QUICK NEWS, November 6: ATLANTIC CITY WIND ENDURED SANDY AND BACK ON LINE; TIME TO BUY SUN?; IKEA GOES ALL NEW ENERGY

ATLANTIC CITY WIND ENDURED SANDY AND BACK ON LINE The wind farm that withstood Hurricane Sandy

Ros Davidson, 2 November 2012 (Windpower Monthly)

“…Three of the Jersey Atlantic project’s five 1.5MW GE SLE turbines [withstood Hurricane Sandy after 90 mph winds smashed into the New Jersey coast and] were operating again by Friday…The remaining two turbines [are expected to] be up and running in the next few days…

“…The project, operated by Infigen Energy, is at [the Atlantic County Utilities Authority (ACUA) wastewater treatment plant a few miles from the shore...Matthew McGowan, Infigen’s asset management and development director, described the turbines as in ‘good shape’…High water levels may have caused some difficulties with data relay from the substations on site and with the electrical connections, said Infigen.”

“On Sunday, the turbines had been placed in ‘hurricane mode’. They were electrically locked, taken offline and then powered up using the standby generator that controls the yaw of the nacelles so they could be turned into the winds, which were a sustained 64 mph, probably with much higher gusting, said Infigen…ACUA had approximately 25,000 additional visits to its [wind project webcam] between Sunday and Tuesday…

“…This is not the first time a wind farm has withstood hostile environmental conditions. Last year, the Kamisu near-shore wind farm, located 40 metres off Ibaraki prefecture on Japan's east coast, withstood the country's catastrophic earthquake and tsunami.”

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TIME TO BUY SUN? Order Cancellations Drive PV Book-to-Bill Ratio into Negative Territory…Capacity Rationalization and Equipment De-Bookings Provide Further Delay to Next Technology Buy Cycle

October 22, 2012 (SolarBuzz)

“Production equipment order cancellations and push-outs by solar photovoltaic (PV) manufacturers during 2012 exceeded $3 billion by the end of Q3’12, according to new research [from NPD Solarbuzz]…This has resulted in a significant reduction in order backlogs for PV equipment suppliers, with Q3’12 representing the fourth consecutive quarter of 30% Q/Q backlog declines. When combined with maintenance-only quantities of new orders seen by PV equipment suppliers, the PV book-to-bill ratio has fallen into negative territory, the first time since the industry began to take off in the mid-2000s…

“Customers of PV…cell and module makers…continue to undergo a painful capacity rationalization process, caused by chronic over-investment dating back to 2010. However, quarterly manufacturing capacity for c-Si cells and modules remains constant at 13 GW, with new capacity coming online cancelling out the existing capacity that is being shuttered and idled…”

“…During Q3’12, utilization rates for cell and module capacity had to be reduced considerably…However, PV manufacturers remain highly cautious about short-term capacity and production plans…[due to] several ongoing anti-dumping investigations. Some Chinese c-Si manufacturers are considering geographic diversification of their manufacturing capacity.

“PV equipment spending is forecast to decline by more than 66% during 2012, and to remain at pre-2008 levels of $5 billion during 2013. Equipment spending is not forecast to rebound until at least 2014, with tier 1 spending accounting for over 90% of addressable revenues. PV equipment spending over the next 12-18 months will be comprised of process tool upgrades, advanced high-efficiency pilot lines, and potential geographic capacity diversification to address any trade restrictions or local content requirements…”

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IKEA GOES ALL NEW ENERGY Ikea uses sun, wind to become energy independent; As more U.S. businesses embrace renewable energy, IKEA plans to announce Tuesday that it will rely on the sun and the wind to produce all the power it uses at its stores and buildings by 2020.

Wendy Koch, October 23, 2012 (USA Today)

“Energy independence by 2020? …[G]lobal home furnishings retailer Ikea…[announced] plans to achieve that goal with solar and wind power…[T]he Swedish retailer says it will rely on the sun and wind to produce all the power it uses at its stores and buildings worldwide within a decade.

“It plans to install more rooftop solar panels, erect wind farms and reduce its energy usage by replacing 1.2 million incandescent light bulbs with 85%-more-efficient LEDs (light-emitting diodes.)…Ikea already has solar panels atop 34 of its 38 U.S. stores and distribution centers…[P]arts of the U.S. also have great wind potential, and Ikea, which is building wind farms abroad, would like one stateside…”

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“Ikea, which announced earlier this month that it will sell only LED light bulbs in its stores by 2016, is not the first retailer to shoot for 100% renewable energy. Walmart has also set that goal (without specifying a timeline), and it ranks first among U.S. companies for solar power generation…Costco Wholesale ranked second, Kohl's Department Stores, third, Ikea, fourth and Macy's, fifth…

“…[M]ore than 90% of the total energy that retailers use is embedded in the supply chain — the making of and delivering of parts and products…[Retailers say] renewable energy is no longer just about scoring public relations points… Ikea, which phased out plastic bags in 2007 and stopped selling incandescent bulbs in 2010, believes energy independence is ‘the right thing to do, not only because it's concerned about climate change but also because it wants to protect itself against higher energy prices in the future…”

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