At the COP28 climate summit in Dubai in 2023, nearly 200 countries committed to tripling global renewable energy capacity – measured as the maximum generating capacity of sources like wind, solar and hydro – by 2030, in an effort to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

According to figures published on Thursday by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), renewables are the fastest-growing source of power worldwide, with new global renewable capacity in 2023 representing a record 14% increase from 2022.

But IRENA’s analysis found that even if renewables continue to be deployed at the current rate over the next seven years, the world will fall 13.5% short of the target to triple renewables to 11.2 terawatts.

A higher annual growth rate of at least 16.4% is required to reach the 2030 goal, IRENA said.

Renewable electricity generation by energy source

Chart courtesy of IRENA

IRENA Director-General Francesco La Camera warned against complacency. “Renewables must grow at higher speed and scale,” he said in a statement, calling for concrete policy action and a massive mobilisation of finance.

The United Arab Emirates’ COP28 President Sultan Al-Jaber called the report “a wake-up call for the entire world” and urged countries to add strong national energy targets to their updated national climate action plans (NDCs) due by early next year.

Geographical disparities

Bruce Douglas, CEO of the Global Renewables Alliance, a coalition of private-sector organisations working on renewable technologies, highlighted imbalances in the global picture of record renewables deployment.

“We shouldn’t be celebrating,” he said. “This growth is nowhere near enough and it’s not in the right places.

Africa saw only incremental growth of 3.5% in new renewables capacity last year compared with around 9% growth in Asia and North America, and 12% growth in South America.

And despite those higher increases in Asia and South America, data released last month by international policy group REN21 shows that less than 18% of renewables capacity added in 2023 was in Asia (excluding China), South America, Africa and the Middle East, despite these regions collectively representing nearly two-thirds of the global population.

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Slow growth in Africa is failing to live up to the huge potential for renewables on the continent, whose leaders last year pledged to scale up renewables more than five-fold by 2030, to 300 gigawatts.

“The justice piece is huge and too often overlooked,” Douglas said, adding that finance is “by far” the biggest challenge to getting renewables off the ground in the Global South.

Africa, for example, has received less than 2% of global investments in renewable energy over the past twenty years, according to IRENA.

“That’s not acceptable in terms of an equitable transition,” Douglas said, noting that when countries miss out on renewables financing, they are also missing out on the development benefits, jobs creation and improved access to affordable energy that clean energy can bring.

Finance not flowing

The scarcity of financing for renewables in developing countries is in large part due to investors being put off by the high borrowing costs and risk profiles of many such markets, Douglas said.

William Brent, chief marketing officer at Husk Power Systems, which installs and runs solar micro-grids in rural communities in Nigeria and Tanzania, explained: “Most sources of big capital in the West seem largely uninterested in Africa.”

“Despite being home to some of the fastest growing economies in the world, Africa is perceived as having a much higher risk profile and returns that cannot match the Americas, Asia or Europe,” Brent said.

New South African government fuels optimism for faster energy transition

Sonia Dunlop, CEO of the Global Solar Council, a body that represents the solar industry, told Climate Home that financial incentives provided by the public sector could help de-risk renewables projects for private investors.

“We need to get MDBs (multilateral development banks) leaning into big renewables projects and taking on some of the risk, which can then attract private finance,” she said, adding that governments in all countries must also play their part in creating policy environments that support and incentivise investment.

Grids and permitting barriers

Grids and permitting for renewables projects also pose major practical challenges, particularly in developed countries.

According to REN21, the potential renewable capacity that is ‘stuck’ waiting to be connected to grids around the world is equivalent to three times the amount of wind and solar power installed in 2023.

For Dunlop, the solution to grid congestion is more storage – batteries for short-term storage and other technologies for longer-term storage, such as storing electricity as heat or pumping water uphill that can then be released to produce hydroelectricity.

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Complex planning processes can also mean it takes longer to get planning permission for projects, such as wind farms, than it does to build them – if they even get approval at all.

For Douglas, something as simple as hiring more staff to process project applications in grid and planning authorities could begin to unlock thousands of gigawatts of renewable power.

Energy efficiency overlooked

Although renewables are growing faster than any other energy source, companies and governments are boosting investments in fossil fuels at the same time.

The use of fossil fuels for electricity generation continues to grow, while renewables only provide 6.3% of the energy required for heat, which is mainly used in buildings and industrial operations.

Electricity generation by energy source

Chart courtesy of IRENA

“We are not moving fast enough to fully meet the staggering rise in energy demand, let alone replace existing fossil fuels,” said REN21 Executive Director Rana Adib in a statement on the group’s recent statistics.

Another – neglected – solution is energy efficiency, experts said. The Global Renewables Alliance is running a ‘double down, triple up’ campaign, which calls on countries not only to triple renewables by 2030, but also to double the rate of improvement in energy efficiency, to reduce emissions and help stem energy demand – another goal countries signed up to at COP28.

“We absolutely need that doubling of energy efficiency as well,” said Dunlop. “That isn’t discussed enough.”

(Reporting by Daisy Clague; editing by Megan Rowling)

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Last Wednesday and Thursday, China’s new top climate diplomat Liu Zhenmin travelled to Washington DC for two days of talks with his US counterpart John Podesta, also fresh in the job.

They discussed co-operation on climate issues, including plans for both sides to ramp up renewables, and vowed to “intensify technical and policy exchanges”.

But the day after, with Liu still in the country, the US State Department briefed journalists that Podesta had told Liu that China was producing too many solar panels and lithium-ion EV batteries.

India wants its own solar industry but has to break reliance on China first

Then on Tuesday, the White House increased tariffs on Chinese EVs, lithium-ion batteries and solar panels, accusing the Chinese government of “unfair, non-market practices” and “flooding global markets with artificially low-priced exports”.

“Clear protectionism”

In response, the state-owned China Daily newspaper in an editorial described the tariffs as “a clear act of protectionism”.

The head of the China Automobile Association Fu Bingfeng agreed, adding that “the new energy industry is jointly created by mankind and can bring common benefits to mankind”, saying the tariffs were “very unreasonable”.

Asia Society analyst Li Shuo told Climate Home that, rather than thinking of over-supply of solar panels as a problem, “it is the world’s inability to deploy these products that is the problem”.

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The tariffs reflect “the new reality global climate politics needs to deal with” – that low-carbon products will not be made in the most cost-efficient way and distributed around the world, he explained. India also has trade barriers against Chinese solar panels, designed to boost its domestic solar manufacturing.

Research from the Center for Strategic and International Studies has found that such trade barriers can, in general, delay the competitiveness of low-carbon technologies against their market rivals – like solar against gas, or EVs against internal combustion engines.

Limited effect on solar, batteries bigger

The US-imposed measures are designed to increase the cost of Chinese goods needed for the energy transition – and could therefore slow down America’s shift away from fossil fuels.

But BloombergNEF solar analyst Jenny Chase told Climate Home that the increase in the tariff on solar cells and modules from 25% to 50% would “have little effect”.

She noted that tariffs of 25% have been in place “for ages – and as a result the US imports almost no cells or modules directly from China, instead importing from Southeast Asia”.

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The Biden administration is currently weighing whether to impose tariffs on solar imports from four Southeast Asian countries over concerns that China is routing its panels through these nations.

US solar panel manufacturers are lobbying the government in favour of those tariffs, while US solar panel installers are lobbying against them. A decision is needed by June 6, two years on from a pause on tariffs affecting the Southeast Asian nations.

Similarly, the US already imports relatively few electric vehicles from China, as it already has Trump-era tariffs on them. The US’s adoption of electric vehicles is far slower than in Europe or China.

But US car-makers do import lots of lithium-ion EV batteries for their vehicles despite existing 7.5% tariffs. China produces about three-quarters of all the world’s EV batteries, with the US producing less than a tenth.

(Reporting by Joe Lo; editing by Megan Rowling)

The post Days after climate talks, US slaps tariffs on Chinese EVs and solar panels appeared first on Climate Home News.

The world’s most populous nation already manufactures some solar PV. But the process is largely that of an assembly line, where imported components are fitted together into modules.

Further up the supply chain, solar components are made from a high-grade silicon known as polysilicon. Today, polysilicon production – like every other stage of solar manufacturing – is dominated by China. 

But buoyed by energy security concerns and US-China trade tensions, a handful of Indian solar manufacturers are benefiting from government support to produce polysilicon components in India. 

Among them is Adani Solar – the greener side of the Indian multinational conglomerate which was built on a bedrock of coal.

In this second story in our Clean Energy Frontier series, Monika Mondal reports from the city of Mundra, Gujarat, where Adani intends to build a polysilicon-to-module manufacturing hub. 

Read the story here

Think-tank Ieefa foresees that India could become the world’s second-largest solar PV manufacturer by 2026 – producing enough solar panels to be self-sufficient and export the surplus. 

But India’s dependence on China for solar components and technology runs deep and its attempt to rival its neighbour’s colossal solar production capacity will require a lot more government support. 

You can read the full story on a specially designed mini-site here. Learn more about our Clean Energy Frontier, our series exploring the supply chains of clean energy technologies, here.

To never miss a story, sign-up to Climate Home’s weekly newsletter and get the news straight to your inbox.

The post India wants its own solar industry but has to break reliance with China first appeared first on Climate Home News.

Mounir grows date palms, just like the majority of Tozeur’s inhabitants. This oasis – over 4,000 years old – is the largest in Tunisia. Located at the edge of the Sahara Desert, in the southwest of the country, this city now wants to be ‘top of the class’ for environmental management, and aspires to energy autonomy.

Approximately 97% of Tunisia’s electricity is currently  , mainly natural gas. In 2020, nearly 57% of the country’s natural gas needs were met through imports, mainly from Algeria.

For now, only 3% of Tunisia’s electricity is generated from renewables, including hydroelectric, solar, and wind energy. However, the country aims to produce 30% of its electricity from renewable energy by 2030, according to its

To help it achieve its renewables target, Tunisia is installing two public solar plants in Tozeur in March, each with an output of 10 MW. The project was financed by loans from the German Development Bank (KfW). In total, €23 million in loans rallocated to technical assistance and staff training. The solar panels were supplied by two European manufacturers: TerniEnergia from Italy and GenSun from France.

“Nearly 17,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions will be avoided each year compared to before the installation of the solar plant, helping the country to reach its goals in terms of renewable electricity generation”, said Abderrazek Al Ouja, the project manager of the solar farm. The electricity produced by our two plants represents of the region of Tozeur, he told Climate Home News.

The farming community of the oasis takes a sceptical view of this new installation.In the last two years, the farmers have accumulated  17 million dinars (£4,372,026) in debt, for extracting groundwater, and the Tunisian Electricity and Gas Company (STEG) is now threatening to cut off their electricity.

With working conditions increasingly difficult, the Tozeur farming community is highly vulnerable. One of the main challenges it is facing is soaring electricity bills, linked to water drilling, which they have more and more trouble paying.

and access to water is the number one issue for farmers in Tozeur, where water resources are quickly depleting. “We now need electricity to pump our water. And it doesn’t seem like this new central will help us with our electricity problems, as no one has consulted us until now”, said Mohamed Jhimi, farmer and president of an agricultural development group in Tozeur.

“They’ve got some nerve to implement a solar power plant, without it being planned to benefit those who suffer the most here,” Jhimi said.

For Hamza Hamouchene, a just transition expert and researcher at the Transnational Institute (TNI) in the Netherlands, “this kind of project usually exacerbates already existing problems, as it is in the case of the huge complex Noor-Ouarzazate in Morocco, the world’s largest concentrated solar power plant (580 MW).”

