Electricity
April 8, 2011
Wind Power Plants has seen a phenomenal growth of around 33% CAGR in the last 5 years and the total capacity at end of 2010 was 11800 MW with most of the capacity installed in the state of Tamil Nadu which is the largest state in terms of Alternative Energy Capacity in India.GWEC has set an ambitious target of 65 GW for Wind Energy in India by 2020 which means an addition of 5 GW each year which seems too high given the wind power potential in India is only around 65 GW.However using low wind speed sites may increase the potential besides the use of offshore wind power in India.A number of Wind Turbine Manufactures in India have set up facilities attracted by the domestic market with Suzlon being the biggest Wind Company in India.
The Indian Wind Energy already has the 5th largest installed capacity in the world and is set to grow at a rapid pace driven by investments from the private sector attracted by the generous wind subsidies from the state and central government in India.Most of the Installed Wind Capacity in India is located in the southern and industrial states of the country.The other states like UP,Bihar lacks sufficient Wind Energy Capacity despite having high power tariffs and substantial electricity deficits.It can be said that Wind Power in India is being developed only in the progressive states like Gujarat,Maharashtra and others.To continue to grow at the same rate,the industry needs to diversify geographically but that would need the backward state governments to pull up their socks.
April 7, 2011
Solar Carports are a relatively new Solar Energy Product compared to other Solar Products like Solar Heaters and Solar Cooking.Solar Carports are fast catching on as their dual use of protecting,shading a car as well as providing electricity to nearby offices and buildings.It makes use of real estate that would go waste so it provides a lot of value add besides helping in protecting the environment as well.
April 7, 2011
It is surprising to see the US Media jumping about saying the General Electric will build the biggest solar factory in the US when it is completely factually wrong.There are other companies that add 400 MW in a single quarter these days (eg.LDK). By the time GE builds its 400 MW Cadmium Tellurium Solar Panel facility,there will be around 20 players in the world with more than 1000 MW capacity.GE has been claiming high efficiencies for its Thin Film Solar Panels but the claims that it will be able to dethrone First Solar as the Leader seems far fetched currently.Note First Solar will have almost 7 times more capacity worldwide by the time GE builds its first solar panel facility.GE has been long been developing the Cadmium Tellurium Technology buying up Prime Solar.
April 7, 2011
Seoul witnessed Radioactive Rain as winds blew from neighboring Japan which has witnessed the second biggest nuclear energy accident after Chernobyl.Though the the Rain contains cesium and iodine particles they are well within the safety limits according to the South Korean Nuclear Safety Regulator.South Korea has already protested against the lack of information about the Nuclear Emissions and the Deliberate Dumping of Toxic Seawater by TEPCO.However many schoolchildren stayed at home as worried parents were concerned about the impact of the radiation.China the other major close nation in proximity to Japan has also detected low levels of iodine in spinach in 3 provinces.China had earlier reported trace levels of radiation in Guangdong and Shanghai.Note Iodine has a very low half-life so that problem should not persist for long.However cesium is another matter as it can lodge inside human body and keep emitting for a long time internally.
April 7, 2011
Solar Industry is a fast growing exciting industry with its inevitable growth pangs as well.The first phase of India's Federal Policy has seen many hurdles and its success is in doubt,on the other hand Gujarat has managed to attract investment and power plants through a forward looking subsidy.States like Uttar Pradesh,Delhi,Maharashtra are also tentatively coming up with their own incentive policies.The Industry will see many ups and downs before it becomes a major billion dollar industry.Note Solar Power Industry has become the fastest growing in USA where it doubled last year and looks set to double this year again.The Nuclear Accident in Japan has given fresh energy to Solar Power with China set to double its target to 10 GW by 2015.
April 6, 2011
American Superconductor (AMSC) which is one of the top rated wind stock in the US crashed by more than 40% as its largest customer AMSC is mainly a seller wind turbine core electrical components and full wind turbine electrical control systems (ECS).It has also made pilot sales of high capacity super conducting equipment to some customer like Tres Amigas.Sinovel which is also the 2nd biggest Wind Power Company in the world refused to take contracted shipments of wind turbine core electrical components and spare parts.The reason given was high inventory levels but the company failed to explain why Sinovel which is a multi billion dollar company has refused to pay AMSC for certain contracted shipments made in fiscal year 2010.Note $56 million in payments related to Fiscal 2010 quarters have been not paid to AMSC ( which would have been recognized as revenue).None of this was disclosed till now leading to a class action shareholder lawsuit against the company.It is quite perplexing why your largest customer will not pay you for past shipments and then cancel shipments as well.Is it because of some acrimony or is just Sinovel using its massive size to squash a small supplier.
