RSS MAD

Bruce Sterling update:  Now calling his concept "cybergreens":  "They're all about creating irresistible consumer demand for cool objects that will yield a global atmosphere upgrade. It's the Net vs. the 20th-century fossil order in a fight that the cybergreens are winning. Why? Because they're not about spiritual potential, human decency, small is beautiful, peace, justice or anything else unattainable. The cybergreens are about stuff people want, such as health, sex, glamour, hot products, awesome bandwidth, tech innovation and tons of money.

We're gonna glam, spend and consume our way into planetary survival. My own favorite sci-fi planetary-saving scheme for naming, numbering and linking to the Internet every piece of junk we create so that it can be corralled and briskly recycled, creating a cradle-to-cradle postindustrial order and averting planetary doom, may sound pretty shocking and alien. But I wrote that book while in residency at a famous design school. I received an honorary doctorate there and the book was published by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It gets great reviews, designers love it. It's not even science fiction -- it's a cybergreen manifesto.

In 1998, I had it figured that the dot-com boom would become a dot-green boom. It took a while for others to get it. Some still don't. They think I'm joking. They are still used to thinking of greenness as being "counter" and "alternative" -- they don't understand that 21st-century green is and must be about everything -- the works. Sustainability is comprehensive. That which is not sustainable doesn't go on. Glamorous green."

RPS outside the US:   "- China will increase its use of renewables as part of a national plan to combat climate change, says the country’s environment minister Xie Zhenhua. .. he says the Chinese government will announce a national plan with concrete targets to improve energy efficiency by 20% by 2010 and to increase the proportion of renewables to 10%.

- Taiwan Power will spend NT$3.6 billion to install solar panels .. Taiwan imports 98% of its energy and the government wants renewables to generate 12% by 2025. .. The government owns 97% of Taipower, which generates three-quarters of the island’s electricity.

- The World Wind Energy Agency has welcomed the decision by the European Union to increase the continent’s share of renewables to 20% by 2020."

South Africa: Cape green power plans:  "Eskom, local authorities and the private sector are set to launch renewable energy projects that will add at least 350 megawatts of electricity to the national energy grid. The Western Cape uses around 4 000MW of electricity daily, while the entire country uses around 34 000MW, which can go up to 40 000MW at peak demand [somewhat less than California].  In the recent past there have been regular power outages as Eskom battles to meet the growing demand for electricity.

The planned renewable energy projects include two 100MW wind farms on the West Coast, a 100MW solar thermal plant in the Northern Cape and a 50MW solar thermal plant on the West Coast. .. The department is keen to launch projects that will ensure that 15 percent of the region's electricity needs will be met by clean and renewable sources by 2015."

Meanwhile the giant projects being coming online today are not so green; coal dwarfs them all:  "The two Western Cape liquid-fuel open-cycle gas turbine stations would collectively add another 1050 megaWatts of power to the national grid.  Ingula Power Station .. will be a pump-storage hydro-electric scheme, with a generating capacity of 1330 mW. .. The 4200 mW coal-fired power station in Lephalele would be named Medupi, meaning "the name that soaks parched land"."

Wal-Mart promotes CFLs:  More info about WalMart and compact fluorescent lightbulbs. An example of how irrational consumer choice is, by seeing how easily it's manipulated by merchandising; and how both environmental and economic results are far from optimal in a "free" market.  "Wal-Mart sold only 40 million [CF bulbs] in 2005, compared with about 350 million incandescent bulbs..

At the same time that it pressured suppliers, Wal-Mart began testing ways to better market the bulbs. In the past, Wal-Mart had sold them on the bottom shelf of the lighting aisle, so that shoppers had to bend down. In tests that started in February, it gave the lights prime real estate at eye level. Sales soared.

To show customers how versatile the bulbs could be, Wal-Mart began displaying them inside the lamps and hanging fans for sale in its stores. Sales nudged up further.

To explain the benefits of the energy-efficient bulbs, the retailer placed an education display case at the end of the aisle, where it occupied four feet of valuable selling space — an extravagance at Wal-Mart. Sales climbed even higher.

In August 2006, the chain sold 3.94 million, nearly twice the 1.65 million it sold in August 2005.."  They need to double again to hit 100m in a year.

Joel Makower commercializes greenbiz.com:  The green info market matures.  "I've just launched a for-profit media company, Greener World Media, which has taken over publishing of GreenBiz.com, et al, from their nonprofit home, the esteemed National Environmental Education & Training Foundation, where the sites had lived happily for the past five years.

Why a for-profit? In 1998-99, when the idea for GreenBiz.com was germinating, there was no business model for giving away information on the Internet. That clearly didn't stop a lot of people, but it stopped me. So, I created "the resource center on business, the environment, and the bottom line," as we dubbed ourselves, as a not-for-profit resource, relying on grants, sponsorships, and the kindness of strangers.

