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sfce 11/16
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Robert Long new VP of economic development for Cumming-Forsyth Chamber
Nov 16, 2015 | Forsyth Herald
By Kathleen Sturgeon
“My most memorable moment with my current position is working with the Gwinnett Chamber to land the Suniva expansion project in August 2015 after working with the company for over a year. This company is a solar cell maker and Georgia Tech spinoff that will invest $96 million in capital investment and create 500 quality jobs in Gwinnett County.” -
Is Canadian Solar On the Way Up Or Down in Solar Energy?
Nov 15, 2015 | The Motley Fool
By Travis Holium
...The biggest risk solar investors face is companies expanding too fast, seeing technology pass them by resulting in low margins, and then having too much debt to be able to pay off while investing in the future. This is what happened to Suntech Power, Yingli Green Energy, Q-Cells, and countless other solar companies that were once dominant in the solar industry. -
France to go ahead with climate summit, with tough security
Nov 14, 2015 | Reuters
By Emmanuel Jarry
France plans to go ahead with a global climate change summit in Paris at the end of the month, the prime minister said on Saturday, despite a wave of deadly attacks on Friday night that killed 127 people in the capital. -
OECD: U.S. Must Slash Emissions Intensity to Meet Pledge
Nov 16, 2015 | BNA Daily Environment Report
By Rick Mitchell
The U.S. would have to significantly cut the rate of its carbon intensity to be able to live up to its pledge for the upcoming Paris climate talks, according to recent Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development data. -
Paris climate deal must be legally binding, EU tells John Kerry
Nov 13, 2015 | The Guardian
By Arthur Nelsen and Damian Carrington
The EU has warned the Obama administration that a global climate deal at the Paris summit must be legally binding, after the US secretary of state John Kerry said that it “definitively” would not be a treaty. -
Obama, Hollande Talk Climate Change After Public Spat
Nov 16, 2015 | BNA Daily Environment Report
By Anthony Adragna
President Barack Obama and French President François Hollande spoke Nov. 13 in part to smooth over a rift that broke out this week between the two nations over the degree to which the Paris climate accord will be legally binding. -
Moniz Pushes Clean Technologies Before Paris Climate Talks
Nov 16, 2015 | BNA Daily Environment Report
By Rebecca Kern
Wind turbines, solar panels, electric vehicles and LED light bulbs are four “transformational” clean energy technologies helping the U.S. grow its low-carbon economy and combat climate change, the Energy Department said in a report. -
China Releases Emissions Reporting Guidelines
Nov 16, 2015 | BNA Daily Environment Reports
China issued greenhouse gas emissions measuring and reporting instructions for coal mining and several other industries, according to a Nov. 13 statement from the National Development and Reform Commission. -
EC removes Chint Solar and Sunny Solar from minimum price agreement
Nov 16, 2015 | PV Magazine
By Sandra Enkhardt
The European Commission (EC) has confirmed the removal of Chint Solar and Sunny Energy for the minimum price undertaking (MIP). The German subsidiary of Chint Solar, Astronergy, reports that its activities are not affected by the decision. -
4 charts show what’s ahead for renewable energy
Nov 13, 2015 | Grist
By Tim McDonnell
With high-stakes climate negotiations just around the corner, things are looking rosy for the producers and sellers of wind turbines and solar panels. -
As Solar Power Booms, Its Biggest Component Is Dirt Cheap
Nov 16, 2015 | BNA Daily Environment Report
By Christopher Martin
Prices for polysilicon, the main ingredient in solar cells, have dropped to a record low amid a supply glut that won't end soon. -
IEA renewables forecast
Nov 13, 2015 | PV Magazine
By Jonathan Gifford
Energy Watch Group has criticized the International Energy Agency's renewables predictions as containing "serious errors," concluding that the forecasts are "inadequately low." The international network of scientists and parliamentarians says that while leading analysts forecast annual installations for both wind and solar will grow by 10% through 2040, the IEA forecasts zero growth at best and 20 – 40% decreases in less optimistic scenarios. -
It’s Getting Much Easier for Companies and Cities to Go 100 Percent Renewable
Nov 13, 2015 | Greentech Media
By Katherine Tweed
A long-term goal of 100 percent renewable energy is increasingly possible for large corporations and local governments, according to a new report by Clean Edge. -
The sun is setting on solar, but there’s still time to scoop the feed-in tariffs
Nov 14, 2015 | The Guardian
By Miles Brignall
Around 655,000 homes – less than 3% of the UK’s housing stock – have solar panels, but if government plans to slash the industry subsidy go ahead, further installations could be halted, campaigners are warning. -
Apple to Tap Renewable Energy to Power Singapore Operations
Nov 16, 2015 |
By Anindya Upadhyay
Apple Inc. reached agreement to power its expanding operations in Singapore with solar energy, part of a broader push by the world’s largest company by market value to tap cleaner sources of energy around the globe. -
Brazil Clean-Energy Developers Sell 1.5 Gigawatts of Wind, Solar
Nov 13, 2015 | Bloomberg
By Vanessa Dezem
Energy developers won contracts to sell almost 1.5 gigawatts of clean electricity in Brazil after the government raised a price cap to attract bidders. -
Pakistan’s Sindh Province Approves Land Allocation For 1,880 MW Of Renewable Energy Projects
Nov 13, 2015 | CleanTechnica
By Smiti Mittal
The government of Sindh province in Pakistan has taken a significant step towards strengthening the power generation infrastructure through renewable energy projects, following in the footsteps of its neighbouring province, Punjab, which has already taken major strides in setting up renewable energy projects. -
Zoo Dung, Biogas Help French Switch to Green Power
Nov 16, 2015 | BNA Daily Environment Report
By Rudy Ruitenberg and Caroline Connan
In the elephant paddock at the Beauval Zoo, Limbo is doing his bit for France's ambitions in green energy. -
Solar Energy Sales Subject to South Carolina Power Tax
Nov 16, 2015 | BNA Daily Environment Report
By Andrew M. Ballard
Sales of electricity by a utility-sized solar energy generating facility to other power entities for resale aren't subject to South Carolina sales and use tax, but they are subject to the state's electric power tax, unless otherwise exempt. -
Daimler is reusing electric vehicle batteries to store renewable energy
Nov 15, 2015 | Ars Technica
By Megan Geuss
When electric vehicle batteries get long in the tooth, they have to be replaced because they’ll start experiencing power loss—which will mean reduced vehicle performance. But what happens to those old batteries after they’re replaced is important if you’re judging a car on how environmentally friendly it is.
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Robert Long new VP of economic development for Cumming-Forsyth Chamber
Nov 16, 2015 | Forsyth Herald
By Kathleen Sturgeon
The newest member of the Cumming-Forsyth Chamber of Commerce, Robert Long, was announced vice president of economic development Nov. 4.
Long is joining the chamber from the Gwinnett County Planning and Development Department, where he was the economic development director. Prior to working in Gwinnett, Long served as executive director of the Darlington County Economic Development Partnership in Darlington, South Carolina, from 2008 to 2012. He was in charge of all industrial, distribution and service-related projects considering expansion or relocation to the area. Long has also held positions with the economic development partnership in Aiken, South Carolina.
Before he assumed his new position Nov. 16, we sat down with him to get a more in-depth look at the incoming economic development vice president.
-What was your most memorable moment from your job with the Gwinnett County Planning and Development Department?