“The local communities already suffered from huge water poverty, as the water levels are very low. Since the installation of this mega solar plant, a huge one compared to the Tozeur’s central, some of the water has been diverted to go to this solar farm,” he told Climate Home News.

The entire process is centralised and financed through development banks, he said. “They do the so-called social assessments but in reality, they are just ticking boxes.”

According to project manager Al Ouja, the new electricity production would benefit almost 40,000 homes in Tozeur’s region, although a STEG engineer refuted this claim. “All the electricity produced in Tozeur is injected into the national grid and then redistributed centrally. It does not benefit to the local inhabitants per se,” he told Climate Home News.

Tunisia emits only 0.07% of global greenhouse gas emissions, yet the country is among the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. “In Tozeur, all we see are mitigation programmes when what we need most is to adapt,” said Salem Ben Slama, a member of the . “Our farmers need help to cope with the threats that endanger the life of the oasis.”

Mounting climate threats

In Tozeur, the reception to this solar plant is far from unanimous. “With the creation of this solar park, the Tunisian state misses the opportunity to address the climate issue as it unfolds here,” said Ben Slama. “We have invested millions of dinars in a mitigation programme, that is the solar farm, but those who suffer the full force of climate change here, the farmers, are ignored,” he told Climate Home News.

This imbalance is reflected in the figures. In its climate plan, Tunisia outlines its plan to spend 74% of its climate budget, $14.3 billion, on mitigation, compared to just $4,3 billion on adaptation. For the energy sector, the country mainly aims to focus on the development of solar energy, multiplying its production capacity by 10 by 2030, compared to 2020.

“What we need is a national programme to protect and value our fragile ecosystems, as well as our indigenous and local knowledge”, said Salem Ben Slama. With their worsening working conditions, more and more farmers are forced to leave their land and knowledge behind.

To help communities adapt to climate impacts, the assembly of Maghrebi citizens for the oasis of Tozeur has “the promotion of technology transfer and the strengthening of knowledge in the field of adaptation.” They also stressed the importance of improving scientific knowledge around how climate impacts affect oases.

Oases are among the most fragile ecosystems on the planet. In Tozeur, the

past two years were the worst ever recorded for farmers, who rely almost entirely on date production. In Tozeur, almost 50% of the population works in date production, according to Karem Dessy, president of the Associationto Safeguard the Medina of Tozeur.

“Most of our current problems are of climate change,” said Karim Kadri, an engineer and researcher in oasis agriculture in Tozeur. Over the past two years, temperatures have reached record

The drought has had multiple consequences on the fragile oasis ecosystem: a devastating disease called “boufaroua” has attacked the palm trees. “These are mites that grow around the fruit and suffocate them,” explained Kadri. The dates turn white and the whole crop goes up in smoke. “Usually, it only takes one or two rains to wash our trees and naturally rid them of these invaders,” he said.

Oasis is synonymous with water. In addition to the rainwater, the groundwater is also drying up. Previously, a single source, that of Ras El Ain, was used to irrigate the entire oasis of Tozeur. The water was perfectly distributed among farmers, with the help of an irrigation system dating back to the 13th Century.

“But in the 1990s, these water tables began to be depleted when the state expanded the oasis with farms established, as well as with the development of the hotel zone. It was the beginning of irrigated areas and drilling practices to extract water in larger quantities,” said Chaker Bardoula, a farmer and former president of the regional federation of agriculture.

Water battle

Today the naturally available water resources no longer exist. Faced with the disappearance of this “mother-source”, the Tunisian state has implanted boreholes in order to maintain the irrigation of the ancient oasis. But this water is far from sufficient to meet the needs of farmers, who have been forced to install their own drilling pumps.

“It is these pumps that are very expensive for electricity,” said Ben Slama. “It is a huge problem.” Since the 1970s, the cost of electricity has increased four to six times, he said. In addition to the rising cost of electricity, farmers have been receiving pressure from middlemen. “They are taking advantage of the Covid pandemic to force farmers to lower their selling prices. They smash prices and no one is monitoring”, said Chaker Bardoula. This year, farmers who were lucky enough to sell their crops sold them for three times less than in previous years, he said.

All these pressures mean that farmers have been unable to pay their electricity bills for the past two years. “We are suffocating: on the one hand because of climate change, on the other because of our debt to the STEG,” said Jhimi.

Ben Slama said that as long as no system of subsidising electricity to farmers has been found, it is impossible to speak of social responsibility.

“This plant does not address local communities. We have been excluded from this project, no one has come to consult us,” he said.

According to him, it would be enough to allocate a produced by this solar power plant, to the farmers, for climate justice to be given. When questioned on this matter by Climate Home News, neither of the two project managers of the solar farm said they were aware of this matter.

Taha Sendid, Tozeur’s STEG district manager, said the company has been helping the farmers by setting up payments by instalments, to resolve the long-standing debt issue. “However, the electricity produced by the solar central is not specifically, it addresses the entire population of Tozeur. If they have specific issues, they should address [them to] the State,” he said.

For Hamouchene, “one way of making this transition just, would be to cancel these farmers’ debts, and provide them with cheap electricity.”  State subsidies could also put a brake on individual drilling initiatives, he said. Many farmers, because of a lack of assistance, dig wells that are much too deep, weakening the water table even more.

To protect what is left of the oasis, Dessy said the government must urgently invest in adaptation solutions such , which is being done elsewhere across the country. “At this pace, we only have a hundred years before the water resources completely vanish, according to local hydrogeologists. We need to act fast,” said Dessy.

The post Debt-stricken Tunisian farmers ‘ignored’ as government rolls out solar megaproject appeared first on Climate Home News.

In a pointed message to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Guterres said scaling up solar energy would help solve two of India’s key development priorities: alleviating poverty and bringing power to 64 million Indians still lacking energy access.

Speaking at Delhi-based The Energy and Resources Institute (Teri) on Friday, Guterres said ongoing support for fossil fuels around the world was “deeply troubling”. India is subsidising fossil fuels seven times as much as clean energy.

Modi recently launched an auction of 41 coal mining blocks to private investors. The prime minister said this would create hundreds of thousands of jobs at a time of economic fallout from Covid-19 and reduce India’s dependence on imported coal.

But Guterres warned rising temperatures caused by emissions from coal and other fossil fuels, would see India endure more intense heatwaves, floods and droughts, increased water stress and reduced food production if global warming edged over 1.5C by the end of the century.

“This strategy will only lead to further economic contraction and damaging health consequences. It is, simply put, a human disaster and bad economics,” he said. “Clean energy and closing the energy access gap are good business. They are the ticket to growth and prosperity.”

Extra UN climate talks mooted for 2021 to help negotiators catch up

Guterres, who has championed a green recovery to the pandemic, has become increasingly direct in his climate rhetoric. He is demanding the world’s largest economies, known as the G20, end fossil fuel subsidies, put a price on carbon pollution and commit not to build any new coal power plants or mines after 2020.

Last month, Guterres confronted China over its coal boom during a lecture at Beijing’s Tsinghua University, urging the world’s largest emitter to recover green.

However, few leaders are listening. Since the start of the pandemic, G20 countries have pledged $204 billion of support to fossil fuels. That is 52% of all public money committed to the energy sector, compared with 35% for clean energy, according the Energy Policy Tracker.

India, the world’s third largest emitter, has committed $8.9bn to fossil fuels, $6.8bn of it to coal, compared with $1.2bn for clean energy.

And yet, renewable generators have proved more resilient than coal, which bore the brunt of the collapse of energy demand caused by coronavirus restrictions, and is struggling against increasingly competitive solar prices.

Analysis by think-tank Ember found India’s share of wind and solar in electricity generation rose from 3% in 2015 to nearly 10% in the first half of 2020, while coal’s share fell from 77% to 68% in the same period.

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Half of India’s coal will be uncompetitive in 2022, reaching up to 85% by 2025, Guterres warned. “This is why the world’s largest investors are increasingly abandoning coal,” he said. “The coal business is going up in smoke.”

On Friday, the CEOs of 20 leading Indian businesses signed up to a “call for action” highlighting eight areas that could deliver “a step change in sustainable growth” as the government focuses on restarting the economy and addressing rising unemployment rates.

Accelerating the transition of the power sector to clean energy sources, electrifying transport and increasing research in clean technology such as hydrogen should be prioritised to create jobs, lower energy costs and cut emissions, they say.

Ajay Mathur, director general of Teri, told Climate Home News a number of Indian businesses and financiers understood that investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency provided both “short-term profitability and long-term sustainability”.

Guterres’ message, he said, comes at a time when Indian financiers are “starting to consider the possibility of a renewable-based future” – something unimaginable just five years ago.

India’s solar boom is threatened by anti-China trade tariffs

Guterres insisted investments in renewable energy would generate more jobs than in the fossil fuel sector and boost India’s recovery.

But although such investments would create healthier and higher quality jobs, they are not a ready alternative for the estimated 500,000 coal miners in India, Swati Dsouza, a New Delhi-based energy consultant, told CHN.

She cited a study published in the Environmental Research Letters journal in March which found that although nearly all coal mining areas in India would be suitable for solar power generation, installed capacity would need to increase 37 times to transition all of India’s coal miners who live in suitable areas to solar jobs.

“We already have a very big base of people employed in the coal sector and there is no transition plan for them,” she said, adding coal mining supported livelihoods and activities of entire towns in coal-rich regions. “What are we going to do about that?”

Despite efforts to scale up Indian solar manufacturing, the homegrown capacity remains limited, Dsouza said, adding solar installations jobs required a level of education that miners often lacked.

The post Guterres tells India coal business ‘going up in smoke’ as investors back clean tech appeared first on Climate Home News.

(Pic: Energy solar development centre)

By Sophie Yeo

Qatar has bought enough solar technology from Kazakhstan to make it a world leader in renewable energy, the company signing the deal claims.

Kazatomprom, a state-owned nuclear holding company, has agreed to provide the Qatar Solar Energy (QSE) company with the raw materials needed to make solar panels for the next ten years.

Salim Abbassi, CEO of CSE, said that the partnership “provides a powerful foundation from which QSE will further expand its production capacity to 2.5 GW,” adding that it has the potential to make them one of the biggest producers of solar power in the world.

Qatar currently has the largest rate of emissions per capita in the world, with its electricity based 100% on fossil fuels.

Officially, the country has a target to generate 20% of its energy consumption by 2024, and an installed renewable energy capacity of 1,800 MW by 2020.

Embyronic

But analysts remain concerned about the industry’s slow pace in achieving its targets, and have expressed doubt over the viability of the 2.5GW promise, noting that little headway had so far been made and that progress had so far mainly existed in the form of feasibility studies rather than construction on the ground.

“There’s still massive risk in them getting to this,” said Finlay Colville, Vice-President at market research firm NPD Solarbuzz.

“There’s really no evidence that this is going to happen and the time scale it’s going to happen in, but if they were to get 2.5GW of capacity in the next couple of years, it would make them one of the biggest suppliers outside of China.”

Its year-round sun and large financial resources mean Qatar is well placed to develop its solar industry, but despite this it is still in an “embryonic” phase, said Colville.

“They’ve had really grand plans for quite some time, but the whole implementation has been really slow,” he said.

“They’re got a long term vision of having lots of solar, but the time line to actually get things up and running has been a lot longer than a lot of the western world had hoped for.”

