QUICK NEWS, 11-22: WIND BRINGS BENEFITS TO OREGON; GLOBAL PV MARKETS; CHINA BUYS OCEAN WIND BIGTIME

WIND BRINGS BENEFITS TO OREGON
Wind blows money into pockets of Sherman County residents
Richard Cockle, November 12, 2011 (Oregon Live)

"Every household in windswept Sherman County will soon get a Christmas gift in the mail: a $590 check…This is the third consecutive year that checks will go out for the people's share of annual wind-energy revenues…[T]he $416,540 cash outlay may be unprecedented in the United States…The checks are loosely modeled after dividend payments to Alaskans for oil gurgling through the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline. The county also gives its four tiny towns -- Wasco, Moro, Rufus and Grass Valley -- annual checks of $100,000 each.

"Roughly 550 wind turbines rearing 300-plus feet into the breezy high desert sky have brought dramatic changes here. Twelve wind farms are now on line, producing 1,000 megawatts of alternative energy -- enough to power 100,000 homes -- and providing the county government with $9 million annual revenues…Under the county's agreement with the wind companies, the payments will continue until 2025…"

(from Oregon Live - click to enlarge

"…[C]ounty leaders figured regular folks deserved a cut of the windfall for having to look at the gigantic structures -- not just the 35 or so landowners who reap payments from the companies for allowing wind turbines on their wheat farms. The property owners receive an average of $6,000 a year per wind turbine -- and some have up to 30 on their wheat farms…

"…Wind revenues have made some significant capital projects possible, including a new $2 million library...[and] $1 million more went for a building to be completed next month in Moro to house the Oregon State University Cooperative Extension Service, 4-H, planning and wheat district offices. The county installed high-speed Internet access two weeks ago available to the public for a fee. The sheriff's office has expanded from four to five deputies…"


GLOBAL PV MARKETS
Global Photovoltaic (PV) Market & Insights into Chinese and Japanese Photovoltaic (PV) Markets (2010 - 2015)
15 November 2011 (World of Photovoltaics)

"The PV market is observed to be one of the fastest growing sectors buoyed by different government incentives and intense R&D activities…PV technology is emerging as the major technology for generation of power in the world; which is evident from the continuous growth witnessed in the last decade…[spurred by innovative] subsidy programs in Germany and Japan…

"…[Of PV cell materials], amorphous silicon is observed to generate maximum revenue. This is mainly due to its low temperature coefficient and low power loss. Trackers help to increase the solar array’s efficiency by up to 40%...The key applications of PV systems include consumer electronics and telecommunications, building integrated PV applications, grid connected power supply, military and space applications…[BIPV leads the applications…due to the gradual adoption of this technology in industrial, commercial, and residential buildings…"

(from the MarketsAndMarkets report - click to enlarge)

"The Chinese PV market is largely driven by the growing demand for energy and the huge volume of export market. It is expected that the government of China will continue with its small scale and targeted incentive programs…Federal policies drove the expansion of PV market in Japanese region. The country’s new national solar goals include 28,000 MW of new solar capacity by 2020 and 53,000 MW by 2030…

"The global photovoltaic market is expected to reach $130.0 billion in 2015 from $55.7 billion in 2010 at a CAGR of 18.5% from 2010 to 2015…"


CHINA BUYS OCEAN WIND BIGTIME
China to invest big in offshore wind power
November 10, 2011 (China People’s Daily)

"China plans to increase the combined installed capacity of its offshore wind power sector to 5 gigawatts by 2015 and 30 gigawatts by 2020, with investments totaling 100 billion yuan, according to the recent national wind power meeting hosted by the National Energy Administration.

"…[O]ffshore wind power represents today’s most advanced wind power generation technology…[but] China's fledging offshore wind power sector lacks experience and has virtually only one offshore wind power project in operation: the Shanghai Donghai Bridge…"

click to enlarge

"China possesses the basic capacities of offshore wind power design, construction and equipment manufacturing. With the advent of the 6-megawatt wind power generating set…China has become the second country in the world after Germany that can independently manufacture a 6-megawatt wind power generation set…[and] China has already constructed a batch of pilot offshore wind power projects, and the 54 wind power generating sets under eight enterprises of China, including the Sinovel Wind Group, Goldwind Science and Technology and Shanghai Electric, have already had offshore wind power operation demonstrations…

"…[E]xperience has been accumulated for the future large-scale development of China's offshore wind power…[and, as a result,] the National Energy Administration and State Oceanic Administration of China jointly issued the Rules for the Implementation of the Provisional Regulations on Offshore Wind Power Development, Construction and Management…"