“My most memorable moment with my current position is working with the Gwinnett Chamber to land the Suniva expansion project in August 2015 after working with the company for over a year. This company is a solar cell maker and Georgia Tech spinoff that will invest $96 million in capital investment and create 500 quality jobs in Gwinnett County.”
-What skills do you think you’ll bring to Forsyth from your previous experiences?
“I have over 20 years of experience as a local economic developer in South Carolina and Georgia, where I have worked virtually every type of project and every aspect of economic development. I bring a wealth of knowledge that I think will be very beneficial to Forsyth County. Forsyth has begun to experience rapid growth, not that dissimilar for Gwinnett County in the 1980s. I think there are some lessons learned that I can bring to the table.”
-Do you have any plans for your new position? If so, what? Any goals?
“My predecessor, Randall Toussaint, has laid an excellent economic development foundation for me to build upon. The Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber has a five-year economic development program called ‘Business First’ that will be my guide as I step into this position. At the same time I will inherit active projects from the interim Kerry Campbell. Thus, I will balance managing these existing projects with new activity while getting to know the many terrific businesses that call Forsyth County home.”
-Why did you want to take this job in Forsyth? What drew you to the area?
“I have enjoyed my time in Gwinnett County immensely. I cannot say enough about the professionalism of Gwinnett County and the Gwinnett Chamber. It has truly been a wonderful experience here, but this chance to work with the Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber was something that I could not pass up. This is an opportunity for me to become the primary economic development representative of literally one of the fastest-growing communities in the country. Forsyth County has the quality of life, education, health care and pro-business environment that provide all of the ingredients needed for me to be successful in this endeavor.”
-Is there anything you’d like to change about our area?
“The Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber is already doing a magnificent job of educating the business and community leaders on various issues impacting the area. They host a wide variety of annual events, such as the Economic Outlook Breakfast, Manufacturer’s Roundtable, Healthcare Summit and Transportation Summit. I will be spending much of my time over my first few months educating myself on the area, so that I can provide constructive input at the appropriate time.”
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Is Canadian Solar On the Way Up Or Down in Solar Energy?
Nov 15, 2015 | The Motley Fool
By Travis Holium
It's been an up and down few years for solar giant Canadian Solar (NASDAQ:CSIQ). The company went from profitable to losing hundreds of millions of dollars along with most of its competitors a few years ago only to make a comeback and return to profitability over the last year.
But profits are down in 2015 and will likely fall again next year as the windfall from Canadian projects moves into the rearview mirror. As results get worse, Canadian Solar continues to have its foot on the growth gas pedal, looking to expand production by almost double between 2014 and 2016. Is that a recipe for disaster or global domination in solar?
Earnings are down big
Canadian Solar's recently released third quarter revenue was down 7.1% from a year ago to $849.8 million and net income dropped 70.9% to $30.4 million, or $0.53 per share. The decline is primarily due to fewer high margin projects in Canada being sold, but it also revealed the razor's edge the company is walking on.Gross margin of 14.9% was above the company's guidance of 12% to 14%, but it's well below industry leaders that are reporting gross margins of over 20%. The only way to offset that low margin and remain profitable is to spend less on operating expenses, particularly research and development, where the company spent just $4.1 million last quarter.
The problem with that is this is a time when improving efficiency and technical capabilities offered to customers is more important than ever. The companies that are improving profitability are moving up the value chain, not leveraging commodity products in solar.
Expansion plans are under way
As margins fall, Canadian Solar is executing on an ambitious expansion plan. By the end of 2016, the company expects to have 3.4 gigawatts of cell capacity and 5.6 gigawatts of module capacity, up from 1.5 gigawatts and two gigawatts respectively at the end of 2014.The theory is that solar demand should be extremely high for the rest of 2015 and through 2016 as the U.S. soaks up as much demand as it can handle before the ITC falls from 30% to 10% in 2017. But what happens then?
What happens in 2017?
The biggest risk solar investors face is companies expanding too fast, seeing technology pass them by resulting in low margins, and then having too much debt to be able to pay off while investing in the future. This is what happened to Suntech Power, Yingli Green Energy, Q-Cells, and countless other solar companies that were once dominant in the solar industry.So far, Canadian Solar has managed to keep its debt at a relatively small $1.7 billion, offset by $932 million in total cash and about $500 million in project assets. So, the balance sheet isn't as big a concern as it has been for other manufacturers.
Margins, however, are lower than many competitors and show no signs of increasing significantly. One reason for that is the company's commodity solar panels, which aren't differentiated from most competitors and force Canadian solar to compete on price in the marketplace.
Competing on price alone may be fine for the next year or so, but if the U.S. solar market collapses in 2017 and there's a continued push to more and more efficient solar panels we could see a plunge in profitability. That's what's concerning about the low margins and low R&D spending today.
What is Canadian Solar's future?
The problem Canadian Solar has is that it's stuck in no man's land in the solar industry. It's a module supplier and is building a systems business, but it doesn't have a technology advantage over competitors and doesn't have access to low cost financing.Without some way to differentiate itself the company is stuck fighting in a commodity market that's becoming more of a technology market by the day. That may be a way to survive, but it's not a high probability of success for investors. Without improved products that will push margins higher I don't see this Chinese solar panel maker as a good bet in today's solar market.
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France to go ahead with climate summit, with tough security
Nov 14, 2015 | Reuters
By Emmanuel Jarry
France plans to go ahead with a global climate change summit in Paris at the end of the month, the prime minister said on Saturday, despite a wave of deadly attacks on Friday night that killed 127 people in the capital.
The conference "will be held because it's an essential meeting for humanity," Prime Minister Manuel Valls told TF1 television on Saturday evening.
He said the summit would also be an opportunity for world leaders to show their solidarity with France after the attacks.
About 118 world leaders are expected to attend the opening day of the Nov. 30-Dec. 11 conference, which is due to nail down a global deal to limit rising greenhouse gas emissions.
In Washington, officials confirmed that both U.S. President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry still planned to attend.
Overall, between 20,000 and 40,000 delegates are expected to attend.
"Security at U.N. climate conferences is always tight but understandably it will be even tighter for Paris," said Nick Nuttall, spokesman of the U.N. Climate Change Secretariat in Bonn.
The United Nations has the main responsibility for security inside the conference venue at Le Bourget, to the north of the capital.
On Saturday, an angry President Francois Hollande promised a "merciless" response to the wave of attacks by gunmen and bombers that killed 127 people across Paris, describing the assault, claimed by Islamic State, as an act of war.
Organizers of a march to press for climate action planned for Paris on Nov. 29, the eve of the summit, said they would meet on Monday "to discuss ways forward", said Alice Jay, director of the citizens' campaign group Avaaz and one of the organizers.
Organizers have been hoping to imitate a "People's Climate March" in New York last year that attracted hundreds of thousands of people, the largest protest against global warming in history.
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OECD: U.S. Must Slash Emissions Intensity to Meet Pledge
Nov 16, 2015 | BNA Daily Environment Report
By Rick Mitchell
The U.S. would have to significantly cut the rate of its carbon intensity to be able to live up to its pledge for the upcoming Paris climate talks, according to recent Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development data.
The U.S. pledged to cut net carbon dioxide emissions 26 percent to 28 percent by 2025, relative to 2005 levels, while the European Union pledged to reduce emissions at least 40 percent by 2030 compared with 1990 levels.