There is also some debate over how far its motivations for its solar push are in the name of going green. Using renewable energy domestically means there is more oil and gas to export to the more lucrative international market.

Despite this, Qatar’s solar industry is due a unique boost, thanks to its successful bid to host the 2022 World Cup.

With international pressure to ensure the event is low carbon, football could be one factor in whether Qatar reaches its solar energy targets within the next decade.

The post Qatar targets solar revolution, but pace remains slow appeared first on Climate Home News.

(Pic: Bigstock)

By Gerard Wynn

Solar panel prices have risen slightly for the first time in at least five years, show data published this month by the major manufacturers, in their first quarter reports.

The price rise is good news for manufacturers and their investors who have suffered massive losses after a slew of bankruptcies.

However, industry supporters including developers and environment groups will not want sustained higher prices, as they try to maintain growth in demand for solar power which is still more expensive than fossil fuels.

Solar module prices have been under pressure since 2008 as a result of global over-capacity and falling renewable energy subsidies.

Prices are now rising slowly, several manufacturers reported, as a result of a shakeout in the industry which has eliminated some over-capacity, bringing supply back in line with demand.

A new European minimum import price – following a trade dispute with China – has also contributed, alongside strong demand in Japan, one of the world’s most lucrative markets.

“Average selling prices increased, and remains among the highest of Chinese Tier 1 companies,” reported Hanwha SolarOne, one of the world’s biggest manufacturers, in its first quarter report.

The company reported that prices rose 4.4% quarter on quarter in the first three months of 2014, to $0.69 per watt.

Average selling prices among top Chinese module makers last year were $0.62-$0.68 per watt, company data show.

Sunrise

Average prices stabilised last year, after almost halving in 2012, and now appear to have completed a turnaround.

In addition to Hanwha SolarOne, other tier one Chinese solar module makers reported improving prices in the first quarter this year.

“The year-over-year increase in total revenues was mainly attributable to the increase in shipments, improving average selling prices of solar modules and the increase in electricity revenues from solar projects,” Jinko Solar said earlier this week, in its first quarter report.

Canadian Solar also reported “a slightly higher average selling price” in the first quarter of this year, in its latest financial report published on May 16.

“We are experiencing strong demand for our products in all key geographies and expect reasonably strong global market demand growth in 2014,” said Shawn Qu, chairman and chief executive.

“We expect Japan, Canada, China, and the U.S., among others, to remain healthy markets for us through 2014.  We continue to believe that in 2014, and for several years to follow, China will be the biggest market in the world, with at least 11 GW to 12GW of solar module installations this year with the possibility of achieving the total announced target of 14 GW. ”

Trina Solar, another major Chinese module maker, also reported improving average selling prices (ASPs) and profitability in the first three months compared with the first quarter of 2013.

“The year-over-year increase in gross margin was primarily due to the increase in ASP and decrease in costs on a per watt basis.”

Competitiveness

The main reason for the improving prices was a shakeout of over-capacity, after less competitive companies went to the wall.

However, tier one producer Yingli Solar also pointed to the impact of the EU-China trade agreement which imposed a minimum price on imports, after European manufacturers complained of unfair competition.

“(In Europe) in Q4 ASPs improved by 25% versus Q1 2013 as all volume was sold above the Minimum Import Price (MIP),” the company said, in its presentation of full-year annual results.

One blot in the landscape is the impact of rising prices on the competitiveness of solar power, which is under pressure to compete without subsidies as governments try to limit consumer energy prices in the aftermath of the financial crisis.

As a result, solar power will have to compete with fossil fuels without subsidies by the end of the decade.

Despite the recent price increases, module markers seemed confident they could achieve lower prices in the medium and long-term through continuing cost savings and economies of scale.

“We expect that the prices of PV products will continue to decline over time due to increased supply of PV products, reduced manufacturing costs from improving technology and economies of scale,” said Hanwha SolarOne, in its annual full-year report.

However, the evidence from two manufacturers which publish regular quarterly cost data is that savings are slowing, suggesting that the industry will struggle to recover the recent pace of cost cutting and price competitiveness.

The post Why are solar panel prices starting to rise? appeared first on Climate Home News.

The emergence of Solar Photovoltaic (PV) technology is one of the great success stories of EU energy and climate policy. But the dramatic progress of recent years could be significantly derailed by a trade dispute that serves no-one’s interests.

The threatened 47% levy on Chinese panels could be in place this summer and Beijing promises retaliation.

When binding EU targets for renewables were agreed in 2008, EU member states introduced incentives for PV and other renewables. Europe became the pioneer of solar tech, and by far the largest market in the world.

The industry has been growing at a rate of 40% a year (see Chart below). In 2012, for the second year in a row, PV was the number-one new source of electricity capacity installed in Europe.

(Source: EPIA)

PV has consistently outperformed expectations, with costs of modules roughly quartering since the introduction of targets. While there is much talk of a shale gas revolution, these equally dramatic developments seem to garner far less attention.

Yin and Yang

The dramatic fall in costs is attributable to the emergence of a global supply chain, which reflects a curious brand of enlightened self-interest.

Europe is yin. Its producers have been selling raw materials and capital equipment to manufacturers of solar modules in China.

EU companies then import, install and service the solar systems. Around 70% of the value-added is generated within the EU. The PV industry directly and indirectly employs around 800,000 people in the EU, a number which could grow dramatically by 2020.

China is yang. Seeing the incentives introduced in the EU, and the attendant market opportunity, in its 11th and 12th Five-Year Plan for the Solar PV Industry, it set out a strategy to become a leading manufacturer of PV modules.

The necessary policy framework and supports were introduced. As a result, Chinese manufacturing capacity soared, and their producers have captured more than 80% of the EU market.

Some in the US and the EU, however, are unhappy with this divvying up of global costs and benefits.

The case for the prosecution and defense

The US imposed tariffs in November 2012, after finding that domestic industry had been damaged by imports of unfairly subsidized Chinese PV modules.

The EU manufacturing lobby, EU ProSun, which represents companies employing 8,000 people in the EU, subsequently accused the Chinese of dumping panels on the EU market, and providing unfair subsidies to manufacturers.

A report to EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht, sets out the case against China. Supports provided are, in many cases, similar to those provided in the EU and US.

China is, however, accused of specifically, intentionally and illegally underwriting an export drive. EU producers have lost revenue and market share, leading to a spate of bankruptcies.

It is countered that China and the EU are in a symbiotic, and mutually beneficial relationship. German taxpayers pay less (in feed in tariffs) when Chinese taxpayers pay more (to subsidise panel prices), as made clear in the chart below.

(Source: EU Pro Sun)

EU Pro Solar argues that its members are the most advanced globally, and that a recovery of the European PV manufacturers could create “cluster effects” in the EU.

AFASE, a lobby group which represents 550 solar PV companies and 60,000 EU jobs, argues that European manufacturing firms’ “own strategic decisions” have burdened them with high cost structures, for instance “their dependence on long-term contracts for polysilicon at high prices”.

AFASE also argues that the overall impact of tariffs would be profoundly negative. They estimate that more than 200,000 jobs and tens of billions of value added are at risk.

EU Pro Solar warns that if Chinese dumping continues and “installations continue to exceed national targets, the support that remains will be lost”, in the form of feed in tariffs.

It is hard to see the sense of this argument. Supports will be lost when PV is competitive without taxpayers’ support. This would be a hugely significant milestone for low carbon technology.

Trade wars

China has unsurprisingly retaliated by arguing that the US and the EU are subsidizing polysilicon, the raw material for solar panels, and is preparing to set anti-dumping duties on imports of it.

Germany, an exporting powerhouse, is concerned that the dispute could spill over.

Its Economy Minister, Philipp Roesler, has argued that it would be a “grave mistake” for the European Commission to impose tariffs.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel echoed these sentiments, speaking at a joint press conference in Berlin with Chinese Premier Li on May 25. She said that she would strive to ensure that the EU imposes no “permanent” tariffs.

The road ahead

A global PV industry competitive against fossil fuels is almost within reach. In 2013 for the first time the majority of new PV capacity will be installed outside of Europe. A McKinsey report from last year finds that the cost could fall an additional 70% by 2020. But progress could be derailed by protectionism.

The Obama administration may be pressing for a negotiated settlement with China, and wants the EU to support a plan that would carve up the global solar panel market. This would likely be a disaster.

Two tails have been wagging the EU dog. At the international level the US is setting the agenda, while within the EU a small lobby group supported by the Trade Commissioner is calling the shots.

The dog is finally reacting: Germany and the UK have led. An estimated 14 to 17 Member States oppose the introduction of tariffs.

Unfortunately, under EU rules, the Commission has the authority to determine whether tariffs are provisionally enacted. Commissioner De Gucht seems intent on pressing ahead. Member States should do all they can to oppose this blunder.

Joseph Curtin is Senior Research Associate with the Institute of International and European Affairs. He has worked for the OECD, NESC (an advisory body to the Irish Prime Minister), and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, on climate and energy policy-related issues.

The post Comment: Solar PV trade wars threaten entire industry appeared first on Climate Home News.

The world’s largest concentrated solar power plant opened in March in the middle of Abu Dhabi’s western region, amid the country’s giant oil fields.

The $600m plant’s hundreds of mirrors direct sunlight towards pipes full of oil to drive steam turbines that in turn provide enough electricity for thousands of homes.

In a country whose vast wealth is generated by selling oil, adopting a new technology that produces only 100 megawatts of power – about a tenth the amount of a large coal-fired plant – may seem a mere token, but it is part of a much larger industrial strategy for the region.

Serious money and political clout in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa is aimed at building hundreds of similar plants. The potential is so great that all the electricity requirements of these desert countries – and a good slice of Europe’s – could be met by 2050.

The Shams 1 solar energy project in Abu Dhabi cost $600m (Source: Masdar)

European companies are now putting serious investment into a scheme to bring electricity from North Africa across the Mediterranean to their shores. Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia are among the Saharan countries that could provide all their own power and much of Europe’s. Morocco and Tunisia are already building plants, and Morocco has an electricity connector to Spain.

It has long been known that harnessing the power of the sunlight that shines on a few hundred square miles of desert would be enough to provide electricity for all of mankind’s needs. How to collect the power and transport it was the problem. Now both technical barriers to development have been solved with a variety of schemes.

The Abu Dhabi plant that uses mirrors is one of a number of similar ideas that arrange reflectors to concentrate the Sun’s rays to make electricity. Several have now been proved to work commercially – and the price of power continues to come down. These plants are in operation in many sunny parts of the world including California, Spain and Australia.

Night light

Photo-voltaic cells that make electricity direct from sunlight are even more prevalent, with the price of panels also continuing to fall. Add to the power of sunlight the fact that many desert areas are also windy, and the potential for power production is huge.

A factor that has previously worried investors is that even in the desert the Sun does not shine at night, when much of the electricity is needed. To get round that a system has been developed to store excess heat in molten salt and use it to generate electricity after dark. The wind turbines in the desert built alongside the solar arrays would of course continue to pump out power at night.

The next problem – how to transport electricity from isolated areas with low populations to the cities that need it – is also solvable. Modern super-conducting cables using direct power can transport electricity across 3,000 kilometres, losing only 3% of their power per 1,000 kilometres.

These cables, developed in Europe, are not theoretical: they are already in use in China. Super-conductors could be laid across the Mediterranean so that North African sunshine could power Europe.

The organization that aims to create a super-grid across North Africa, the Middle East and Europe to utilize this resource, Dii, accepts that the problems are not just technical but also political.

