Posted in Renewable Energy

The Future of Renewables, Solar, Battery Storage and Electric Vehicles

Electric_Car_rechargingA global renewable energy transformation is underway. The proposed merger between Tesla and Solar City outlines the shape of things to come.

The integration of solar panels with battery storage and electric vehicles is the paradigm for both ecological global economic growth, and reaching the goals of the Paris Climate accord as reported by Roy Morrison.

An integrated renewable energy company will combine electric vehicles, battery storage, and solar electric panels, all with rapidly expanding market share and plunging prices. Globally, investment in cheap and carbon free solar energy is already rapidly supplanting fossil fuels.

Whether or not Tesla’s corporate reorganization proceeds, this is the model for a global renewable energy company with a comprehensive and compatible product line.

Elon Musk of Tesla understands that the combination of increasingly cheaper solar panels with rapidly developing and affordable battery storage makes 100% renewable energy systems achievable globally.

Mega battery and photovoltaic factories, being constructed by Tesla and others like Faraday Future in the United States, and in India, China, Ghana, mean that global industrial productive might is being rapidly deployed for a renewable energy transformation.

Benchmark Mineral Intelligence estimates that at least 12 lithium ion mega-factories will come online by 2020. Seven of them in China. Sony is pushing forward with sulfur lithium battery development. China has passed the US in yearly production of electric vehicles by the start of 2016. 250,000 to 180,000 a year. China is now also global leader in lithium battery anode production. The French oil giant Total has bought the lithium battery company SAFT for $950 million as big oil is beginning to see where the sun is shining. And even the Saudis are now planning for major solar development as oil revenues collapse.

Profit driven renewable enterprises need sensible encouragement by fair market and utility rules, not carbon taxes, in order to continue to rapidly transform the global energy balance. Regulators and politician need to support, not sabotage the renewable energy transformation.

Instead of economically destructive and costly carbon taxes that would put a break on all economic activity, what’s needed is using the already successful renewable portfolio standards (RPS) mandating an ever increasing percentage of renewable energy.

The more renewables that are built , the lower the cost, the less pollution,the more good community jobs are created. California and its utilities and regulators are a good example of how we are moving rapidly toward a renewable turn. To read more click here.

The National Sustainability in Business Conference; renewables, markets, innovation, opportunities and capital will be held 23 – 24 March 2017 at the Hotel Grand Chancellor, Brisbane.

To register for the conference CLICK HERE.

Hybrid nanogenerator harvests hard-to-reach ocean energy

ocean energy(Phys.org)—Energy from the ocean, or “blue energy,” is arguably the most underexploited power source, according to researchers in a new study. Although the oceans contain enough energy to meet all of the world’s energy needs, currently there is no effective way to harvest it economically and with reasonable efficiency.

The main problem is that are irregular and pass by at low frequencies, whereas most harvesters operate best with waves that have regular amplitudes and high frequencies. Unfortunately, the calming lull of slow, unpredictable waves beating against the shore that we tend to find so peaceful is not ideal for energy harvesting.

In a new study published in ACS Nano, a team of researchers led by Zhong Lin Wang at the Georgia Institute of Technology has developed a device that can harvest waves in a very broad frequency range that encompasses almost all of the ocean wave energy spectrum, including the hard-to-reach low frequencies that are inaccessible to most harvesters.

The new device is a hybrid system that consists of two generators. An electromagnetic generator (EMG), which has traditionally been the main approach for harvesting ocean energy, is well-suited for harvesting waves at and fast rotation speeds. A triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG), which has only recently been investigated for ocean energy applications, works better in the low-frequency range and at slower rotation speeds.

“The TENG has the unique advantage of high output voltage, and its output power is linearly scaled with frequency, making it ideal for harvesting low-frequency energy,” Wang told Phys.org. “On the other hand, the EMG’s output power is proportional to the square of the frequency, so the EMG is ideally suited for harvesting high-frequency energy. At low frequency, (< 5 Hz), the effective output of the TENG is much higher than that of the EMG.”

When combined, the two types of generators operate in a broad frequency range and in two modes (fluctuation and rotation), allowing the hybrid device to collect a variety of types of ocean energies, including wave, current, and tidal. Each type of energy causes a different motion that requires a flexible harvesting capability.

