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Unprecedented Adoption of Renewable Energy Sources Drives Solar Photovoltaic Installation Market.
Nov 16, 2015 | Industry Today
...The report mentions some of the major companies operating in the global solar photovoltaic installation market, namely Trina Solar Ltd., Bosch Solar Energy AG, Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd., Canadian Solar Inc., Yingli Green Energy Holdings Co. Ltd., and First Solar Inc. -
Climate change investment up 18 pct in 2014 as clean energy surges
Nov 17, 2015 | Reuters
By Megan Rowling
Global investment in activities to reduce planet-warming emissions and vulnerability to climate change grew 18 percent to $391 billion in 2014, as private backing for renewable energy technologies surged, researchers said. -
Climate financing hits $391 billion, solar a key beneficiary
Nov 17, 2015 | PV Magazine
By Becky Beetz
Climate financing reached US$391 billion in 2014. While private investment comprised the lion’s share – driven by renewable energy deployment, and solar PV in particular – public financing notably increased. Despite the rise, the investment gap between what is required and what is being delivered is said to be growing. A preference towards domestic financing also highlights the importance of policy and support frameworks. -
Latest funding for developing world renewables launched by IRENA and Abu Dhabi Fund for Development
Nov 17, 2015 | PV Tech
By Andy Colthorpe
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) are seeking applications to fund renewable energy projects in developing countries through concessionary loans. -
KPMG predicts major disruption from solar in India over next decade
Nov 16, 2015 | PV Tech
By Ben Willis
Solar prices in India could be substantially lower than coal by 2020, helping the technology become a major part of the country’s energy mix, according to a report by international consultancy firm KPMG. -
GTM: Australia’s residential energy storage ‘explosion’ to reach 132MW a year by 2020
Nov 16, 2015 | PV Tech
By Andy Colthorpe
US analysis firm GTM Research has published the latest commentary to highlight significant potential in Australia for energy storage, driven by the success of its PV industry. -
Solar activity heats up in Africa
Nov 17, 2015 | PV Magazine
By Becky Beetz
A number of solar plans have been announced across the African continent, including Sterling and Wilson’s aim to install 500 MW of PV across the next three years; and a US$100 million investment for renewables deployment in Rwanda and Uganda. -
Electric Buses To Take Over Moscow?
Nov 17, 2015 | CleanTechnica
By James Ayre
Despite the general public impression of Russia as being relatively opposed to renewable energy and electric vehicles, the city of Moscow will actually, reportedly, be getting a fleet of electric buses in 2016. Though, some questions remain, based on the coverage of the situation that I’ve read (I can’t read Russian, so this is all going through a translation program). -
Low-Cost, Clean Power Of Wind – Right Solution, Right Now
Nov 16, 2015 | CleanTechnica
By Chris Brown
In the wind energy business, it’s our job to know which way the wind is blowing. With decades of experience and a global data stream from wind turbines worldwide, we can forecast when, where and how fast the wind will blow. This allows us to predict precisely how much clean electricity – and revenue – wind can generate anywhere in the U.S. and most of the world for the next 20 years. -
Diplomats praise decision to hold Paris climate talks; outside events may be canceled
Nov 17, 2015 | Environment & Energy Publishing
By Lisa Friedman
Climate change leaders from around the world are applauding the French government's decision to press on with a landmark U.N. conference in Paris at the end of the month, even in the wake of deadly terrorist attacks. -
UN chief urges 'faster' action on climate change
Nov 16, 2015 | The Hill
By Devin Henry
The head of the United Nations urged world leaders this week to go “much farther and much faster” with their plans to combat climate change. -
G-20 Leaders Support Binding Climate Change Accord
Nov 17, 2015 | BNA Daily Environment Report
By Bryce Baschuk
Leaders from the Group of 20 Nov. 16 endorsed the efforts of international climate negotiators to seek a binding accord to cap global warming at 2 degrees Celsius by the end of the century. -
India's Modi puts solar firmly on G20 agenda
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Unprecedented Adoption of Renewable Energy Sources Drives Solar Photovoltaic Installation Market.
Nov 16, 2015 | Industry Today
According to the latest market study published by Transparency Market Research (TMR) on the global solar photovoltaic (PV) installation market, the volume of solar PV energy generation will rise at a CAGR of 10.70% between 2012 and 2018. The report is titled “Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Installation Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2012 - 2018” and states that energy generated using solar photovoltaic installations totaled 29.6 gigawatts in 2011 and will rise to 60.05 gigawatts by 2018. In terms of revenue, the market will reach a valuation of US$145.9 bn by 2018.
The increasing need for energy across the globe for commercial, industrial, and residential purposes is driving demand for alternate energy sources such as solar photovoltaic panels, says the TMR report. The abundance of solar energy, especially in tropical countries that have intensive sunlight for a major part of the year, is the reason for several market players to shift focus towards installing solar photovoltaic panels for energy generation.
Get Request Sample of the Report : http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=762
The global solar photovoltaic installation market is also fuelled by the growing concern regarding the warming of our planet due to greenhouse gas emissions. Several governments and international agencies are making consistent efforts to adopt renewable energy sources, which would help curb the carbon footprint at every level. Other advantages of solar photovoltaic installation are greater output efficiency, falling prices, cheaper installation and maintenance costs, and favorable government schemes and regulations.
Technology, end user, grid type, and geography are the four criteria based on which the solar photovoltaic installation market is divided in the report. By technology, the segments of the market are thin film photovoltaic, crystalline silicon solar photovoltaic, and others (crystalline photovoltaic and organic photovoltaic). In 2011, the conventional silicon solar photovoltaic segment held the largest market share due to the low cost, high yield, and robust nature of the installations based on this technology. However, in the coming years, thin film PV will lead the solar photovoltaic market due to the rising popularity of thin film PV systems across the world.
