MORE NEWS, 4-5 (INDIA SELLS WIND TO CHINA, AUSTRALIA, SRI LANKA, U.S.; JORDAN WANTS MONEY FOR NEW ENERGY; S. AFRICA DAIRIES TO MILK COWS, WIND)

INDIA SELLS WIND TO CHINA, AUSTRALIA, SRI LANKA, U.S.
Suzlon signs about 400MW orders in a month for Rs2,200-2,500 cr
2 April 2009 (Economic Times of India)

"Wind turbine maker Suzlon Energy said it has signed close to 400 MW of orders for equipment supply in the past one month, having a cumulative deal value of Rs 2,200-2,500 crore…"

from Wikipedia (click to enlarge)

"Over the past month, the company signed agreements with Australia's AGL Energy Ltd, China's Inner Mongolia North Longyuan Wind Power Corporation, Sri Lanka's Senok Wind Power and with US-based Duke Energy, many of them being repeat orders…

"Suzlon intends to capitalise on the aggressive targets for renewable energy set by countries like China, one of its major markets."


JORDAN WANTS MONEY FOR NEW ENERGY
More investment needed for renewables – officials
Jordan Luck, April 3, 2009 (Jordan Times)

"…At the closing of the Euro-Jordanian Renewable Energy Conference and Expo (EJREC), private sector representatives and government officials discussed how to create a business climate to encourage [investment in the Kingdom’s renewable energy sector]...Minister of Industry and Trade Amer Hadidi recommended reviewing the National Energy Strategy, which calls for increasing renewable energy resources from 1 per cent to 7 per cent over the next six years, a goal which he said was not “aggressive” enough compared to other countries.

"Ziyad Jibril, director of the Energy Ministry's renewable energy department, said the main challenge was attracting the $1.4-2.1 billion (2007 prices) in investments required to meet the energy strategy’s goals, noting that despite expressions of interest, very few foreign companies submit tenders for projects…"

Great sun, very much worth buying in on. (click to enlarge)

"Jibril said the renewable energy draft law will allow the ministry to directly float tenders…[and] receive unsolicited offers for energy projects from both local and international private sector entities…[R]enewable energy technologies [were exempted] from sales tax and customs last year…[and] the lease of land for renewable energy projects is free.

"Alongside its ongoing wind power projects, Jordan will continue to focus on Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) projects in Aqaba and southeastern regions, and exert efforts to boost solar water heater penetration in Jordan from 15 to 30 per cent by 2015…[T]he terrain of Wadi Rum would be best suited to apply [CSP] technology, using the cliffs to angle mirrors down to a plant at the surface level."

Good enough wind, too. How is the desert on turbines? (click to enlarge)

"Despite the abundance of sunlight and the potential of CSP technology, the ministry insists that solar energy is still not developed enough to become a major pillar of the Kingdom’s mid-term energy strategy…The ministry will [consider] subsidising solar technology…

"As part of the revised National Energy Strategy, the ministry hopes to meet 29 per cent of Jordan’s energy needs from natural gas, 14 per cent from oil shale, 10 per cent from renewable energy resources and 6 per cent from nuclear energy…In addition to 600 megawatts (MW) of wind and 300-600MW of solar energy, the government is looking to generate 30-50MW of biomass by 2020. With the advancement of wind power technology, the ministry may double its goal of 600MW of wind energy by 2020…"


S. AFRICA DAIRIES TO MILK COWS, WIND
Farming dairy cows and energy all at the same time
Terence Creamer, April 2, 2009 (Creamer Media Engineering News)

"…After a number of informal and formal discussions, [dairy farm owner Mark Holliday], who has had farming interests and experience in the UK, met up with Genesis Eco-Energy and its operations director, Davin Chown, which eventually culminated in an agreement that opened the way for a feasibility study [of the New Energy potential of the 600-cow dairy].

"Wind monitoring masts were deployed to gather crucial wind conditions information, along with an environmental-impact assessment and a range of other regulatory and commercial negotiations…the 30-MW [joint venture with Irish wind-energy developer Mainstream Renewable Power and Barclays Capital] will be “construction ready” by early 2010…"

Happy cows, rich farmers. (click to enlarge)

"…the Eastern Cape development, dubbed the Kouga wind-energy project, would be the South African-European alliance’s first South African project, and a key test case for its larger 500-MW ambitions for the country by 2014…Mainstream, which has a growing international project pipeline spanning four continents, has taken 85% of the venture and will lend its experience, capital and fundraising muscle to Genesis’ local knowledge…Should all the projects proceed across about 20 sites, the total investment, calculated on about R22-million a megawatt, would be about R11-billion…

"But the South African projects would also hinge materially on the outcome of the National Energy Regulator of South Africa’s (Nersa’s) deliberations regarding a so-called renewable-energy feed-in tariff, or Refit…The joint venture has made a submission to Nersa indicating that wind-energy projects would require the Refit to be set at around R1/kWh, as opposed to the 65c/kWh proposed in Nersa’s consultation paper…"

click to enlarge

"The tariff structure is being pursued in support of government’s target of having 10 000 GWh of renewable-energy projects in place by 2013…wind would require a higher tariff than a coal-fired station, [but] its inclusion into South Africa’s energy mix would also lower the overall risk associated with primary-energy price volatility…[and] reduce the need for peaking capacity, which is about three times more expensive… if the Refit is set at too high a level, it could also encourage suboptimal wind projects…

"Genesis is also pursuing a 50-MW project in the southern Cape…As with the case at Sunnyside, the wind facilities will coexist with farming activities, with farmers benefiting from long-term lease agreements...[on] turbines with capacities of between 2 MW and 2,5 MW, which it would secure from established vendors such as General Electric, Siemens and Vestas..."