Some of the countries with the greatest solar resource that would need to be connected to each other to make maximum gains from the technology are not good friends.

Local use comes first

This would make a super-grid difficult to construct, and electricity supplies liable to disruption if disputes broke out. Power plants would also be easy targets for terrorists.

There are other political sensitivities. The European Union, and particularly Germany, which is very keen on the idea of exploiting this renewable resource, are anxious that Africa and the Middle East should feel ownership of the projects rather than that they are being leant on to cooperate.

European politicians feel it is important that these countries should also be the first to get the benefit of the solar power stations with the electricity being used locally, and only surpluses exported across the Mediterranean.

There are now 36 partners in the Dii project, with most of the money and expertise coming from Germany and other large European manufacturers. According to the German Aerospace Centre, investment would need to be €400 billion by 2050 in plants and transmission lines to realize the dream of providing the entire electricity supply for North Africa and 15% of Europe’s needs.

Studies have shown that even with transmission losses it is cheaper to construct solar plants in North Africa than in southern Europe. This is partly because the Sun shines from 3,000 to 3,500 hours a year, with greater intensity than in Europe, but also because there are large tracts of unused land for the construction of fields of mirrors or lenses to concentrate the solar rays.

Lack of water to clean the mirrors, and for cooling, is one of the technical problems still to be overcome. But like all newer renewable technologies, the cost of concentrated solar power is expected to fall because of mass production and to be considerably cheaper than rivals like nuclear power. What is needed is the political will to make it work.

This story was produced by the Climate News Network

The post New technology opens Europe up to Middle East solar power appeared first on Climate Home News.

Barclays has approved a £1m loan for an off grid solar energy firm that could trigger the expansion of rural electrification in Africa and slash the use of kerosene.

With 500m people in Africa with no electricity at all and millions of homes using inefficient kerosene lighting, clean technology replacements could cut emissions significantly, as well as having added health and economic benefits.

It is the first time a major lender has issued funding of this nature to small scale solar developer operating in Africa with falling technology costs and banks’ broadening view of the energy sector changing the landscape.

Azuri Technologies, which supplies small solar lighting and phone charging systems, claims the finance is the first step of a rapid rollout across Africa.

“If you look at the carbon impact of kerosene lighting worldwide is the same as the carbon footprint of Argentina,” said Simon Bransfield-Garth. “There is an immediate impact there because kerosene lamps are appallingly inefficient.”

An Azuri Indigo off-grid solar system in Sudan (Source: Azuri Technologies)

As well as displacing fossil fuels the technology can also stymie the rapid growth in demand for power in Africa and other emerging economies without limiting development.

Unlike other renewable technologies, Bransfield-Garth claims small scale solar has the advantage of not requiring public money.

“Anything that involves subsidy or government policy is inherently slow so we essentially don’t require that,” he told RTCC. “We have a product that stands on its own two feet and the end customer spends less on their solar power than they do on their kerosene. The demand comes from the customer pull rather than a government push.”

Azuri’s Indigo system initially lets users run lighting and recharge mobiles from a small solar panel. A code is required to access the electricity and can be purchased on scratch cards.

Upgrading to bigger systems can allow computers, radio and televisions to be run in rural communities.

New investment

Barclays’ investment suggests banks may be changing their attitude towards small scale solar projects, and Bransfield-Garth is confident that with backing Azuri can start reducing the numbers of Africans without power.

“All of them might be a stretch. We certainly have ambitions to make a dent in the problem. This is not something where we are seeking to have tens of thousands of customers we are seeking to have millions of customers.

“Today’s agreement is significant because it is the first time a major lending institute like Barclays has recognised the distribution [of microgenration] at scale as a bankable asset, it’s gone through the appropriate credit checks and processes.

“It is the first of a series of measures we’ll be taking in 2013 to grow our presence in Africa. It is a benchmark and we’ll be looking for substantial sums of credit finance in the coming year or two,” said Bransfield-Garth.

Azuri won the Sustaina Award in 2012, presented by Arnold Schwarzenegger, who called the company a “true green action hero”.

The post Barclays cash boost as solar targets Africa’s kerosene users appeared first on Climate Home News.

The consequences of climate change are frequently doled out by nature itself in the form unpredictable and extreme weather episodes but nature can also provide us with some tips to help curb our impact.

Business, science and technology have all looked to the natural world for inspiration in recent times and often it those solutions that are the most ecologically sound from the outset.

Whether its food, water or energy, the following five ideas have taken their lead from the world around them as part of the effort to respond to climate change.

1 – Clean car fuel inspired by the leaf

Scientists at the University of East Anglia (UEA) are developing a new kind of solar cell that mimics the photosynthesis process in leaves that converts light to energy.

Instead of generating electricity directly from light, as more familiar roof top solar panels do, the new set up would use the light to split the hydrogen and oxygen in water.

Hydrogen can be used as a zero emissions fuel for vehicles and researchers on the UEA project believe this could prove to be a more efficient use of solar energy.

2 – Desert animals help water the plants

Growing food where there is limited access to water has challenged farmers for centuries. Increased groundwater use, climatic variability and increased waste mean fresh water and food supplies will be under even more pressure.

One trial in Qatar looks to use the water vapour in the air and cool temperatures inside the greenhouses to beat the heat and provide water, process used by camels and desert beetles.

Surface water will be pumped around the greenhouse by solar energy, as it evaporates it cools the air just as evaporating sweat cools your skin. The cooled air then condenses as it passes over pipes filled with cool seawater, creating a freshwater supply for the plants.

The alternative is desalination, the expensive and energy intensive process of extracting the salt from seawater.

3 – Printing bacon…Too far?

Inspiration from nature is one thing but mimicking it physically is another.

Modern Meadow is looking to combine 3D printing and tissue engineering in a process that effectively means printing our own bacon.

The firm will also recreate other meats and leather as it looks to provide a new solution to the climate-induced food crisis.

The bioprinting technology involved could also be used to create human tissue for transplants and other medical uses.

4 – Gut instinct

Aneorobic digestion breaks down waste material, typically slurry from farms using the similar chemical processes as the stomach. It creates biogas that can be used as a source of energy directly and a solid by product that can replace chemical fertilisers.

At present, the process is only economical at larger scales. Smaller systems are under development and bioenergy hubs are emerging to pool waste from multiple sources.

The Adnams brewery in the UK produces biogas from the waste products of the brewing process and is now working with supermarket chain Waitrose among other smaller local business to provide a more carbon smart solution for their food waste.

5 – African farmers go back to the wild to beat desertification

Overgrazing is a huge contributor to land degradation, land that is already under stress as a result of climate change.

A group of farmers in Africa are mimicking the behaviour of wild herds in an effort to relieve stress on the lands. The herds, which are larger than smaller groups of sedentary livestock, can churn and fertilise the soil. This improves the pasture and its ability to hold and benefit from the small volume of rain water on offer.

Farmers see better results and the soil’s ability to store and lock in carbon is greatly improved.

The success of the technique is impressive as the image below demonstrates.

South Africa: Land on the left managed under Holistic Planned Grazing (HPG) in 200 mm rainfall, showing a contrast with advancing desertification (© Savory Institute)

The post Beating climate change: 5 lessons from nature appeared first on Climate Home News.

The world’s potential renewable energy resources have been plotted in a publicly available interactive map.

The online tool launched at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the Masdar Institute.

The Global Atlas for solar and wind brings together wind speed and direction and solar insolation data to show where the greatest potential lies for both technologies.

Wind data clearly shows the difference in average wind speeds onshore and offshore.

Average wind speeds in Europe. Offshore speeds are often four times higher than onshore. The UK is blanketed in higher speeds. (IRENA Global Atlas)

The purple areas on this map of Europe have average wind speeds of 12 metres per second (m/s), yellow is 6m/s and green 3m/s.

Typically, wind speeds above 3.5m/s are required to generate power.

The UK is one of a handful on large onshore regions where wind speeds are largely above 8m/s.

An area of higher average wind speeds centred over Mongolia. (IRENA Global Atlas)

Only a few countries have significantly large areas with a high suitability for wind. The map above shows another large area of higher onshore wind speeds centred over Mongolia.

The Desertec Foundation is currently exploring the possibility of expanding solar and wind energy resources in Mongolia to fuel energy demand in South East Asia.

The potential for solar energy in the US. Darker colours mark out more suitable areas. (IRENA Global Atlas)

Solar energy has tipped as a big winner for the US. The IRENA map shows a pronounced prejudice for the south western States.

Although the Atlas currently only includes solar and wind resources, other technologies such as wave and tidal power can be added in the future.

Video: IRENA’s introduction to the Global Atlas

The post IRENA & Masdar launch global renewable energy map at Abu Dhabi summit appeared first on Climate Home News.

– The day’s top climate change stories as chosen by RTCC
– Tweet @RTCCnewswire and use #RTCCLive hashtag
– Send your thoughts to jp@rtcc.org
– Updated from 0830-1700 BST (GMT+1)

Thursday 03 January

Last updated: 1545

Africa: Researchers say increased CO2 levels could double the size of sweet potatoes, a staple of many African nation’s diets, but growing conditions for farmers and the nutritional value of the end product could decline. Researchers grew identical crops in different levels of atmospheric CO2 comparable to those linked to future emissions. (AlertNet)

Arctic: Changes in Arctic sea ice are creating a new vicious circle of warming according to new research. Younger layers of permanent sea ice, which are replacing older multi-year ice, are allowing as much as 50% more energy to be absorbed increasing future rates of melting. (EurActiv)

US: The man widely considered to be the world’s most successful investor, Warren Buffett has paid $2.5bn for a solar energy project in California. Buffett’s MidAmerican Energy Holdings added SunPower’s 579 MW Antelope Valley scheme to the $2.4bn Topaz solar it acquired last year for $2.4bn. (Renewable Energy World)

Bangladesh: The Grameen Shakti solar energy firm, part of Mohammad Yunus’ Grameen social enterprise, as now installed 1 million small home solar power units in homes across Bangladesh. An estimated 1.3 billion people have no access to electricity but the combination of rural banking and off grid electricity generation, such as solar, provide one solution to reduce this figure. (Sierra Club)

Research: The risk of political delays is more damaging to our chances of limiting warming to 2°C than waiting for new scientific or technological development, according to a new study. Results published in the journal Nature yesterday found that policy delays of one or two decades render scientific uncertainties “irrelevant”. (Nature)

US: The Californian carbon market surged during its first days of trading reaching $16.35 at their peak. The scheme, developed by former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, was kick-started with an auction of permits for high-emitting businesses in November last year which saw companies paying $10.09 for permits. (Point Carbon)

The post Warren Buffett makes $2.5bn solar energy investment appeared first on Climate Home News.

– The day’s top climate change stories as chosen by RTCC
– Tweet @RTCCnewswire and use #RTCCLive hashtag
– Send your thoughts to jp@rtcc.org
– Updated from 0830-1700 BST (GMT+1)

Thursday 13 December

Last updated: 1715

The Pacific Island of Samoa is experiencing the full force of Tropical Cyclone Evan – the first major storm in the South Pacific’s summer cyclone season. Winds of up to 110kph have hit the capital Apia, with reports on twitter that two people have died amid widespread flooding and collapsed infrastructure. While it is currently hard to link any individual weather event to climate change, scientists believe increased levels of precipitation in the atmosphere as a result of global warming make them more likely.