By end use, the market is divided into utility scale solar photovoltaic, commercial solar photovoltaic, and residential solar photovoltaic. In recent years, the installation of solar photovoltaic panels has increased considerably in residential and commercial buildings to cut energy costs. On a regional basis, North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Rest of the World are the key segments of the global solar photovoltaic installation market. Currently, Europe dominates the global solar PV installation market. However, the emerging economies in Asia Pacific will exhibit increased demand for solar PV panels due to their increasing energy need for commercial and residential applications.
The report mentions some of the major companies operating in the global solar photovoltaic installation market, namely Trina Solar Ltd., Bosch Solar Energy AG, Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd., Canadian Solar Inc., Yingli Green Energy Holdings Co. Ltd., and First Solar Inc.
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Climate change investment up 18 pct in 2014 as clean energy surges
Nov 17, 2015 | Reuters
By Megan Rowling
Global investment in activities to reduce planet-warming emissions and vulnerability to climate change grew 18 percent to $391 billion in 2014, as private backing for renewable energy technologies surged, researchers said.
More money than ever before was channelled into action to curb climate change and its impacts, after funding levelled off in 2012 and declined in 2013, according to an annual report from the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI), an advisory group.
"Two weeks out from the international climate negotiations in Paris, our analysis demonstrates that countries around the world are investing to drive their own economic growth and development," Barbara Buchner, senior director of the CPI and lead author of the study, said in a statement.
Around three quarters of total investment and over 90 percent of private finance was raised and spent in the same country, the report noted.
Worldwide, private investors poured $243 billion into renewable energy last year, up 26 percent from 2013, leading to record installation of solar photovoltaics and onshore wind power, with especially strong growth in China, the report said.
Some renewable energy technologies are edging closer to becoming fully cost-competitive with fossil fuels, it added.
Government investment, meanwhile, reached at least $148 billion in 2014, continuing its steady rise over the past three years.
Yet, despite the 2014 increase in funding for cleaner, more resilient economies, the CPI said even greater effort and a wider geographic spread for investment are needed to keep global warming to an internationally agreed target of 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit).
The report noted that around $16.5 trillion is required between 2015 and 2030 to shift the global energy system in line with the 2 degree goal.
More will be needed to curb emissions from deforestation and help societies and economies adapt to more extreme weather and rising seas, it added.
"(Climate spending) is going in the right direction but more needs to happen, and clearly on the adaptation side as well," Buchner told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
ADAPTATION FUNDING FLAT
Funding for climate change adaptation - which includes protecting infrastructure from damage, switching to hardier crops and improving weather information services - stayed flat in 2014, at $25 billion or 17 percent of all public climate finance, the report showed.
But Buchner said the data was incomplete because it did not include adaptation investment by the private sector, where more transparency is needed.
The numbers will be scrutinised by officials in the run-up to the Paris climate summit, beginning on Nov. 30, where some 195 countries are due to stitch together a new deal to curb global warming.
Climate finance is a sticky topic for negotiators, with developing countries seeking firmer reassurance that rich nations will make good on a promise to mobilise $100 billion a year to combat climate change in vulnerable states by 2020.
They also want to see $100 billion fixed as a floor for increased funding from 2020, and some are also looking for a separate commitment on government money for adaptation.
A study issued in October by the CPI and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development showed donors are almost two-thirds of the way to the $100 billion goal, having spurred $62 billion in public and private climate finance in 2014.
But just 16 percent of the $114 billion in funding for developing nations over 2013 and 2014 was allocated purely for adaptation measures, with 7 percent more going to projects that support both adaptation and mitigation efforts to cut emissions.
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Climate financing hits $391 billion, solar a key beneficiary
Nov 17, 2015 | PV Magazine
By Becky Beetz
Climate financing reached US$391 billion in 2014. While private investment comprised the lion’s share – driven by renewable energy deployment, and solar PV in particular – public financing notably increased. Despite the rise, the investment gap between what is required and what is being delivered is said to be growing. A preference towards domestic financing also highlights the importance of policy and support frameworks.
In its Global Landscape of Climate Finance 2015, the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) has found that climate financing surged in 2014, to reach $391 billion. This represented an 18% increase on 2013, which recorded $331 billion. The report looks at how much was invested, where the funds went and who supplied them. It did acknowledge limitations in the amount of data available, however.
Private investment
At $243 billion, or 62%, private investment comprised the lion’s share of climate financing. YoY, investments in this sector grew by 26%, or nearly $50 billion, thus halting the decline experienced in the previous two years. The increase came on the back of the 98 GW of solar PV and onshore wind installed in 2014, particularly in China.
Project developers invested the most funds – $92 billion or 38% – in the private investor class, followed by corporate actors (non-energy corporations and manufacturers) at $58 billion. Here, funds primarily went to solar PV projects.
Commercial financial institutions, meanwhile, generated $46 billion, which was chiefly channeled into solar PV and wind projects in East Asia and Pacific and the Americas.Investments from households reached $43 billion, which went to solar PV and thermal projects under 1 MW. "Mostly, such investments took place in China, Japan, and the US, driven by policy support schemes and declines in installation costs," wrote the report’s authors.
Finally, representing a decrease on 2013, around $2.6 billion in climate financing was said to have come from private equity, venture capital, infrastructure funds, and institutional investors last year. "While this is partly due to data limitations, 22 institutional investors’ direct primary investments in renewable energy projects remain small (less than USD 1 billion) compared to the scale of their assets globally and their growing fossil fuel divestment commitments," continued the CPI.
