MORE SUNDAY WORLD, 8-2 (JAPANESE BUY AIG’S WIND IN TEXAS; MORE ABOUT INDIA’S SUN PLAN; CHINA CLOSES COAL PLANTS)

JAPANESE BUY AIG’S WIND IN TEXAS
Sumitomo enters U.S. wind energy business in Texas; Adding to its two wind farms in Japan and one under development in China, Tokyo-based company takes 42.5 percent stake in U.S. wind power facility
July 28, 2009 (Cleantech Group)

"…Sumitomo Corp. of America in conjunction with its parent company Tokyo-based Sumitomo… is entering the U.S. wind energy business, purchasing an interest in a 120 megawatt, $240 million wind farm in Martin County, Texas.

"Sumitomo said it purchased a 42.5 percent share in Stanton Wind Energy from AIG Financial Products, part of American International Group. The Stanton wind project is operated by Stanton Wind Holdings, a subsidiary of the wind developer Invenergy Wind North America. The remaining shares are held by a unit of General Electric, GE Energy Financial Services, and the Invenergy group…"

The buy-in. (click to enlarge)

"When compared to coal power plants, the 120 MW wind power facility is expected to help reduce 800,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually and 20,000,000 tons over 25 years."

The Japanese are goin' down to Texas to do a little lassoin'... (click to enlarge)

"Sumitomo already has two wind farms in Japan, and one under development in China through a joint venture. The proposed 12-square-kilometer (12,000,000 square meters) wind farm in Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia, is expected to provide electricity to the national grid, while reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 140,000 tons per year…

"With its new strategic focus, Sumitomo said it wants a piece of the U.S.’s growing wind power market. At the end of 2008, 25 gigawatts of wind power generation facilities were introduced in the United States…The U.S. Department of Energy predicts that 20 percent of electricity generation could come from wind power by 2030."


MORE ABOUT INDIA’S SUN PLAN
Key facts about India's 20 GW solar energy plans
July 28, 2009 (Reuters)

"India is set to unveil in September a target of generating 20 gigawatts (GW) of electricity from solar energy by 2020 under its national plan to fight global warming…[including]…

"…The $19 billion "National Solar Mission" plan spread over 30 years aims to scale up solar power generation from nothing at present to 20 GW by 2020…It is a three-phased plan that hopes to generate 1-1.5 GW of solar power by 2012, 6-7 GW by 2017 and the rest by 2020…[and reduce] production costs of solar panels and spur domestic manufacturing. Money will be spent on incentives for production, installation and research and development."

click to enlarge

"…The plan has a "near term" target of 100 megawatts, and 100 GW by 2030, or 10-12 percent of total power generation capacity…Once implemented, the project will ensure large-scale deployment of solar generated power for both grid connected as well as distributed and decentralised off-grid provision of commercial energy services.

"…India says it could cut about 42 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions with its new solar plan. An estimated 20 million solar lights are estimated to save 1 billion litres of kerosene per annum by 2020."

click to enlarge

"…Solar-powered equipment and applications will be mandatory for hospitals, hotels and government buildings, and villages and small towns will be encouraged with micro financing.

"…The plan also outlines a system of paying households for any surplus power from solar panels fed back into the grid. The target would be to provide access to lighting for 3 million households by 2012…India will promote solar heating systems and use 40-50 million sq metres of area to install solar collectors in domestic, industrial and commercial sectors."


CHINA CLOSES COAL PLANTS
Beijing closing coal plants in environmental move
July 30, 2009 (AP)

"China has taken advantage of a drop in electricity demand due to the global financial crisis to speed up a campaign to close small coal-fired power plants and improve its battered environment…

"Authorities have closed power plants with a total of 7,467 generating units, meeting a previously announced goal 18 months ahead of schedule…Beijing is trying to improve its energy efficiency and reduce surging demand for imported oil and gas by closing smaller, less efficient power plants and encouraging use of wind, solar and other clean sources…The latest closures will reduce sulfur dioxide emissions that cause acid rain… and carbon dioxide output…[C]losures involved moving 400,000 workers to new jobs."

From a Greenpeace 2008 report. (click to enlarge)

"China and the United States are the world's biggest emitters of carbon dioxide and other "greenhouse gases" that scientists say trap the sun's heat and are altering the climate…Beijing says it is committed to reducing pollution but has resisted pressure to adopt binding goals to reduce its greenhouse gas output, saying the onus is on developed countries to reduce their emissions.

"The Chinese government's top priority in closing coal-fired power plants [from which it gets 60% of its power] is controlling sulfur dioxide emissions. Acid rain from heavy coal use has poisoned most of its rivers and lakes and badly damaged its forests…[E]nvironmental officials will meet in August to make plans to close more small coal-fired power plants."

From a Greenpeace 2008 report. (click to enlarge)

"In a reflection of the tensions between Chinese environmental regulators and local authorities over the loss of jobs and economic activity…seven local officials and company managers were punished for restarting power plants after the agency closed them…

"The Finance Ministry announced an initiative last week to promote development of China's solar power industry, promising to pay up to 70 percent of the cost of new solar systems."