered. Dr. Longo was concerned that the population trends are unknown for 40% of the species that have been assessed. Two other issues were particularly worrisome for us: illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing (IUU) and climate change. Both are difficult to control, and both can wreak havoc on species populations and conservation efforts." Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/greg-stone/despite-its-remoteness-an_b_5906602.html