That model worked for a while, but it wasn't sustainable. (There's precious little philanthropic money available, at least in the green world, for a nonprofit organization whose prime mission is to serve the needs of business.) And things have changed: There is a business model now for online information services, based on advertising, sponsorship, and other revenue sources. And the world of green and sustainable business has exploded, with plenty of new products, services, and company initiatives to be promoted."  This is good news.  In my 2001-2 Stanford Digital Vision fellowship, I concluded that information sources for sustainable energy were needed, and were on their way thanks to tech advances in blogging and the natural growth of the community.  In the last 2 years, I've trimmed my own blogging in the topic area as others have other voices and services have grown. Now it seems to be completely mainstream.

Small car 'Reva' gets big funds:  "Venture funds are now seeing value beyong hot wireless and internet companies in India. India’s first and only electric car manufacturer, REVA Electric Car Company, has attracted a $ 20 m investment from Draper Fisher Jurveston, Global Environment Fund (GEF) and Mellon HBV Master Global Event Drive Fund LP, according to officials.  The company, which is joint venture between the Bangalore-based Maini group and the California-based AEV LLC, is looking at expanding overseas and consolidating its position in global markets with this funding. .. This is GEF’s first investment in India. ..

Reva has sold around 1000 cars in the domestic market and 600 in overseas markets. Apart from the United Kingdom, the company is targetting exports to USA, Norway, Switzerland, Cyprus, Japan, Srilanka and Malta. Its manufacturing plant, located in Banglaore, has an installed capacity of about 6,000 units. .. The entry model is priced around Rs 3 lakh [$6800].  Last year, the company collaborated with designer Dilip Chhabria and Encore, maker of the smallest tablet PC, to launch Reva-NXG. The model gives an extended 200 km per charge compared to the 80 km that is available on the entry model."

WaterHealth International Closes Series C Funding:  "WaterHealth International, Inc. (WHI) today announced the final close of its Series C funding for a total equity investment of more than $11 million.  SAIL Venture Partners, L.P., anchored the latest investment of $4 million.  Series A investor Plebys International LLC, founded and led by WHI CEO Tralance Addy, also invested in this round.  The new investments are in addition to the $7.25 million equity investment anchored by Dow Venture Capital that WHI announced last month.  

WHI has more than 450 installations of its water purification and disinfection systems in developing countries around the world.  This additional funding further strengthens WHI and will allow for accelerated growth in the company's target markets, primarily India and South Asia, West Africa, the Philippines and Mexico."  This is the product developed by Ashok Gadgil, which I've been following for a few years.  Glad to see it get substantial backing.

Low temp geothermal: "PureCycle® geothermal power plant at Chena Hot Springs Resort in Alaska was selected as Project of the Year in the renewable/sustainable energy category by Power Engineering magazine.  .. The Chena Hot Springs Resort in Alaska has the first geothermal power plant in the state. It also is the site of the lowest temperature geothermal resource (165°F) ever used for commercial power generation in the world. The resort’s UTC Power PureCycle® geothermal system was commissioned in August and provides power for the resort’s on-site electrical needs. All 44 buildings at the resort – including a greenhouse, hotel, cabins and ice museum – are linked by a geothermal district heating system."  More info:  "Although output from the installation is considered small for a base load power plant, the Chena plant represents a huge leap forward for moderate geothermal development and greatly expands the number of geothermal resources that can be economically developed. Prior to the operation of the power plant at Chena, the lowest temperature geothermal resource ever developed for commercial power generation was 208 F."

ADB lending for renewables growing:  "A financing facility of US$510 million has been approved to develop renewable energy resources in Pakistan. ADB (Asian Development Bank) will establish the ‘Renewable Energy Development Sector Investment Program’ to expand power supply in rural areas through 600,000 new connections to 4.8 million people. The multitranche financing facility is one of the first to be developed under ADB's evolving clean energy initiative, through which ADB plans to expand operations in developing countries to $1 billion per year.  “Small- to medium-sized hydropower plants offer the greatest renewable energy potential for Pakistan, while possibilities also exist in promoting greater use of wind, solar, and biomass power,” says Piya Abeygunawardena of ADB."

WorldChanging book and book tour:  I've been a fan of the blog for years, and now it's a book, complete with big city book tour.  Bravo!

European Global Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Fund:  "The European Commission today proposed the creation of a Global Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Fund (GEEREF), which will accelerate the transfer, development and deployment of environmentally sound technologies. ..  It will contribute to bringing clean, secure and affordable energy supplies to the 1.6 billion people around the world who have no access to electricity. ..