In the private investment sector, the majority of actors relied on their balance sheets to finance renewable energy projects, which totaled $175 billion. Again, solar PV was the main beneficiary, particularly in high- and upper-middle-income countries like China, Japan and the U.S.
Investors are looking to new ways to finance climate projects, including yieldcos and green bonds. "The emergence and rapid growth of some of these instruments highlights that investors have unfulfilled needs for risk diversification and revenue/cost savings certainty," state the report’s authors.
Public sector
Representing an 8% increase on 2013, the public sector was said to have channeled at least $148 billion into climate financing. Of this, Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) contributed $131 billion, or 33%. CPI believes this figure could be even higher than its figures suggest. At $66 billion, national DFIs comprised over half of this, mostly via concessional loans; while multilateral and bilateral DFIs contributed $47 billion and $17 billion, respectively.
An average of $15 billion of direct public contributions was found to have come from governments, ministries and bilateral agencies to climate projects, mostly directed to low- and middle-income countries; multilateral and national Climate Funds, meanwhile, were found to have invested $2 billion in climate financing.
In the public financing sector, grants ($14 billion) and low cost loans ($69 billion) represented the main forms of investment. Specifically, grants represented over half of both governments’ and Climate Funds’ investments. Low cost loans, on the other hand, comprised the majority of financing coming from bilateral and national DFIs.
"Public concessional or lower-than-market-rate finance, including loans with longer tenors and grace periods, play a catalytic role by supporting the establishment of policy frameworks, strengthening technical capacity, lowering investment costs, and reducing investment risks for the first movers in a market. Country macroeconomic and institutional conditions and the existence and level of project-level revenues are key determinants of the appropriate combination of grants versus loans," stated the report.
Where are the funds going?
The CPI again underlined the fact that incomplete information has hindered its analysis of the global climate financing market, meaning it cannot identify the initial recipients of $56 billion of public financing. It found, however, that $61 billion, or 41% went to public-private entities, while at least $31 billion, or 21% of public finances went to private entities, including NGOs.
Overall, the report found mitigation accounted for $361 billion, or 93% of total climate finance in 2014, 81% of which went toward renewable energy. "The heavy bias toward renewable energy reflects the lack of data for private investments beyond this sector," wrote the authors.
With regards to public climate finance, renewables saw $49 billion, or 33%, while $26 billion and $21 billion went to energy efficiency and sustainable transport, respectively.
Looking to private investment, large- and small-scale solar PV ($134 billion) and onshore wind ($66 billion) projects attracted most of the renewable energy investment.
In terms of regions, East Asia and the Pacific remained the largest destination of climate finance flows, accounting for $119 billion, or 31% of the total, up 22% from 2013.
Growing gap, sufficient support
Despite the fact levels of global climate financing are climbing, CPI has said the gap between the investment required to reduce emissions and what is actually being invested, is growing. "Even greater effort and geographic spread is needed to deliver investments consistent with the 2°C global temperature goal," said the report.
The need for appropriate domestic investment and support policies was further highlighted, in light of the fact that $290 billion, or $290 billion of total climate finance was raised and spent in the same country. "Deficient frameworks can inhibit the incentives for investment by, for instance, sending unclear or uncertain policy signals or by failing to put an adequate price on the risk of inaction on climate change," stated the report’s authors.
As aforementioned, new financial instruments need to be developed, or existing ones tailored, to meet investors’ needs, while climate change considerations must be integrated into the financial system.
CPI explained, "Public actors have the opportunity to drive investment from the wider financial system, by providing other investors and financiers with the needed confidence to participate in climate projects. DFIs, for instance, can enhance private actors’ awareness of and ability to understand, appraise, and manage climate change risks (or opportunities), and thereby engage investors currently still at the sidelines of climate finance."
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Latest funding for developing world renewables launched by IRENA and Abu Dhabi Fund for Development
Nov 17, 2015 | PV Tech
By Andy Colthorpe
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) are seeking applications to fund renewable energy projects in developing countries through concessionary loans.
The two organisations have launched the fourth of seven planned funding cycles and are welcoming applications from interested parties until mid-February of next year. The round is expected to raise around US$50 million, adding to a commitment by ADFD to provide US$350 million in loans across seven annual funding cycles. Each ADFD loan is intended to cover 50% of project costs.
In the rounds that have already taken place since 2012, ADFD has provided funding to 11 renewable energy projects in the developing world, in the form of US$98 million in loans, with each project selected on IRENA’s recommendation. For those 11 projects, IRENA said, around US$146 million has been contributed by other funding sources.
The cycles open in November each year and results are announced just over a year later in January. The results of the third and most recent cycle, for 2014, are expected therefore to be made public in two months’ time, ahead of the February deadline for the fourth and latest round.
According to IRENA, the funding demonstrates ADFD’s recognition of the importance of renewable energy in emerging countries, and the “sector’s crucial role in aiding economic and social development”. The projects funded should be in regions where populations have little to no access to electricity, offering them the chance to develop their own, clean, sustainable and affordable energy resources.
The criteria for selection stipulate that projects should be scalable, replicable and innovative where possible, boost energy security and energy access. According to IRENA, they are “carefully evaluated on technical merit, economic viability and socio-economic and environmental impact”.
“This new funding cycle provides another opportunity for developing countries to access low cost capital for renewable energy projects to drive an energy transition and achieve sustainable development. The continued partnership between ADFD and IRENA brings funding to the places where it can have the most impact and where financing is one of the greatest challenges,” IRENA director-general Adnin Z Amin said.
