Renewable Energy News

Statistics released this week by SunRun and the PV Solar Report show the growing popularity of residential solar energy in general, and third party-owned solar in particular.

Polysilicon suppliers to the solar photovoltaic (PV) industry have been significantly lowering plant utilization rates during the past six months, with average quarterly utilization rates falling below 70 percent, as released in the latest NPD Solarbuzz Q4'12 Polysilicon and Wafer Supply Chain Quarterly Report.

Germany's environment and economy ministers, coalition partners from different parties who have clashed over the country's shift from nuclear power, forged a joint plan to slow power-price increases caused by subsidies for renewable energy.

Back in 2008, engineers from a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) project in Lebanon visited a remote public school in the northern most region of the country, known as Rajem Issa Public School. The school catered to approximately 150 students from pre-school to the 9th grade, who spent their morning without power -- the school turns off the diesel backup generator to save on fuel costs during electricity outages. After the engineers assessed the school's facilities, lighting fixtures, IT equipment, and deteriorating electricity supply, utility electricity returned to its insufficient and unreliable supply of 120 Volts, when it should be 220 Volts.

Biomass as a source for power and heat generation promises to play an important role in the energy mix of the future. Energy derived from biomass—which burns organic material from wood or agricultural residues compressed into pellets—is an attractive, low-carbon option for generating electricity, uniquely qualified to meet governmental energy objectives (see Figure 1 below). Unlike solar or wind, biomass produces constant power since it doesn't depend on daylight or the weather. It also offers an opportunity to repurpose existing coal plants that may struggle for profitability in the future as loads decrease and carbon costs soar.

Developers and investors alike are looking to understand where the next opportunities will be for renewable energy projects in Canada and how the next stage of Ontario’s market will evolve. The outlook for financing is another key area of interest with many projects entering the execution phase in 2013. The following thought-leadership piece tackle

"We love how oil companies want to keep us dependent on a dirty, climate warming, expensive fuel in short supply. Isn't that just great?"

Two of the most recognizable wealthy businessmen in the Western World appear to have very different opinions on the viability of renewable energy.

President Barack Obama's proposal to fund clean-energy research with fees paid by oil and gas producers is renewing a debate over whether the promise of innovation tomorrow is worth expanding drilling today.

Onshore wind power is the wunderkind of Germany's path-breaking clean energy transition. Stretching from the gusty coasts of the North and Baltic Seas all the way now to the Alps, the nation's land-based wind turbines (23,000 as of 2012) account for virtually all of Germany's 30-plus GW of wind-generated green electrical capacity. This generates nearly 40 percent of the country's entire carbon-free electricity production, roughly equal to 40 nuclear reactors. By expanding its supply ten-fold since 1998, it has exceeded the rosiest forecasts of green-thinking optimists -- and costs have plummeted, too. It is no exaggeration to say that onshore wind has turbocharged Germany's Energiewende, the epic transition of Europe's foremost industrial heavyweight to an all-renewable power supply.

Net metering is one of the most emotionally charged issues in renewable energy, and now it's back in the spotlight. A panel discussion at PV America East in Philadelphia last week explored ways that utilities and ratepayers can agree on how to quantify net metering's benefit. Almost simultaneously, a major utility exec's public criticism of net metering is fanning the flames once again.

Germany is the pioneer market of the PV industry due to a very early ecological movement with its first political representatives ("Die Gruenen") back as early as 1980. Currently, in terms of installed capacity, Germany is second-to-none with approx. 35 GW installed. New installations in 2013 may reach up to five GW, which further establishes Germany's role as the leading market. As a result, many of the so-called pioneering companies in the PV-market are of German origin. However, their survival seems to be questionable as the market struggles with overcapacity in production and system integration. The demand for PV systems is starting to shift from established markets (EU and North America) to emerging countries (India and Brazil) because many European countries are cutting feed-in tariffs to deal with growing financial constraints.

The energy efficiency industry received a nice boost this week during President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address. Obama called for cutting energy use by half over the next 20 years. Such attention comes at a significant point in the history of the energy efficiency movement. It appears to be re-inventing itself again, and in a way that is

Despite overwhelming evidence that the growth of the clean tech industry benefits workers in red and blue states alike — Texas alone employs more clean tech workers than there are coal workers in the entire country — some in Washington still argue that clean tech subsidies are a market distortion that America cannot afford.

Total output value of the PV industry in Jiangsu province, China amounted to 180 billion yuan (approx US$28.9 billion) for the first 10 months of 2012, a year-over-year decrease of 28 percent, according to recently released data. The industry's total exports reached US$6.89 billion for the same period, down 38 percent when compared to the corresponding period of the previous year. Insiders foresee the industry's total output value for the whole year of 2012 to decrease by up to 30 percent year over year.

US president Barack Obama maintained his commitment to renewable energy in his State of the Union address on Tuesday night.

Silicon, the material of high-tech devices from computer chips to solar cells, requires a surface coating before use in these applications. The coating "passivates" the material, tying up loose atomic bonds to prevent oxidation that would ruin its electrical properties. But this passivation process consumes a lot of heat and energy, making it costly and limiting the kinds of materials that can be added to the devices.

During a Feb. 12 webcast hosted by the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Green Power Partnership program Geronimo Energy discussed some new, unique ways to finance renewable energy purchases for commercial, municipal and other, large facilities. The company discussed a number of innovations, including “virtual” and “pre-paid” power purchase

A month ago, I was convinced that Finavera Wind Energy's (TSX-V:FVR, OTC:FNVRF) stock was only temporarily trading at depressed levels in the low 20 cent range because investors were disappointed at the deal with Pattern Energy. Many shareholders had been hoping for an outright sale, and were selling into the thinly traded holiday markets. I predicted that Finavera stock would "quickly rebound to at least the C$0.30 range over the next few days or weeks, as liquidity returns to the market, and investors revalue the stock based on the agreement with Pattern." (My valuation based on the Pattern deal put the present value of a Finavera share at C$0.375, and its value at the end of 2014 at C$0.75.)