MORE SUNDAY WORLD, 5-3 (AUSSIE PV JOB BIGGEST EVER DOWN UNDER; WORLD’S BIGGEST WIND BOOM IN CHINA; GHG TRADING ASSOC WANTS FOREST PROTECTIONS)

AUSSIE PV JOB BIGGEST EVER DOWN UNDER
First Solar to Supply Modules for Australia’s Largest Solar PV Installation; Project at Adelaide Showground Will Highlight Advanced Photovoltaic Technology
April 28, 2009 (Business Wire)

"First Solar, Inc….will supply photovoltaic (PV) modules to Solar Shop Australia, Pty Ltd. (Solar Shop), for a 1 megawatt (MW) DC rooftop project. The solar power system, installed on six separate buildings at the Adelaide Showground in South Australia, will be the largest PV installation in the country. The rooftop system is being commissioned by the Royal Agricultural and Horticultural Society of South Australia.

"First Solar is the world’s largest manufacturer of thin film solar modules. The Company recently announced that it has produced 1 gigawatt of its PV modules since beginning commercial production. In addition, First Solar has the lowest manufacturing cost in the industry, having broken the $1 per watt price barrier by reducing its manufacturing cost to 98 cents…"

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"Solar Shop, in an alliance partnership with building and engineering company Build Environs Pty Ltd., will design and construct the 1 MW installation, which is expected to displace approximately 1500 tons of CO2 every year. Construction is anticipated to begin immediately and is expected to be completed by the third quarter of 2009. The power produced by the solar installation will be used predominantly at the Adelaide Showground site, displacing power generated from conventional sources…

"… First Solar manufactures solar modules with an advanced semiconductor technology…By constantly decreasing manufacturing costs, First Solar is creating an affordable and environmentally responsible alternative to fossil-fuel generation. First Solar modules are most effective when demand for traditional forms of energy is at its peak…"


WORLD’S BIGGEST WIND BOOM IN CHINA
China Has World's Fastest Growing Wind Power Capacity
Frederik Balfour, April 28, 2009 (BusinessWeek)

"China’s environmental record gets plenty of bad press—-toxic lakes, contaminated rivers, cities enshrouded in a permanent haze of smog—-so here is some good news for a change: the Global Wind Energy Council says that China will add more wind power capacity this year than any other country, including the U.S. It could add 10 gigawatts [10,000 megawatts] of additional capacity this year, while the U.S. will only add 8.5 gigawatts….

"This is indeed an important milestone for China’s renewable energy business, especially considering the Middle Kingdom is currently so dependent on coal. About 70% of its power is thermal generated, which is the main reason why China is now the largest source of carbon emissions in the world. But the country saw wind power capacity double last year to 12 GW while the U.S. had about 25 GW of capacity."

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"Much of China’s new capacity will come from home-grown makers of wind turbines who are gaining market share on industry stalwarts such as Vestas of Denmark, the world’s largest wind turbine maker, and General Electric. Both companies have manufacturing plants in China but their local competitors, Xinjiang Goldwind, Sinovel Wind and Dong Fang Electric are expanding rapidly."

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"One challenge for China…is that most of its wind energy capacity is located a long way from the source of demand…in Inner Mongolia…[and] the northwest province of Xinjiang…[as much as] 4000 kilometers away from China’s east coast, where most of the energy demand is.

"…[P]ower companies are bullish on China. China Light & Power, which produces virtually all its power supplied to Hong Kong by burning coal, has finally found green religion…[A]fter its annual shareholders meeting the company told reporters China was ripe with opportunities for investing in wind power."


GHG TRADING ASSOC WANTS FOREST PROTECTIONS
Carbon traders call for land-use offsets in climate deal
28 April 2009 (EurActiv)

"Reducing emissions from land use should play a key role in the post-Kyoto climate agreement, the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA) said…

"The business organisation outlined a set of principles on how offsets from the land-use sector could bring down emissions and mitigation costs. Including credits in the international carbon market for emission reduction and sequestration activities in the sector could in the long-term [would reduce costs for emission reduction]…"

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"The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations have been concentrating on offsets from reducing deforestation-related emissions in developing countries. The UN's so-called 'REDD' programme, designed to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, is expected to form part of the global agreement to be struck in Copenhagen in December.

"Nevertheless, carbon-trading companies are arguing that deforestation should be treated as part of the wider land-use sector. The credits should be equivalent to other UN compliance credits…[E]missions could be cut by at least an additional 5%, should agricultural and other land use qualify for offsets."

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"Forest credits alone have proven to be a controversial issue, as they might have a significant impact on carbon markets…Greenpeace last month published a report which demonstrated that carbon prices would crash by up to 75% by 2020 if forest offset credits were included in carbon markets without limitations…They argued that this would hamper investment in clean and renewable technologies, delaying the overall infrastructural changes required to halt global warming.

"An IETA representative told EurActiv that this would be a concern in the short term. In the longer term, however, it is important to use all the available options to abate emissions, and land-use offsets are part of the mix…[L]owering the price of emissions trading could [also] help push climate legislation through the US Congress and the Senate [by lowering the cost of a cap and trade system]…"