The US$98 million loaned by ADFD so far has contributed to the deployment of 56MW of renewable generation capacity, including off-grid and grid-connected projects across a range of technologies in regions as diverse as Argentina, Iran, the Madlives and Mali.
In related news, IRENA today announced that it will participate in “Re-energising the future”, a dedicated “renewable energy track” at the COP21 talks in Paris this year. The track will demonstrate that clean energy and energy efficiency are the most “realistic means to meet our climate goals”. The agency, which has 143 member countries, will host information about the “Re-energising…” track on its official website.
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KPMG predicts major disruption from solar in India over next decade
Nov 16, 2015 | PV Tech
By Ben Willis
Solar prices in India could be substantially lower than coal by 2020, helping the technology become a major part of the country’s energy mix, according to a report by international consultancy firm KPMG.
On the eve of Intersolar India, which kicks off in Mumbai later this week, KPMG’s report, ‘The rising sun: Disruption on the horizon’, predicts that over the next decade solar will scale up significantly, reaching a 12.5% market penetration by 2025.
A key factor in this scenario is the falling cost of solar, with KPMG predicting that by 2020 solar power will have reached INR4.20/kWh and INR3.59/kWh by 2025, up to 10% lower than coal.
Another major disruptor identified by KPMG is the advent of the rooftop PV market in India. Although rooftop PV is already competitive in India for many industrial, commercial and some residential customers, it is being held back by immature or non-existent net metering policies and the poor state of India’s grid.
But KPMG said this could change with the “significant evolution” expected in storage technologies, which will make self-consumption of solar power generated particularly in residential settings more attractive.
“The bigger disruption which we are yet to see may come from the solar rooftop business. This will be supported by a rise in storage technologies, and together they could change the energy landscape. Solar rooftop power, today, is already competitive compared to grid power; however, it requires net metering support. Though, going forward, this will change due to the significant evolution that is expected in storage technologies,” the report said.
The consultancy predicted that India’s rooftop market could reach 10GW by 2020 and 49GW by 2025. Initially, the rooftop market will be dominated by industrial consumers over the next five years, but then accelerate after 2020 due to the likelihood of storage solutions making rooftop solar more attractive to householders at around this time. In the long term, residential PV will be the dominant player in the rooftop market, according to KPMG.
The findings of the study echo those of a report published by Deutsche Bank over the summer, which predicted that investment in solar power in India would surpass investment in coal by around 2020.
KPMG said the disruption it foresaw from solar, although broadly positive for India, raised a number of implications for the way in which the country plans and delivers new energy infrastructure.
“There is a need to fundamentally rethink our planning processes and approach in order to successfully incorporate a high [renewable energy] scenario,” the report said.
In particular it highlighted the need for greater central coordination of the activities currently being undertaken by individual states to plan their own energy mix for the future.
“This can be achieved through a powerful planning entity that is equipped with the right resources. Planning protocols need to be defined which identify the roles and responsibilities of the central planning body and the state bodies,” KPMG said.
The consultancy added that if solar does reach the levels it envisages in India, it would contribute 4% of the 33-35% reduction target it has promised to make in the carbon intensity of its GDP by 2030 under the pledges submitted ahead of the COP21 climate talks in Paris later this year.
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GTM: Australia’s residential energy storage ‘explosion’ to reach 132MW a year by 2020
Nov 16, 2015 | PV Tech
By Andy Colthorpe
US analysis firm GTM Research has published the latest commentary to highlight significant potential in Australia for energy storage, driven by the success of its PV industry.
'The Australian energy storage market: Downstream drivers and opportunities', authored by GTM’s Brett Simon, predicts that by 2020, Australia will be installing 244MW of storage capacity on a yearly basis. In monetary terms, Simon predicts that what was an US$8 million market in 2013 will be worth US$448 million in five years’ time.
Of this total annual capacity figure, as much as 132MW is expected to be deployed behind the meter and paired with PV in homes. Residential energy storage, with households storing their solar to reduce electricity costs, either by reducing their exposure to time-of-use electricity rates or simply by self-consuming a higher proportion of PV-generated power compared to more expensive power from the grid, is likely to drive the market on.
Residential storage will “explode” from 1.9MW deployed this year to 44MW in 2016, the report claims, with the above factors accelerated by big drops in the feed-in tariff (FiT) rates, or by FiT schemes closing early. The country has different FiT schemes for different regions, with different timelines for their phase out or degression. The removal of FiT incentives, replaced by what GTM called “paltry solar export tariffs”, will mean storage makes a growing degree of economic sense for homeowners.
The GTM report also said that commercial-scale storage, while not enjoying prospects for growth as strong as household, will nonetheless ramp up rapidly too. A combination of high demand charges and incentive schemes in South Australia would catalyse this market, from just 1.5MW this year to 23MW in 2016.Australia’s storage market potential is increasingly well known both at home and abroad
GTM’s report follows closely in the wake of several other reports on the growth potential of energy storage paired with solar in Australia, mostly published by organisations based domestically. Since August, PV Tech's sister site, PV Tech Storage, has covered reports that have emerged from Australian crowd-funded non-profit organisation Climate Council, technical services company AECOM – commissioned by Australia’s Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) - and more recently from the Australian Energy Storage Council, an offshoot of the Australian Solar Council.
Meanwhile, recent announcements from Tesla and Enphase have confirmed that both US companies share the enthusiasm of GTM and others for the emerging household solar-plus-storage market in Australia. Tesla has confirmed Australia will be one of the initial markets for Powerwall when the EV maker’s home storage battery finally hits the shelves, with Enphase expected to follow suit.
