Three articles, all on different reports pointing to a green energy future!
Solar power on brink of breakthrough: Greenpeace
Feb 4, 2011 9:59 AM | By Greenpeace
A new study projects solar investments to double by 2015 as costs are expected to drop by a further 40%.
As the South African Government plans how it will expand electricity supply to support many of its citizens, there is an increasing amount of evidence that clean, renewable energy is the best way to power and develop South Africa.
A new report(1), published by the European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA) and Greenpeace International, called "Solar Generation 6", shows how global investments in solar photovoltaic (PV) technology could double from euro 35-40 billion today to over euro 70 billion in 2015. The estimated investments in the European Union alone would rise from today's euro 25-30 billion to over euro 35 billion in 2015.
The report foresees that PV alone could account for 12% of European power demand by 2020, and up to 9% of the global power demand by 2030.
"Our goal is to make solar photovoltaic technology a mainstream power source through policy support at an optimal cost for consumers" said Sven Teske, Senior Energy Expert at Greenpeace International. "Solar photovoltaic is a key technology for combating climate change; our research shows that it creates 35 to 50 jobs per tonne of CO2 savings and will increase the security of energy supplies by reducing dependency on energy imports to Europe.
"Solar photovoltaic technology has, for many years now, shown increased power efficiencies and cost reductions," said Ingmar Wilhelm, President of EPIA.
"Today's cost predictions, driven by economies of scale in light of global photovoltaic capacity, totalling 40,000 MW in 2010, show that the technology is on the brink of an economic breakthrough."
Since 2005, PV prices have dropped some 40% and by 2015 the cost of PV systems is expected to drop by an additional 40% compared to current levels.
As a result, PV systems will be able to compete with electricity prices for households in many countries of the European Union within the next five years.
In addition to its environmental benefits, the report shows solar energy to be a sustainable way to address concerns about energy security and volatile fossil fuel prices, as well as a substantial factor in economic development.
The report shows that PV creates 35 to 50 jobs per tonne of CO2 savings. Greenpeace Africa made similar findings last year: investing in renewable energy "could be a major employment creator in South Africa, with a net increase of 78,000 jobs by 2030". The report(2) found that even when compared to the utopian 'Growth Without Constraints' scenario, the benefits of renewables are clear, creating 5% more jobs and offering a solution to the thousands of South Africans still without access to electricity.
"South Africa is blessed with some of the best solar resources in the world, and yet more than 90% of the country's electricity comes from dirty coal. To avoid being left behind, South Africa must start investing in renewable energy now - the future is indeed solar" said Melita Steele, Greenpeace Africa climate campaigner.
--------------------
http://www.esi-africa.com/node/12343
Wind power could meet half the world's power needs
Amsterdam, The Netherlands --- ESI-AFRICA.COM --- 04 February 2011 - A newly released academic study claims that the installation of 3.8 million 5MW wind turbines could generate half the world's power needs by 2030.
Published in the respected journal 'Energy Policy', and entitled 'Providing all global energy with wind, water, and solar power,' the study noted that climate change, pollution, and energy insecurity were among the greatest problems of our time.
"Addressing them requires major changes in our energy infrastructure," said two California academics, Mark Z. Jacobson and Mark A. Delucchi. "Here, we analyse the feasibility of providing worldwide energy for all purposes (electric power, transportation, heating/cooling, etc.) from wind, water, and sunlight (WWS)."
Jacobson ‒ who is in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford University ‒ and Delucchi ‒ who is in the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California ‒ estimated that by combining the 3.8 million wind turbines with enough concentrated solar, solar PV, geothermal and hydroelectric plants, as well as wave devices and tidal turbines, by 2030 the world could use electricity and electrolytic hydrogen for all purposes.
"Such a WWS infrastructure would reduce world power demand by 30% and required only 0.41% and 0.59% more of the world's land for footprint and spacing, respectively," they said.
"We suggest producing all new energy with WWS by 2030 and replacing the pre-existing energy by 2050. Barriers to the plan are primarily social and political, not technological or economic. The energy cost in a WWS world should be similar to that of today."
Their study showed that wind power could supply 50% of projected total global power demand in 2030, while the concentrated solar plants, the solar PV power plants and the rooftop PV systems could supply another 40%. The remainder would come from geothermal and hydro-electric power plants, wave devices and tidal turbines.
The study also showed that the total footprint on the ground for the 3.8 million wind turbines would only be 48 sq km, which is smaller than Manhattan. The existing transmission infrastructure would of course need to be greatly expanded.
On a European level, The European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) is endorsing a declaration calling for a 100% renewable energy vision by 2050. EWEA believes by 2050 wind energy could supply 50% of Europe's power needs, provided certain actions were taken ‒ above all the power grid being extended and upgraded in good time.
The effort would require 3.5 trillion euro's (US$4.8 trillion) a year in spending by 2035 on modernising buildings and electricity grids and expanding wind farms and solar parks. It would take until 2040 to pay off.
This 'Energy Policy' report is the second one this month claiming that almost all of the world's demand for energy for electricity, transportation and heating could be met from renewable sources such as wind, solar and geothermal power by 2050.
"The Energy Report" ‒ a report produced over two years by WWF with researchers at Dutch organisations Ecofys and the Office for Metropolitan Architecture ‒ claimed that the share of oil, coal, gas and nuclear power in the global energy mix could be whittled down to 5% over the next four decades. Energy saving measures could cut total demand by 15% from 2005 levels, even as the population, industrial output, freight and passenger travel rise," they said.
http://www.esi-africa.com/node/12343
Wind power could meet half the world's power needs
Amsterdam, The Netherlands --- ESI-AFRICA.COM --- 04 February 2011 - A newly released academic study claims that the installation of 3.8 million 5MW wind turbines could generate half the world's power needs by 2030.