The need for risk capital in developing countries and transition economies is estimated at over €9 billion, far above current levels... GEEREF [will provide] new risk-sharing and co-financing options .. Priority will be given to deploying environmentally sound technologies with a proven technical track record. GEEREF will stimulate the creation of regional sub-funds tailored to regional needs and conditions, rather than investing in projects directly. Sub-funds are envisaged for the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) region, North Africa, non-EU Eastern Europe, Latin America and Asia. The focus will be on investments below €10 million as these are mostly ignored by commercial investors and international finance institutions. Corporate finance will be offered to support small and medium-sized enterprises as well as project finance

Foresight for UK venture capital investment funding for sustainability:  "Foresight Sustainable Development [fund] is aimed at very High Net Worth investors and their advisers looking to invest in excess of £100,000 in unquoted growth situations in sustainable markets. This will be structured as a Limited Partnership to avoid the constraints of a VCT. It will exploit opportunities in renewable energy, energy efficiency, the recycling of materials and energy security. It will invest across project finance, new technologies and service businesses. 

Matt Taylor, partner at Foresight, explains:  “In the clean fuels arena, many investors seem to be driving up the valuations of “blue sky” technologies. Our approach is different: we are concentrating on infrastructure projects and the exploitation of proven technologies. Sustainable development is an investment cycle for the long-term and we will invest only when the balance of risk and reward is right. This is going to be a small, tightly-focussed fund which should be fully invested over 12-18 months.”  It launches in early October 06.

Wind Blade Technology: I started looking into sustainable energy in 2001, and found an active community that was open to sharing its findings and that was starting to use the internet to communicate. As I learned about RSS and weblogs, I thought that this area, like many in the IT world, would see weblogs grow, and with them a spontaneous division of labor to speed the spread of new developments would emerge. Blogs from universities, corporations, development institutions, non-profits, and from motivated independents would identify and highlight findings that mattered in specialized areas, and others who would otherwise search original sources would save time and effort by reading their blogs.

In the last 12 months, that dynamic has taken hold in sustainable energy. Starting in 2001, I kept a blog collecting important results I discovered in emerging energy technologies and developing country energy options, but now I find others are keeping close track and I can just follow their investigations. They include venture capitalists, investment companies, and independent engineers.

The Wind Blade blog (above) from six employees of Owens-Corning is an advanced example. They work in different countries, but all concentrate on the materials from which the blades of wind turbines are built. They write: "We accept the value of renewable wind energy as a given and we are committed to helping it become more cost competitive and widely used." They work in a specialized but critical technology. Why? Well, the output of a wind turbine is proportional to the area swept by its blades, which is the square of the length, so even small increases in blade length matter. Longer blades need materials that are strong, light, and rigid enough to turn in moderate winds while flexible enough to bend rather than break in strong winds. New materials for blades continue to make wind power more economically compelling every year.

It will be interesting to see if these bloggers find an audience among other engineers, and if they retain their corporate backing.

RenewableEnergyStocks.com: Massive collection of news stories, blog links, and articles on renewables and clean tech. Includes some unique content, like an analysis of the implications of today's solar silicon shortage, which "will likely end at some time from 2008 to 2010" when production levels are expected to at least double. "it is reasonable to suppose that the solar silicon shortage will continue in 2007, but will be greatly reduced in 2008 and will come to an end by 2010," which has some implications for thin-film producers.  "In industrialized nations with solar incentives, such as the USA, Germany, and Japan, the trend is towards a need for smaller and higher efficiency solar panels, which means that silicon is best suited for this market. In the developing world the need is for cheaper solar panels that may take up more space, so that low cost thin films are best suited for that market."

Getting in early as China cleans up: "Stories on environmental disasters come out of China and other Asian developing countries regularly.  A review of impacts and the resulting investments:  "Environmental damage from pollution is costing China the equivalent of 7.7 percent of gross domestic product annually .. Other sobering statistics in the report, called "Connecting Asia," include estimates of 6.4 million work years lost annually in China to air pollution, 178,000 premature deaths in major cities every year caused by the use of high-sulfur coal and the fact that 52 urban river stretches have been so contaminated that they are no longer suitable for irrigation. ..

[Investment manager] Sorenson said that in terms of environmental standards, "China is now where the U.S. was in the late 1960s" [when disasters and new laws] changed the way U.S. companies conducted business. A similar process was seen in Japan, spurred by the Tokyo Olympic Games of 1964, and in South Korea, when Seoul was host of the Olympics in 1988. There is much hope that the 2008 Games in Beijing will prove as seminal in China's environmental development. .. In November, [China's] State Environmental Protection Administration estimated that the government would spend around $156 billion in environmental protection from 2006 to 2010. ..

Sorenson's FE Clean Energy Group is currently putting together an Asia fund, which Sorenson expects to total around $75 million. .. [Another is] the China Environment Fund, set up in 2001 by Tsinghua Venture Capital Management, a fund management company affiliated with Tsinghua University in Beijing. Catherine Cao, executive director of the firm, said that its third fund should be ready by the end of 2006 and aims to raise $50 million. Two previous funds [were] $13 million and $30 million..