Meanwhile, Tesla’s collaborator on battery packs, Panasonic, is already trialling multiple applications of its own branded home storage devices with utility Red Energy. According to the GTM report, the interest not only of international firms to sell into Australia, but also of Australia’s electricity retailers to diversify into solar-plus-storage, is a strong indication of its future trajectory.
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Solar activity heats up in Africa
Nov 17, 2015 | PV Magazine
By Becky Beetz
A number of solar plans have been announced across the African continent, including Sterling and Wilson’s aim to install 500 MW of PV across the next three years; and a US$100 million investment for renewables deployment in Rwanda and Uganda.
With a growing demand for electricity, many living in poverty and an "urgent" need to build an appropriate energy sector, plans to improve access to electricity across the African continent abound, particularly in the off-grid sector. Larger-scale projects are also a focus, however.
Indeed, Indian EPC company, Sterling and Wilson recently unveiled its plans to install 500 MW in Africa. A spokesperson for the company told pv magazine projects will be deployed across Kenya, Zambia, Mozambique, Algeria, Tanzania, Namibia and Morocco over the next three years. Sizes will range from 5 to 40 MW, they said, adding, "Some projects are in advance stage of development and for some we have pre-bid tie ups."
While they would not divulge the amount being invested, they said Sterling and Wilson is working directly with IPPs and mining companies, while various potential customers and /or partners are said to be interested in collaboration. "Many of such customers are based out in Middle East/ France & UK," said the spokesperson.
Sterling and Wilson is currently working on 200 MW of solar projects in South Africa and Egypt, and has offices in South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria and Kenya. It also has a solar pipeline totaling 1.5 GW in India.
Commenting on its reasons for focusing on the African market, the spokesperson said, "Solar power remains one of Africa’s most abundant but scarcely used resources. Africa's huge solar resource, growing energy demands and high unemployment make it an ideal market for solar energy. With favorable irradiation levels, rising populations, a lack of stable electricity supply and high fossil fuel prices, the market for solar is ripe on the continent."
$100 million commitment
In related African news, US$50 million has been committed to improving access to electricity in Rwanda and Uganda, respectively. The Climate Investment Funds (CIF) endorsed both countries’ investment plan to install more renewable energy at its governing body meetings, held last week. The plan will be implemented with support from both the World Bank and African Development Bank (AfDB).
Rwanda aims to increase access to electricity to 70% by 2018 by grid-connecting 48% of households and offering 22% off-grid solutions in the form of solar home systems and mini-grid connections, via a Renewable Energy Fund (REF) established by the government.
"In particular, the plan aims to unleash the potential of the private sector by facilitating private investment through a range of potential financing instruments. These may include equity and debt, credit enhancement instruments, consumer finance, as well as grants and results-based-financing (RBF) to cover viability gap financing and improving affordability of off-grid energy services," said the AfDB in a statement released.
Through its investment plan, meanwhile, Uganda intends to focus on solar PV off-grid rural electrification and grid net metering, in addition to geothermal and wind projects. It will receive support from a number of partners, including the AfDB and the International Finance Corporation (IFC).
Overall, Uganda is said to have one of the lowest access rates to electricity in Africa, at 17%. The country aims to increase this to 40% by 2040. "Particularly for remote and isolated areas, where connectivity to the main grid is too expensive, off-grid and mini-grid systems will be an important part of the solution," said the AfDB in a separate statement.
Ghana
Ahead of his visit to Ghana, Minister of State at the UK Department for International Development, Grant Shapps said the time to invest in solar is "now." He cited high electricity prices and expensive power outages, in addition to falling solar prices and technology improvements, as strong reasons to support renewable energy deployment.
"The spread of mobile payment systems means people can pay for electricity on a micro pay-as-you-go basis, for less than they already spend on kerosene. This in turn means a market can be converted to deliver large scale off-grid domestic solar power," he added in a statement released by the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office.
If the world is to meet its target of universal access to energy, he continued, off-grid solutions need to be harnessed. "The grid will only ever provide 40% of Africa's energy needs. So we have to look elsewhere too," he stated. Cutting red tape and reducing bureaucratic barriers will be imperative to improving energy access, as will the establishment of appropriate finance options.
At the end of September, Shapps told a delegation of African leaders at the UN General Assembly that solar PV’s capacity to transform the energy landscape of sub-Saharan Africa would be supported at every step by the U.K.
Meanwhile, a recent report highlighted a growing market for off-grid solar products, with $300 million being reaped annually. Sales in Africa are said to be particularly strong.
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Electric Buses To Take Over Moscow?
Nov 17, 2015 | CleanTechnica
By James Ayre
Despite the general public impression of Russia as being relatively opposed to renewable energy and electric vehicles, the city of Moscow will actually, reportedly, be getting a fleet of electric buses in 2016. Though, some questions remain, based on the coverage of the situation that I’ve read (I can’t read Russian, so this is all going through a translation program).
The head of the Department of Transportation and Development of road transport infrastructure, and the deputy mayor of Moscow, Maxim Liksutov, commented: “I think that Moscow has a great future in terms of electric buses. We really want to buy electric buses, trolley buses is a worthy replacement, because the trolley on the Garden Ring is immobile and creates problems for road users. We expect next year to start buying. We would, first of all, put them on plots in the city center. We need a few hundred. Number of trolleybuses ‘B’, who go on the Garden Ring, about 40. We are waiting for the Russian industry a good quality product.”
