ASES Report: Renewable Energy Can Curb Global Warming by 2030

7 de febrero de 2007 | 9 Comments

American Solar Energy Society (ASES) unveiled its 200-page landmark report, "Tackling Climate Change in the U.S.: Potential Carbon Emissions Reductions from Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy by 2030." The report illustrates how concentrating solar power (CSP), photovoltaics (PV), wind power, biomass, biofuels, and geothermal power, combined with energy efficiency measures, can displace approximately 1.2 billion tons of carbon emissions annually by the year 2030 -- the magnitude of reduction that scientists believe is necessary to prevent the most dangerous consequences of climate change. The results of these studies show that renewable energy has the potential to provide approximately 40% of the U.S. electric energy need projected for 2030 by the Energy Information Administration (EIA). After we reduce the EIA electricity projection by taking advantage of energy efficiency measures, renewables could provide about 50% of the remaining 2030 U.S. electric need.

In

the

Executive

Summary,

editor

Charles

F.

Kutscher,

Ph.D,

P.E.

wrote:

For SOLAR 2006, its 35th Annual National Solar Energy Conference last July, the American Solar Energy Society (ASES) chose to address global warming, the most pressing challenge of our time. Under the theme "Renewable Energy: Key to Climate Recovery," climate experts James Hansen of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Warren Washington of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), Robert Socolow of Princeton University, and Marty Hoffert of New York University (NYU) described the magnitude of the global warming crisis and what is needed to address it. A key feature of the conference was a special track of nine invited presentations by experts in energy efficiency and renewable energy that detailed the potential for these technologies -- in an aggressive but achievable climate-driven scenario -- to address the needed U.S. carbon emissions reductions by the years 2015 and 2030. These presentations covered energy efficiency in buildings, industry, and transportation, as well as the following renewable technologies: concentrating solar power, photovoltaics, wind, biomass, biofuels, and geothermal. Since the conference, these studies were subjected to additional review and were revised for publication in this special ASES report. According to Hansen, NASA's top climate scientist, we need to limit the additional average world temperature rise due to greenhouse gases to 1 degree C above the year-2000 level. If

we fail, we risk entering an unprecedented warming era that would have disastrous consequences, including rising sea levels and large-scale extinction of species. Limiting temperature rise means limiting the carbon dioxide (CO2) level in the atmosphere to 450 to 500 parts per million (ppm). What does this mean for the United States? Estimates are that industrialized nations must reduce emissions about 60% to 80% below today's values by mid-century. Figure 1 [see report] shows the U.S. reductions that would be needed by 2030 to be on the right path. Accounting for expected economic growth and associated increases in carbon emissions in a business-as-usual (BAU) case, in 2030 we must be displacing between 1,100 and 1,300 million metric tons of carbon per year (MtC/yr). The SOLAR 2006 exercise looked at energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies to determine the potential carbon reduction for each. The authors of the renewable technology papers were asked to describe the resource, discuss current and expected future costs, and develop supply and carbon-reduction curves for the years 2015 and 2030. The studies focused on the use of renewable energy in the electricity and transportation sectors, as these together are responsible for nearly three-quarters of U.S. carbon emissions from fossil fuels. Goals for renewables are often stated in terms of a percentage of national energy. The results of these studies show that renewable energy has the potential to provide approximately 40% of the U.S. electric energy need projected for 2030 by the Energy Information Administration (EIA). After we reduce the EIA electricity projection by taking advantage of energy efficiency measures, renewables could provide about 50% of the remaining 2030 U.S. electric need. There are uncertainties associated with the values estimated in the papers, and, because these were primarily individual technology studies, there is uncertainty associated with combining them. The results strongly suggest, however, that energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies have the potential to provide most, if not all, of the U.S. carbon emissions reductions that will be needed to help limit the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide to 450 to 500 ppm. We hope this work will convince policymakers to seriously consider the contributions of energy efficiency and renewable technologies for addressing global warming. Because global warming is an environmental crisis of enormous magnitude, we cannot afford to wait any longer to drastically reduce carbon emissions. Energy efficiency and renewable technologies can begin to be deployed on a large scale today to tackle this critical challenge.