The easiest means of entry for small investors still remains the mutual fund. The Impax Environmental Markets fund of £45 million, or $79 million, rose by around 32 percent in 2005. Among its biggest holdings are Casella Waste, a U.S. waste disposal company, Kurita Water of Japan and Horiba, a Japanese environmental testing company."  Other options: big utilities, especially European, operating in Asia; Shenzhen Dongjiang Environmental, listed in Hong Kong; canada's Zenon Environmental; Nordex of Germany; solar companies Kyocera and Sharp.  [via Salon]

Nanotechnology for Development: More groups are studying the potential impact of nanotech on developing countries.  The World Bank Development Gateway has a site, with a few familar names (editor John Daly, and advisor Anil Srivastava) .  The Merdian Institute Nanotechnology and Development News provides daily updates via RSS or email. From a Press Release: " Several recent reports, including the report of the UN Millennium Project Task Force on Science, Technology, and Innovation, conclude that science and technology, in particular nanotechnology, can contribute significantly to alleviating poverty and achieving the MDGs.  "The use of nanotechnology applications for water treatment and remediation; energy storage, production, and conversion; disease diagnosis and screening; drug delivery systems; health monitoring; air pollution and remediation; food processing and storage; vector and pest detection and control; and agricultural productivity enhancement will help developing countries meet five of the Goals," states the Task Force Report.  .. Over 20 countries, including innovative developing countries such as China, South Africa, Brazil, and India, have national nanotechnology programs.."

World Bank renewables support growing:  It's from a very small base.  There's lots to un-spin in the press release.  Here we go.  "The World Bank Group committed US$212 million to new renewable energy projects this year .. [WBG] funded $87 million in energy efficiency and another $449 million for large hydro (over 10 MW capacity) in the most recent fiscal year, for a combined total of $748 million compared with $339 million in the previous year.  Total commitments to the three sectors since 1990 exceed $9 billion."  So the annual average for 15 years was $9b/15=$600m, and the last 2 years together were average.

"Total energy sector commitments of $2.8 billion [were] made this year. .. WBG committed to increase its support for new renewables and energy efficiency by an average of 20% per year from 2005 to 2009. That commitment was made in Bonn, Germany in June 2004"  At at 20% growth rate, it won't even equal the $2.5b of conventional and large hydro for 12 years!  Pretty lame.

By region this year: East Asia & Pacific $129 m; Africa $46m; South Asia $16m; Latin America & Caribbean $15 m; Europe & Central Asia received $6m; Middle East & North Africa $1 m.  So, only nominal support outside Asia and Africa. 

"The lowest level of funding for new renewables was in 1991, when $2 million was supported, while the high was in 2000 at $444 million. The highest level for energy efficiency was $380 million in 1996, while hydro received $938 million in 1993. ..

The report includes the support provided by the six regional energy units of the WBG, International Finance Corporation, Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, Carbon Finance operations, Energy Sector Management Assistance Programme, and the Asia Alternative & Sustainable Energy Program. It notes that each dollar of WBG financing leveraged $5 from private investors, governments and others. ..

Forty renewable energy and energy efficiency projects in 28 countries were supported, with the smallest being the Yemen Rural Electrification & Renewable Energy Development Project, and the highest being$137 million for the first phase of the Renewable Energy Scale-up Program in support of China’s commitment to increase its share of renewables from 7% of generation capacity to 15% by 2020."

South African disposable solar cells: I've been interested for some time in renewable power sources that are less expensive up front, even if more expensive over the long run.  The lower up-front commitment cuts risk, allows more experimentation, and more room for incremental technological improvements.  It also supports a wider range of business models based on recurring revenues. 

"SCIENTISTS at the University of Cape Town are exploiting the nano-scale properties of silicon to develop a super-thin disposable solar panel poster which they hope could offer rural dwellers a cheap, alternative source of power. .. The scientists have developed technology for printing specialised inks containing tiny nanoparticles of silicon and other semiconductors onto paper. The solar panels are printed in much the same way as conventional colour images.. They print the metal contacts, then the semiconductor structure, then more contacts. 

The voltage and power output of the solar cell is determined by the size of the poster. An A2-sized poster [15.9 x 22.3 ins or 40.38 x 56.64 cms] will deliver up to 100W of power, enough to charge a cellphone, power a radio or provide five hours of lighting, said Prof David Britton, a physicist specialising in nanotechnology.

“Many families cannot afford R1000 for a solar panel designed to last 30 years, but they can afford R10 (US$1.50) every three to six months for a ‘disposable’ panel,” he said.  Shops could stock rolls of solar panel posters, and cut it to meet a customer’s needs. The poster could be mounted behind a window or attached to a cabinet. Britton’s team has built a successful prototype and is seeking to commercialise the project"

Global Renewable Energy Policies and Measures: New from the IEA with info from 100 countries.  Coverage: "There are 34 countries listed with targets for renewables, ranging from Austria which wants 78.1% of its electricity to come from renewables by 2010, to the target of 3.6% in Hungary for the same period. Mali wants 15% of its total primary energy supply to come from renewables by 2020 and Singapore will install 50,000 m2 of solar thermal systems by 2012."