For the U.S. to meet its target, it would have to cut its greenhouse emissions per unit of gross domestic product by 2.3 percent to 2.8 percent a year compared with its average annual reduction of 1.6 percent from 2005 to 2012, OECD environment director Simon Upton said Nov. 13 in Paris.
The EU would have to cut its emissions intensity by 2.8 percent a year compared to the 1.8 percent it has achieved recently, he said.
Some 162 countries to date have submitted pledges to the UN called Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) for use at the talks, Upton said. According to the International Energy Agency, the pledges account for 90 percent of global economic activity and nearly 90 percent of global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions.
Preparing for Climate Talks
Upton commented during a briefing on OECD work to prepare for the 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, a global summit starting Nov. 30 in Paris.
The goal of these talks is to reach a global deal to fight climate change, largely through commitments to cut carbon dioxide emissions.
The INDC commitments generally start in 2020—when the Paris pact would enter into force—and Upton said countries will have to implement consistent policies that allow to meet their pledges and to go beyond those targets if there is to be any chance of holding global warming to manageable levels.
A recent OECD report examined climate mitigation policies of its 34 member countries, which include the world's advanced economies, plus nonmembers Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, India, Indonesia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia and South Africa.
Nearly all have decreased emissions per unit of gross domestic product, but progress is slow, Upton said.
A big problem is countries' conflicting policies, he said. For example, some countries have policies to boost the use of renewable energies in addition to subsidies to cut the cost of fossil fuels. Some have energy efficiency policies, but also very low tax rates on coal, the world's dirtiest fossil fuel.
Transportation Sector
According to OECD, the transport sector accounts for some 23 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions and 14 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions.
Policies are needed to expand electrification of urban transport, especially in developing countries, and reduce emissions in the road freight sector, according to Upton.
He said aggregate greenhouse gas emissions for the 34 OECD member countries peaked in 2007, but they remained above 1990 levels in 2012.
Fossil fuels' market share of primary energy supply has not budged in the past 25 years from around 80 percent, and fossil fuel combustion has increased about 2.5 percent a year during the last decade while greenhouse gas emissions have risen 2.1 percent a year during that period, according to the OECD.
“We have a long way to go on decarbonizing economies if you look at that,” Upton said.
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Paris climate deal must be legally binding, EU tells John Kerry
Nov 13, 2015 | The Guardian
By Arthur Nelsen and Damian Carrington
The EU has warned the Obama administration that a global climate deal at the Paris summit must be legally binding, after the US secretary of state John Kerry said that it “definitively” would not be a treaty.
“The Paris agreement must be an international legally binding agreement,” a spokeswoman for the EU’s climate commissioner, Miguel Arias Cañete , told the Guardian. “The title of the agreement is yet to be decided but it will not affect its legally binding form.”
Earlier today, the French foreign minister, Laurent Fabius , had said it was obvious that any agreement in Paris would contain lawful elements, and suggested that Kerry was “confused” about the point.
Kerry told the Financial Times on Wednesday that any agreement in Paris, where world leaders meet in three weeks’ time, is “definitively not going to be a treaty” and there were “not going to be legally binding reduction targets like Kyoto”, in a reference to the world’s only previous binding climate treaty.
But the nature of the agreement’s elements is being fiercely contested in talks that officials publicly say have reached a very sensitive point. Privately, they say that countries are keeping their powder dry for the frantic last days of negotiations in which a pact is expected to be thrashed out.
“The political-level talks in Paris start on 7 December so we still have some time to sort this out,” Cañete’s spokeswoman said. “What still needs to be negotiated is what provisions within the Paris agreement would be legally binding.”
The EU would like to see a five-yearly multilateral review process or “facilitative regime” that can enforce emissions commitments, with the threat of withholding climate aid being used as a stick against developing countries that renege on their promises.
Whether the deal will be formalised as a treaty or protocol, however, remains up in the air. The Kyoto protocol was criticised by states such as the US, which withdrew from it under the George W Bush presidency, arguing that it exempted developing countries and would damage the US economy.
While keen to clinch a deal in Paris, the Obama administration is worried that a Republican-dominated US Senate could demand a deciding say over any treaty with legally binding obligations.
Some influential countries seem willing to extend Obama the benefit of the doubt. “We don’t need a treaty in Paris,” the Moroccan environment minister Hakima el Haite told a UN climate conference in Rabat last month. “We need a universal agreement in which everyone agrees and commits – and is engaged to respect commitments and contributions. That is what we are working for.”
Bob Ward, the policy director at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment said that the Paris agreement was always intended as a complement to emissions pledges, rather than a body of statute.
“John Kerry, the US secretary of state, has simply restated what has been understood for a long time,” he said. “It was agreed at the United Nations climate change summit in Durban in 2011 that countries would seek a new and universal greenhouse gas reduction protocol, legal instrument or other outcome with legal force. The Paris agreement will fulfil this.”
But it remains unclear what sanctions could be imposed against developed countries that flout their obligations, or how the review process would ramp upinadequate climate pledges. Countries putting forward their climate plans in recent days include Bosnia, which anticipates a 70% increase in emissions by 2030 compared to 2010 levels, and oil-rich Saudi Arabia.
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Obama, Hollande Talk Climate Change After Public Spat
Nov 16, 2015 | BNA Daily Environment Report
By Anthony Adragna
President Barack Obama and French President François Hollande spoke Nov. 13 in part to smooth over a rift that broke out this week between the two nations over the degree to which the Paris climate accord will be legally binding
Both leaders emphasized during their phone call a “personal commitment to reach an ambitious and durable climate change agreement” in December in Paris, according to the White House. A White House spokesman stressed that the precise nature of the deal will only be known after the Nov. 30-Dec. 11 negotiations conclude.
Additional details of the call were not released.
Their conversation came a day after the two nations sparred over the structure of the agreement. Secretary of State John Kerry told the Financial Times that what comes from the Paris negotiations is “definitively not going to be a treaty,” prompting Hollande to say Nov. 12 “there won't be an agreement” if it isn't legally binding (219 DEN A-14, 11/13/15).
A treaty would need to be ratified by the Senate, where Republicans would likely kill any climate change agreement.
White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters the exact structure of the deal “will be the subject of the negotiations that are scheduled to take place over 10 or 11 days” but said he expected the deal would have legally binding aspects to it.
“Our expectation is that the kinds of commitments that people will make will be significant and that they will be verifiable and transparent,” Earnest said.
Nearly 200 nations will be involved in the talks where negotiators hope to get a deal combining pledges by nations to curb their greenhouse gas emissions with requirements that those actions be verified and strengthened in the years ahead.
Says Position Unchanged
The State Department, for its part, told Bloomberg BNA in a Nov. 12 statement that its position on the nature of the accord was unchanged.
“The [Financial Times] interview with Secretary Kerry may have been read to suggest that the U.S. supports a completely non-binding approach. That is not the case and that is not Secretary Kerry's position,” a State Department official said.
“The U.S. is pressing for an agreement that contains provisions both legally binding and non-legally binding,” the official continued.
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Moniz Pushes Clean Technologies Before Paris Climate Talks
Nov 16, 2015 | BNA Daily Environment Report
By Rebecca Kern
Wind turbines, solar panels, electric vehicles and LED light bulbs are four “transformational” clean energy technologies helping the U.S. grow its low-carbon economy and combat climate change, the Energy Department said in a report.
Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz discussed the report at a Nov. 13 event at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington. Moniz also highlighted some of the department's goals for the Nov. 17-18 International Energy Agency's ministerial meeting in Paris, which he will chair, and the United Nations climate negotiations that begin in Paris Nov. 30.
Moniz said the Energy Department's approach going into both the energy ministerial and climate negotiations “is going to be very technology focused.”
“We are advancing the theme that energy technology innovation and the resultant continued cost reductions of clean energy technologies are ultimately key to meeting our challenges in climate change,” Moniz said. “Lower cost clean energy solutions enable policy to move forward more quickly.”
The report, which is an update to a previous version in 2013, describes a dramatic reduction in costs that the government said is driving the widescale adoption of the four energy technologies in the U.S.
In particular, the report said that land-based wind technology accounted for 31 percent of new generation capacity added in the U.S. from 2008 to 2014. As of 2014, there were more than 65,000 megawatts of utility-scale wind deployed across 39 states, providing 4.4 percent of the total U.S. electricity generation.
Also, the report said that large scale-utility photovoltaic installations reached 9.7 gigawatts by 2014. Moniz said the cost of utility-scale solar fell by 60 percent from 2008 to 2014.
Additionally, the report highlights the dramatic cost reductions of light-emitting diode (LED) light bulbs, which experienced the greatest drop in prices from 2008 to 2014 of all four technologies. LED bulbs have gone from very small deployments to nearly 80 million deployed across the U.S., Moniz said.
Lastly, the report describes the cost reductions in electric vehicles, with nearly 300,000 of them on U.S. roads by the end 2014.
Technologies on the Cusp
The report also highlighted three technologies that are on the verge of wider deployment and cost reduction in the coming years: smart building systems, fuel-efficient freight trucks and vehicle lightweighting (or building lighter, more fuel-efficient vehicles.)
The report said these three technologies will continue to drop in price and increase in adoption over the next five years to 10 years in the U.S.
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China Releases Emissions Reporting Guidelines
Nov 16, 2015 | BNA Daily Environment Reports
China issued greenhouse gas emissions measuring and reporting instructions for coal mining and several other industries, according to a Nov. 13 statement from the National Development and Reform Commission. In addition to coal mining, the technical document covers paper-making and paper goods manufacturing, nonferrous metals refining and flat-rolled products, electronic components, mechanical equipment, food production, tobacco, alcohol, beverages and refined tea processing, public building management, land transportation businesses, and fluorine chemical production. The measures will be used to help ensure data accuracy once China officially starts piloting a national-level emissions trading system in 2017. The NDRC statement is available, in Chinese, at https://tinyurl.com/nfvzacc.
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EC removes Chint Solar and Sunny Solar from minimum price agreement
Nov 16, 2015 | PV Magazine
By Sandra Enkhardt
The European Commission (EC) has confirmed the removal of Chint Solar and Sunny Energy for the minimum price undertaking (MIP). The German subsidiary of Chint Solar, Astronergy, reports that its activities are not affected by the decision.
Two more Chinese manufacturers will be removed from the MIP. The EU Commission had threatened exclusion from the MIP in September, because of supposed far-reaching violations of the undertaking by Chint Solar and Sunny Energy. Brussels has now confirmed that imports on crystalline solar PV products from these two producers will now incur duties of around 50%.
The ruling relates to both companies and any related parties in the future. Both anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties have been applied.
The EU Commission found that Chint Solar had violated its reporting obligations. In addition, the solar modules manufacturers have sold PV products in the EU that were produced by companies belonging to Chint Solar, but are not listed in the undertaking. Another reason for the exclusion was that Chint Solar sold solar products under the minimum import price that had been produced in Europe by companies owned or related to Chint. Because of this, the EU found that compensatory arrangements been made that are not permitted by the undertaking.
In the case of Sunny Energy the main reasons the EU has excluded it from the MIP is that it has sold solar modules under the minimum import price and in combination with other products, which exceeded the allowable limit. Other Chinese manufacturers have previously been found to selling modules in combination with other discounted components, and therefore effective cross subsidizing, in the past.
Chint Solar had in 2013 bought the insolvent Conergy Solar Modules GmbH & Co. KG. Since then produced the Chinese PV manufacturer, via its German subsidiary Astronergy, also solar modules produced in Frankfurt (Oder) in Germany’s east. Astronergy is not affected by the decision of the EU Commission pertaining to Chint Solar, as Managing Director Thomas Volz confirmed to pv magazine.
EU Prosun pointed out that the minimum price rules had been proposed in 2013 by the Chinese companies. “The EU and Germany in particular have accepted that [the MIP]. If the company then breach the agreement, it's a violent breach of trust. The recent exclusion shows that the inspections by the EC are more frequent and more thorough, so that will hopefully soon send the message that fraud in the end is costly,” EU Prosun President Milan Nitzschke told pv magazine.
Since early June, the EU Commission has already removed four Chinese PV manufacturers from the MIP. This included Canadian Solar, ET Solar, Renesola and Znshine. Officially the undertaking will remain in place until December 7. The SolarWorld lead association, EU Prosun has filed a petition for a review of the scheme. In the event that the EU Commission accepts this proposal, the undertaking could continue at least for the period in which the Prosun petition is examined by the EU. The removal of the MIP is being supported by several associations including Solar Power Europe, VDMA and SAFE.
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4 charts show what’s ahead for renewable energy
Nov 13, 2015 | Grist
By Tim McDonnell
With high-stakes climate negotiations just around the corner, things are looking rosy for the producers and sellers of wind turbines and solar panels.
In just a couple weeks, world leaders will gather in Paris to hash out a global agreement to combat climate change. On Thursday, top diplomats from the United States and France appeared to butt heads over the legal status of the agreement, with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius criticizing a statement made by Secretary of State John Kerry that the greenhouse gas reduction targets in the agreement will not be legally binding.
Each party to the agreement offers its own target based on its abilities. The U.S., for example, has committed to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions 26 to 28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025. The targets are a key piece of the agreement, since they represent countries’ plans to limit the emissions that cause climate change.
The targets offered so far — known in U.N. jargon as intended nationally determined contributions, or INDCs — have faced criticism from environmental groups, in part because it remains unclear how they will be enforced, as Kerry’s spat with the French makes clear. Moreover, cumulatively, they don’t put the world on track to limit warming to 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, as scientists and diplomats have agreed is necessary to avert the worst impacts of climate change.
But that hardly means the agreement will be worthless. The INDCs also include information about how countries plan to reach their emissions targets. And as several recent reports have helped to illustrate, the Paris talks could be a huge boon to the global clean energy industry — an industry that was worth about $270 billion as of 2014 and is growing fast.
The first sign came from a United Nations analysis in late October, which combed through INDCs from almost every country on Earth and found that most of them include plans to invest in renewable energy within their borders. Some of those plans include specific policies — such as providing tax incentives or drawing on international aid dollars — and some are more vague. Taken together, renewable energy appears to be the most common strategy for meeting emissions targets, compared to boosting energy efficiency, cleaning up the transportation sector, stopping deforestation, and other methods:
“Clearly, countries are looking at renewables as a solution to tackle the energy challenges they’re facing,” said Thomas Damassa, a senior analyst at the World Resources Institute’s climate program. “It’s clearly something that’s on all countries’ minds, not a device for only the rich. It’s a viable option for all countries.”
