International standards for wave and tidal energy The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), the global body for electrical energy standards, is scheduled to develop international standards for wave and tidal energy technology. These standards will help establish this renewable source of energy as a competitive form of electrical energy production. With world production of electricity expected to double over the next 25 years, according to the International Energy Outlook 2006, renewable energy production is expected to increase by 57 per cent. According to a report of the International Energy Agency report to the recent G8 summit in Heiligendamm, Germany, accelerated deployment of renewables can greatly reduce carbon dioxide emissions, enhance energy security and further reduce technology costs. It is expected that the new standards, produced by the IEC Technical Committee on Marine Energy – Wave and Tidal Energy Converters, will support the IEA’s efforts to recommend best practices for the effective integration of electricity from wave and tidal energy devices. The IEC will help ensure that, as the technologies mature, the international standards will help bring down technology costs to make renewable energy more competitive with existing energy alternatives while ensuring the transfer of expertise from traditional energy systems. The new international standards cover the performance of tidal and wave energy converters, how these converters will plug into electricity grid systems and how they should be tested. Source: www.renewableenergyaccess.com United Nations clears Thai projects on carbon-trading The United Nations’ Framework Convention on Climate Change gave its approval for three schemes that will help Thailand join the clean development mechanism project and trade carbon credits internationally. The three schemes are biomass plants operated by the Mitr Phol Group, AT Bio-power, and Khon Kaen Sugar Industry. The rate of carbon credit trading on the world market is US$7 per tonne. Carbon trading is a key market mechanism to tackle global warming under the Kyoto Protocol’s clean development mechanism. It fixes an economic value on carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas, then creates a market to buy and sells the right to emit greenhouse gases. Developed countries look to developing countries to buy these rights. Khon Kaen Sugar Industry started its biomass electric plant in December last year. It runs on sugar cane and is expected to generate 61,000 t/y of carbon credits. The plant produces 30 MW, 20 MW of which is sold to the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand. The company has been approved to trade credits for 10 years. Source: www.nationmultimedia.com Rural Sri Lanka to light up with renewable energy A new World Bank credit will allow Sri Lanka to tap renewable energy for supplying electricity to 60,000 rural homes and also connect new private sector renewable energy to the urban power grid. The US$40 million dollar soft loan will help boost grid-connecting capacity by 50 MW and extend off-grid electricity services to 60,000 more households and 500 rural micro- and small-scale enterprises. The main aim of the project is to bring electricity to remote communities and individual households through village-led electricity societies and provide solar energy services, the World Bank stated. A previous project funded by the World Bank provided solar power systems to 3,200 households and nine schools, enabling them to provide computers to school children. About 66,000 homes also switched from kerosene to solar systems, while 750 business enterprises benefited from off-grid electricity for various income-generating activities. This project also helped strengthen the generation supply of the national grid through private sector-owned mini-hydro, wind and other renewable energy projects that feed into the grid. The generation capacity added to the national grid through renewable energy technologies by the private sector has exceeded 55 MW within a period of four years. The new loan includes refinancing support for grid-connected renewable energy, investments in solar photovoltaic technology and further commercialization of village hydro and other community-based independent grid systems. The credit provided by the International Development Association has a 20-year maturity with 10-year grace period. Source: www.lankabusinessonline.com Renewable energy utilities thriving in the Republic of Korea In the Republic of Korea, more and more enterprises are expanding into the renewable energy sector as a new growth engine. Since it seems likely that the oil price will stay high for a long time, Korean enterprises are setting eyes on renewable energy business, such as solar and wind, while simultaneously strengthening conventional energy businesses like the development of oil reservoirs. In early July, LG CNS launched a “renewable energy business team” consisting of 30 staffers. It purports to make use of the experience of the company in integrating systems in the information technology field and to manage the renewable energy field, including fund raising for renewable energy businesses and the construction of power plants. LG Group is encouraging expansion into energy businesses on a group level by developing an air cooler/heater system that uses underground heat (LG Electronics) and carrying out business plans (LG International Corp.) based on the clean development mechanism, which allows the trade of the rights to discharge carbon dioxide. Samsung Corp. plans to set up a solar power plant in Greece within this year. Following this, it will start to enter the business of transforming sunrays into electricity to fully expand into the renewable energy business. Industry watchers expect Samsung Electronics will nourish energy business as a new growth engine following its success in the semiconductor business. The Hyundai Kia Automotive Group has formed a task force on resource development in Hyundai Hysco and recently underwrote an oil field in Jambil, Kazakhstan. This is the first time the Hyundai Motor has invested in an energy-related business. SK Energy recently began to produce crude oil in Brazil and plans to increase its oil reserve from 500 million barrels as of now to 700 million barrels by 2010. Source: www.english.donga.com MHI to license wind turbine technology Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), Japan, will license the production technology for its MWT 62/1.0 (or MWT-1000A) wind turbine to China’s Wuzhong Instrument Co. Ltd. MWT 62/1.0 has a rated power output of 1 MW. The mid-sized wind turbine was selected for licensing as it is difficult to transport large wind turbines to the hilly zones of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region that offers abundant wind energy. Its optimized blade structure and redesigned blade shape make the MWT 62/1.0, with more than 700 units in operation globally, capable of generating power even at relatively low wind speeds. In an environment where the annual wind speed averages 6 m/s, the MWT 62/1.0 can achieve 20 