So, from the sounds of it, the only thing holding up wider adoption is the desire to source from Russian companies, rather than relying on imports.
Here’s more via GeekTimes.ru:
Earlier, the Director General of the State Unitary Enterprise “Mosgortrans” Yevgeny Mikhailov, told the journalists that the electric bus LIAZ-6274 (reported range — 280 kilometers) production “Likino Bus Plant” (“LiAZ”) has worked in the Russian capital two or three weeks after which have been found quite serious problems in the energy management system. Now experts “LiAZ” is replaced by electric bus system, causing problems. It is expected that very soon will test electric buses on the line. It is expected that the test will last electric buses until the early 2016, after which they are to be commercial production and procurement of the authorities in Moscow.
In addition to electric buses ‘LiAZ’ experience in the Russian capital and other electric buses, including co-production company Drive Electro and “Kamaz”. The question of the supply of electric buses Drive Electro in Moscow and Moscow region worked out by the government of the region, but the decision depends on the results of the pilot operation in the winter season. That operation at this time of year is the greatest concern among experts.
The General Director of Drive Electro, Sergei Ivanov, commented: “Drive Drive Electro second generation allows you to charge electric bus unimpeded even in minus 40 degrees (Celsius), but ‘Mosgortrans’ should be able to test it in practice. For us it seems obvious that the urban passenger transport will switch to battery power.”
Apparently, the suburbs of Russian cities won’t be getting electric buses anytime soon, though, with some statements on the subject being somewhat harsh: “Bus fleet suburbs are now being translated into alternative fuels. But now we are considering as an alternative to compressed gas, liquefied petroleum gas and natural gas. The electric bus is out of the question,” stated a spokesman with the Ministry of Energy of the Moscow region.
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Low-Cost, Clean Power Of Wind – Right Solution, Right Now
Nov 16, 2015 | CleanTechnica
By Chris Brown
In the wind energy business, it’s our job to know which way the wind is blowing. With decades of experience and a global data stream from wind turbines worldwide, we can forecast when, where and how fast the wind will blow. This allows us to predict precisely how much clean electricity – and revenue – wind can generate anywhere in the U.S. and most of the world for the next 20 years.
Being able to eliminate unpredictable spikes in energy costs is a remarkable achievement.
This certainty provides customers with a valuable marketplace commodity. Most people think of wind as variable. But today, with a combination of low-cost and long-term certainty unmatched by any other energy source — clean or fossil fuel — wind power is driving a revolution in U.S. and world energy markets. Wind energy now even competes economically with natural gas. Although gas prices are reasonable today, they don’t have the long-term predictability of wind energy.
Not surprisingly, the market is responding. Wind power just posted one of its strongest third quarters ever. A recent U.S. energy sector report found that new wind turbine installations rose 280 percent for the quarter, with three gigawatts (GW) of new wind power coming online this year. In addition, wind has been the top new U.S. energy source in 2015, supplying 41 percent of all new U.S. power generating capacity, exceeding natural gas and solar. Over the past five years, about 28 percent of new U.S. capacity came from wind.
What’s driving this demand?
There are several factors, including the environment, climate change, energy security, technology advances and energy policy. But the most important factor is price.
The real cost of wind energy has dropped 58 percent over the past five years. Wind is not only the cheapest new source of renewable energy, but in many places, it is the most affordable energy, period. This means that affordable, clean wind power is no longer a distant dream. Rather, it’s a reality customers are demanding, and we are supplying.
If it costs less, who wouldn’t choose wind?
Because the smart money is investing in wind energy, major companies such as Amazon, Apple, Google, IKEA, Microsoft and Walmart are now jumping on board. No longer is wind power viewed as merely an “alternative energy.” Now, it is a key contributor to America’s electricity grid.
That’s a big deal.
For the first time, wide adoption of wind and solar is effectively reducing fossil fuels’ capacity factor, raising their relative cost and setting in motion a “virtuous cycle” reinforcing the trend. This past year, wind improved its capacity factor by 14 percent, while natural gas dropped 12 percent.
Although the future of wind energy looks strong — the Department of Energy (DOE) reports wind energy could be the cheapest, cleanest form of electricity in all 50 states by 2050 — this future is not guaranteed.
Keeping pace with accelerating global demand for wind energy presents formidable challenges. For now, the U.S. remains the world’s leading generator of electricity from wind, with 70 GW a year. But China has passed the U.S. in total installed wind energy capacity.
Breaking the numbers down, wind energy currently supports 70,000 U.S. jobs. Vestas has approximately 4,000 workers in the U.S. producing wind turbines for this market. Total U.S. jobs for the sector are projected to reach 375,000 by 2030. And the wind powering them all is homegrown and home-blown.
The industry’s goal is 20 percent of U.S. electricity by 2030. That means generating 224 GW from wind, and 140 GW in new build capacity, in the next 15 years. As wind business leaders, we must take responsibility for reaching and exceeding these goals. I believe we can do it. But we must continue making wind the customers’ most cost-efficient energy choice.
Wind power can out-compete older entrenched energies, but it needs a level playing field to reach its full potential across the U.S. Currently, the Production Tax Credit helps ensure stable growth and provide investment certainty for an industry that’s backed by more than 70 percent of Americans, has cut clean energy costs dramatically, and creates new jobs while driving U.S. energy independence. Why wouldn’t we keep that winning strategy?
We also encourage state policymakers to look to wind energy as a low-cost, ready solution to meet their goals with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan. The eight states with the highest emissions reduction targets have some of the best wind resources in the country.