April 6, 2011
Solar Energy in India represents one of the best Energy opportunities in the 21st Century.However the growth at least in the initial stages will be geographically unequal.This is due to the fact that Solar Power requires strong government support and subsidies currently.The Indian Federal Government has already given it a strong push targeting 1000 MW by 2013 and 20 GW by 2022 under the JNSSM.While the Subsidy Program is facing some initial hurdles due to debt financing and aggressive project bidding,individual States are forging ahead to push Solar Energy on their own.Gujarat has been a trailblazer in this regard with The State has already recieved proposals for setting up around 365 MW of Solar Power.Gujarat through its own RPS and Feed in Tariff incentives is targeting 1000 MW by 2013.Rajasthan too is trying to exploit is massive solar insolation potential but its state policies have little clarity or direction yet.The state has signed around 1524 MW of Solar Project with 49 Developers.The Solar Policy Draft Proposal is mostly vague with a target of 10-12 GW in 10-12 years with around 500 MW in the next 2-3 years.Rajasthan is set to see massive solar installation despite its government's vagueness from the Federal JNNSM subsidy.Other states in India like UP,Delhiand Maharashtra have recently started making some moves but remains to be seen how good they are at implementing.While the UP solar subsidy is clearly quite ridiculous,Delhi seems to be on the way to implementing a smart policy of promoting small roof top solar residential installations.
April 6, 2011
The ongoing problems at the stricken Japanese Nuclear Plant at Fukushima may see new problems given the prolonged cooling by water.Note it has already manifested itself as 11,500 tons of radiated water was dumped into the Pacific leading to protests from South Korea and dangerously contaminated fish.Further problems may arise as NY Times reports from a nuclear assessment report on each of the 6 reactors at the Dai-ichi plant.The tons of seawater being used to cool the temperature could result in a dangerous structural damage to the containment vessels of the reactors.Note this unconventional cooling of the Nuclear Plant may give rise to unthought of problems and complications.The spent fuel rods where hydrogen is being generated may react violently with oxygen in the air leading to violent explosion as was seen in Reactor 2 in the early part of the crisis.Salt has also been accumulating in the reactor from the seawater which may prevent circulation of newly added water.
April 6, 2011
Phillipines is heavily dependent on imported fossil fuels for its energy requirements as it lacks sufficient domestic resources of coal or oil.The country which already has […]
April 6, 2011
Islands mostly are depended on diesel generators for their electricity requirements which is considerably costlier than the normal coal,hydro,gas and nuclear forms of energy.Unless you are Saudi Arabia and can get oil at $4/barrel,the price of electricity from oil based energy sources is one of the costliest.Hawaii in USA pays around 30c/KwH for electricity because of the high cost of transporting and buying fossil fuels for its power plants.These islands have a huge incentive in moving towards renewable energy because it not only reduces costs,carbon emissions but also helps in energy security.Hawaii has installed a large number of wind farms,is building a big energy storage facility and promoting other alternative energy forms like solar as well.Hawaii Feed in Tariff has been implemented despite opposition by the utilities.
April 6, 2011
USA has been sorely lacking in the fight against Climate Change and Global Warming.Greenhouse Gas Emissions by the US has increased tremendously from 1990 the benchmark year when countries under Kyoto Protocol pledged to reduced their Carbon Emissions.However US has refused to do anything and has not even signed the Kyoto Protocol.The hopelessly rudderless leadership in the US has failed to pass any Clean Energy Laws like Cap and Trade ( not my favorite),Federal RPS etc.Some states have been showing proactive leadership like California despite massive opposition by the powerful oil and gas lobby (Valero,Koch Brothers).Their efforts are being stymied by the very rich who don't care about global warming as they can easily use their money to mitigate any affect on them and the powerful fossil fuel lobby with their thinktank puppets.
