QUICK NEWS, November 28: SINOVEL-AMSC LEGAL BATTLE SPREADS TO IRELAND; MONEY FLOWS TO NEW ENERGY BUT CLIMATE CHANGE GOES ON; SMALL WIND GETS CERTIFIED

SINOVEL-AMSC LEGAL BATTLE SPREADS TO IRELAND
Mainstream halts 1GW Sinovel supply deal
James Quilter and John McKenna, 24 November 2011 (Windpower Monthly)

"Mainstream Renewable Power has placed its 1GW supply deal with Sinovel [reached in July] ‘on hold’ pending [the resolution of Sinovel’s] legal dispute with AMSC…
onents.

"Mainstream said it decided to put the deal on hold following the conviction of an AMSC employee in Austria for supplying AMSC grid codes to Sinovel. AMSC and Sinovel are going head-to-head in the Beijing High Court over the row."

click to enlarge

"…[The deal was to have Sinovel] supply Mainstream with a steady flow of turbines through 2012 and 2013 reaching an average of 250MW per annum from 2014 onwards…
"…Sinovel has not started production on any Irish projects. Mainstream said it is
currently looking at alternative suppliers. It hopes to install 50MW in Ireland in 2012."


MONEY FLOWS TO NEW ENERGY BUT CLIMATE CHANGE GOES ON
Windmills, solar panels lead pack in attracting investment
Alex Morales (with Louise Downing and Ben Sills), November 25, 2011 (Bloomberg News via The Vancouver Sun)

"Renewable energy is surpassing fossil fuels for the first time in new power-plant investments, shaking off setbacks from the financial crisis and an impasse at the United Nations global warming talks.

"Electricity from the wind, sun, waves and biomass drew $187 billion US last year compared with $157 billion US for natural gas, oil and coal, according to calculations by Bloomberg New Energy Finance…Accelerating installations of solar and wind power led to lower equipment prices, making clean energy more competitive with coal…The findings indicate the world is shifting toward consuming more renewable energy even without a global agreement on limiting greenhouse gases. Delegates from more than 190 nations converge in Durban, South Africa, on Nov. 28 to discuss new measures for limiting emissions damaging the climate…"

click to enlarge

"The renewables boom, spurred by about $66 billion US of subsidies last year, intensified competition between wind- turbine and solar-panel manufacturers, gutting margins from the biggest producers led by Vestas Wind Systems A/S and First Solar Inc. The 95-member WilderHill New Energy Index of renewable- energy stocks has tumbled 40 per cent this year, steeper than the 14 per cent drop in the MSCI World Index.

"The zeal to replace fossil fuels…belies the failed efforts at the UN talks to broker a deal that would limit carbon dioxide emissions from coal and oil blamed for global warming. Without a deal, existing pollution caps under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol expire next year…Debate in South Africa…will include how to establish a fund that would channel an unspecified portion of $100 billion US a year in climate aid pledged by rich nations to developing countries by 2020…Monitoring and verifying emissions cuts…[and creating] a mechanism for transferring CO2- reducing technology between states…"


SMALL WIND GETS CERTIFIED
Bergey Windpower’s 10 kW Residential Wind Turbine becomes the First Certified Small Wind Turbine in America
November 22, 2011 (Business Wire)

"Bergey Windpower, the nation’s oldest manufacturer of small wind turbines,…[announced] that its best-selling BWC Excel 10 wind turbine is the first to receive full certification to the new wp-content/uploads/2011/05/AWEA_2009-Small_Turbine_Standard1.pdf"target="_blank">AWEA Small Wind Turbine Performance and Safety Standard [and its new 5 kW turbine is currently undergoing certification testing] …

"The Bergey Excel 10 is a 23 ft diameter horizontal-axis turbine designed to provide the annual energy requirements for homes, farms, and small businesses. More than 2,000 Excel turbines have been installed in 46 states and more than 50 countries. It has only three moving parts, requires no annual maintenance, and was the first small wind turbine to carry a 10-year warranty…"

The Bergey Excel 10 (click to enlarge)

"The AWEA standard was developed over a five year period by a committee of over 30 individuals drawn from industry, research organizations, universities, retailers, and users…[It] references a number of existing international (IEC) standards, has been adopted in Canada and, with some minor changes, in the United Kingdom…

"Certification of the Excel 10 turbine was granted by the Small Wind Certification Council (SWCC), an independent organization funded by several states and the U.S. Department of Energy…California, New York, Oregon and Wisconsin, which provide substantial rebates for small wind turbines, now require partial or full certification to the AWEA standard and a number of other states plan to do the same…"