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UK menaced by blackouts of power within 2 years
According to the energy watchdog Ofgem the risk of power blackouts in UK has doubled in the last year, as the country is facing an energy crunch which will cause an increase of the energy bills. The supply crisis is the result of Britain forcing old coal and oil plants to shut down supporting projects of new green wind farms and nuclear plants.
read more... 01/07/2013
German coal-fired power plant projects
Following are details of the status of coal-fired power plant projects in Germany, a sector targeted by campaigners against climate-harming carbon emissions. The rapid expansion of green energy has also curbed progress for new fossil fuels-based plants, although they were expected to play a bigger role in the energy mix after Germany decided on a quicker-than-planned withdrawal from nuclear power. Coal is still Germany's most important generation fuel.
read more... 20/06/2013
Energy Policy Objectives in Belgium
- to phase-out the nuclear energy (between 2015 and 2025) - to reorganize the electricity and gas markets (in Flanders, electricity and gas markets are fully liberalized since July 2003) - to implement the Federal Plan for Sustainable Development, in the context of the "Law concerning the coordination of the federal policy on sustainable development" (May 5, 1997), a new version of the plan for 2004-2008 has been elaborated. - to implement the National Climate Plan 2002-2012, signed in 2002, by both the federal and regional governments responsible for environment, energy and transport, measures to be taken at either the federal or the regional levels. FLANDERS: - to encourage the efficient use of energy (to reduce the consumption of energy in the residential sector and to increase energy efficiency in industry and the service sector) - to provide the greatest energy services at adequate prices for all social groups, through regulation of electricity and gas markets - to augment energy production through the use of renewable energy WALLONIA: Walloon Plan for Sustainable Mastery of Energy (2003) - to reduce the final consumption by 6% by 2010 - to modify behavior through increased public consciousness of energy matters - to develop the renewable energy sector - to regulate electricity and gas markets, to discuss and evaluate policies - to encourage the efficient use of energy in buildings, industry and services - Decree of 1 March 2012 (Wallonia). The objective of the Walloon Government is to achieve 20% of renewable energy by 2020 and 100% by 2050. The Walloon government will require energy suppliers an higher annual percentage of green certificates. Currently it is 15.75% and gradually it will reach 30.4% in 2016 and 37.9% in 2020, an annual increase of 3.65%. BRUSSELS-CAPITAL: - to increase public awareness of the efficient use of energy - to establish a support system for renewable and other energy projects - to offer finance education and other support to the tertiary sector (as well as public authorities) - to develop administrative tools for building developers on the energy performance on buildings Source: Energy Market Price – Belgium Energy Statistics Report
read more... 13/06/2013
Spanish market for concentrated solar power is the largest one all over the world
The Spanish market for CSP is the biggest one in the world. The concentrating solar thermal reached 1953.9 MW of cumulative installed capacity in 2012 and it is expected that by 2020, Spanish CSP could reach 20,000 MW. In 2012, the installed capacity in Spain increased significantly as many projects with a capacity of more than 50MW started to operate. According to EurObserve’ER, Spanish electricity generation from Concentrated Solar Power reached 3,432 GWh in 2012, more than doubling in comparison to 2011.
read more... 06/06/2013
Bright future for wind power in China
China's National Energy Administration has recently announced that China is to approve 27.9 GW of new wind power projects. Sichuan’s provincial government plans to focus on the development of renewable energy, giving more weight on wind.
read more... 22/04/2013