US: A new survey has found that 74% of people in New York are concerned about climate change. The poll by Quinnipiac University also found that two thirds of New Yorkers think areas of the city that are rebuilt after Hurricane Sandy should factor shifts in weather patterns into their design. (StatePolitics)

Hollywood: Former Vice President of the US Al Gore has told an audience from the movie industry that there needs to be more films dealing with climate change. He told the group of 75 guests, including Leonard Nimoy, that there was a danger climate change was slipping off the radar. (Hollywood Reporter)

UK: Fracking can resume in the UK after an eight-month hiatus the UK Government has confirmed despite warnings that pursuing shale gas is incompatible with the country’s greenhouse gas targets.

Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Ed Davey said:  “Shale gas represents a promising new potential energy resource for the UK. It could contribute significantly to our energy security, reducing our reliance on imported gas, as we move to a low carbon economy. My decision is based on the evidence. It comes after detailed study of the latest scientific research available and advice from leading experts in the field.”

The fracking technique, which involves using pressurised liquid to release gas trapped in rocks was banned in the UK after a series of tremors linked to a shale gas test site in Lancashire.

“We are strengthening the stringent regime already in place with new controls around seismic risks. And as the industry develops we will remain vigilant to all emerging evidence to ensure fracking is safe and the local environment is protected,” said Davey.

NGOs are concerned that a gas driven energy strategy will derail climate change targets and that there are localised environmental risks attached to fracking.

“Despite all the hype, there is still considerable uncertainty as to how much shale gas is in the ground and whether it will be socially, environmentally or economically viable to extract,” said Jenny Banks, Energy Policy Officer, WWF-UK.

China: The Chinese Government has doubled its support for solar energy sending the shares of Chinese solar companies in the US soaring. The EU has already launched an investigation into alleged anti-competitive support for solar firms in China. (Reuters)

US: A group of 29 Republican and Democratic lawmakers in the US are pushing to establish new tax support for renewable energy. “Small tweaks to the tax code could attract billions of dollars in private sector investment to renewable energy deployment,” the 29 lawmakers said in a letter to President Barack Obama, requesting his support. The plans would open up loopholes commonly used by oil pipelines and other energy projects, to renewables. (Reuters)

The post Fierce cyclone sweeps through Pacific Island of Samoa appeared first on Climate Home News.

When people think about islands with a proactive outlook on the global climate change and sustainability agenda, they are most likely transported to the low lying pacific isles that have campaigned tirelessly and punched far above their weight in the international climate arena. 

The Ecoisland concept, that will arm islands and other community groups from around the world with the knowledge and technologies required for a sustainable future, however, traces its origins to the Isle of Wight, off the south coast of England.

Sandown Pier on the Isle of Wight, which is aiming to be energy independent by 2020. (Source: Flickr/Sidibousaid60)

It may be a new entrant to the international climate change arena but the Ecoislands movement is wasting no time.

The island has targeted energy independence by 2020, is working with a number of global technology giants to develop a cutting edge smart grid and has just received a grant for an experimental hydrogen energy storage facility.

Less talk

Founder David Green is a firm believer that when it comes to energy security and sustainability, actions speak louder than words.

“People have spent too much time trying to agree wholeheartedly with everything that has to happen, before doing anything,” says Green

“The result is similar to hillwalking, you end up going at the rate of the slowest. We decided we’d start out at the front and see if we can get people to catch up with us.”

So what is special about  islands? Why might they be better suited to triggering climate action than any other sub-section of society?

There are a few common traits in island communities that may be responsible.

Islands frequently engender a strong sense of identity, the pursuit of independence from “the mainland” or a larger neighbouring state. Many island communities have already survived against the odds and doing it all again in the face of the challenge posed by climate change is nothing new.

Many of these traits are encapsulated in the Ecoisland project, but there are simpler reasons too.

“It is very easy to measure things on an island and that provides an insight in microcosm about what is happening on the big island to the north,” he says in reference to the UK mainland.

“We can prove the concept by being the guinea pig, the living laboratory for these ideas. We can crack it here and then we’re in a position to roll it out elsewhere in the country and even in other parts of the world.”

As one of the sunniest locations in the UK, the Isle of Wight is well placed to exploit solar energy. (Source: Flickr/p-a-t-r-i-c-k)

The plans include making the Isle of Wight energy self-sufficient by 2020 and energy efficiency plays as big a role as renewable generation.

It is working with IBM, Toshiba, Cable&Wireless Worldwide and UK utility firm SSE to roll out a smart grid. It has just received a £4.6m grant to trial a hydrogen storage system for excess renewable energy that will also integrate a vehicle charging station as it looks to cut its fossil fuel dependency for liquid fuels too.

Small wind projects, geothermal, solar and waste to gas projects will be developed to meet the island’s 120MW power demand.

Islands in the stream

In October, the Ecoislands Summit will see a chunk of the UK’s island communities as well as some from as far away as Japan, converge on the Isle of Wight’s major port, Cowes to learn from the Ecoisland experience thus far.

“We’re expecting a lot of people to sign up to be an Ecoisland and they’ll put in the IBM Intelligent Operations Centre (IOC) and the hope is we can give them the blueprint or the greenprint if you like. We can give them the technology, access to the partners and if necessary, the funding.

“We have a central funding pot that can help develop the technologies. The hope is that in ten years we can wean them off fossil fuels, put in renewable energy generation capacity and eventually hit some much bigger carbon reduction targets than maybe central governments can,” says Green.

Funding is not only important for the obvious reasons, for spending. Green also believes that the self sustaining model of Ecoisland breeds confidence and removes some of the intimidation.

Related stories:

Crowdfunding: A new source of finance for sustainability and renewable energy

UK community energy could match Drax output but needs greater government support

Transition 2:0 – A story of community and climate resilience in a time of global inaction

“It has been entirely fuelled by private money that serves us well because if it had been founded on grants or handouts people would say “oh you were lucky, you got yourself a fairy godmother. What we are doing is not predicated on subsidies. It is a very healthy economic model as a standalone.

“By doing it from grassroots, it all started with the sale of our first Greenback card, an individual putting £20 in, from that day on it has all come from commercial partners and opportunities and commercial activities.”

The Greenback card is a discount scheme involving 80 businesses with strong ethical claims or directly selling green services. In order to access the offers you must first buy the card for a 12 month period for £20. Thousands have been sold – with the money helping to fund the Ecoisland venture.

The potential of the Ecoisland scheme is undoubted. The scope of the project could leave some small islands feeling daunted and isolated, however, the self-sustaining business model and the Green’s “living laboratory” on the Isle of Wight will negate much of this feeling.

The most important message of any future Ecoisland success story could be “less talk, more action”.

If that mentality can jump across the water to a few mainland governments we may see more of the ambition and urgency so badly needed to wean ourselves off fossil fuels and towards a world with less than 2°C of warming.

The Ecoislands Global Summit will take place on October 16-17, 2012 in Cowes, Isle of Wight.

The post Can a tiny island show the world the way on climate change? appeared first on Climate Home News.

We’ve all seen solar panels adorning an increasingly large number of roofs. Not just on homes but offices, factories, railway stations and many others.

But solar power has plenty of other applications beyond lowering electricity bills for the environmentally aware in the developed world.

We look through some of the less obvious, sometimes less useful, applications for the harnessing the sun’s rays.

Make beer

A brewery in Michigan in the US has invested in 300 solar thermal tubes to heat the water it uses in its attached restaurant as well as in the beer making process itself.

Solar powered and poison free. (Source: Flickr/Wystan)

The Arbor Brewing Company has almost halved its demand for gas for water heating making a decent cost saving as well as some delicious liquid bread. Each bottle carries the guarantee that the beer is “pure and without drugs or poison”.

Fly a plane

It may have only completed one flight over a significant distance, and that may have taken 19 hours, but it’s a start.

The jumbo jet sized Solar Impulse craft flew from Madrid to Rabat earlier this year with only its pilot on board.

Whether we’ll get commercial solar planes in the future is anyone’s guess but this at least, is a start.

Power a stadium

Taiwan’s Dragon Stadium (or Kaohsiung National Stadium to give its full name) is remarkable for several reasons as these pictures show.

The “scales” on the spiralled dragon-shaped arena are in fact solar panels providing all of the electricity required to run the stadium

Cook a meal up Mount Everest

Solar cooking works on the same basic principal, reflecting the suns rays to a concentrated point, where a (well-insulated) cooking pot absorbs the heat.

They are increasingly being used in refugee camps and in disaster struck regions, where access to fuel may be restricted. They can also be used in remote wilderness regions, including Mount Everest base camp.

The Himalayas reflected in a solar cooker at Everest base camp. (Source: Flickr/Rick McCharles)

Turn seawater into drinking water

With water scarcity one of the related and amplified consequences of climate change, this solar-powered solution could prove to be very useful in the future.

The technology uses a concentrated solar power (CSP) plant, which generates electricity by focusing the suns rays on a liquid-filled tank to drive a turbine. This electricity is then used for an attached (energy hungry) desalination plant.

Qatar is leading research on these technologies and has pledged to share it with other countries suffering water shortages.

Power a Kenyan village

RTCC has previously looked at what off-grid, small scale solar energy can do rural communities in Africa. A number of schemes, such as Eight19’s pay as you go system can improve health (by cutting out the need for indoor kerosene burning) and save residents money.

Mark Kragh from KnowYourPlanet, is working to help communities make money from going solar by establishing cottage industries that produce and sell small-scale residential panels.

The finished article after Mark Kragh's workshop in Kenya.

Save lives

An estimated 1.5 billion people have no access to electricity. This reduces quality of life at home, but it also impacts access to education, communication, banking and health care.

This super-efficient solar powered fridge can keep vaccines and other medicines cool for ten days between charges and in any location, freeing access to health care from the confines of electricity grids and the cost of diesel generators.

Power a space station

The solar-powered International Space Station. (Source: Flickr/FlyingSinger)

Perhaps the most widely accepted use of solar panels, particularly with the traditional opponents of renewable energy, is the space industry.

Solar panels have for a long time kept satellites running for decades without any physical refuelling required. The guaranteed sunshine afforded by being 36000km above the surface of the Earth and the absence of any meaningful gravity overcome many of the obstacles faced by traditional aviation.

Mow your lawn (no pushing required)

Not quite as life-changing as some of our other entries, this automatic solar powered lawn mower is if nothing else, an innovative bit of fun that shows the breadth of solutions open to solar technology.

On the downside, it is estimated to cost $5000.

Power a festival

More and more smaller cultural events are going 100% solar-powered while the big events do all they can to chip away at their environmental footprint.

Glastonbury’s Michael Eavis has installed 1100 solar panels at the famous farm and festival venue but even they are a drop in the ocean for the event’s monster 15MW power consumption.

Glastonbury owner Michael Eavis with his 1100 solar panels. (Source: GlastonburyFestivals.co.uk)

Can you think of any fun, unusual or enterprising uses for solar energy? Share them with us on twitter or on our Facebook page.

The post Ten things you can do with solar power appeared first on Climate Home News.

In his second video blog for RTCC, Tom Burke, founding director of sustainability consultancy E3G and a former executive director of Friends of the Earth explains how falling costs and improving technologies have left governments as the single largest remaining obstacle.

Tom Burke on the potential of renewables from Responding to Climate Change on Vimeo.

Filmed by John Parnell and Tierney Smith

Related stories on RTCC:

Burke’s Blog #1: Why nuclear is not the answer

COMMENT: Why pooling Europe’s energy makes sense

Shell energy expert: Renewables switch could take 30 years

The post Burke’s Blog #2: UK energy guru says politicians are major renewables hurdle appeared first on Climate Home News.