In December, the world turns its attention to the COP 21 summit in Paris, which focuses intently on climate and energy security. As a low-cost, clean energy choice that’s in demand and available today, wind should hold center stage at the summit. Right now, wind power is a viable climate solution for the U.S. and the world. It is also an engine for jobs and economic growth. Wind energy shows the power of the marketplace, backed by sensible policy, to do good while also doing well.
[Chris Brown is president of Vestas-American Wind Technology, Vestas’ North American business unit.]
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Diplomats praise decision to hold Paris climate talks; outside events may be canceled
Nov 17, 2015 | Environment & Energy Publishing
By Lisa Friedman
Climate change leaders from around the world are applauding the French government's decision to press on with a landmark U.N. conference in Paris at the end of the month, even in the wake of deadly terrorist attacks.
But just how robust the event will be is still unclear. Early today, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls told a radio station that only the negotiations themselves will take place and not the "concerts and festivities" planned around it. The U.N. talks were expected to draw some 40,000 people to Paris.
The death toll from Friday's carnage -- when gunmen, some armed with AK-47s, opened fire on a Paris concert hall, stormed popular restaurants and set off explosions at a packed soccer stadium -- rose to 129 by last night. The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility. French President François Hollande declared the attacks "an act of war" and vowed revenge.
Diplomats from New Zealand to the Maldives said they believe the vicious assaults on ordinary citizens are precisely the reason the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP 21) to the U.N. climate convention must still convene as planned. U.S. President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry will be among nearly 120 heads of state attending.
"COP 21 has to take place; otherwise, it would mean being weak and scared by terrorism, which would be for them an additional victory," Pascal Canfin, France's former minister of development, told ClimateWire.
Agreed Jeffrey Waheed, deputy permanent representative of the Maldives to the United Nations, "We cannot acquiesce to brutality. It is important that terror attacks don't dissuade us from what's most important to the international community."
The two weeks of talks begin Nov. 30 and will take place at Le Bourget airfield on the outskirts of Paris. They are expected to culminate in a new international agreement to lower greenhouse gas emissions and possibly put in place a system by which nearly 200 countries can regularly enact new and stronger climate targets.
The conference is important to France both economically and politically. The government has already invested €170 million ($182 million) -- about 20 percent of it raised from private funds, according to the COP 21 website. Leaders hope the 20,000 people accredited for the conference and an additional 20,000 more expected for other events throughout Paris will bring in €100 million to the region in hotel and restaurant spending.'No, no, no, no, no'
Meanwhile, the agreement itself is viewed as a critical political win for Hollande as well as Obama. Both leaders have expended massive amounts of political capital on the Paris agreement, raising the issue at nearly every bilateral meeting.
That's partially why, analysts said, less than a day after the attacks, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius reacted quickly when asked if the climate talks would be canceled.
"No, no, no, no, no, the COP 21 [is] to be held. It will be held with enhanced security measures, but it is absolutely essential action against climate change, and of course it will be held," Fabius told reporters in remarks reported by Climate Home.
While a handful of people, most notably former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, raised concerns about the decision, most people in the global climate community praised it. Sarkozy, who early yesterday said going forward with COP 21 "would mean taking unbelievable risks," did not ultimately call for a postponement, according to the French press.
"I can fully understand the reasons behind the decision," said Jo Tyndall, New Zealand's climate change ambassador. "This [COP 21] has been hugely important to France. Postponing it would send, I imagine, the sort of signal they would not want to send to those responsible for these attacks."
Ronny Jumeau, ambassador to the United Nations from the Seychelles, said he was hoping French leaders would press forward. He argued that bringing 40,000 people to fight in negotiating halls and on the streets for a safer atmosphere is exactly what the world should be seeing in Paris.
"It also sends a message to the people behind the attacks. The world is not going to stop for you," he said.Marches, side events in limbo
Yet while the negotiations themselves are expected to continue, it remains unclear whether the dozens of events happening on the sidelines of the summit will still occur. Iain Keith, a senior campaigner with Avaaz.org, which is helping to coordinate a massive march through Paris on Nov. 29, said his team will meet tomorrow.
"In all honestly, it's pretty much the police's call now. The most important thing for us is safety," he said. "We will follow the police's lead."
And Lisa Jacobson, president of the Business Council for Sustainable Energy, said industry leaders hope to still be on hand in Paris but are willing to dial back their participation if new security measures call for it.
"Our delegation is prepared to go, provided that's what the French government and the U.N. and the State Department think is the right thing to do. We want to be constructive in a time of crisis," she said.
In his remarks to RTL Radio, according to Reuters, Valls said "a series of demonstrations planned will not take place and it will be reduced to the negotiations ... a lot of concerts and festivities will be canceled."
Residents described Paris yesterday as a city on edge and restless in its mourning. Outside the cafes that were the site of fear Friday night, flowers were piled high. Meanwhile, streets and restaurants that had been emptied out a day earlier once again sprang back to life as people decided they could no longer stay indoors out of fear.
Keith, who has been working in Paris the past months to prepare for the march, said the sun was out yesterday afternoon and he was finally taking a walk.
On Friday, he had been with a group of activists attending former U.S. Vice President Al Gore's 24-hour live climate webcast from the foot of the Eiffel Tower. Then he went to dinner near the Place de la République with friends. The main course had just arrived when shots rang out. People started to run, but Keith said he reacted slowly.A city on edge
"We were about to run and the barman grabbed us and said, 'Get inside,'" he said. They ran downstairs and hid in the bathroom with about 15 others for an hour. Keith said that of the 20 or so local and international climate activists working on activities related to the upcoming U.N. climate conference in Paris, none were killed or injured.