The researchers demonstrated the device by using it to light up LEDs that form the words “BLUE ENERGY.” The EMG is connected to the word “BLUE” and the TENG is connected to the word “ENERGY” so that the power output of each generator can be viewed individually.

The researchers envision the ocean wave energy harvester as one component of a larger energy harvesting panel floating on the ocean, which could simultaneously harvest wind, solar, and . They plan to further develop this concept in the future. To read more click here.

The National Sustainability in Business Conference; renewables, markets, innovation, opportunities and capital will be held 23 – 24 March 2017 at the Hotel Grand Chancellor, Brisbane.

To register for the conference CLICK HERE.

Coal won’t solve energy poverty, but renewables will

renewables kenyaLast month, a remarkable story emerged out of Kenya. Not one of violence or unrest that the world is becoming used to, but a lighter one: the national power grid was disrupted by a solitary monkey.

The unfortunate primate’s precarious exploration of Kenya’s most important electrical source — a hydro power plant operated by the Kenya Electricity Generating Company — resulted in it falling onto a transformer, short circuiting the nation’s power grid, and causing widespread blackouts and disruption in the process as reported by The HP.

While the episode exposed the vulnerabilities of Kenya’s national power gird, it also highlighted a growing trend among developing countries to rely heavily on renewable energy to meet domestic and regional demand.

Kenya — generating 75 percent of its total electricity production from renewables — ranks 16th in the world on this measure, below a diverse set of countries that include many the world’s poorest, according to the World Bank data on renewable energy generation.

The data shows that Paraguay and Iceland lead the world in their reliance on renewable energy, with effectively 100 percent of their electricity generated through hydro and geothermal power. Albania is equal top, only producing electricity from renewable sources, although it is still somewhat reliant on imported, non-renewable energy sources to meet demand.

The next three countries on the list might also surprise: Mozambique, Zambia and Tajikistan come in at four, five and six in their generation on renewable energy for their electricity needs.

These countries are financially destitute with enormous challenges associated with their developing status.

Tajikistan is the ‘sick man’ of Central Asia — close to 50 percent of its GDP is generated from Tajik expats sending remittances home from Russia, with much of the rest coming from the nefarious Afghan opioid trade. But it relies on hydro-power for up to 96 percent of its energy needs.

Mozambique and Zambia are hardly known for their prosperous economies or progressive politics. Their reliance on renewable sources of energy — again, primarily hydro — is a pragmatic and cost effective choice — a choice that is being replicated throughout sub-Saharan Africa.

For these countries, renewable energy is not a luxury. It is a necessity.

A closer examination of the World Bank data also demonstrates that across the various sub-categories of countries, it is generally the developed, wealthier West that is lagging behind in its embrace of renewables.

‘High income’ and ‘High Income: OECD’ countries rely on renewable sources of energy for 19.4 and 20.2 percent of their electricity generation. This is close to the global average of approximately 21 percent.

‘Heavily indebted poor countries’ and ‘least developed countries’, in contrast, utilise renewable sources for 60.3 and 40.8 percent of their power generation.

Australia sits near the bottom of the list, with only 10 percent of electricity consumption being sourced from renewables — 11 percent below the world average.

The data comprehensively refutes two core arguments that are repeatedly put forward by the fossil fuel lobby for a generation: that Australia should not lead in the global climate change debate, and that coal is the key to solving global energy poverty.

A forward-leaning clean energy policy in Australia would not be world leading. It is vital, but in many respects, it would just be Australia keeping pace.

And the reliance of much of the developing world on renewable, local sources of electricity generation counters the narrative that coal is the only option for developing countries to achieve a Western standard of living.

Certainly, coal will continue to be a part of the energy mix into the future. China and India — the two largest developing countries and consumers of energy — still rely on it heavily.

But the Chinese and Indian experiences are not the experience of the entire developing world. It is easy to look at the world’s poorest states through a single lens, but this is lazy and doesn’t factor in their diversity of needs and resources.

In many cases, changing the energy mix in developing countries to be more reliant on fossil fuels would be an expensive, timely process that would do nothing to solve the ‘energy poverty’ in the developing world that is so derided by the pseudo-altruistic fossil fuel lobby.

Energy poverty won’t be solved by applying an antiquated, one-size-fits-all approach to the world’s poorest countries. Rather, it requires the pragmatic use of local and sustainable energy sources to meet immediate and long-term demand, while fostering sustainable growth.

