MORE SUNDAY WORLD, 5-24 (RUSSIA TO DO THIN-FILM SOLAR; BRAZIL WIND BLOWING UP; PREPARING FOR COPENHAGEN)

RUSSIA TO DO THIN-FILM SOLAR
Russian Joint Venture Established for Thin-Film Solar
May 21, 2009 (Sustainable Business via Reuters)

"Russia's state-run nanotechnologies corporation, Rusnano, announced plans to form a joint venture with the U.K.'s Renovo Group to produce thin film solar modules…in the city of Novocheboksarsk in the Chuvash Republic. The company will [produce]…solar modules, with a planned capacity of one million solar modules per year--the equivalent of 120 megawatts (MW)…

"Total investment in the project is 20.1 billion rubles (US$638 million). Rusnano will contribute 3.7 billion rubles (US$117 million) to the equity of the new company. In addition, the corporation will offer the project company a loan of 9.8 billion rubles (US$311 million…Rusnano will hold a 49% equity share…Renovo will own a 51% stake and will be responsible for development…"

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"The project is scheduled to start in 3Q09 and reach the planned capacity in 4Q11. The company revenue in 2015 is estimated at 10.3 billion rubles (327 million)…[It] will work on increasing the effectiveness of the solar modules in cooperation with the Ioffe Physical Technical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

"The technology of micromorph silicon thin-film solar modules developed by Swiss company Oerlikon Solar, a world's leader in the solar energy market, is planned to be used as a basic technique."

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"Earlier the Supervisory Council of RUSNANO had approved the Corporation's participation in a project to establish Russia's first large-scale complex for production of polycrystalline silicon and monosilane, which are raw materials for the manufacture of solar batteries…Markets in countries in Southern Europe--Italy, Spain, and Greece--and Germany are primary targets for the sale of products.

"Avelar Energy Group (part of the Renovo Group), which installs and adjusts solar modules in Europe, will handles product sales. In the long term, up to 15% of the solar modules are to be directed toward the Russian market."


BRAZIL WIND BLOWING UP
Brazil wind energy sector taking off
Stuart Grudgings, May 19, 2009 (Reuters)

"Brazil's wind energy sector is expected to take off this year, boosted by the government's first auction for projects in the renewable energy source on November 25…[S]ome of the main investments, current and planned [are]…

"…Enerfin, a unit of Spain's Elecnor, operates the biggest wind park in Brazil, the 150 MW Osorio complex in Rio Grande do Sul state, through Brazilian firm Ventos do Sul. It plans to double that capacity.

"…Spain's Iberdrola operates the 50 MW Rio do Fogo wind farm in Rio Grande do Norte state, and is expected to participate in the November auction."

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"…SIIF Energies do Brasil, owned by Citigroup, Liberty Mutual and Black River is investing around 1.7 billion reais ($840 million) to build five wind parks in Brazil, four in Ceara state and one in Rio de Janeiro. They will have a total generating capacity of 342 MW. The company is developing 16 new projects in Brazil to participate in the 2009 auction.

"…Ventania, owned by Portugal's Martifer and Brazil's Energia Global, has a wind farm in Ceara state and plans to offer another 10 projects with a capacity of 350 MW at the auction."

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"…Brazilian renewable power company Bioenergy aims to invest 2.12 billion reais ($1.04 billion) to build four wind farms in the country's northeast with a total capacity of 530 MW.

"…France's GDF Suez and Australia's Pacific Hydro also have wind power projects in Brazil.

"…Among turbine manufacturers, Wobben Windpower, a unit of Germany's Enercon, currently dominates…India's Suzlon Energy, Argentina's IMPSA, and Danish firm Vestas Wind are seeking to raise their share."


PREPARING FOR COPENHAGEN
Groundwork Laid for Copenhagen Climate Talks
May 18, 2009 (Environmental Leader)

"With the first draft of global climate texts complete, individual nations must get down to the business of deciding their positions in advance of final climate talks later this year in Copenhagen, Denmark…A United Nations group…detailed some potential provisions for nuclear power, emissions trading, forests, shipping and aviation.

"Yvo de Boer, executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, said that reaching a global concensus will be difficult to reach. But de Boer said he was heartened by recent climate legislation advances in the United States."

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"One of the goals lays beyond the United States ambition, however. The framework suggests that rich nations cut emissions to less than half of 1990 levels by 2018-2022…By 2020, under President Obama’s plan, the U.S. would revert to 1990 emissions levels, far short of the UN climate panel’s goal of half the 1990 levels. Recent compromises by Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee mean that legislation may call for…a 17 percent reduction.

"The panel discussed ways to allow developed nations to claim carbon trading credits from green investments, such as hydropower or solar, in poor countries. There is dissent on whether to expand such credits to nuclear power plants or carbon capture and storage for fossil fuel plants. The panel said that nations must decide whether to accept, reject or shelve these decisions until 2010 or 2011."

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"The framework laid out options for accounting for forestry or land use changes in developed nations.

"The European Union also is pushing to add international shipping and aviation to carbon trading schemes. Under the existing Kyoto Protocol, fuel burned on planes and ships on international routes is exempt…"