Alternative Energy / Renewable Energy

• Why Africa Needs to Embrace Bamboo Charcoal

  In the developed world where a flip of a switch or twist of a knob starts food heating the idea of gathering dung, wood or making charcoal for food preparation is a nearly horrifying thought. But for billions of humans, that procedure is a daily routine. It isn’t possible for people to join in the world of trade, increasing incomes and raising living standards to the developed world’s condition without getting through the food gathering and preparation needed at far more productive time scales.  Increasing human population is making the food issue even more complex, and much of the forests…

• Expiration of Cash Grant to Affect Biomass & Wind More than Solar

  The expiration of the 1603 US cash grant programme is likely to slow but not stop the solar industry’s fast march toward grid parity, as solar costs continue to decline rapidly, said industry experts. However, preserving government subsidies for other renewables remains critical as they try to reach parity with traditional energy sources, experts said. The Section 1603 Treasury grant programme expired on 31 December after an effort to include an extension in must-pass legislation failed. Solar industry advocates were the strongest supporters of an extension and have vowed to keep pushing for the programme to be retroactively renewed. One…

• Football Pitch-Sized Batteries Could Change the World of Renewable Energy

  2011 saw huge advances in solar, wind and other renewable energy sources, and these advancements will continue into 2012. In fact 2012 could be the year that renewable energy sources start to seriously compete with traditional fossil fuels, at least that is the hope in the battle to reduce carbon emissions and our dependence on dwindling oil stocks. However a major problem with renewable energy sources is that they can rarely provide consistent power levels, due to a myriad of factors outside of human control. Eric Wesoff, an industry analyst with Greentech Media, explains that, “A wind farm only works…

• Investment in African Renewable Energy Reaches $3.6 Billion in 2011

  First, the bad news.Although Africa has vast fossil and renewable energy sources, only twenty percent of its population has direct access to electricity and in some rural areas, four out of five people are completely without power. According to the UN, over 600 million Africans currently do not have access to electric power. A depressing 70 percent of Sub-Saharan Africa’s population is living without access to clean and safe energy for their basic needs such as cooking, lighting and heating, making energy poverty among the most urgent issues facing Africa. Worldwide, more than 1.4 billion people worldwide have no access…

• What is Both Sustainable and Renewable that Makes Financial Sense Today?

  The answer is: Municipal solid waste (“MSW”) and its conversion into energy!  There are few, if any, energy technologies that can claim to be both renewable and sustainable but also reliable and financially attractive. Why is this so? To understand this, it’s necessary to understand what MSW is and is not. According to the U.S. EPA, MSW includes non-hazardous solid waste from residential, multifamily, commercial, and institutional (eg., schools, government offices) sources, see following chart. This definition excludes many materials that are frequently disposed with MSW in landfills, such as combustion ash, water and wastewater treatment residuals, and construction and…

• Central Asia's Creative Alternatives to Fossil Fuels

  Soaring fuel prices; electricity rationing; early snow -- it's enough to send people scurrying for alternative ways to heat their homes and cook their meals. In some parts of Central Asia, however, "alternative" doesn't necessarily mean clean burning or eco-friendly. In Uzbekistan, cheap is the operative word, and that means things can get downright, well, earthy. "Coal is fuel for rich people only," says Eshmurod-Aka, a resident of Uzbekistan's Qashqadaryo province. "Animal manure is the only fuel we use now."Many Uzbek families now only turn on their power generators when there is a football match on television. Sadirokhun Sophiyev, a…

• How Will Renewable Energy Fare in 2012?

  Renewable energy is considered the future. The best way for us to combat climate change, survive the decline of oil and generally provide cheap, safer, secure energy. However the industry is still in its infancy and relies heavily on government subsidies and tax incentives. Every year or two the renewable energy companies experience a few tense months as the subsidies and incentives approach their expiration date. Invariably Congress comes to the rescue at the 11th hour and extends them for another year or two, the companies can breathe a sigh of relief and everyone can enjoy the holidays relatively stress…

• Subsidies: The Poisoned Chalice of Renewable Energy

  “Solar subsidies are a placebo which is giving the general public a sense of security about our energy future and is robbing the motivation of those entrepreneurs that could actually address our energy problems.” “In the near term, perhaps our bigger concern than climate change is anthropogenic energy policy.” In a recent Economist on-line debate, the affirmative motion “This house believes that subsidizing renewable energy is a good way to wean the world off fossil fuels” was surprisingly defeated. In his closing remarks, the moderator softened his strident opposition to the negative case, even admitting that “subsidizing renewable energy, is…

• Rare Earth Shortages - A Ticking Timebomb for Renewables?

  A global scarcity of rare earth metals over the next five years could be “a ticking timebomb” for renewables and clean-tech, according to consultancy PwC.Hybrid cars, rechargeable batteries and wind turbines are among the sectors which could be affected by a shortage of these metals, which include cobalt, lithium and platinum, says PwC’s report Minerals and metals scarcity in manufacturing: A ‘ticking timebomb’.Rare earth metals are a key element for producing gearless wind turbines using permanent magnet generators, said Daniel Guttmann, London-based director for renewables and clean-tech at PwC. Manufacturers favour gearless turbines increasingly as they are more reliable than…

• Solar vs. Wind - Who Wins?

  For me, the most delightful turn of events in the ultimate nerd-song “Particle Man” by They Might Be Giants, is that after introducing (in order of complexity) particle-man, triangle-man, universe-man, and person-man—and learning that triangle-man naturally beats particle-man in a match up—we pit person-man against triangle-man to discover that triangle wins—again. In this post, we’ll pit solar against wind and see who wins. I will take my usual approach and estimate what I can—as opposed to researching the results of detailed studies. It’s part of the process of personal mastery of the big-picture issues, while also providing a sanity-check. In…