1. Global clean-energy projected growth from 2013 to 2023 in billion dollars:
From 248 billion last year, the total for biofuels, wind power and solar power is expected to increase to 398 billion in 2023.
2. We tend to only read about solar at home or where we travel. Here is an article reporting on Renewables in North Africa. Renewable energy is expanding everywhere.
3. The Greek government will reduce the renewable feed-in tariff ("FIT"), as has already occurred in Spain, the Czech Republic, Australia and Germany. This seems to be the global trend. So, enjoy what you now have if you have a solar PV system on your roof. Of course, most already don't have this federal generosity to promote the renewables:
"Under a FIT, anyone who installs renewable energy systems (RES) on their homes or businesses sells all of the power produced by the renewable energy system back to the utility at an above-market rate under a contract that usually lasts for a period of about 20 years."
In Hawaii, Hawaiian Electric Company wants to reduce the break-even figure even lower, so the customer also pays his fair share of grid costs.
"4. Siemens (from Germany, and the largest engineering company in Europe"), will invest 264 million in a wind turbine factory in northern England to manufacture wind turbines for offshore applications. Siemens already has 2,7000 MW of these machines installed in United Kingdom waters. The British last year built half of all new offshore wind capacity. On the other hand, utilities in the UK since this past fall have already cancelled 5,760 MW for offshore wind farms. Further, the latest worldwide data shows that the total system levelized cost for wind farms on land was 8.7 cents/kWh, while that of those installed in the ocean was nearly three times more, 22.1 cents/kWh. So why are they building wind energy systems off shore? This has to do with better ("not as turbulent and maybe even stronger") winds, less NIMBY ("not in my back yard") opposition and government incentives. All the large ones are in the UK and Denmark. National policy determines cost, and the average price of electricity in Denmark is 40 cents/kWh, while it is exactly half that in the UK, 20 cents/kWh. Germany pays just about what we do in Hawaii, 36 cents/kWh. The USA average is 12 cents/kWh. Don't look for too many competitive offshore wind farms in the U.S. Hawaii, maybe, as there is a lot NIMBY-ism here, but only if floating systems can be developed.
Here are a few upcoming gatherings in this field:
Energy Ocean
Energy Ocean 2014
National Hydropower Association
NHA 2014 Alaska Regional Meeting
US Solar Institute
PV-401: Field Training
AWS Truepower, LLC
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