Sri Lanka government focus on renewables: "The National Council for Economic Development (NCED) has put together the top energy experts in the country to find ways of harnessing Sri Lanka' s energy resources by forming a "Renewable Energy Cluster" under the NCED Secretariat. .. Director of NCED Rohantha Athukorala said 'To insulate the country from devastating price surges in international oil markets, Sri Lanka must increase self reliance in energy and improve energy diversity. In 2004, the nation relied on imported diesel based thermal power to meet 56% of its requirements. .. The team's objective is to develop a national strategy to exploit indigenous renewable energy resources - namely hydro, dendro, wind and solar - for both grid-connected and off-grid generation. "  While the emphasis is on indigenous renewables, cheap imported coal is also mentioned as an alternative.  I recall a recent UNEP study mapping large wind resources in Sri Lanka.

China's Little Green Book: "Green China will be much more challenging than Red China..  The China Daily reported that China's 11th five-year plan, which starts soon, includes a program to sharply reduce China's energy usage per unit of G.D.P. by 2010. "To hit the target, a huge business potential will be open to investors," [said] Zhou Dadi, director of China's top energy research institute.. "China is growing three times as fast as we are," Mr. Watson said, "[so] a lot of innovation is going to happen here, and once it is introduced [on the low-cost China platform] it is going to spread a lot faster. ... The Japanese and Europeans are here in a big way, and they are giving their stuff away. ... We deserve to lose. We are clutching our past with these tremulous hands, and everyone else is vigorously grasping the future." 

The Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy: "The Ashden Awards reward outstanding, inspirational and innovative local sustainable energy schemes that both protect the environment, tackle climate change and make real improvements to people's quality of life.  The Awards are designed to encourage wider take-up of local energy solutions worldwide - proving to the public and policy makers alike that such schemes offer viable, practical ways of tackling poverty, resource shortages and climate change.  In 2005, we are offering up to £250,000 in prizes to renewable energy and energy efficiency schemes in both the developing world and the UK. "  First annual awards were 2001.  2005 awards announced in June, mostly for commnunity projects or commercialization efforts in developing countries.  Associated with Forum for the Future.

Energy Solutions Toolkit for ICT:  USAID interactive website for design of ICT's with off-grid power sources.

In the search for new energy, China rides the wind: "China has made big investments in petroleum production in countries as far-flung as Sudan and Venezuela. But at home, where petroleum is growing scarce and overdependence on coal chokes the air of major cities - and killed 6,009 miners last year - the Chinese government is moving just as aggressively to develop alternative energy supplies..
 
By 2020, starting from a minuscule base that it has established only recently, China expects to supply 10 percent of its needs from so-called renewable energy sources, including wind, solar energy and small hydroelectric dams. .. So far, wind power is making the most impressive strides ..

"We have huge goals for wind power development," said Wang Zhongying, director of China's Center for Renewable Energy Development. "By 2010, we plan to reach 4,000 megawatts, and by 2020 we expect to reach 20,000 megawatts, or 20 gigawatts." If anything, Wang said, these targets are too conservative, and may be easily surpassed.  The biggest limitations, he said, were not in China's wind-power potential, or in its generating technology, but rather in the country's antiquated power grid ..

The outcome has been a real boom among suppliers of wind power equipment. "We're expecting the sector to grow 50 to 75 percent a year between now and 2020," said Jens Olsen, the chief representative of Vestas, a Danish turbine manufacturer that is the leading equipment supplier in China."

Jatropha Biodiesel Energy Crops - D1 Oils: Company pursing Jatropha bean production in many developing countries, for biodiesel production.  Listed in late 2004 on the London Stock Exchange, raising about $20m.  "D1 Oils will produce biodiesel and supply crude vegetable oil used in the production of biodiesel.  ..  The Group’s strategy is to control and manage its operations on a regional basis by securing plantation rights and establishing refinery operations using its own refinery technology. .. The Jatropha tree has been selected as the Group’s primary energy crop due to the main benefits of its high productivity, durability and longevity. To date, the Group has established operations and strategic and commercial relationships in four regions: Europe (Teesside and London, UK), Africa (Johannesburg, South Africa), Asia Pacific (Manila, The Philippines) and India (New Delhi). "  Joint ventures or operations underway in China, Saudi Arabia, and (with Rolls Royce) in South Africa.

G.M. Thrives in China With Small, Thrifty Vans: "In this obscure corner of southern China, General Motors seems to have hit on a hot new formula: $5,000 minivans that get 43 miles to the gallon in city driving. That combination of advantages has captivated Chinese buyers, propelling G.M. into the leading spot in this nascent car market.  ..

