QUICK NEWS, July 10: 40% MORE NEW ENERGY BY 2017; MAKING OCEAN ENERGY BETTER; UTILITIES’ SNEAK ATTACK ON CA SOLAR

40% MORE NEW ENERGY BY 2017 IEA sees renewable energy growth accelerating over next 5 years

5 July 2012 (International Energy Agency)

“Renewable power generation is expected to continue its rapid growth over the next five years, according to [Medium-Term Renewable Energy Market Report 2012] from the International Energy Agency (IEA)…[It] acknowledges the coming-of-age of the renewable energy sector…The report says that despite economic uncertainties in many countries, global power generation from hydropower, solar, wind and other renewable sources is projected to increase by more than 40% to almost 6 400 terawatt hours (TWh) – or roughly one-and-a-half times current electricity production in the United States…

“…The study examines in detail 15 key markets for renewable energy, which currently represent about 80% of renewable generation…[and] says that renewable electricity generation should expand by 1 840 TWh between 2011 and 2017, almost 60% above the 1 160 TWh growth registered between 2005 and 2011. Renewable generation will increasingly shift from the OECD to new markets, with non-OECD countries accounting for two-thirds of this growth. Of the 710 GW of new global renewable electricity capacity expected, China accounts for almost 40%. Significant deployment is also expected in the United States, India, Germany and Brazil, among others…”

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“…[G]rowth is underpinned by the maturing of a portfolio of renewable energy technologies, in large part due to supportive policy and market frameworks in OECD countries…These new deployment opportunities are creating a virtuous cycle of improved global competition and cost reductions…The report presents detailed forecasts for renewable energy generation and capacity for eight technologies – hydropower, bioenergy for power, onshore wind, offshore wind, solar photovoltaics (PV), concentrating solar power (CSP), geothermal and ocean power…

“Hydropower continues to account for the majority of renewable generation and it registers the largest absolute growth (+730 TWh) of any single renewable technology over 2011-17, largely driven by non-OECD countries…Non-hydropower renewable technologies continue to scale up quickly. Between 2011 and 2017, generation from these technologies increases by over 1 100 TWh, with growth equally split between OECD and non-OECD countries…Onshore wind, bioenergy and solar PV see the largest increases…Offshore wind and CSP grow quickly from low bases. Geothermal continues to develop in areas with good resources. Ocean technologies take important steps towards commercialization…”

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MAKING OCEAN ENERGY BETTER Marine energy doubled by predicting wave power

27 June 2012 (University of Exeter)

“The energy generated from our oceans could be doubled using new methods for predicting wave power…[and] pave the way for significant advancements in marine renewable energy, making it a more viable source of power…[The study by mathematicians and engineers from the University of Exeter and Tel Aviv University…devised a means of accurately predicting the power of the next wave in order to make the technology far more efficient, extracting twice as much energy as is currently possible…

“…[T]echnologies to extract and convert energy from the sea are relatively immature, compared with solar or wind, and are not yet commercially competitive without subsidy. Very substantial progress has been made by the leading device developers, but key challenges remain: preventing devices being damaged by the hostile marine environment; and improving the efficiency of energy capture from the waves. This research addresses both problems by enabling control over the devices that extract wave energy…”

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“The research focused on point absorbers, commonly-used floating devices with parts that move in response to waves, generating energy which they feed back to the grid. Point absorbers are already known to be much more efficient in the amount of energy they produce if their response closely matches the force of the waves and previous research has looked at trying to increase this efficiency…[T]his is the first study that has focused on increasing the device’s efficiency by predicting and controlling internal forces of the device caused by forthcoming waves.

“The team devised a system, which enables the device to extract the maximum amount of energy by predicting the incoming wave. This information enables a programme to actively control the response required for a wave of a particular size. Because the device responds appropriately to the force of the next wave, it is far less likely to be damaged…”

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UTILITIES’ SNEAK ATTACK ON CA SOLAR ‘Sneaky’ PV net-Metering Proposal Slipped Into California Legislation

Jessica Lillian, 5 July 2012 (Solar Industry)

“After months of intensive lobbying to ensure maximum solar net-metering availability, California's solar sector came close to seeing its efforts undone - courtesy of a quietly introduced bill sponsored by San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E).

“In May, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) voted unanimously in favor of a net-metering calculation method that, by some estimates, would boost California's PV installation potential by 2.4 GW to 5.2 GW…However, A.B.2514 - which was initially developed as a bill designed to simply study net-metering's impacts - morphed late last month into legislation that would allow the utilities to revert to their preferred, more-restrictive method of calculating their 5% net-metering cap….”

“Implementing A.B.2514 as proposed - thus undoing CPUC's decision - would cut California's solar net-metering potential in half, according to [advocacy group] Vote Solar…[T]he careful timing of the net-metering amendment - just before the July 4th holiday - was designed to allow it to slip through…

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“Despite the timing, which Vote Solar criticized as ‘sneaky,’ a range of solar companies, school districts and agricultural firms responded and spoke out against A.B.2514…[and] the Solar Energy Industries Association and Sierra Club California registered their formal opposition to the bill unless it was amended.

“The solar sector's efforts were successful, as the legislation reverted - for now, at least - to its original scope, calling only for studies of net-metering programs…The legislation's next stop is the appropriations committee…A.B.2514 could still threaten PV deployment in California. The net-metering studies that the legislation orders the CPUC to conduct may not be entirely fair to the solar market…[A.B.2514 requires the analysis] to include the amount of electricity produced and used by PV system owners, even if that electricity is not fed into the grid…”

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