A women prepares dung patties for a small scale biogas project in India. (Source: UN/Ray Witlin)

With 2012 designated the year of Sustainable Energy for All by the United Nations and the issue high on the agenda at the Rio+20 summit in June, what exactly is sustainable energy and how can it help developing countries?

The immediate image it may conjure in the developed world is much the same as renewable energy. The two are not interchangeable however.

Technologies that work elsewhere, cannot be transplanted into the developing world and expected to function the same.

“I think it is really important to define what we mean by sustainable energy,” says Pascoe Sabido, sustainable energy advisor, Friends of the Earth Europe.

“It should not negatively impact the broader environment or people’s local environments that they depend on for their livelihoods. It shouldn’t impact people socially, in terms of human rights and health impacts either.

“[Without a clear definition] we’re going to see destructive technologies like large-scale industrial biofuels and big dams moving people off their land and destroying local ecosystems,” warns Sabido.

There have been instances in Central America of land clearances to make space for huge energy crop plantations. These have led, in some cases, to violent clashes including one incident in Guatemala that saw three people killed.

Sabido says that the definition of sustainable energy also rules out technologies that could contribute toward dangerous levels of climate change, such as coal.

It’s not all about large-scale electricity generation however.

Projects that replace kerosene lighting with solar technologies and replace indoor wood and coal fires with efficient cookstoves can provide added benefits.

These can both save money for the user while reducing wood burning can help save the time taken to gather it and helps provide marginal vegetation with a better chance of developing. The health benefits are perhaps the most tangible however.

“Deaths from smoke-related diseases, from people burning wood and dung, indoors kill more people than malaria, more than HIV/AIDS and more than TB,” says Sabido.

Corruption

Identifying the right kind of projects is only half the battle however.

“If energy access is to be achieved in these countries the whole process must be transparent,” says Geoffrey Kamese, Programme Officer, National Association of Professional Environmentalists, Uganda (NAPE).

“When you invest a lot of money in a project, at the end of the day, corrupt leaders, corrupt companies end up taking out most of this money. It does not end up benefitting the communities for whom it was intended. If we are to overcome that kind of shortcoming the processes must be transparent.”

AUDIO: NAPE Uganda’s Geoffrey Kamese on the threat of corruption to sustainable energy projects…

Kamese says that large, centralised projects such as new power stations to feed a national grid are more susceptible to corruption than others.

“Development in Africa has been decided by the politicians. They want to leave a legacy behind, some big investment that they will be remembered for. Yet, these big, big investments do not benefit small, rural communities.”

Progress at Rio

Using alternative fuel sources such as biomass pellets and using efficient burners has environmental, health and economic benefits. (Source: UN/Sophia Paris)

So what does Kamese hope to see from Rio+20.

“When we are going to develop projects that benefit our people, they must be able to participate. When we talk about participation nowadays it is only participation in quotation marks,” says Kamese.

“We need communities to discuss their own problems and come up with solutions that informs the decision making,” says Kamese. “We want meaningful participation at Rio. Let the people generate the ideas.”

While the expectations of Rio+20 are routinely talked up, Kamese warns of the dangers of pushing for tangible, concrete results at the summit.

“If we go to Rio to make targets they will not have come from the people, they will have come from “the cream”. Firm decisions at Rio would come from a specific [elite] group of people, not the people they represent.”

The role of business

Funding the sustainable energy agenda is another issue that will have to be tackled at Rio+20.

While Kamese is correct that limiting corruption will help offer good value for investment, attracting that funding must come first.

Nick Main, Global Leader of Sustainability and Climate Change with the consultancy firm Deloitte, says sustainability has become an integrated part of the business landscape.

“The term tends to have a green tinge to it but now it is much broader than that,” he says.

“This is about business resilience, the ability to continue in the future and it’s not purely about business. It’s not just about environmental sustainability, it’s about resource efficiency.

“It’s also about the social impacts too. People realise that you can’t have a sustainable business in a community that isn’t flourishing.”

AUDIO: What do the terms sustainability and resilience mean to the business community? Deloitte’s Nick Main tells RTCC’s Ed King…

The post What is sustainable energy? appeared first on Climate Home News.

Some projects such as this one in Kuyasa are aiming to bring renewable sources on energy to Africa (© Kuyasa CDM)

New figures show that countries in Africa received less in overseas aid last year than they paid for oil imports.

The figures from the International Energy Agency (IEA), published in the Guardian, show that sub-Saharan Africa received about $15.6 billion in overseas development aid last year, but spent $18 billion importing oil.

They found that while overseas aid has increased, poor countries are not feeling the benefit, as years of increasing oil prices have meant they are paying more and more for energy imports.

Speaking to the Guardian, Fatih Birol, chief economist at the IEA said the only answer for these countries is to move to renewable energy sources.

“If you diversify the sources of energy, that is a good thing and clean energy means using free, home grown resources so that will bring down the import bills,” he said.

There is a huge difference in the price of oil now, around $120 to $130 a barrel to when industrialised countries were growing and it cost around $13, according to Birol.

While countries like India and China are moving forward on wind and solar power, little has been invested in Africa.

While the country has huge reserves of renewable energy – a 2007 World Bank report found Kenya’s solar resources were the equivalent to 70 million tonnes of oil – the region presents a riskier proposition for private sector investors.

The UN’s Clean Development Mechanism – aimed at helping drive investment in renewables in developing countries – has also seen a huge imbalance in favour of China and India over countries in Africa.

While there are currently around 3560 projects registered under the CDM in China, according to the UN Environment Programme, there are only around 235 registered in the whole of Africa.

This trend has been decreasing in recent months, however, as figures show the rate at which projects are being implemented in Africa is speeding up.

Birol also stressed the need for countries to wean themselves off fossil fuel subsidies, referring to them as a market distortion that would not only worsen climate change, but that puts a drain on poor countries – money which he said could be better spent on social projects.

The IEA’s latest data found subsidies could reach a record $630 billion this year.

The post IEA: Overseas aid to Africa outweighed by oil imports appeared first on Climate Home News.

A huge Chinese wind farm near the Mongolian border. There is more than 10GW of installed wind power in Inner Mongolia. (Source: jlau)

Desert solar energy could be powering homes in Russia, Japan, and China under plans by Desertec and backed by the Japanese Renewable Energy Foundation (JREF).

The two organisations have partnered to promote the creation of a new electricity grid to connect solar power from deserts in Mongolia and China, to cities across East Asia, including fast-growing markets like Vietnam.

“Technologies to harness solar and wind energy have improved dramatically in the last few years,” said Dr. Tomas Kåberger, JREF Executive Board Chair.

“Combined with modern power transmission technologies, renewable energy can support the long-term economic prosperity of the region.

According to the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the Mongolian National Renewable Energy Center, Mongolia has a potential renewable energy capacity of 2.6 million megawatts. Bloomberg estimates this figure to be seven times that of all the world’s operational nuclear reactors.

The Gobi Desert is estimated to be the third largest potential source of solar energy in the world and also experiences steady, strong wind speeds making it ideal for both technologies. It is however, hugely isolated.

“Establishing an Asian Super Grid will be challenging and require a high-level of international collaboration but its benefits make it worth the effort,” said Kåberger.

The grid would use special transmission lines that lose low levels of power allowing electricity to be distributed over thousands of kilometres.

JREF was formed in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear accident to promote the development of renewable energy in the country.

The post Asian super grid targets Mongolian solar and wind power appeared first on Climate Home News.

The Indigo system will start using flexible plastic solar cells later this year instead of regular glass units.

One of the big opportunities climate action has presented the developing world is the chance to leapfrog a generation of energy technology straight into clean, green generation.

That aspiration is all good and well but in reality, exporting clean technology into some of the poorest parts of the world creates numerous logistical and financial challenges.

Now a British company thinks it has a potential solution.

Cambridge-based Eight19, named after the eight minutes and 19 seconds it takes light from the sun to reach earth, has developed the technology, and the business plan to tackle these challenges.

Customers pay an up-front fee of $10 for a 3W solar panel, battery, two LED lamps, a phone charging unit and a module that enables them to purchase electricity using their mobile phone.

“In Kenya for example we provide solar power for around $1 a week,” says Simon Bransfield-Garth, CEO, Eight19.

“They tell us they are saving about $2 a week on kerosene and a further $1-1.5 on the electricity that they would have to spend on putting electricity into their mobile phones.”

The company was spun out of Cambridge University and is built around the development of a new organic solar cell that can be printed onto flexible plastic sheets. These will begin to enter the market later this year.

“The plastic solar cells will reduce the overall cost of the installation. If you put solar cells on your roof in the UK probably half the cost is for the framing, wiring, the metalwork and everything else that goes around the solar panels,” claims Bransfield-Garth.

“You can’t put a 30kg solar panel onto the traditional thatched roof of a home in Malawi. With the plastic film, you can just literally stick it onto the roof.”

Killer Kerosene

Installing Indigo units in South Sudan.

There 1.4 billion people without electricity in the world according to Bransfield-Garth, 300 million of which are in sub-Saharan Africa.

And this is where Eight19 will concentrate its efforts. Since its first install in Kenya in September, 2011 the company’s IndiGo system is now in Malawi, Zambia and South Sudan as well.

As well saving huge volumes of carbon emissions and pollutants, Bransfield-Garth says their first customers have cited some other surprising fringe benefits.

“We thought avoiding Kerosene fumes would be a really big driver for these sorts of things. Kerosene fumes kill 1.5 million people a year, that’s more than malaria. But in reality, if you have been brought up with kerosene fumes for ever, you have a slightly different view on that sort of thing.”

In fact, the ability to charge mobile phones, is the biggest advantage, more so than the lighting, their customers have said.

“We also had a mother tell us that she feels able to leave her kids at home alone for half an hour without worrying that they are going to knock over a kerosene lamp and burn down the house,” says Bransfield-Garth.

Customers will on average take 18-24 months to pay for the full cost of their system.

“We’re running on commercial terms but it’s not our job to go and exploit some of the poorest people in the world. That’s why we have this upgrade initiative. We could charge a $1 a week indefinitely on the basis that that is half what they were paying for kerosene,” says Bransfield-Garth.

At this stage customers can either buy the 3W set-up outright or they can upgrade to a larger 10W system that supports an additional two lights and a radio.

The company’s “energy escalator” ends with a 80W system capable of running four lights, radio, TV, sewing machine plus the invaluable phone charging.

“If someone moves along this path they can go from being a rural farmer disconnected from the world, to having access to media and the internet.”

The post Solar revolution could bring power to 1.4 billion people appeared first on Climate Home News.

The solar industry is creating jobs on both sides of the Atlantic (Source: flickr/WalmartStores)

The number of people employed in the renewable energy industry in Europe passed the 1 million mark for the first time, according to new figures released today.

The EurObserv’ER State of the Renewable Energies in Europe report puts the number of people employed in the industry at 1.11 million across Europe.

Solid biomass employs the most people with 273,000. Solar has overtaken wind for the first time as the second largest employer with 268,110 and 253,145 respectively.

In the US, the solar sector employs 100,000 people, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association.

The EurObserv’ER report is released in the midst of a backlash in the UK against onshore windfarms.

A group of more than 100 MPs wrote to the Prime Minister last week calling for a cut to the £400 million subsidy for onshore wind.

They say attention should be turned to offshore wind farms instead where a more reliable supply of wind energy is possible and there are few planning issues.