According to Damassa’s research, if Brazil, China, the European Union, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, and the United States — which together represent 65 percent of global energy demand — follow through on their INDCs, the amount of clean energy on the grid will more than double by 2030. That represents an increase from approximately 8,900 terawatt-hours of global clean energy in 2012 to 19,900 terawatt-hours in 2030. (The U.S. currently consumes about 4,000 terawatt-hours of total electricity — from renewable and non-renewable sources.) The chart below illustrates the projected change in a few of these countries:
Different countries have different definitions of “clean energy.” For example, the U.S. is the only one of Damassa’s countries that doesn’t count large hydro dams. India, China, and Mexico include nuclear power plants. In fact, China plans to increase its supply of nuclear power nearly 900 percent, Damassa found, accounting for nearly half of its total clean energy by 2030. That would be a big win for the climate, because nuclear power doesn’t emit greenhouse gases, regardless of concerns about cost and safety.
Damassa found that the renewable capacity implied by these countries’ INDCs is about 17 percent higher than the “business-as-usual” case, meaning that the Paris targets could have a significant impact on the industry’s growth. Much of that extra growth could take place in countries such as India and Brazil that didn’t previously have aggressive clean energy targets.
The impact of the United States’ INDC may be more muted. That target is based on the projected outcome of the Clean Power Plan, President Barack Obama’s flagship climate regulations, which will limit greenhouse gas emissions from the power sector. Under that plan, the U.S. aims to get 20 percent of its electricity from renewables by 2030, up from 7 percent now. Environmentalist have criticized that goal as not being ambitious enough.
“In our view, the targets set by the [Clean Power Plan] are not terribly stringent above and beyond what we anticipate will occur in the marketplace anyway,” said Ethan Zindler, the head of policy at Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Still, in the face of repeated attacks on federal tax credits and state-level clean energy policies, the INDC could be an important backstop, Zindler said, because it “adds greater certainty around renewables into the next decade.”
In any case, the INDCs are just one piece of the puzzle. There’s little doubt about which direction the clean energy industry is headed, according to aprojection released this week by the International Energy Agency. That report predicts global investment in clean energy will reach $7.4 trillion by 2040, by which time renewables will provide about a quarter of the world’s electricity. Wind is likely to be the biggest new source, according to the IEA:
The IEA’s analysis includes the INDC targets, which it says “provide a boost to lower-carbon fuels and technologies in many countries.” But it also cites falling prices for both renewable technology and for natural gas (which integrates more easily with renewables on the grid than coal does) as major drivers of the industry’s growth.
Tom Kimbis, vice president of executive affairs at the Solar Energy Industries Association, a trade group, argues that the clean energy industry is already prepared to compete in the global market — with or without political targets. Still, he concedes that at the moment, it’s difficult for companies to make decisions about investing in clean energy projects abroad because the details behind many INDCs remain murky.
It’s worth noting that IEA projections are notoriously conservative. In the past, the agency has often dramatically low-balled the growth of wind and solar, so there’s reason to think the final outcome could be even bigger than what that group is projecting. (David Roberts at Vox has an exhaustive explainer on what goes wrong in their analyses.)
The simple fact that renewable energy shows up in so many INDCs is a compelling sign of hope for the industry, Damassa said. Back in 2009, at the last major climate talks in Copenhagen, there was nowhere near this level of interest in clean power, he said.
“People never would have guessed that renewables would be deployed as quickly as they are,” Damassa said.
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As Solar Power Booms, Its Biggest Component Is Dirt Cheap
Nov 16, 2015 | BNA Daily Environment Report
By Christopher Martin
Prices for polysilicon, the main ingredient in solar cells, have dropped to a record low amid a supply glut that won't end soon.
There's so much of the shiny black stuff on the market that suppliers including Europe's Wacker Chemie AG, Hemlock Semiconductor Corp. in the U.S. and South Korea-based Hanwha Chemical Corp. are losing money at spot prices that reached $14.76 per kilogram this month, down 31 percent in the past year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg New Energy Finance.
The global surplus is unlikely to ease with polysilicon manufacturers reluctant to curtail production because demand for solar power is surging, said Jenny Chase, lead solar analyst at New Energy Finance. It's reminiscent of the panel glut that struck the industry a few years ago that drove down module-makers’ earning, and shows that the solar-power industry is still experiencing growing pains on its path to becoming a mainstream source of energy.
“It's another sign of how good the solar industry is at losing money,” Chase said in an interview Nov. 11. “You don't want to close an entire factory just because of a temporary drop in prices. It can take six months to shut down and start up again.”
Prices can't stay this low for long before producers start to cut back, said Jade Jones, a solar analyst at GTM Research in San Francisco. For a healthy industry, a price of $20 is more fair based on manufacturing costs.
“We thought prices might start to tick-up in the fourth quarter as demand climbs but that's not happening,” Jones said. Increased competition to garner market share has created a price war that's not sustainable. “If the price stays this low in 2016 then I'd expect ramp-downs.”
Low prices are taking a toll. Hemlock's parent company Dow Corning Corp. reported a 9 percent decline in third-quarter sales, due in part to declining polysilicon revenue. Not only are prices low, some orders are being delayed.
“Results continue to be impacted by fewer polysilicon shipments to Hemlock Semiconductor's long-term contract customers,” Chief Financial Officer J. Donald Sheets said in an Oct. 28 statement.
The current price is a huge drop from polysilicon's heyday back in early 2008, when manufacturers were getting as much as $475 a kilogram—some companies are still benefiting from long-term contracts panel makers signed back then. Suppliers also sell higher-grade polysilicon to semiconductor makers at higher prices.
Solar Market
However, 90 percent of the world's polysilicon supplies ended up in solar panels in 2014, up from 27 percent in 2001, according to GTM Research. While demand for panels is expected to climb 30 percent this year, polysilicon capacity is also increasing.
Polysilicon production capacity currently stands at about 350,000 metric tons a year, and there are plans to increase that by at least 10 percent next year, according to New Energy Finance. That oversupply, combined with existing inventory, will continue to pressure prices.
Wacker Chemie, the second-biggest producer, doesn't see it that way. Chairman Peter-Alexander Wacker is predicting a rebound as strong demand for panels in the U.S. and China soaks up excess supplies.
“We always have swings based on demand but this trough in price seems to be saying that even the biggest producers are finding it difficult to rein back production,” Wacker said in an interview in Berlin.
He's planning to open a new factory in Tennessee next year and is running the rest at full capacity, according to slides from the company's third-quarter earnings presentation.
That's partly why New Energy Finance's Chase sees little chance for price recovery. “Next year does not look much better for polysilicon manufacturers.”
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Nov 13, 2015 | PV Magazine
By Jonathan Gifford
Energy Watch Group has criticized the International Energy Agency's renewables predictions as containing "serious errors," concluding that the forecasts are "inadequately low." The international network of scientists and parliamentarians says that while leading analysts forecast annual installations for both wind and solar will grow by 10% through 2040, the IEA forecasts zero growth at best and 20 – 40% decreases in less optimistic scenarios.
The International Energy Agency’s World Energy Outlook (WEO), released on Tuesday, is often used by policy makers as a key document in plotting future energy supply. Its latest iteration has been severely criticized from a number of quarters, with the Energy Watch Group the latest to add its voice to the chorus of condemnation.
Even in its most optimistic “New Policies” scenario, the IEA forecasts that growth of annual renewable energy installations will cease growing, with 144 GW of renewable capacity added globally through 2040.
