QUICK NEWS, August 18: GERMANY UPS GRID STABILITY WITH NEW ENERGY; U.S. SOLAR MANUFACTURING TO RISE; TEXAS LEADS U.S. WIND BOOM
GERMANY UPS GRID STABILITY WITH NEW ENERGY Germany Has One Of The World’s Most Efficient Grids
Roy L. Hales, August 7, 2014 (The ECO Report)
“Close to 29% of Germany’s electricity, during the first half of 2014 came, from renewable sources…[and] Germany has one of the World’s most efficient grids…In terms of grid reliability, the only nations that rival Germany are Japan (another “green” leader) and Singapore…In 2012, Germany lost an average of 15.91 minutes per customer…[I]t’s closest Western European competitors lost more than a half an hour…The most recent figures from the United States are for 2008. The 244 minute per customer loss that year puts America near the bottom…Canadian statistics…[in the last five years are] always significantly higher than 4 hours…[T]he UK and France lost roughly six times as many minutes as Germany in 2012…Germany’s renewable sector is growing. The wind, photovoltaic, and biomass sectors generated over 71 terawatt-hours of electricity in the first six months of 2014. That is almost a 25% increase over last year and comes at a time when the nation’s conventional energy sources are being asked to produce less…It may be more than a co-incidental that the nations which created the World’s most stable grids are now also among the greenest…” click here for more
U.S. SOLAR MANUFACTURING TO RISE Partly Sunny; America is making lots of solar energy. What’s holding it back from making solar panels?
Daniel Gross, August 14, 2014 (Slate)
“…The annual [U.S.] installation of solar systems rose from 1.265 megawatts in 2008 to 4.75 gigawatts in 2013…America has emerged as the third-largest market for solar…[But the] two biggest solar panel manufacturers headquartered in the U.S., First Solar and SunPower, have located most of their manufacturing capacity in Southeast Asia…[A]bout half of the panels used in the U.S. last year came from China. U.S. module production fell from 1,200 megawatts in 2011 to 541 megawatts in 2012 and bounced back up to 988 megawatts in 2013…[But this summer, SolarCity bought Silevo and] the two firms plan to build a massive factory in Buffalo, New York...[1366] has raised $64 million to make solar wafers [in a big U.S. factory]...Suniva, the second-largest manufacturer of panels in the U.S….[will double in size with] a new factory in Saginaw Township, Michigan…[Also,] the Commerce Department… may impose tariffs on panels made in China that could add up to 35 percent to the cost of the products…[and] Government agencies such as the military [and cities, states, nonprofits, or public institutions such as universities, may push their contractors] to comply with the Buy American Act and the Buy America provisions of the 2009 stimulus bill...[A] few announcements don’t make for a full-fledged renaissance. And the U.S. still accounts for only a tiny sliver of global module manufacturing…But it’s the direction that counts as much as the volume…” click here for more
TEXAS LEADS U.S. WIND BOOM Texas becomes ground zero for surge in wind power
Javier E. David, August 9, 2014 (USA Today)
“…Home to both vast repositories of conventional and shale oil, the Lone Star State is also a major player in wind power, a new twist on the U.S. energy independence narrative…[T]he nation's second largest state… has invested about $7 billion in a sprawling wind power network that spans nearly 4,000 miles. Wind power generates more than 12,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity…[making Texas] first in the country for total MW of wind power capacity…A combination of public subsidies, new federal carbon regulations and private investment has [driven the boom]…[W]ind plants have been a staple of Texas' electric supply since at least 1995, a function of the state's climate and the massive amounts of electricity it consumes…[Oil and gas giant BP divested most of its renewable properties but] still maintains wind power properties worth more than $1 billion [including four in Texas]…Google has staked a claim to two Texas wind farms…[and] Walmart and Microsoft have also channeled resources into the emerging wind sector…” click here for more
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