QUICK NEWS, Sept. 23: THE NEW ENERGY TRANSITION; THE MATTER OF WIND IN KANSAS; MICROGRID TECHNOLOGY MARKET TO QUADRUPLE
THE NEW ENERGY TRANSITION The coming era of unlimited — and free — clean energy
Vivek Wadhwa, Sept. 19, 2014 (Washington Post)
“In the 1980s, leading consultants were skeptical about cellular phones…[but] there are billions now…Costs have fallen so far that even the poor — all over world — can afford [one]…The experts [skeptical] about solar energy now…They say that solar is inefficient, too expensive to install, and unreliable, and will fail without government subsidies. They too are wrong. Solar will be as ubiquitous as cellular phones are…[S]olar power has been doubling every two years for the past 30 years — as costs have been dropping…[and] is only six doublings — or less than 14 years — away from meeting 100 percent of today’s energy needs…[I]nexpensive renewable sources will provide more energy than the world needs in less than 20 years…In places such as Germany, Spain, Portugal, Australia, and the Southwest United States…it costs no more in the long term to install solar panels than to buy electricity from utility companies…By 2020, solar energy will be price-competitive with energy generated from fossil fuels on an unsubsidized basis in most parts of the world. Within the next decade, it will cost a fraction of what fossil fuel-based alternatives do…[T]here will be disruption of the entire fossil-fuel industry…The challenge for mankind will be to share this abundance, ensuring that these technologies make the world a better place.” click here for more
THE MATTER OF WIND IN KANSAS A Kansas twister: Wind energy politics complicate governor’s race; Gov. Brownback is caught in the middle of fans of this green energy source and his conservative allies
Jonathan M. Katz, Sept. 19, 2014 (AlJazeera U.S.)
“…At full capacity [Kansas] would generate more wind energy than any other state except Texas…[and about] three-quarters of the total electricity generated by all energy sources in the United States last year. Despite growing investment that has nearly tripled Kansas wind-energy production since 2010, the state’s producers generated only 9,430 gigawatt hours last year — 0.3 percent of the potential…[in part because the] Koch-funded advocacy group Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is leading the fight to repeal a federal tax credit for wind energy producers…In Kansas such arguments are having little effect. Americans for Prosperity and the Kansas Chamber of Commerce (another major recipient of Koch money) spent months trying to get the Republican-controlled state legislature to repeal a state renewable-energy standard…But the legislature refused…Caught in the middle is the state’s Republican governor, Sam Brownback, who is locked in a tough re-election fight against state House Minority Leader Paul Davis. Brownback has close ties to the anti-wind forces…Koch Industries was the top donor throughout the governor's 16-year career in the U.S. Congress…But Brownback also recognizes the economics that make wind energy appealing…[H]e has found himself in the uncomfortable position of boasting about wind energy’s growth in the state — a source of several thousand much-needed jobs during his term — while trying to oppose the regulatory environment that has fostered that growth…” click here for more
MICROGRID TECHNOLOGY MARKET TO QUADRUPLE Microgrid Enabling Technologies; Distributed Generation, Inverters, Energy Storage, Load Controls, Electric Vehicles, and Software Networking: Global Market Analysis and Forecasts
3Q 2014 (Navigant Research)
“…[A] much greater emphasis is now being placed on the economic value microgrids bring to [advanced energy storage and to] the entire utility-led macrogrid…[N]ew business models designed to support full commercial implementation of microgrid systems [are being investigated]…[M]icrogrid enabling technology (MET) options…[include] technologies and services related to smart buildings, demand response, distribution and substation automation, and smart meters. The leading market opportunity within the realm of microgrids is with different forms of distributed generation (DG), including diesel generators, natural gas generators, and other forms of renewable DG…[But] advanced energy storage will represent the single largest investment category among MET options by 2023, though DG investments as a whole will still be larger. According to Navigant Research, global annual DG vendor revenue is expected to grow from $1.8 billion in 2014 to $9.6 billion in 2023…” click here for more
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