April 5, 2011
PV Solar Cells or Photovoltaic Solar Cells are the building blocks of Solar Panels which are used to generate electricity from the Sun in residential or commercial establishments.Solar Cells are made of crystalline silicon the same substance that is used to make semiconductors which go into making of electronic products.Note Thin Film Solar Cells are not found for practical purposes as Thin FIlm Solar Production generally is a one step continuous process in which the whole solar panel is produced.On the other hand c-Si production is a 5 step process in which Solar Cells is the intermediate product of the 4th stage and goes as input to making of solar modules/panels.Solar Cells can be bought and made into Solar Panels as PV Solar Cells don't have much of a standalone usage.Note Buying Solar Cells and making DIY Solar Panels does not make much sense as it adds little value and does not save money.You are better off buying Solar Panels from affordable solar panel manufacturers.
April 5, 2011
The total installed nuclear generating capacity in the world is around 375 GW (WNA) with another 170 GW in planning g state and another 170 GW being proposed. The largest nuclear power is Europe with an installed capacity of 131 GW, ie. 34% of the total world capacity. The second largest country is the USA with around 27% of the world nuclear capacity. The installed capacity of USA is 101 GW. These figures are projected to accumulate to 144 GW & 136 GW respectively by the end of year 2035, according to the EIA. Japan & Russia are the 3rd & 4th in the list with an installed capacity of 49 GW & 23GW respectively.
April 5, 2011
Nuclear Power has come under assualt in the aftermath of the Fukushima Nuclear Accident with Nuclear becoming a four letter word.However Nuclear Energy cannot be ignored becauses its benefits are unique in some applications and cannot be substituted by any other means.Nuclear Power also cannot be replaced in the short term from its most widely used application of generating Electricity.Note Nuclear Power accounts for almost 15% of the Global Electricity and in some countries is the major source of energy.For example France which has 80% of its power coming from Nuclear Fission,its impossible to think of shutting down nuclear plants like Germany which gets around 20%.Note even for USA which has the largest installed base of nuclear reactors shutting down almost 200 GW of Nuclear Capacity is quite unthinkable.Besides Nuclear Energy has massive uses in medical and other applications.This cannot be substituted by other means at all.For example its possible to replace Nuclear Electricity by other means like Solar,Wind even Coal and Gas though its costs will be astounding.But you can't replace Nuclear Energy in Medical Applications like Scanning and X-Rays.Here is a list of the main uses of Nuclear Energy.
April 5, 2011
The massive dumping of radiation seawater by TEPCO into the Pacific Ocean has triggered outrage amongst various stakeholder groups.Fishermen are angry at is will massively affect the marine life who are bound to get poisoned by the 11,500 tons of radioactive water which is 100 times over the legal limit.A fishing industry group in Fukushima prefecture has asked Tepco to stop releasing toxic water into the sea near the power plant as Radioactive iodine and cesium were found in fish caught off the coast of Ibaraki, north of Tokyo.The Fishermen are already facing a bad time are bound to get hit even worse from this.Green Groups are protesting this deliberate ejection and say that it might be unethical to dump the water if not illegal under international laws.Green Groups are protesting the fact that more efforts could not have been made to store the water in ship tankers or overland facilities instead of taking the easy way out and dumping it in the Pacific.Note the radioactivity spewed from the Japanese Nuclear Plants is affecting nations globally.South Korea which lies very close to Japan has expressed concerns over the toxic water being dumped into the ocean.
April 5, 2011
Note none of the Indian automakers has a decent EV or a Hybrid selling in the Indian market.Foreign markets on the other had are seeing fierce competition amongst major auto makers to gain a first mover advantage.GM,Nissan,Toyota are the leader in this market with other car makers also in the process of getting in.Hectic alliances and JVs are being forged as this market segment promises to be the fastest growing as the governments give massive subsidies and push.It remains to be seen whether the government in India can push given its record.
April 4, 2011
Marine Life is expected to be badly affected from the radioactive water.Note IAEA has already found high levels of radiation well beyond the evacuation zone and Greenpeace too has warned about high levels of radioactivtiy.TEPCO has its reputation badly tarnished as it has failed to disclose the levels of radiation and different radioactive elements like Cesium.Note the Japanese Farmers are already facing years of losses and the Fishermen too seems destined to join them as the thousands of tons of water will probably lead to Fishes becoming toxic in that region.