Greening with Graphene: Using the Wonder Material in Green Technology

By Ysabel Yates, Contributor 14 de noviembre de 2012 | 1 Comment

Do you like this research?

Email Share

Bookmark
Facebook 26

Print

Feed

Graphene is the thinnest and strongest material known to man. The pure carbon substance is 100 times stronger than steel and thin enough that an ounce could cover twenty-eight football fields. It's also transparent, electrically conductive, flexible and cheap to produce all properties that could allow it to revolutionize a number of industries, including green technology. The first graphene was produced in 2004 when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov used sticky tape and graphite (better known as pencil lead) to separate the layers of carbon and isolate the one-atom-thick material graphene. Six years later, the scientists won the Nobel Prize in Physics for their work with the substance. Today, the field of materials science is awash in research dedicated to finding uses for graphene, which has been touted as the wonder material of the 21st century. While a lot of news about graphene involves the thin, flexible gadgets expected to be among its first commercial uses, a look at current research reveals a host of possible applications, including flexible solar panels, more efficient batteries for electric vehicles, and enhanced natural gas production. Flexible Solar Panels As Geim and Novoselov noted in their seminal 2007 paper (pdf): The graphene gold rush has begun. And though there are no commercial applications for it yet, its important to remember that graphene is only eight years old. Graphene is nearly transparent, electrically conductive and capable of absorbing many different wavelengths of light, giving it great potential to be used in thin, flexible solar panels that could be plastered on everything from the sides of buildings to the clothes we wear.

A number of research groups are working to realize this potential. At the beginning of the summer, physicists from the University of Florida were able to increase the efficiency of graphene solar cells from 2.9 percent to 8.6 percent. The researchers believe if they can reach efficiencies of 10 percent, the cells could be competitive commercially. Better Batteries Graphene could help advance electric vehicles by leading to a new class of batteries that are small and quick to charge. Engineers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute recently created a new device from graphene that can charge 10 times faster than the graphite anodes used in conventional lithium-ion batteries. To develop the device, researchers created a sheet of paper from graphene, and then zapped it with a laser or camera flash to put cracks and other imperfections in it. These imperfections allow the device to rapidly take up or discharge large amounts of energy. According to the researchers, these results could make a significant impact on the development of new batteries and electrical systems for electric automobiles and portable electronics applications. Improved Natural Gas Production and Reduced CO2 Emissions Other researchers are looking to graphenes unique porous structure for potential applications. At the University of Colorado, researchers found that graphenes structure renders it impermeable to all standard gases. Because of this, it can work like a molecular sieve to separate gas molecules. The researchers believe this could lead to energy-efficient filters that enhance natural gas production, or membranes for power plant exhaust pipes that reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Asia Report: China Dominates 2011 Global Wind Installations

By Oliver Wagg, Contributor 26 de noviembre de 2012 | 2 Comments

Do you like this news?

Email Share

Bookmark
Facebook 35

Print

Feed

SYDNEY -- China dominated the global wind market in 2011, installing three times as many wind rotor blades on its wind farms than the U.S., its closest rival. According to research published by Global Data, China held 59 percent of the global market in 2011, with 37,385 installations, compared to just 18 percent of the market, with 11,085. The data comes as Chinas deputy director of the National Energy Bureau (NEB) predicted the nations grid-connected wind capacity will exceed 60 GW by the end of this year, making wind power the third largest power source in China, after thermal power and hydropower. By the end of June, China had 52.58 GW of wind capacity connected to the grid. But China's wind companies have all struggled this year as installations were slowed by the government as a result of grid-access issues, said NEB deputy director Liu Qi. He told a conference in Beijing that China would innovate by adapting to the intermittent characteristics of wind power generation. The country will use more wind power for heating in winter, irrigation of farmland and have more wind power consumed locally. Liu added that China should enhance cooperation with other countries with advanced wind power technologies. Chinese wind power companies should strengthen innovation capacity and participate in establishing international norms and rules. The Global Data analysts predicted that global cumulative wind power installed capacity will show steady growth until the end of the decade, increasing to 658 GW by the end of 2020 from 238 GW last year. It also noted that blades for offshore wind farms will take a far greater slice of the market. In 2011 blades destined for offshore wind farms accounted for just 1 percent of the global market by 2020 this will rise to 11 percent.