The minivans, which G.M. builds in a joint venture with a Chinese partner, have a quarter the horsepower of American minivans, weak acceleration and a top speed of 81 miles an hour. The seats are only a third the thickness of seats in Western models but look plush compared with some Chinese cars. ..

The utilitarian minivans and pickups are mainly purchased in China by small-business owners in towns and smaller cities, who drive them both to carry supplies for their businesses and to transport their families. .. The minivans have been a big hit, helping G.M. sell more than 170,000 very small vehicles - automobile types not available in the United States - and to pass Volkswagen this year in sales in a market that VW has dominated for two decades. They have helped turn China into G.M.'s biggest center of automotive profit - in contrast to losses in manufacturing operations in the United States - and its second-largest market in terms of the number of vehicles sold, after the United States...

The Chinese government has also encouraged a shift toward more efficient models through stringent fuel-economy regulations, even as Congress has opted for more subsidies for oil production and a limit on hybrid car subsidies .."

SWERA summary:  Good overview of the UNEP/USAID/NREL "Solar and Wind Energy Resource Assessment" project to map renewable energy resources in many developing countries.  www.swera.net has much information, including interactive maps, such as this demo for Sri Lanka.  Project manager listed as Tom Hamlin.

ADB Funds Solar Thermal Power Station in Morocco:  The African Development Bank is lending 136m Euros, and GEF is contributing additional funds.  "It will help raise the installed production capacity of the national electricity authority (ONE) from 200 to 250 MW and to inject about 1,590 GWh into the interconnected system, including 55 GWh from solar energy. ..  The Bank is a major partner of Morocco in the energy sector. It has financed 10 operations (9 projects and 1 study) in the energy sector for a total amount of UA 262.26 million. " Start-up date and duration: February 2005, 4 years.

Fundable: A web site for pooling money in small groups.  "Get it to happen or get your money back."  Could be great for non-profits, open-source coders or freelancers wanting to get paid for making a contribution, fans raising money to fund a concert, bulk buying, school projects, and more.  (How about a private lottery: if we all chip in, one of us gets to go somewhere amazing..) [From Hugh Pyle]

SEFI: UNEP Sustainable Energy Finance Initiative: "SEFI is the UNEP Sustainable Energy Finance Initiative - a platform providing financiers with the tools, support, and global network needed to conceive and manage investments in the complex and rapidly changing marketplace for clean energy technologies.  SEFI's goal is to foster investment in sustainable energy projects by providing up-to-date investor information, facilitating deal origination, developing partnerships, and creating the momentum needed to shift sustainable energy from the margins of energy supply to the mainstream. "  Includes a Sustainable Energy Finance Directory of over 200 organizations. 

Related:  BASE: Basel Agency for Sustainable Energy: "BASE helps to build strategic partnerships between entrepreneurs and financiers to mobilize capital for sustainable energy in both developing and industrialized countries. BASE is a non-profit foundation and UNEP Collaborating Centre."  Offers links to related financing efforts.

Global Village Energy Project: An information hub for sustainable energy in several developing countries.  "GVEP is a voluntary Partnership that brings together developing and industrialized country governments, public and private organizations, multilateral institutions, consumers and others in an effort to ensure access to modern energy services by the poor. "  Currently lists over 400 partners, 80 publications, and services to facilitate project finance.   Started in the World Bank, then shifted to ITDG in the UK.

SWERA assessment of wind and solar in 9 developing countries:  "Thousands of megawatts of new renewable energy potential in Africa, Asia, South and Central America have been discovered by a pioneering project to map the solar and wind resource of 13 developing countries. [Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Cuba, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, Kenya, Nepal, Nicaragua and Sri Lanka]  .. The Solar and Wind Energy Resource Assessment (SWERA), is proving that the potential for deploying solar panels and wind turbines in these countries is far greater than previously supposed.  Since its beginning in 2001 and with substantial support from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the US$9.3 million SWERA project has been developing a range of new information tools to stimulate renewable energy development, including detailed maps of wind and solar resources. [Examples:]

• In Nicaragua, for example, SWERA assessments of wind resources demonstrated a much greater potential than the 200 megawatts (MW) estimated in the 1980s.  The results prompted the Nicaraguan National Assembly to pass the Decree on Promotion of Wind Energy of Nicaragua 2004 that gives wind generated electricity “first dispatch”, meaning it has the first priority over other options when fed into electricity grids. The US Trade and Development Agency and Inter-American Development Bank have subsequently launched [studies and investments]..
• In Guatemala, wind estimates before SWERA were mostly unknown, but are now estimated at 7000 megawatts, based on SWERA products. The Guatemala Ministry of Energy has established, with support from SWERA, the Centre for Renewable Energy and Investment ..
• In Sri Lanka, the SWERA assessment found a land wind power potential of about 26,000 MW representing more than ten times the country’s installed electrical capacity. 
• While an initial assessment in Ghana, reveals more than 2,000 MW of wind energy potential, mainly along the border with Togo.  In Africa, this is quite a significant amount, as by some estimates, the continent needs just 40,000 MW of electricity to power its industrialization."