April 4, 2011
Biomass Energy is highly under-appreciated as a renewable source of energy despite being the most important source of energy during most of human history..Biomass Energy still accounts for 1/3rd of Energy requirements in a lot of countries and is the primary energy source for heating and cooking in rural communities.Biomass Electricity accounts for around 1% of the world’s electricity capacity of around 5000 GW.With advancements in gasifier technology and energy conversion,biomass power plants have become quite popular.Biomass Power Plants are increasing in scale from around 20-50 MW to more than 100 MW as the technology has advanced quite a bit.The only problem for these large plants is securing feedstock for these power plants and storing them.Biomass energy is used mainly for cooking and heating in rural areas.Now it is increasingly being used to generate power as the technology for biomass energy has advanced.Biomass Energy like other Forms of Energy has got its unique Benefits and Drawbacks which are listed below
April 4, 2011
Hydro Power is one of the largest sources of energy accounting for roughly 20% of the worldwide demand of electricity and for well resourced countries it accounts for majority of the energy.For Paraguay 100% of the electricity comes from hydro power and lot of it is exported as well.Compared to other sources of Energy, Hydroelectric Power is one of the cheapest,non Carbon Emitting,non Polluting,Mature Energy Source.Hydro Power plants have been developed to almost full potential in developed countries because of their superior characteristics and many more are being constructed by developing countries like China and India.However Hydro Power like all other thins in life suffers from disadvantages as well.The failure of a Hydro Dam can result in massive losses of human life and cause widespread devastation.Large Dams have always been controversial leading to displacement of people and ecology.They have also been cited as the reason for earthquakes due to large land changes.Here is a list of the advantages and disadvantages of Hydro Power
April 4, 2011
Climate Change and Global Warming have been put in the Cold Storage by most world governments as there is little will to fight one of the most pressing challenges facing mankind.With the successive Copenhagen and Cancun Climate Change Meets coming up as croppers,the Poor are left to fight the drastic affects of Climate Change in the face of Severe Weather like Droughts,Floods,Increase Sea Levels.Australia stupidly cut the funding for various Green Programs after facing one of the worst floods in the last century.It did not occur to the short term focused politicians that the Floods may have their root cause in Global Warming.Instead of increasing resources to fight Climate Change,they cut the Funding to help in the Flood Rehabilitation Programs
April 4, 2011
India is going to be the biggest Markets for Clean Technology in the world in the lines of China which has already become the largest investor in Green Industry with over $50 billion in public and private investment.India is investing heavily in solar and wind energy and its only a matter of time before other Green Sectors like Electric Vehicles,Energy Efficiency and Smart Grids receive massive investments as well.Finnish Firms with strengths in Electricity Distribution,Wind Energy,Automation are setting their sights on the Indian market which requires large infusions of Technology and Investment.
April 4, 2011
Terra Firma,the multi billion pound Private Equity firm has continued its Renewable Energy Asset Buying Spree spending a monstrous 641 millino Euros to buy Rete Rinnovabile a solar plant owner and operator in Italy.The acquired company is a susdiary of Italian market grid operator Terna and owns around 150 MW solar capacity in Italy which witnessed a massive solar boom in 2010.The acquisition values 1 MW at 4.5 Euros which would be considered not an expensive price given the large returns available for Italian solar power assets which gets a generous government mandated feed in tariff.The solar power plants are well located near distribution end points which is not a surprise since the company was a subsidiary of the grid power operator.
April 4, 2011
Smart Grid as a Clean Technology Industry is gaining traction in the West and countries like China,South Korea .Smart Grid has become important to increase energy […]
April 3, 2011
Economically also Solar Panels are starting to approach retail electricity prices in number of places in the world.Large scale solar power plants are already selling power at 10-15c/KwH which is lower than the retail electricity prices in most places.Still competition between solar panel manufacturers,improving technology and scale are making solar panel costs come down at a rapid pace.In fact Solar Panel prices have declined by more than 50% from 2008 end to 2010 and are expected to fall by an average rate of 10% in the coming years as well.However Solar Panels are seldom bought by the customers directly but are rather bought by the solar system installers/contractors.However its a good idea to know about the costs of solar panels and systems that you are paying for and not get fleeced by unscrupulous solar installers.