Published in the respected journal 'Energy Policy', and entitled 'Providing all global energy with wind, water, and solar power,' the study noted that climate change, pollution, and energy insecurity were among the greatest problems of our time.
"Addressing them requires major changes in our energy infrastructure," said two California academics, Mark Z. Jacobson and Mark A. Delucchi. "Here, we analyse the feasibility of providing worldwide energy for all purposes (electric power, transportation, heating/cooling, etc.) from wind, water, and sunlight (WWS)."
Jacobson ‒ who is in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford University ‒ and Delucchi ‒ who is in the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California ‒ estimated that by combining the 3.8 million wind turbines with enough concentrated solar, solar PV, geothermal and hydroelectric plants, as well as wave devices and tidal turbines, by 2030 the world could use electricity and electrolytic hydrogen for all purposes.
"Such a WWS infrastructure would reduce world power demand by 30% and required only 0.41% and 0.59% more of the world's land for footprint and spacing, respectively," they said.
"We suggest producing all new energy with WWS by 2030 and replacing the pre-existing energy by 2050. Barriers to the plan are primarily social and political, not technological or economic. The energy cost in a WWS world should be similar to that of today."
Their study showed that wind power could supply 50% of projected total global power demand in 2030, while the concentrated solar plants, the solar PV power plants and the rooftop PV systems could supply another 40%. The remainder would come from geothermal and hydro-electric power plants, wave devices and tidal turbines.
The study also showed that the total footprint on the ground for the 3.8 million wind turbines would only be 48 sq km, which is smaller than Manhattan. The existing transmission infrastructure would of course need to be greatly expanded.
On a European level, The European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) is endorsing a declaration calling for a 100% renewable energy vision by 2050. EWEA believes by 2050 wind energy could supply 50% of Europe's power needs, provided certain actions were taken ‒ above all the power grid being extended and upgraded in good time.
The effort would require 3.5 trillion euro's (US$4.8 trillion) a year in spending by 2035 on modernising buildings and electricity grids and expanding wind farms and solar parks. It would take until 2040 to pay off.
This 'Energy Policy' report is the second one this month claiming that almost all of the world's demand for energy for electricity, transportation and heating could be met from renewable sources such as wind, solar and geothermal power by 2050.
"The Energy Report" ‒ a report produced over two years by WWF with researchers at Dutch organisations Ecofys and the Office for Metropolitan Architecture ‒ claimed that the share of oil, coal, gas and nuclear power in the global energy mix could be whittled down to 5% over the next four decades. Energy saving measures could cut total demand by 15% from 2005 levels, even as the population, industrial output, freight and passenger travel rise," they said.
----------------------
Renewables could supply global energy demand by 2050 – report
By: Christy van der Merwe
3rd February 2011
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) on Thursday released 'The Energy Report', in which it said that it was possible for 100% of the globe's energy needs to be supplied through cleaner renewable energy technologies by 2050.
This, argued the report, could be done economically, and that nearly €4-trillion a year could be saved through energy efficiency and reduced fuel costs by 2050.
The report does, however, note that big increases in capital expenditure would be required first, so as to install renewable energy on a massive scale, modernise electricity grids, transform goods and public transport and improve energy efficiency of existing buildings.
These investments would begin to pay off in about 2040, when the savings would start to outweigh the costs.
"If oil prices rise faster than predicted, and if we factor in the costs of climate change and the impact of fossil fuels on public health, the pay off occurs much earlier," added the report.
It stated that by 2050, power, transport, industrial and domestic energy needs could be met with only isolated residual uses of fossil and nuclear fuels. Energy efficiency in buildings, vehicles and industry would be a key ingredient, as would increasing energy needs met through electric power which would be renewably generated and supplied through smart grids.
WWF director and ex-Nedbank CEO Tom Boardman said that the report had a big vision and made bold plans, but that it was enormously powerful to know that an alternative energy future was possible.
Various energy scenarios have been developed by different organisations, which take into account different factors and use different models, aiming to predict what kind of an energy mix the world could expect going forward.
WWF South Africa climate change programme manager Richard Worthington explained that the report aimed at establishing that fossil fuel reliant energy scenarios, such as those put forward by the International Energy Agency and Shell, were not the only realistic ones.
Boardman noted that the report would likely not sit well with vested interests, and emphasised that it was not without its challenges, but that he hoped it gathered momentum.
The weighty report was commissioned by WWF with analysis from consultancy Ecofys, and took two years to compile.
In a nutshell, the scenario assumed that in 2050, energy demand was 15% lower than in 2005, because although population, industrial output, passenger travel and freight transport continued to rise as forecast, energy efficiency enable more to be done with less.
Industry would use more recycled and energy efficient materials, buildings would be constructed or upgraded to need minimal energy for heating and cooling, and there would be a shift to more efficient transport.
As far as possible, electrical energy would be used instead of solid and liquid fuels. Wind, solar, biomass and hydropower were the main sources of electricity, and solar, geothermal and heat pumps would provide most of the heat for buildings and industry.
"Because supplies of wind and solar power vary, smart electricity grids would have to be developed to store and deliver energy more efficiently," the report said.
Bioenergy, namely liquid biofuels and solid biomass, would be used as a last resort where other renewable energy sources were not viable, particularly in providing fuel for aeroplanes trucks and ships, and industrial processes that required very high temperatures.
"We need a concerted approach to low-carbon reindustrialisation to achieve the growth rates required in renewable energy technology industries. This means moving away from the baseload fallacy that renewables are insufficient to support industrialised society," emphasised Worthington.
"The report is more than a scenario – it is a call for action. We can achieve a cleaner renewable future, but we must start now," said WWF DG Jim Leape.
Edited by: Mariaan Webb
No comments:
Post a Comment