The German-lead Energy Watch Group notes that solar PV investment costs are “outdated” with the figures used by the IEA for the period 2025 – 2040 having already been achieved in 2015.
“Although the IEA spreads positive messages in its WEO presentations, the actual figures show serious errors and inadequately low forecasts for sustainable energy technologies, which are the least expensive form of energy supply in a growing number of regions in the world,” said Christian Breyer, Professor for Solar Economy at the Lappeenranta University of Technology in Finland. “We need [the] urgent help of journalists and civil society to find out the real reasons for these continuous incorrect IEA projections for solar PV and wind energy.”
Breyer was the lead author in the latest Energy Watch Group study on global renewable energy deployment.
The group also says the predictions of rising oil consumption are “risky and irresponsible,” given the high debt levels of oil companies, the current lack investment in the sector and decrease convectional oil production.
“We are now standing at a crossroads: either high oil prices disrupt the economy, or lower prices disrupt oil companies. It is a toss-up whether the transition to a low-carbon energy supply will go smoothly or will cause major upheavals", said Werner Zittel, senior energy expert at Ludwig Bölkow Systemtechnik. “Even more so it must be the duty of the IEA to provide realistic signposts rather than limit itself to the business-as-usual thinking.”
Energy Watch Group also criticized the IEA’s predictions for significant growth in the nuclear sector. It points to significant cost blowouts in nuclear projects in Finland and France as indicating that such growth is not financially viable.
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It’s Getting Much Easier for Companies and Cities to Go 100 Percent Renewable
Nov 13, 2015 | Greentech Media
By Katherine Tweed
A long-term goal of 100 percent renewable energy is increasingly possible for large corporations and local governments, according to a new report by Clean Edge.
Ron Pernick, managing director for Clean Edge, said he would have scoffed at such a report just a few years ago. “Now we’re seeing it," he said.
One of the largest areas to have achieved 100 percent renewable energy is Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, a state with nearly 3 million people. The windy rural northern German state is now producing as much renewable electricity as it consumes -- although that is a net calculation.
The current push for all renewables among global corporate powerhouses such as Google, Microsoft and Unilever has largely been met through tradable credits. But there is a strong shift toward onsite generation or direct power-purchase agreements, the report notes. The ambitious goals set by many large corporations started as sustainability programs, but are increasingly economic decisions.
The report, funded by SolarCity, outlines five trends that are enabling the shift to 100 percent renewables: the falling cost of distributed solar; maturing utility-scale renewables; maturing energy storage; efficiency and net-zero buildings; and a more intelligent electric grid.
Pernick said that all five building blocks were equally important to getting to 100 percent renewables. “We focus on the renewables because we need to generate the electron, but by no means do we think the deep efficiency isn’t critical,” said Pernick.
Efficiency is necessary to enable cleaner sources to meet total energy needs. The U.S., for instance, wastes at least 20 quadrillion BTUs annually, more than double the amount of electricity sold in the country each year. Waste heat from a variety of industries, from mining to automotive to oil and gas, also represents atremendous opportunity to increase efficiency.
The report notes the importance of deep efficiency in the built environment. But it did not wade into the messy mechanisms of actually realizing those deep savings.
Investment in cutting-edge technology to allow for two-way power flows is another critical building block to enabling 100 percent renewables for companies and communities. But it is still early days on that front as well -- and that could act as a barrier to enabling large cities to go fully renewable.
The goal of the report is to highlight the top performers in renewable energy integration. “We’re tracking corporations and governments that are leading the charge and hoping others can learn from that,” said Pernick.
Even though technology changes are making the goal easier, there are some significant caveats.
The discussion about 100 percent renewables is centered around electricity, which is only one part of the energy picture. In the U.S., electricity accounts for less than half of total energy consumption. Tackling transport and heat will be a much more formidable challenge.
For instance, Friedberg Pflüger, director of the European Center for Energy and Resource Security, recently told CleanEnergyWire that it is very possible that Germany will be importing as much natural gas a decade from now as it does today, even if it generates most of its electricity from renewable sources.
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The sun is setting on solar, but there’s still time to scoop the feed-in tariffs
Nov 14, 2015 | The Guardian
By Miles Brignall
Around 655,000 homes – less than 3% of the UK’s housing stock – have solar panels, but if government plans to slash the industry subsidy go ahead, further installations could be halted, campaigners are warning.
The solar industry, backed by at least 35 MPs, is proposing an alternative plan to encourage further installations while adding just £1 to the average electricity bill. But amid fears their plea will fall on deaf ears, householders are rushing to take advantage of feed-in tariffs (Fits) while they last.
Is installing solar panels still worth it?
Yes, though you’ll have to move fast: in January, the government is set to slash the Fits it pays to households installing photovoltaic panels. Currently it pays 12.47p per kilowatt hour, which translates to about £440 a year for someone who installs the maximum 4kW system.
Households get to use the free electricity generated, which can be worth around £100 a year with some behavioural changes, eg using washing machines on sunny days etc. They also pocket the export tariff (payments for units sent to the national grid) worth around £80 a year. If you can get a system up and registered with your power company before 31 December, you can expect to receive around £620 a year for the next 20 years (tax free and rising each year in line with inflation).
Note that these figures are based on those published by the Energy Savings Trustand are only averages. Incomes from solar vary significantly according to PV system and local conditions.
What’s the cost/payback?
When solar first appeared in the UK, large installations typically cost around £20,000. Today, a decent 4Kw system from a reputable installer will set you back £6,000-£7,000 depending on the roof and ease of access. Smaller systems are cheaper, but in essence the promise is this: pay £6,000 up front to receive around £600 a year for the next 20 years. So after 10 years you’ll have recouped your outlay; from then on you’re generating income. After 20 years the Fits stop, but your panelswill still produce electricity, and an income of sorts.
What sort of roof do I need?Advertisement
The ideal is a perfectly south facing, entirely unshaded roof at a pitch of around 45 degrees, although homes that deviate from the ideal still generate reasonable returns. Also, the further south the better. To gauge your likely income use the Energy Savings Trust’s calculator.
In order to qualify for the quoted Fits your home must have an energy performance rating of band D or better. Frankly, it’s worth it (financially) if your home has a lower rating than D.
Why do I need to act fast?
Because the government no longer wants to subsidise renewable energy. In August, the Department of Energy & Climate Change announced a consultation into the subsidy and proposed a new feed-in tariff of just 1.63p/kW – an 89% cut – starting on 1 January. This is despite admitting this week that it does not have the policies in place to meet its EU target of 15% of energy coming from renewables by 2020. However, the government must formally announce any rate change 40 days before it is implemented, meaning all eyes will be on Decc next week.
The cut looked a near certainty until it emerged this week that there have been 55,000 submissions to Decc’s consultation – mostly from those in the industry who are furious it is about to be obliterated as a result of this change. Those managing the consultation are duty bound to read them all. The latest thinking is that the cut will be delayed until mid January, or even longer.
But it’s clear that those wanting the current Fits need to have solar installed and registered by 31 December.
Will the rate cut kill solar financially?
Pretty much, yes. The reduction would see a large household’s Fit payments fall from £440 a year to £55. The export tariff, set at 4.85p/kWh and worth £80 a year, should remain, largely because the consultation made no proposals to change it.
The potential savings of £100 a year from the free electricity remain irrespective of any change. But will most households be prepared to spend £6,000 up front for a combined income/savings of £235 a year, albeit for 20 years? It seems unlikely.