This is a very cheap project -- under $1m per country -- and could significantly change the way developing countries acquire energy.

Solar Electricity in the Developing World from the Solar Electric Light Fund: SELF is starting reconstruction projects.  In India:  "As the Tsunami emergency relief efforts begin to fade for the ravaged coastal villages along Indian Ocean, new sources of funding for the long term reconstruction and stabilization of home and community rebuilding are urgently needed. To help meet these challenges, and to specifically provide the critical renewable energy infrastructure component, SELF, RenewableEnergyAccess.com, and SELCO, have launched the Tsunami Solar Light Fund to serve the Tamil Nadu region along the southeastern coast of India. The initial project will fund 1,500 solar power systems for homes and 25 solar powered community street lights."   And in Sri Lanka: "SELF and SELCO are teaming with the Rebuild Sri Lanka Solar Initiative, a program of the Rebuild Sri Lanka Trust, to bring immediate relief to the survivors of the Tsunami disaster. With your help, solar technology will be implemented to power hospitals -- enabling the use of lights, medical equipment, and refrigeration for vital medicines and vaccines, as well as for water pumping and purification systems, dramatically decreasing the risk of water-born illnesses and saving thousands of lives."

China's Oil Thirst Could Push It Toward Fuel Efficiency; Eye On Solar And Wind: "Bryant Tong, managing director of privately held Nth Power, a San Francisco-based venture capital firm that invests in energy and tech firms, says China's hunger for oil and other fuels is making its officials aware they need better ways to use and monitor energy. Tong doubles as chairman and president of the nonprofit China/U.S. Energy Efficiency Alliance, a board that advises Chinese officials on how to use energy more efficiently. ..

IBD: What types of technology is China considering to make its energy consumption more efficient?

Tong: The simple answer is products such as energy-efficient commercial lighting, commercial and residential air conditioning, industrial motors and other systems.

IBD: Can China's energy problems be solved just by using such products?

Tong: No. You need to set up an infrastructure that's backed by the right policies and programs. That's where the China/U.S. Energy Efficiency Alliance comes in. We work with other groups, like the National Resources Defense Council, a U.S. think tank, to help Chinese officials pinpoint the best practices and energy-efficient products that have worked in the U.S. ..

IBD: What types of digital and online technology is China eyeing to make energy use more efficient?

Tong: A lot of (it) will be energy monitoring technology. The Internet is a huge enabler to track energy use by factories and citizens. There are new types of sensors to help the Chinese monitor and control energy use.

IBD: What about using solar and wind energy?

Tong: China is looking at different projects in solar and wind. There was a report that GE is selling wind turbines to China. Right now, China's main focus is on more efficient hydro-energy projects. It's mainly dam-type stuff. ..

IBD: What concrete steps has China already taken to curb energy use?

Tong: They've implemented fuel efficiency standards that are tougher on SUVs than in the U.S. China is also on the verge of enacting a fuel oil tax to curb consumption.

IBD: Doesn't China have access to oil reserves in Central Asia and the South China Sea region that can supply more oil and lessen its need to conserve fuel?

Tong: China is a huge net importer of oil. Regardless of what reserves they have, they are importing tremendous amounts of oil, and their projections of what they'll be needing are enormous as well. .. The Chinese people know they are at the beginning of a new era. Growth prospects are enormous, with China leapfrogging Japan last year as the second-largest oil-importing country. They know they have to be fuel efficient."

China's Boom Brings Fear of an Electricity Breakdown: "According to Zhang Jun, a prominent Chinese economist who has made a comparative study of China and India, China consumes 3 times the energy and 15 times the amount of steel as its neighbor, even though the Chinese economy is only roughly twice as large, and is growing only about 10 percent faster than India's.  Part of this picture comes from an intensive focus on manufacturing and exports, which many economists say has led to overindustrialization and empty growth. A lot of the responsibility for wastefulness can be laid to duplication, with each province - and indeed many city governments - simultaneously pushing for the same kind of growth..

"China will definitely be facing a huge, huge challenge in a decade or so if the growth patterns don't change," said Dr. Zhang, who is the director of the China Center for Economic Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai. "Ours is an extreme case of the East Asian model, and we are coming quickly toward the limitations in terms of the way we use energy, in terms of the environment, and even in terms of labor." ..

The toll on China's environment from this growth-at-any-cost strategy has been truly alarming. China's official development goal is to build what the government calls a well-off society by the year 2020, yet today the very growth that makes such dreams permissible has left China with 16 of the world's 20 most polluted cities, according to the World Bank.   Using standards that are relatively lax when compared with those of the United Nations, the Chinese government itself reckons that fewer than half of the country's cities have acceptably breathable air.  The government also says that 90 percent of urban residents face serious water pollution problems. By another estimate, 700 million Chinese must make do with contaminated drinking water. Even the country's seas are increasingly under siege from industrial pollution and are regularly choked by red tide infestations.