per cent higher annual energy production (300 MWh/year) compared with MHI’s conventional 1 MW wind turbines (MWT 57/1.0 or MWT-1000). Source: www.renewableenergyaccess.com Hydrogen-fuelled vehicles to be on Indian roads by 2020 India’s National Hydrogen Energy Road Map lays down the pathway for the development of hydrogen energy infrastructure, including the introduction of hydrogen-fuelled vehicles by 2020, in the country. Mr. Vilas Muttemwar, the Minister of State for New and Renewable Energy, has stated that the ministry is confident of achieving over 10 per cent of the total installed power-generating capacity from renewables by 2012. Mr. Muttemwar also revealed that about a million solar photovoltaic systems are in use for domestic lighting purposes. At pre- sent, the country has the largest programme on renewable energy technologies in the world. The total power-generating capacity in India as on March 2007 was close to 133,000 MW. Renewable power-generating capacity is about 10,252 MW, which contributes 7.75 per cent of the total installed power-generating capacity. Among renewable power technologies, the major contributions are from wind power (7,092 MW) and small hydro power (1,976 MW), followed by bioenergy (1,187 MW) and grid-distributed renewable power (155 MW). Source: www.pib.nic.in China for 30 per cent renewable energy According to the China Renewable Energy and Sustainable Development Report, recent developments in renewable energy in China offer insight into the country’s growing challenges between population, energy and the environment. The report says that the persistent rural poverty in China and periodic power shortages have impressed upon Beijing that renewable energy must be a large part of China’s economy if it is to complete its economic transformation and achieve energy security. The report also notes that between 2005 and 2030, China will account for about 23 per cent of the world’s investment in power, spending US$ 1.2 trillion. China’s ambitious growth target for renewable energy production will need an investment of US$ 100 billion by 2020. The long-term aim is to meet 30 per cent or more of the nation’s total energy needs from renewable sources by 2050. The report examines China’s developments across renewable energy industry. Source: www.renewableenergyaccess.com Malaysia targets 500 MW from biofuel The Malaysian government is pushing ahead with its strategy to use biomass for renewable power generation and aims to generate 500 MW by 2010, up from the earlier target of 300 MW. According to Dr. Lim Keng Yaik, the Energy, Water and Communications Minister, the strategy include revising the renewable energy power purchase agreement and raising the power purchase price by Tenaga Nasional Bhd. Dr. Lim said that Tenaga’s decision to buy power generated from palm oil biomass waste at the new price would promote renewable energy. Tenaga is generating about 20,000 MW at present and its earnings will not be affected as the target is only 500 MW by 2010. Malaysia has more than 400 palm oil mills and the government’s plan is for these mills to either generate electricity to sell to Tenaga or for their own use. Dr. Lim also stated the electricity reserve margin was 42 per cent and Tenaga had to pay for that reserve capacity. “We will reduce this to 25 per cent by 2013 … no more new coal or gas plants,” Dr. Lim said, adding that the government wanted more companies to switch to biofuel. Source: www.theedgedaily.com Philippines steps up search for geothermal energy The Philippine National Oil Company-Energy Development Corp. (PNOC-EDC), the Philippines, is stepping up the pace of exploration at its US$200 million geothermal project in Mt. Cabalian, Southern Leyte, to increase the country’s power supply. So far, the subsidiary of the state-run PNOC has already drilled three exploratory wells. The drilling of the third well to a depth of 3,104 m was completed last month. The well would be “heated up” for about a month before PNOC-EDC can determine with some certainty the potential reserves of the geothermal fields in Southern Leyte. Mr. Manuel Ogena, PNOC-EDC’s Vice President, said, “We are confirming supposedly with this (third well) a total of 100-110 MW capacity.” PNOC-EDC had initially confirmed from the first two wells that the field had enough steam reserves to produce 50 MW of electricity. If the third well confirms viable geothermal reserves, the company will look for joint venture partners for developing the geothermal fields and investors who would undertake construction of the power plant under the build-operate-transfer or other schemes. The government hopes to generate 100-150 MW of geothermal power from Mount Cabalian, with the geothermal plant targeted for commissioning by 2015. A transmission line of more than 80 km will connect the plant to the lines of the National Power Co. in Leyte. Source: www.business.inquirer.net Thailand eyes palm oil as alternative fuel Thailand’s Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives, in a bid to boost consumption of alternative fuel in the country, has drawn up a plan to develop and enlarge the palm oil growing area during 2008-2012. It plans to increase Thailand’s palm oil plantation area over a five-year period, with new palm oil trees and fine palm oil seeds grown to replace the old ones. The decision to grow more palm oil is aimed at catering to the rising demand for fuel in the future and to increase the potential of the industry. The government is encouraging motorists to switch to alternative energy as local oil prices have jumped sharply, causing Thailand to spend significant amounts of foreign currency for imported oil. Source: www.etna.mcot.net Investments gust into wind power in China Mr. Guillermo Ulacia, as chairman and CEO of the world’s leading wind power company Gamesa, has no doubts about his company's aims in China. He says, “by the end of 2007, we will invest €35 million in the China industrial project.” The Spanish company opened its first plant in Tianjin last September to assemble nacelles, which hold wind turbines designed for an annual output capacity of 700 MW. The nacelle assembly line is only the first step in Gamesa’s China strategy. It will be followed by a plant to manufacture wind blades. The Chinese market has become one of the most important markets for Gamesa, with the Tianjin project its second production plant outside Spain, says Mr. Ulacia. Vestas of Denmark and Suzlon of India are also building facilities. Vestas, the world’s largest wind turbine manufacturer, has plans to build Tianjin into its logistics centre for the Asia-Pacific region. The use of wind power, as a clean and renewable energy source, has seen rapid growth in China in recent years, as has the businesses of suppliers. By the end of 2006, the total installed capacity of wind power in the country was 2,600 MW. In 2006 alone China added a total of 1,300 MW of installed wind power generation. Mr. Shi Pengfei of the Chinese Wind Energy Association estimates that China possesses a 1,000 GW potential in wind energy, 750 GW of it off-shore. Source: www.chinadaily.com.cn