The international energy debate needs more nuance. It is not black and white, and each region requires its own approach. Often, it is simply more practical and more affordable to double down on existing renewable sources rather than increase reliance on a dwindling resource.

Australia has a lot of catching up to do. To read more click here.

The National Sustainability in Business Conference; renewables, markets, innovation, opportunities and capital will be held 23 – 24 March 2017 at the Hotel Grand Chancellor, Brisbane.

To register for the conference CLICK HERE.

Energy crowdfunding: the new way to boost renewables

CROWD FUNDINGMillions of euros have been crowdfunded in four years to finance small and medium renewable energy projects. And there is still potential to be developed

It’s a brand new sector: the first steps date back to 2012. Today energy crowdfunding is a way of financing solar panel or wind turbine projects. For some people, like Andrew Yakub, founder of a US solar manufacturing company, it will save the planet.

There is already a big annual conference dedicated to the sector, and a European association that brings together the platforms involved in renewable energy.

In March 2016, when one of the few researches in this field was published, there were 29 active platforms worldwide and 13 in the pipeline. The author is Chiara Candelise, an Italian researcher at Bocconi University and London Imperial College. She is also co-founder of the platform Ecomill. It is the first energy crowdfunding project in Italy authorised by the regulatory authority, but not yet operational.

The study has found that the majority (8) of the active platforms are in the USA, followed by Germany (6), the United Kingdom (5) and the Netherlands (4). The three European countries were the first to operate in the sector, some four years ago.

The British groups have been the most active so far. Abundance, for instance, raised £17.7 million across 17 projects, returning 1.47 million pounds to investors. Three other ongoing projects are being financed with more than £800,000 so far. The platform is also part of the European project CrowdFundRES, which aims to unleash the potential of crowdfunding for financing renewable energy projects.

Changes in public policy for renewable energy are another challenge in various countries. In the UK, for instance, Renewables Obligation, the first public support scheme for the sector, will not apply to any new generating capacity from 2017.

Harwood confirms: “Within the UK this has disrupted the number of projects available in the short term, but we are confident that as costs continue to fall, renewables will increasingly be able to operate without public support”. To read more CLICK HERE.

The National Sustainability in Business Conference; renewables, markets, innovation, opportunities and capital will be held 23 – 24 March 2017 at the Hotel Grand Chancellor, Brisbane.

To register for the conference CLICK HERE.

Wind farm boom looms as Premier Daniel Andrews looks to boost clean power

WIND FARMSVictoria would have 40 per cent clean electricity in less than a decade – nearly tripling the current level – under an ambitious plan announced by the Andrews government.

The government has set targets to ramp up wind power and large-scale solar power, paid for through an increase in household and business electricity bills and spending from the budget.

With private spending on clean electricity largely stalled due to a lack of confidence in federal government support for a national renewable energy target, the Andrews government believes its policy will make Victoria the centre of a revitalised industry.

It estimates that, at the peak of construction in the middle of the next decade, there will be about 4000 workers helping to build the target’s 5400 megawatts capacity of clean energy.

To put that in perspective, there are 18 wind farms with planning approval in the state, but not built.

The government says its target will improve the viability of the industry enough to build all of them – and nearly as many again – within nine years.

On top of this, one-fifth of the new generation capacity built would be solar plants in the state’s north.

In a statement, Premier Daniel Andrews said meeting the targets – 25 per cent by 2020 and 40 per cent by 2025, up from 14 per cent today – would bring about $2.5 billion of clean energy investment into the state.

“The world is shifting to renewable energy. It creates jobs, drives growth and protects our environment, and Victorians want to be at the forefront,” he said.

With Australia currently generating more electricity than it needs, in the short-term new wind farms will further increase competition and theoretically push prices down. But it means the yearly increase in bills next decade would be more than the average.

The clean energy policy is the first explanation of how the government plans to meet its target of Victoria having no carbon dioxide emissions by 2050. That target, announced last week, would mean no more burning coal for power. To read more CLICK HERE.

The National Sustainability in Business Conference; renewables, markets, innovation, opportunities and capital will be held 23 – 24 March 2017 at the Hotel Grand Chancellor, Brisbane.

To register for the conference CLICK HERE.