April 3, 2011
A crack in a concrete pit near the Reactor 2 of the Fukushima Plant has been found to be the source of leakage of highly radioactive seawater which was said to reach around 4585 times the legal limit.TEPCO had found the crack in a pit near the Reactor 2 which was leaking this dangerous seawater which was being used to cool the damaged nuclear reactors.An attempt to fill the crack in the pit by pouring concrete failed as the water made the sealing process through concrete impossible.Now a new polymer will be tried to seal the crack though it beats me why it did not occur to the engineers there that the water will make the process of pouring concrete fail.After almost 4 weeks since the nuclear crisis began in Japan operators of the plant are no closer to regaining control of damaged reactors, as fuel rods remain overheated and high levels of radiation are flowing into the sea.
April 2, 2011
Nuclear Energy is currently forcing a major rethink amongst the world governments as the Japanese Nuclear Accident sharply brings into focus the massive radioactive and poisoning risks from accidental damage to a nuclear reactors.Note this is not the first such incident nor is it going to be the last.The advantages of Nuclear Energy is being sharply reexamined by the policymakers vs the huge risks of a nuclear plant meltdown.Most countries have started reviewing their nuclear plants for safety with a number shutting down old nuclear reactors.The drawing plans of new nuclear plants is also on hold as safety regulations are strengthened.Nuclear Energy accounts for around 15% of the world's production of electricity and for some countries like France there is no alternative in the short term with 80% of the electricity coming from nuclear reactors.China has a huge target for nuclear energy of 80 GW by 2020 but that too is coming under attack with a NDRC official talking about lowering it by substituting it with other renewable energy sources like solar energy.Here are the Nuclear Energy Advantages vs Disadvantages.
April 2, 2011
Solar Industry is one of the fastest growing industries on the planet and the number of companies in the industry have increased dramatically attracted by the strong growth prospects and low entry barriers.The easy availability of solar producing equipment and low capital requirements for small companies have led to a mushrooming of the number of players in the industry.Its possible to set up a small 30 MW module production factory for as low an investment as $10 million or lower.Though the value add of a pure play solar panel production factory is low and the competetive position quite questionable nonetheless there are hundreds if not thousands of such small module producers in the world right now.Other parts of the crystalline silicon supply chain have also got a number of players though the technology and captial requirements are much higher.Listing out all the solar companies in the world is a difficult task and somewhat useless as well as many of these small scale solar companies will not exist in a few years as competition keeps intensifying.Consolidation in the solar industry will ensue sometime or the other and lead to a much smaller and sustainable industry.
April 2, 2011
Vestas the No.1 Wind Turbine Manufacturer in the world has been hurt drastically from low cost competition from Asian companies particularly the Chinese Sinovel and Goldwind which have won massive chunks of marketshare.Vestas has seen a slowdown in demand for its Turbines as Western Markets have cooled off.Vestas was forced to dramatically restructure its operations laying off thousands of workers mainly from its domestic Denmark base.The company is now targeting the fastest growing segment of the Wind Power Market- Offshore Wind Energy.Note a number of companies in the Wind Turbine Industry are testing or introducing Offshore Wind Turbines.Siemens,Gamesa,GE are all looking to steal a first mover advantage in this segment.Even shipbuilders like Daewoo,Hyundai,Northrop Gruman are making aggressive moves in the offshore wind market.
April 2, 2011
The strict environmental regulations of EPA is leading to converion of a Virgina Coal Plant to a Biomass Fired one.Note the US Congress and Senate have failed to move ahead on climate legislation remaining hopelessly deadlocked on any climate deal.Despite numerous draft laws,no common law has been passed as Republicans fail completely in understanding global warming remaining in the pockets of the powerful oil and gas lobby.EPA remains the only government body which is doing something to reduce pollution and at the same time fight for climate change.The strict new rules against emission of harmful gases like sulfur dioxide,nitrous oxide,mercury has forced a Virginia Coal Plant to convert from thermal to biomass.