Data from WWF and RenewableUK shows the location of opposed MPs’ constituencies coincides with the location of proposed, planned or operational wind farms.

The post Europe hits 1 million jobs in renewable energy but discontent remains appeared first on Climate Home News.

Court rules in solar industry's favour but bigger hurdles are on the horizon (Source:Wiki/GbbIT)

The UK Government has lost its appeal this morning against a ruling that deemed its retrospective changes to solar power tariffs unlawful.

While solar industry bosses have welcomed the decision, there are concerns over changes to other parts of the subsidy’s structure.

“It’s good news for the industry,” said Erica Robb, Managing Director of solar installer Spirit Solar.

“It means that the government can’t mess us around and bring in retrospective cuts that undermine the whole industry. Had the government won, it would have had huge implications for this scheme and would have set a precedent for other schemes too.”

Despite today’s win however, Robb said there are bigger challenges ahead.

The Department for Energy and Climate Change’s (DECC) consultation document includes a condition that buildings receiving the higher solar tariffs, have an energy efficiency rating of C or better in the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) system.

“DECC have predicted [the EPC proviso] would kill [the industry]. It’s almost like they have set out to kill it,” said Robb.

“The threat of the EPC is the bigger issue. DECC’s own figures have said that the EPC requirement will cut the solar industry by 95%. Only 14% of houses are rated at C or better and most would have to spend around £3000 to reach that level,” said Robb.

The results of the consultation will be out before February 8.

The original conflict surrounds the proposed new tariff of 21p per kilowatt-hour, reduced from 43p, which was expected to come into effect from 1 April 2012.

But on 31 October 2011, the DECC announced a 50% reduction in payments to households and communities generating electricity through solar power. The government said it would be paid to anyone who installed their solar panels after 12 December.

Friends of the Earth and two installers HomeSun and Solar Century took the government to court and won, triggering today’s appeal.

Responding to today’s ruling, Jeremy Leggett, chairman of Solar Century said:

“Today we have reminded Government that it will be held to account when it acts illegally and tries to push through unlawful policy changes. We would much prefer not to have taken this path but Ministers gave us no choice. Our hope now is that we can work together again to restore the thriving jobs rich solar sector that has been so badly undermined by Government actions since October.”

The Government was refused a further appeal with the Supreme Court although there is speculation that they may lodge a new appeal independently.

“The Government must now move on and deliver a Feed in Tariff which is fair and not just for the rich,” said HomeSun CEO Daniel Green.

“This means, dropping the so called ‘aggregator tariff’, which will discriminate against companies trying to provide free solar or low-cost solar and punish private homeowners that don’t have thousands in the bank. Solar should not be just for the rich.”

“The Court of Appeal has upheld the High Court ruling on FITs albeit on different grounds. We disagree and are seeking permission to appeal to the Supreme Court,” said Chris Huhne, UK Energy and Climate Change Secretary.

“We want to maximise the number of installations that are possible within the available budget rather than use available money to pay a higher tariff to half the number of installations. Solar PV can have strong and vibrant future in UK and we want a lasting FITs scheme to support that future and jobs in the industry,” he added.

The post UK Gov’t loses solar appeal but bigger issue looms over sector appeared first on Climate Home News.

The UK High Court has ruled that government decisions to slash feed-in-tariffs for solar panels on homes were ‘legally flawed’.

Mr Justice Mitting’s decision means there could be a judicial review which would force the UK’s Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) to delay its plans to implement new tariffs.

Friends of the Earth (FoE) and solar companies Solarcentury and HomeSun took the government to court to test whether the changes were lawful.

The proposed new tariff of 21p per kilowatt-hour, reduced from 43p, was expected to come into effect from 1 April.

But on 31 October 2011 DECC announced a 50% reduction in payments to households and communities generating electricity through solar power.  The government said it would be paid to anyone who installed their solar panels after 12 December.

It gave six weeks’ notice before the cut-off date – which arrived before the end of a consultation on the issue.

Speaking after the announcement, Andy Aktins from Friends of the Earth said: “We believe the decision is premature, unfair and unlawful.

“These botched and illegal plans have cast a huge shadow over the solar industry, jeopardising thousands of jobs.”

“DECC has created chaos”

The UK tariff saw a ten-fold increase in installations from 2010 to 2011 with 500 MW installed in the last year

Solarcentury’s chairman Jeremy Leggett said: “We hope this ruling will prevent ministers rushing through damaging changes to clean energy subsidies – giving solar firms a much-needed confidence boost.

“The Court has stopped Government abusing its power but it doesn’t make up for the fact that DECC has created chaos for the renewable energy industry as a whole, and not just solar.

“Solarcentury was very reluctant to take this legal challenge but DECC gave us no choice. All of this could have been avoided if DECC had done a proper consultation last summer, as they promised, and engaged constructively with the solar industry.

UK Energy and Climate Change Minister Greg Barker responded to today’s High Court ruling on the proposed changes to solar feed in tariffs:

“We disagree with the Court’s decision. We will be seeking an appeal and hope to secure a hearing as soon as possible. Regardless of today’s outcome, the current high tariffs for solar PV are not sustainable and changes need to be made in order to protect the budget which is funded by consumers through their energy bills.”

The decision comes a day after the independent Committee on Climate Change warned the UK’s flagship home energy-efficiency project the Green Deal could fail, predicting that just 10% of a possible six million lofts would be insulated as a result of the policy.

Germany has installed 18000 MW of solar energy capacity since it introduced its generous feed in tarrif. Changes to the UK tariff saw a ten-fold increase in installations from 2010 to 2011 with 500 MW installed in the last year, according to IMS Research.

Steve Blume, Vice President Public Affairs of the International Solar Energy Society (ISES) explains why feed-in-tariffs are so important in the solar industry:

The post UK court rules solar cuts ‘legally flawed’ appeared first on Climate Home News.

Have you thought about buying someone an elephant this Christmas?

Last week I brought you my top ten eco-Christmas gifts, but what if you are considering not buying presents at all, but making some form of gesture in a partner, sibling or parents name.

Today I am bringing you the gifts that keep giving.

I first got the idea when a couple of Christmases ago, my brother – always leaving things to the last minute – got to Christmas Eve evening before realising that he had not brought me a present.

In a final panic he adopted me a tiger online – and as a huge animal lover, it was my favourite gift of the year and I have been hooked on the concept ever since.

If you like the idea of adopting an animal, providing a little help for a family or investing in some renewable energy – or if like my brother you are looking for that last minute gift – here are a few handy tips for you.

1) Adopt an Animal

Do you have a leopard mad sister or an elephant mad mum, well why not get them one for Christmas with the WWF adopt an animal programme. Not only will be helping to protect an endangered species – including penguins, dolphins, tigers and rhinos – but you will make someone’s year when they receive regular updates about their animal, interesting facts about your chosen animal, pictures and even a stuffed toy.

Head over to WWF’s website more information.

2) Helping save a child

For many young children – particularly in regions hit by disasters, the first few weeks of life can be hard. With a ‘No Child Born to Die’ survival kit gift, you could help a children survive those crucial first few days. The kit includes a measles vaccine, plus treatments for diarrhoea and pneumonia.

The Save the Children site has more details, along with a selection of other gifts for this Christmas.

3) Invest in solar panels for a school

And if technology and energy are your interest, why not help schools raise money to put solar panels on their roof. A new Solar Schools project started this year by carbon cutting group 10:10 sees eight schools in the UK attempt to community fundraise to get renewable energy in their school, and you can give them a helping hand this Christmas by donating anything from one cell to a whole panel to them for the festive season.

Check out the Solar Schools website to find out what schools are involved.

4) Help an activist

If you know a secret green activist – or a not so secret one – why not make a donation on their behalf to the Greenpeace campaign and suit and boot their activists. My personal favourite is the Orangutan costumes. While it is a little fun for the season, there is a serious meaning behind the gift as these suits are used to protest at headquarters of companies which are driving deforestation.

For more ideas head to the Greenpeace website.

5) The gift of water

Many of the things which we take for granted in our homes are a luxury for people living in poor communities across the world, so why not give a loved on the gift of water this Christmas. This gift will help to maintain a safe water supply, with pumps, tanks, taps, purification systems or pipes in a community, restore supplies to a disaster stuck town or provide a clean supply to a school or village.

More details on this and a variety of other gifts can be found on the Oxfam website.

Conact the author at ts@rtcc.org or @rtcc_tierney.

The post Last minute Christmas gifts with a lasting impact appeared first on Climate Home News.

Former Governor Schwarzenegger was responsible for establishing California's carbon trading scheme. (Source: Flickr/Ambidanze)

Republican presidential candidates should not be “narrow minded” over the Solyndra affair, according to former Californian Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Solar panel manufacturer Solyndra went bankrupt after receiving a $535 million loan from the US government. But Schwarzenegger has urged his fellow Republicans against using the furore to dismiss the entire industry.

“At the same time [as Solyndra] there were restaurants that failed, manufacturers that failed… all kinds of businesses failed and no one talks about them,” said Schwarzenegger at a meeting with current Californian Governor Jerry Brown.

“They did the best that they could and they made mistakes. That’s what happens in business — if you make mistakes you fail,” he said, adding that Republican presidential candidates should “not use those simple things like Solyndra and say, ‘Look they failed, so therefore that industry is no good.’ The industry itself – solar has a huge future.”

Also speaking at the meeting was British businessman Sir Richard Branson.

He called on business to step up to the mark on climate change.

“Since government doesn’t have its act together, it’s up to business to step in,” said Branson.

Branson’s airline is pressing ahead with biofuel use. He also launched the Virgin Earth Challenge in 2007 offering a $25 million prize for a science and technology project that can remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

IPCC chief Rajendra Pachauri meanwhile identified buildings as a key opportunity for cutting carbon.

“If one could retrofit buildings to make them more efficient, and if new buildings could be built to current standards, it’s really a win-win situation,” said Pachauri. “Overall, the building sector has the largest potential for the reduction of emissions.”

At the UN climate change negotiations in Durban, Pachauri told RTCC of the need for urgent action in order to limit the effects of dangerous climate change.

The post Arnie tells Republicans not to be “narrow minded” over Solyndra appeared first on Climate Home News.

BrightSource Energy worked closely with Google on heliostat technology (Pic: BrightSource Energy)

By RTCC staff

Google has announced that it is shutting down its renewable energy research programme and has made the results of its work so far available for further research.

The Renewable Energy Cheaper than Coal (RE<C) initiative involved research and funding for a number of projects. Its closure was confirmed on the company’s official blog.

The company said: “At this point, other institutions are better positioned than Google to take this research to the next level. So we’ve published our results to help others in the field continue to advance the state of power tower technology, and we’ve closed our efforts.”

RE<C provided finance for the world’s largest heliostat project and conducted research into the technology. Heliostats involve an array of mirrors reflecting sunlight onto a central raised boiler. The resultant steam is used to drive a turbine.

Google’s research found that using software to adjust the mirrors for maximum impact was cheaper than constructing the mirrors and their frames from more resilient materials that do not need corrected.

BrightSource Energy’s Ivanpah project in California received $168 million from Google. When completed it will generate 392MW of electricity.

Google also sponsored a geothermal map of the US that estimated the potential for geothermal energy of 2.98 million MW.

The company will continue to generate renewable energy on its own property and has restated its commitment to purchasing power from clean sources and improving the efficiency of its data centres.

Ahead of the UN climate change talks in Durban, developing nations are calling for regulations on intellectual property rights to be relaxed allowing a greater level of technology transfer.