Is January a realistic deadline for installation?
It will be tough, but it’s possible. Some well regarded installers are struggling to cope with demand as customers rush to grab the deal ahead of the cut. Adrian Clayton, sales manager at Hertfordshire installer Chelsfield Solar, told Money this week that his firm is running a waiting list and looks set for “a very busy Christmas period”.
For households who want to beat the deadline, the YouGen website is a good place to find reliable installers.
Clayton says it is not just the Fits cut that is driving demand. In October, the government announced it was also cutting the tax relief that community solar projects – those typically put on schools and village halls – have until now enjoyed. Community energy was added to a list of activities excluded from receiving Enterprise Investment Scheme tax relief. The axe falls on 30 November and installers have been rushing to finish projects ahead of the deadline.
Clayton says around six community projects his firm was working on are now “highly unlikely” to go ahead because of the tax relief changes.
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Apple to Tap Renewable Energy to Power Singapore Operations
Nov 16, 2015 |
By Anindya Upadhyay
Apple Inc. reached agreement to power its expanding operations in Singapore with solar energy, part of a broader push by the world’s largest company by market value to tap cleaner sources of energy around the globe.
Beginning in January, the maker of the iPhone and Apple Watch will source 40 gigawatt-hours of power from rooftop solar installations made by the Sunseap Group, according to a statement from the Singapore-based company.
“In addition to Apple’s corporate office in Ang Mo Kio, two other buildings are expected to come up in 2016 in One North and Orchard Road locations in Singapore,” Lawrence Wu, director at Sunseap Group, said by phone. “We expect to power these buildings and any more offices that Apple opens in future.”
Apple has the right to ask for a minimum increase in power requirement above 40 gigawatt-hours every year as needs expand, Wu said.
Solar energy systems atop more than 800 buildings in Singapore in Sunseap’s portfolio will be used to power the project, according to the statement.Renewable Energy
“We’re thrilled to be working with Sunseap and the government of Singapore to pioneer new ways to bring solar energy to the country — and bring Apple even closer to our goal of powering our facilities around the world with 100 percent renewable energy,” Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president for environment, policy and social initiatives, said in the release.
As of 2014, 100 percent of Apple’s U.S. operations and 87 percent worldwide are powered by renewable energy. Worldwide operations include data centers, all corporate offices, and more than 450 Apple retail stores, Apple says on its website.
Earlier this month, Apple was named along with Microsoft Corp. and Google parent Alphabet Inc. as among companies doing the most to fight climate change.
In October, Apple announced plans to build an additional 200 megawatts of solar power in China and to push suppliers to make similar commitments. The solar investment comes atop two previously announced solar farms in southern China that have now been completed, Apple said in a statement at the time.
Besides Apple, Sunseap is working with various government agencies and energy service companies to provide new clean energy product offerings, Frank Phuan, the group’s managing director, said in the release.
Sunseap’s lenders include Goldman Sachs Group Inc., DBS Group Holdings Ltd., United Overseas Bank Ltd., and Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp. among others.
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Brazil Clean-Energy Developers Sell 1.5 Gigawatts of Wind, Solar
Nov 13, 2015 | Bloomberg
By Vanessa Dezem
Energy developers won contracts to sell almost 1.5 gigawatts of clean electricity in Brazil after the government raised a price cap to attract bidders.
Wind-power companies including Rio Energy and EDP Renovaveis SA agreed to provide 548 megawatts of capacity, Sao Paulo-based electricity trading board CCEE said on its website Friday. Solar companies such as SunEdison Inc. and Rio Alto Energia won contracts for 929 megawatts at the government-organized energy auction.
The slumping economy has hindered new energy projects after the Brazilian real fell 37 percent this year. That’s making it more expensive to import solar panels and wind-turbine components. BNDES, the country’s development bank and the most important source of long-term financing, has raised interest rates.
“Competition was huge in this auction,” said Rafael Brandao, a partner at Rio Alto Energia. “Payers were fighting for contracts and the prices were pressured at the end.”
Solar projects won contracts to sell power for an average of 297.75 reais ($77.49) a megawatt-hour, below the ceiling price of 381 reais a megawatt-hour. In a similar auction in August, the maximum price was 349 reais. In Brazil’s energy auctions, the regulator Aneel sets a ceiling price and developers bid down the amount at which they’re willing to sell electricity. The lowest offers are awarded long-term deals.Solar Prices
“Solar prices were a nice surprise,” said Igor Walter, a director at the Ministry of Mines and Energy. “The prices are realistic. The ceiling price raise was determined to bring competitiveness to the auction and generate competition.”
Brazil has set a goal of having 7 gigawatts of installed solar power capacity by 2024, according to Mauricio Tolmasquim, the head of Brazil’s Energy Research Agency, known as EPE. That’s an increase from last year when the government was targeting 3.5 gigawatts of solar capacity in operation by 2023.
For wind energy, the average price in the auction was 203.46 reais a megawatt-hour, below the 213-real ceiling. The maximum price in a similar auction in August was 184 reais.
“Higher ceiling prices were successful in attracting investors for the event,” Helena Chung, an analyst with Bloomberg New Energy Finance, said in an interview in Sao Paulo.
Brazil is seeking to replace 15 gigawatts of inefficient thermal power plants with cleaner and cheaper energy sources, Energy Minister Eduardo Braga said Thursday.
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Pakistan’s Sindh Province Approves Land Allocation For 1,880 MW Of Renewable Energy Projects
Nov 13, 2015 | CleanTechnica
By Smiti Mittal
The government of Sindh province in Pakistan has taken a significant step towards strengthening the power generation infrastructure through renewable energy projects, following in the footsteps of its neighbouring province, Punjab, which has already taken major strides in setting up renewable energy projects.
The Sindh provincial government approved allocation of 15,089 acres of land to set up 21 solar and wind energy projects, amounting to a total installed capacity of 1,880 MW. The government will also allocate an additional 6,622 acres land for 12 more renewable energy projects later.
The projects are expected to be developed by national and international project developers, however, no auctions have been organised or announced, though some project developers have submitted bank guarantees with the Sindh Energy Department to start work on the projects.
The projects are expected to feed power generated in to the grid operated by the National Transmission and Dispatch Company and will receive feed-in tariffs as per the regulations approved by the country’s National Electric Power Regulatory Authority.
Earlier this year, the Sindh government announced plans to set up five solar PV power plants, each with 20 MW capacity.
Sindh borders the Indian states of Gujarat and Rajasthan, which are the two leading states in terms of installed solar power capacity. Both the states also have huge wind energy potential. Sindh also shares the Thar desert with India, which provides it with ample land resources to develop large-scale renewable energy projects, as has been done in India.
Development of new power generation assets is critical for Pakistan’s power sector which has been struggling to meet the rising demand. A large majority of the country’s power generation capacity is based on oil which is imported as high cost. Setting up renewable energy projects will remove the cost of fuel from the high tariff the end user is currently paying, shielding it from the fluctuations in international crude oil prices.
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Zoo Dung, Biogas Help French Switch to Green Power
Nov 16, 2015 | BNA Daily Environment Report
By Rudy Ruitenberg and Caroline Connan
In the elephant paddock at the Beauval Zoo, Limbo is doing his bit for France's ambitions in green energy.