Market researchers BTM said about 470 MW of new offshore wind capacity was brought online last year, comprising of 127 turbines in four countries, with the UK and China representing the two largest markets. By 2016, the global offshore market will expand 5.6 GW annually, with a quarter of the capacity going up in Asia. And by 2021 China will be the worlds largest market, followed by the UK and Germany with Europe still accounting for 63% of the overall market, BTM predicts. IN THE NEWS Chinas renewable energy power generation up 48 percent year-on-year: Electricity generated from renewable sources in China rose 48 percent to 92.7 billion kilowatt hours in October from a year ago as installations grew, State Electricity Regulatory Commission said. Power from wind farms surged 40 percent in October compared with the same period a year earlier, it said, as the nation added 7.2 GW of wind-power generation capacity in the first 10 months of the year. China's Goldwind bids for $926 million project in Australia: Chinese turbine manufacturer Goldwind is seeking to buy a 157-turbine wind farm in Australia as it expands its presence in overseas markets. The company has joined with Chinese power company China Three Gorges New Energy Corporation in a bid for the Stockyard Hill project owned by Origin Energy in Victoria. The planned sale is estimated to be worth A$900m ($926m), according to a Wall Street Journal report. JinkoSolar's loss smaller than expected, company bets on China: Chinas JinkoSolar reported a smaller-than-expected loss as costs fell and strong sales in China made up for weakness in markets such as Europe, and the company said half of its 2013 revenue would come from the Asian country. The company said it was shifting focus to emerging markets such as China, South Africa and South America as the European Union could follow the United States in imposing tariffs on Chinese solar products. Malaysia may set up similar funding system to one in India for renewable energy: Malaysias minister of energy Datuk Seri Peter Chin said he was impressed by the financing model for renewable energy projects in India during a recent ministerial meeting he had with his Indian counterpart. India has created a specific bank to promote renewable energy and I am very impressed by what it has done, he told a press conference. IEA chief backs Australia's carbon tax: Australias controversial new carbon tax has been endorsed by the head of the International Energy Agency as an essential part of reducing energy demand. A DEEPER LOOK

China grabs Latin American wind share with cheap loans: Stephan Nielsen of Bloomberg writes Chinese wind-turbine makers have broken into the South American market by offering government-backed loans at interest rates as much as 50 percent lower than local offerings. The package deals can get buyers to choose Chinese machines over those of Western manufacturers, much in the way the U.S. government helps American exporters sell everything from cotton to satellites by guaranteeing loans or insurance. The future of Taiwan solar: will recent gains continue? Tim Ferry writes in Renewable Energy World that in a welcome departure from recent trends, Taiwan saw its solar industry revenues rise by 7.5% on increased shipment to China, Japan and the U.S. The gains arrest five months of declines, but do they signal a turnaround for the industry? ON THE HORIZON Indias renewable energy sector to create 2.4 million jobs by 2020: Indias renewable energy sector create up to 2.4 million jobs by 2020, according to a report jointly commissioned by environmental group Greenpeace, the Global Wind Energy Council and the European Renewable Energy Council. To date, the sector employs 200,000 people, but this could jump 14 times by 2030 with the right policies and investments in place, the India Energy [R]evolution report said. QUOTE OF THE WEEK Sooner or later, investors are going to realize that if they are not investing in clean energy sector then they are making a terrible mistake. We will get to a stage where there will be a tipping point, where investment in clean energy sector will be almost compulsory, so that those people who arent doing will be the odd ones out, rather than those people who doing it. It is a matter of changing the risk. Oliver Yates, new chief executive of Australias A$10 billion ($10.5 billion) Clean Energy Finance Corporation to RenewEconomy