The post Google leaves research legacy as it shuts down renewables project appeared first on Climate Home News.

In June 2011 Canadian energy analyst Stephanie Dei travalled to the village of Tomefa in Ghana, about an hour outside of Accra.

Her aim was to chronicle a solar energy project recently established in the village, and explore what this could mean for villages and communities not only in Ghana but across the continent.

The Japanese government through the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has funded the solar  project in Tomefa, which provided the equipment and basic training for: a solar powered mobile charging centre, school and health centre.

The Ministry of Energy in Ghana has embarked on a project to provide renewable energy to communities that are off the national grid system. These projects have largely been financed through donations from the Japanese and Spanish governments.

The following pictures demonstrate the impact solar energy has had on a small community, improving the quality of life, enabling the provision of medical treatment and ensuring children receive a full education.

Stephanie currently lives in Geneva and works for the UN. You can follow her on Twitter @AkosuaDeizee

The post Photo Gallery: How solar energy gave a village new life appeared first on Climate Home News.

Source: Wikimedia/GbbIT

By RTCC Staff

A group representing the UK solar industry will march on parliament in November 22, just five days before the UN COP17 talks begin in Durban.

The UK government is under increasing pressure to overturn a recent revision of its solar energy subsidies with business lobbies, environmental groups and politicians adding their voices to the discontent.

Having previously said changes would be enforced in March 2012, the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) announced the new rates, around half the previous levels for some projects, would be effective as of December 12 this year. The Feed In Tariff (FIT) pays solar installations for the excess electricity that they generate.

Since the changes were announced on October 31, a lawsuit has been filed against DECC on behalf of the industry, the protest has been organised and an e-petition has been lodged. If the petition reaches 100,000 signatures, parliament is obliged to hold a debate on it in the House of Commons.

“It is profoundly depressing that the ‘Greenest Government Ever’ has after just 18 months launched such an assault against a growing industry employing 25,000 people,” said Jeremy Leggett, chairman of Solarcentury, part of the group taking legal action.

“I would much rather be helping to create many more jobs than taking the Government to court but sadly they leave us no choice.”

The UK government has binding commitments on both its carbon emissions and the proportion of power it generates from renewables and is heading to Durban as one of the more vocal advocates of a global binding deal.

Despite this, its domestic policy has come under fire – in particular from within the Liberal Democrats, part of the governing coalition, and from the CBI business lobby.

“Some companies have invested heavily in solar photovoltaic systems, and in the supply chains needed to install them,” said John Cridland, CBI Director-General.

“That commitment has been undermined by the feed-in tariff decision. Industry trust and confidence in the government has evaporated. This bodes poorly for investment in future initiatives. Moving the goal posts doesn’t just destroy projects and jobs, it creates a mood of uncertainty that puts off investors.”

DECC says the FITs had become unsustainable as the cost of solar PV installations dropped and take-up in the scheme accelerated. Despite this, the change in timing has led to dissent from within the Liberal Democrats.

Liberal Democrat William Powell, a member of the Welsh Assembly acknowledged the scheme was a victim of its own success but added: “I believe that by making this premature announcement, while the consultation on FITs reform is still underway, the UK Government is risking our long term renewable energy requirements for short term savings.”

The government is committed to raising its renewables energy consumption to 15% by 2020. A target of 30% is set by the EU. An estimated 6.7% is currently generated from renewables according to DECC.

The government has committed to large subsidies for offshore wind energy. This afternoon, the Chancellor, George Osborne, has announced £103 million in funding for the Scottish Renewables sector with marine and tidal energy set to benefit. A further £100m will be added to the Green Investment Bank.

The £203 million total was sourced from the Fossil Fuel Levy on the profits of the North Sea oil industry.

The post UPDATED: Solar industry lobby to march on UK parliament as legal action looms appeared first on Climate Home News.

SolarWorld's US president Gordon Brinser makes his case in court (Source: SolarWorld)

By RTCC staff

China has responded angrily to a US investigation into alleged dumping of cheap solar panels, saying progress in international climate negotiations could be hindered as a result.

Responding to complaints from a consortium of American manufacturers, the US Department of Commerce will look into the appearance of Chinese panels priced below the cost of manufacture. It will also look at whether Chinese government subsidies have breached World Trade Organisation rules.

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce released a statement saying the probe threatens the chances of international cooperation between the two countries.

“The probe could damage energy cooperation between the two countries and impede the progress of global efforts to deal with climate change,” said ShenDanyang, a Ministry of Commerce spokesman on its website, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

“Chinese people and enterprises are greatly dissatisfied about US attempts to blame Chinese exports for the country’s sluggish development,” said Shen.

The US market has welcomed the probe.

“China’s plans for the US market have been clear from its excessive and illegal subsidization of its export-heavy industry, its ever-escalating drive to dump product at artificially low prices on the US marketplace,” said Gordon Brinser, president SolarWorld Industries, the manufacturers that led the group of complainants.

“The anti-competitive tactics of Chinese exporters have threatened to wipe out US producers and jobs,” said Brinser. “Domestic producers look forward to returning to steady increases in efficiency and sustainable decreases in pricing that directly result from legal international competition.”

The disagreement is one of a number of trade disputes between China and the West. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce press site lists responses to disagreements over a diverse range of goods from diamond drill bits, paper and X-ray equipment.

The post US-China solar panel spat threatens climate change negotiations appeared first on Climate Home News.

Sue Williams and John Gallop on the doorstep of their 1880s eco-home. (Copyright: RTCC)

By John Parnell

John Gallop and Sue Williams live in an eco-house. But you’d never know it if you weren’t looking for it.

Their now pioneering home was originally built in the 1880s like the rest of the terraced houses on the street. But unlike those, John and Sue’s is two-thirds of the way to being carbon neutral.

“We took part in an open house event and we were a bit embarrassed about having these visitors round who would be expecting something grand,” says John. “We can claim good energy reduction but you don’t notice the huge changes when you walk around.

“When people come round they say ‘oh it just looks like a normal house’,” says Sue.

At the moment they estimate that they have reduced their carbon emissions through a number of techniques from improving insulation to more high-tech options like photo voltaic panels and solar-thermal water heating. And they’re not done yet.

“I think we could reach carbon neutral status. We’re thinking of putting in more PV panels and then if we get an air source heat pump we would more or less be able to run that as our only source of heat, we wouldn’t need gas except in emergencies. We’re obsessed with LED lights at the moment as well!,” confesses John.

The work on the house has been spread over several years causing little disruption and they have not sought the advice of any consultants or architects along the way, which has led to the couple making plenty of discoveries about their own home.

“There is a lot of information available, we spend an unhealthy amount of time browsing through it on our laptops. But perhaps there is a lack of advice,” says Sue. “It seems that situation is changing and there seems to be some companies coming along now that can do that. That’s a really good development. We have made it up as we have gone along and we’ve probably made some mistakes.

“We wanted to block the chimney so John spent quite a lot of time blowing up regular ballons and trying to stuff the chimney, but failing,” says Sue.

“Being non-professionals, I thought well there’s the fireplace so the chimney must be about the same size. It wasn’t until I ordered a proper insulating chimney balloon and saw the size of it that I realised just above the hearth the chimney expands massively,” says John.

The couple have also invested in an infra red thermometer to detect draughts and cold spots in the house.

An infra red image of the couple's home shows their progress.

“That’s probably where the first big saving are to be made. Once you know where the cold spots are, you should seal them up with high quality draught stripping,” says John, conceding at the same time that they may have gone about their own work in the wrong order.

It’s not just about installing gadgets and insulation however. The couple have used the online energy monitor imeasure.org.uk, a thermal camera as well as the infra red thermometer to keep tabs on their usage as well.

“We had an electric heated towel rail that was on 24 hours a day and at that time it was using a third of our electricity,” says Sue. “It was a big discovery and all we had to do to right it, was turn it off. Cutting your carbon is the sum total of lots of these little touches and experiments.”

The advice from John and Sue for those looking to emulate them is start with draughts and assess your consumption. John acknowledges that the financial savings are attractive (fast approaching £1300 per year), but re-iterates that its was their motivation stemmed from their own enthusiasm.

“We’ve become aware of this issue about how to change people’s attitudes. The big driver for us was that we wanted to change our behaviour and cut our carbon. That’s a really hard thing for the government to persuade other people to do.”

John and Sue’s eco upgrade highlights:

Insulation

Double glazing throughout

20mm Aerogel internal insulation in upper north east facing wall

Multi-layer foil roof insulation

90mm Celotex foil floor insulation

Thermal blinds on windows

Energy efficiency

Heat recovery fans fitted in bathroom and kitchen

Condensing boiler and all radiators fitted with individual thermostats

20 Viessmann tubes solar thermal panels installed

Compact fluorescent lighting with some LEDs

Energy generation

1.5kWp Photo Voltaic on South East facing pitched roof

Water conservation

Dual-flush toilet

Shower flow restrictor

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Home using solar energy (Source: UN/Eskinder Debebe)

Ensuring universal access to energy will mean $1 trillion of investment by 2030, according to a new report from the International Energy Agency (IEA), with 60 per cent going to sub-Saharan Africa.

The report “Energy for all: Financing access for the poor” – an early release of the 2011 World Energy Report – calls for financial help to aid the 1.4 million people still living without electricity.

Maria van der Hoeven, IEA Executive Director says: “In too many countries today, children cannot do their homework because they have no light. Food cannot be kept because there is no electricity. In short, modern society cannot function.”

Coming ahead of the UN’s ‘International Year of Sustainable Energy for All’, the report calls for rapid collective action to address energy poverty, with $48 billion worth of extra investment needed every year to 2030 to ensure every community and every household has access to electricity and clean cooking facilities.

Over 550 million of those without electricity are currently living in Africa – rising to around 650 million by 2030. The whole of sub-Saharan Africa – excluding South Africa – currently only generates 28 GW of electricity, the same amount as generated in Argentina.

The IEA say 60 per cent of the total investment should be focussed on this area.

Around 25 countries in sub-Saharan Africa face an energy crisis, and are plagued by rolling blackouts, according to the World Bank. High power tariffs in the region, $0.13 per Kwh compared to $0.04 to $0.08 per Kwh in most parts of the developing world, make electricity inaccessible for most households.

Africa is a continent that sees a hugely uneven distribution of these resources; meaning huge gains for some and energy crisis for others – particularly those in rural regions.

Smita Nakhooda, Research Fellow at the Oversea’s Development Institute told RTCC: “The big challenge is the scale of the problem. In many sub-Saharan African countries less than 10 per cent of the population have access to electricity and those who do trend to be in urban areas, where energy is not only most used but most easily distributed.

“The other part of the challenge is getting investment in countries which are very poor and have a history of conflict and the regulatory environment to attract private investment is not as strong. You have to frame the access to energy right, linking it with development and post conflict security building.”

Electrification, particularly in rural areas, has historically relied heavily on government subsidies and public investment.

Speaking at the launch of the report Erik Solheim, Norwegian Minister for the Environment and International Development, echoed the need to attract private investment. Currently uncertainty about the risks of investing in these countries provides key obstacles to private sector investment.

Projects such as Lighting Africa – a joint programme from the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation – looks to identify and mitigate these barriers, and support the development of commercial off-grid lighting markets in sub-Saharan Africa.

It aims to bring safe, affordable and modern off-grid lighting to 250 million people by 2030. Off-grid and renewables projects have huge potential in the region, where connecting to the national grid is difficult.

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