UK makes real plan for solar
The executive summary of the new UK Renewable Energy Strategy begins with the premise that the government of the United Kingdom must simultaneously tackle climate change while ensuring a secure source of energy. Not a very novel policy objective, some might argue. Some might start to yawn at this point, knowing that these are the stated policy objectives of every government around the world.
However, there is something that is very novel about this report — something that distinguishes it from many other governmental policy reports — and that “something something” is important to understand.
San Diego gets solar powered ice rink
San Diego in California launched its first shopping-centre based solar-array this week as retail property developer Westfield launched its showpiece contribution to the city’s University Town Centre program. The shopping centre features an ice skating rink that will use a large proportion of the electricity consumed by the shopping mall. The solar panels will provide half of the electricity requirements of the common areas of the shopping mall and ice rink, but the heavy power requirements of maintaining the ice in the rink itself will be met by the standard electricity grid. Westfield’s San Diego vice president, Jonathon Bradfield, denied charges of greenwashing. “This is a model for green development,” he said, “shoppers will be using clean, green power generated over their heads while they shop.”
Energy Agency warns that oil has peaked
Three weeks after calling for an energy revolution, chief executive of the International Energy Agency, Nobuo Tanaka, told the climate conference in Poznan last week that oil supplies have peaked and will begin a sharp decline of around 6.7 percent each year. He told the conference that the alternatives are to find renewable alternatives, or face major economic collapse. He said the shortages in oil have been masked by the sudden end in speculative trading as a result of the financial crisis, and a short term decrease in demand. Despite this, he predicts demand of 106million barrels a day by 2030 which requires an extra 67 million barrels a day to be found, six times what is currently produced by Saudi Arabia.
Recession hits US green energy
After the euphoria for winning federal tax incentives as part of an economic bailout package in October, the financial free fall has begun. Not only does the global and U.S. financial situation provide economic challenges, a series of other related problems are also becoming more apparent.
First, as the world enters a global economic recession, demand for energy, including liquid transportation fuels, natural gas and electricity, has dropped way down. Recent figures for electricity demand, for instance, show that some regional U.S. demand reductions are near 9 percent. Dropping energy prices tampers desires for clean energy options.
Capturing the ocean’s energy
Despite daunting challenges, technology to harness the power of the waves and tides is now being deployed around the world – from Portugal to South Korea to New York’s East River. These projects, just beginning to produce electricity, are on the cutting edge of renewable energy’s latest frontier: hydrodynamic power. By Jon R. Luoma, from Yale Environment 360, part of the Guardian Environment Network
Way back in Napoleonic Paris, a Monsieur Girard had a novel idea about energy: power from the sea. In 1799, Girard obtained a patent for a machine he and his son had designed to mechanically capture the energy in ocean waves. Wave power could be used, they figured, to run pumps and sawmills and the like.
Lithium shortage challenges electric car hopes
Japanese electronics and electrical company Toshiba, last week launched a battery designed to power the next generation of electric cars. (Read the full story) The SuperCharge battery is fast to recharge, can be recharged 5,000 times and is desinged to last for ten years. It is also light-weight and engineered to avoid catching fire, a Continue Reading →