The most prolific dung producer at the family-owned zoo in central France, the grey African elephant, as tall as a bus, churns out 100 kilograms of excrement a day. His manure provides fuel for a nearby biogas plant that keeps the zoo's gorillas and manatees warm, supplies power to the national grid and helps France cut greenhouse gas emissions.
With France falling short on its renewable energy targets, the government is pushing for more projects like the one in Beauval. By capturing the methane gas produced by bacteria breaking down manure and waste, the zoo covers part of its energy needs and avoids greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to about 80 Paris-New York return flights a year.
“We're the first zoo in France to have a biogas unit,” said Delphine Delord, the director of communication at ZooParc de Beauval and the daughter of its founder, Francoise Delord. “I'd like to be a model in sustainable development and green investment.”
Climate Gathering
France, host of the 21st Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Paris at the end of the month, is no biogas champion. The number of methane plants in the country lags behind Germany by a factor of 20, partly because the time needed for reviews and permits before construction discourages new projects.
“While not the same as building a nuclear reactor, there's still a tricky administrative procedure” to build a biogas plant, said Jean-Luc Gasparini, deputy director for the Loir-et-Cher district of France's national grid operator ERDF, which hooked up the Beauval plant to its electricity network.
More Projects
At ZooParc de Beauval, where gardeners weed by hand, the elephant house sports an array of solar panels and palm oil has been banned from its restaurants’ frying pans, the methane plant is part of a push to lower the park's environmental impact.
The 2.5 million-euro plant (about $2.7 million) cuts greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 760 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year, or the output of 255 cars, according to engineering firm Ledjo Energie, which performed the feasibility study for Beauval.
Methane, which is produced naturally by decomposing manure, is a greenhouse gas whose planet-warming potential is 25 times more powerful pound-for-pound than carbon dioxide. Burning the methane to produce energy prevents the gas from escaping into the atmosphere and reduces fossil-fuel use.
Renewable sources made up 14.2 percent of final energy consumption in France in 2013, compared with a target of 15 percent, according to official data. The government is seeking to lift that to 23 percent by 2020.
‘Dying From Regulation.’
Administrative delays aren't helping, according to Delord. “I don't understand why there are not more projects,” she said. “France is dying from regulation.”
French Energy and Environment Minister Segolene Royal has called for 1,500 proposals by 2017 for new methane plants, as well as lifting the price paid for electricity from some biogas plants while attempting to slash bureaucracy that can hold projects back for years.
Higher prices for electricity would be a boon for biogas plants and would help Beauval recoup its investment faster, Delord said.
France had about 385 units turning waste and biomass into methane by the end of last year, compared with around 8,000 in Germany, including at Hellabrunn Zoo in Munich.
Pure Manure
Technician Cedric Joie manages the Beauval biogas plant's digester tank, a circular silo holding a five-meter-deep soup of manure, dough waste from a nearby cookie factory and pickle water from the local gherkin plant. Heated and stirred, the mixture feeds the millions of bacteria that turn the waste into methane gas and a solid residue usable as a fertilizer.
The methane unit isn't so different from a sewage treatment plant in terms of biology and the mechanics of pumps, valves and mixer, said Joie, who trained in water management with a specialization in waterworks maintenance.
The 150 tons of steaming manure and straw piled up next door will keep the plant going for barely 10 days, according to Joie. In addition to zoo dung that includes about 20 kilograms produced every day by France's only pair of giant pandas, five neighboring farmers supply manure from cows and goats that helps feed the biogas unit.
“In pure manure, I bring in almost 100 tons a week,” Joie said.
Hippo Manure
The methane from the Beauval plant feeds a generation unit from Schnell Motoren AG that burns the gas to produce heat and as much as 265 kilowatts of electricity. The unit, packed into the space of a shipping container, produces below capacity for now, generating about 190 kilowatts of power, according to Delord.
A planned hippopotamus basin with observation glass, to be inaugurated next year, will provide a useful supply of additional sludge for the biogas plant, she said.
“The manure of the hippos will be very important because it's more liquid,” Delord said. “We're excited.”
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Solar Energy Sales Subject to South Carolina Power Tax
Nov 16, 2015 | BNA Daily Environment Report
By Andrew M. Ballard
Sales of electricity by a utility-sized solar energy generating facility to other power entities for resale aren't subject to South Carolina sales and use tax, but they are subject to the state's electric power tax, unless otherwise exempt.
The state Department of Revenue said it was issuing its draft guidance documentNov. 10 to address the applicability of state taxes to energy generated and sold by utility-sized solar energy facilities, which are growing in number around the nation and in the Southeast. The facilities can cover “substantial acres of land” and construction costs can be significant, according to the department.
Comments are due on the draft guidance by Dec. 1 and may be sent to policy@dor.sc.gov.
Exempt From Sales Taxes
Because the electricity sold from the solar facilities at issue is a wholesale not retail sale, the department said, it isn't subject to the sales taxes.
South Carolina levies a 6 percent sales tax, with localities authorized to impose up to 2.5 percent more. According to the Tax Foundation, the average local sales tax rate levied in South Carolina is 1.13 percent.
However, the revenue department said, the solar-generated energy is subject to the state's power tax, unless otherwise exempt. That tax is assessed at 0.5 mills (1/20th of 1 cent) per kilowatt-hour sold for resale (S.C. Code Ann. § 12-23-10).
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Daimler is reusing electric vehicle batteries to store renewable energy
Nov 15, 2015 | Ars Technica
By Megan Geuss
When electric vehicle batteries get long in the tooth, they have to be replaced because they’ll start experiencing power loss—which will mean reduced vehicle performance. But what happens to those old batteries after they’re replaced is important if you’re judging a car on how environmentally friendly it is.
To this end, automaker Daimler recently announced that it plans to connect the old lithium-ion cells to the grid in Lünen, Germany, building the world’s largest stationary storage facility made out of re-used electric vehicle batteries. The system will allow renewable energy that's generated in that area to be stored and given back to the grid to level out energy fluctuation that might occur if, say, those same generating sources went offline due to equipment failure, a cloudy day, or a drop in wind power. Generally, burning extra fossil fuel is required to stabilize the grid.
"Depending on the model, Daimler AG guarantees its electric vehicle customers a battery life of up to ten years, “ the company wrote in a press release. "However, the battery systems are still fully operational after this point, as the low levels of power loss are only of minor importance when used in stationary storage. It is estimated that the unit can operate efficiently in a stationary application for at least another ten years."
Daimler’s first stationary storage unit will be able to provide 13MWh of electricity and is slated to come online in the beginning of 2016. A spokesperson for the company told Ars that “further projects are already being planned.”
The company also noted that it’s working with a number of other companies to get the project off the ground—it’s not as simple as wiring together a bunch of old batteries and calling it a day. Daimler said its subsidiary Accumotive will reprocess about 1,000 old lithium-ion batteries, wiring them into groups of 46, with each group providing 600kWh of energy. The storage unit will offer state-of-the-art battery management (according to Daimler’s press release) and a water cooling system.
Two outside companies will help the Mercedes-Benz maker market the battery capacity to German utilities, and a third, called Remondis, will recycle any salvageable raw materials after the batteries’ second lives have run their course.
Daimler isn’t the first company to think of this—earlier this summer, GM showed off five sets of battery installations, using old batteries from Volt cars, at its Milford Proving Ground in Michigan. But Daimler's efforts do seem to be the most serious attempt thus far to put electric vehicle batteries onto the grid.
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