"Amazingly, miraculously, they're all accounted for. But everyone is shocked and has been touched by this," he said.
He and others said they hope the climate march will still go on and be even larger than expected in the face of the attacks.
"I think the march will go on. And it is indeed possible that people will use the march to express their solidarity with the victims and their desire for a more peaceful world," said Wendel Trio, director of Climate Action Network Europe.
Jumeau said he thinks signing a global climate change accord that keeps countries like his safe from the threat of rising seas and addresses the resource depletion that military leaders say help foster extremism would do the same.
"It's been a very long and frustrating and painful journey at times, and finally we have an agreement in our sight," he said. "Let us leave with something positive this Christmas and New Year. Something positive for climate change and the world in the face of terrorism."
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UN chief urges 'faster' action on climate change
Nov 16, 2015 | The Hill
By Devin Henry
The head of the United Nations urged world leaders this week to go “much farther and much faster” with their plans to combat climate change.
Speaking to G20 leaders in Turkey on Sunday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon acknowledged the carbon emissions proposals submitted ahead of an international climate conference in Paris won’t be enough to effectively slow down the pace of global warming.
“The official negotiation period is almost over,” Ban told G20 leaders, a group that includes President Obama.
“The only way to bridge the remaining gaps is for you yourself to engage, with a clear grasp of what is at stake, and give the necessary instructions to your negotiators. Success in Paris truly rests in your hands.”
World leaders will meet in Paris from Nov. 30 to Dec. 11 to work on a climate deal. Obama will attend the first two days of the conference.
Ban said a final climate deal should lead to a “comprehensive, long-term vision” of creating a lower-emission economy around the world. He said developed countries should lead the way in reducing emissions and providing funding for developing countries do the same.
The deal should be “credible,” he said, and “must include regular, short cycles for governments to review and strengthen commitments in line with science and in response to rapidly escalating climate impacts.” The call is similar to one French and Chinese officials committed to earlier this month.
“There is strong emerging consensus that this should be done every five years, with the first review coming before 2020,” Ban said. “Current ambition must be the floor not the ceiling for future efforts.”
Ban said nothing about the legal status of a final climate deal, a contentious point for American and European officials.
Instead, he urged G20 leaders to be “ambitious” in negotiating a final deal between now and the end of the talks in December.
“The world expects you, as leaders of the G20, to provide ambitious political guidance that will help the negotiators to complete their work in Paris,” he said. “Tell your negotiators that now is the time for compromise and consensus. I urge you to look beyond national horizons and work in the common interest.”
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G-20 Leaders Support Binding Climate Change Accord
Nov 17, 2015 | BNA Daily Environment Report
By Bryce Baschuk
Leaders from the Group of 20 Nov. 16 endorsed the efforts of international climate negotiators to seek a binding accord to cap global warming at 2 degrees Celsius by the end of the century.
The communique—released at the conclusion of the Nov. 15–16 G-20 summit in Antalya, Turkey—said G-20 nations would seek an “ambitious agreement” at the 21st Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change summit in Paris, Nov. 30–Dec. 11.
G-20 leaders are determined to adopt a “protocol, another legal instrument or an agreed outcome with legal force” that would be applicable to all parties, they said.
The contributions of G-20 members could provide a boost to the global climate change negotiations, as they are collectively responsible for 85 percent of the world's overall carbon emissions.
But the issue of defining what a “binding” agreement would be remains a point of contention that likely won't be ironed out until the Paris talks are under way (219 DEN A-14, 11/13/15).
Indian, Saudi Opposition
The G-20 communique omitted a European Union proposal to add a review mechanism to monitor the implementation of countries' climate policies every five years after 2020, when the Paris accord would enter into force.
Throughout a marathon 20-hour negotiating session Nov. 15, Indian and Saudi Arabian representatives rejected the EU provision, according to senior officials present at the negotiations. The French delegation was not pleased with the outcome, said meeting participants.
Instead, the final document said G-20 nations would “instruct our negotiators to engage constructively and flexibly in the coming days to discuss key issues, among other things, mitigation, adaptation, finance, technology development and transfer and transparency in order to arrive at Paris with a way forward.”
Participants said the robust debate was both surprising and forebodes the deep challenges that negotiators are likely to face at the summit.
Emissions Pledges
More than 160 nations have submitted to the UN their pledges to deal with greenhouse gas emissions, many of the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) promising to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels in favor of renewable energy sources and greater energy efficiency.
The U.S. previously pledged to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 26 percent to 28 percent in the next decade.
Last year, China pledged to cap its carbon emissions by 2030 and increase the use of nonfossil fuels to 20 percent of the nation's energy mix by 2030.
The G-20 nations are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the U.K. and the U.S.
Fossil Fuel Phaseout
G-20 leaders endorsed a new toolkit of voluntary options for renewable energy development and reaffirmed their commitment to increase collaboration on energy efficiency.
“We recognize that actions on energy, including improving energy efficiency, increasing investments in clean energy technologies and supporting related research and development activities will be important in tackling climate change and its effects,” the communique said.
G-20 members agreed to support the 2014 Action Plan for Voluntary Collaboration on Energy Efficiency, which seeks to increase the efficiency and emissions performance of vehicles—particularly heavy-duty vehicles—among other goals.
Leaders also renewed their Brisbane pledge to “phase out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption” over the medium-term while recognizing the need to support poor citizens.
The pledge to keep global temperatures to a rise of 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) would be an effort to arrest rising temperatures at a level that avoids some of the worst projected environmental impacts, according to scientists.
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India's Modi puts solar firmly on G20 agenda
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