If the country's galloping energy needs have caught people's attention throughout China, mobilizing resources to protect the environment has been far more difficult."

China enacts first auto fuel-efficiency standards: Oct 2004: "China has introduced its first fuel-efficiency standards for passenger cars, moving to control soaring oil consumption and ensure foreign automakers share their latest technology, the government said Friday. .. Initially some foreign carmakers opposed the plans, fearing the added costs of compliance. Foreign manufacturers have also urged China to force suppliers to clean up the substandard diesel and gasoline fuel now sold throughout the country, complaining that bad fuel ruins high-tech engines. ..

Though not particularly stringent, the new requirements are stricter than U.S. standards, which haven't been updated for more than 20 years, [Energy Foundation official] Yang noted. American fuel efficiency standards are calculated using the average fuel use of the entire fleet sold by an automaker. In China, similar to Japan, the standards require that each model sold meet the criteria, Yang said.  The first phase of the standards will be implemented from July 2005, with a stricter second phase from 2008 for new models introduced to China, the research center said. "

China - US Energy Efficiency Alliance: "As a coalition between governments, businesses and NGOs, the China-U.S. Energy Efficiency Alliance will be helping China to fuel its economic growth by tapping the highly cost-effective option of energy efficiency. In partnership with the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Alliance has been invited by governments in China, such as Shanghai and Jiangsu, to provide regulatory consultation and training assistance. The assistance will help these governments transfer and adopt effective programs to quickly realize the benefits of energy efficiency. " Interesting public-private effort.  Supported by Environmental Entrepreneurs (e2.org) and NRDC.

A related effort, also based in San Francisco: EF China: "In March 1999, after a series of meetings and consultations with scientists, policy-makers, business leaders, and analysts in China and the United States, the staff and boards of The David and Lucile Packard Foundation and The Energy Foundation launched the China Sustainable Energy Program. The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation joined as a funding partner in 2002. The program's mission is: To assist in China's transition to a sustainable energy future by promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy. "

14 CDM projects in the Philippines: "The Philippines is ready to participate in the “clean development mechanism” under the Kyoto Protocol and 14 CDM-eligible projects have been identified for endorsement to investors, Environment Secretary Michael T. Defensor said on Wednesday.  These projects are meant to limit emissions of ozone-depleting greenhouse gases while promoting sustainable development. .. “Three [projects] have already been endorsed to the World Bank Prototype Carbon Financing,” Defensor said .. Bangui’s 25-megawatt (MW) North Wind Project, Victoria’s 50-MW cogeneration project, and First Farmers’s 30-MW cogeneration project. "

Kyoto Protocol means green energy projects for India: "The Kyoto Protocol will bring into force a clean development mechanism (CDM) wherein developed nations would be able to trade part of their commitment to reducing greenhouse gasses by buying green energy credit from projects in developing countries like India. .. So far the government has endorsed 46 out of the 150 projects submitted for CDM credit to help them earn extra dollars.  Every tonne of carbon dioxide reduction through use of clean technology like wind, hydropower and biodegradable waste can fetch anywhere from $5-$6.

In the case of projects that reduce emission of methane gas, generated from municipal waste, the returns are expected to be 20 times more, while in the case of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which is 6,000 times more harmful than carbon dioxide, the returns are proportionately higher.

"With the carbon trading mechanism expected to bring in anywhere between five and six paise per unit of clean power generated to as much as 50-60 paise per unit, green energy will now be a profitable venture," Mathur told IANS.  [Ajay Mathur, president and CEO of Senergy Global, formerly with World Bank]

He cited the example of how Gujarat Fluorochemicals Ltd, by investing in a project to burn the HFCs being emitted into the air, is now getting revenue that will soon pay off its investment while helping to clean environment pollution. Gujarat Fluorochemicals was one of the first projects to be certified for CDM by Britain.

All clean energy projects that have been commissioned after January 2000 are eligible for certified carbon trading.  India has emerged as the largest supplier of projects followed by Brazil. China is expected to enter the market soon, with a difference, as the Chinese government would sell the emission reduction credits through mega projects, said Mathur.

"In the 46 projects that have been endorsed so far, there is no foreign funding upfront. But there are contracts in place that will bring in extra revenue apart from the income the project would have anyway generated," said Mathur, who is a key member of the Indian Carbon Market Group. ..

Over the next few years till 2012, the first phase of commitment for developed nations under the Kyoto Protocol, an estimated two to three billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions is to be reduced through energy efficiency, clean technology and other project like afforestation.

"These efforts are expected to generate around $12-$15 billion additional revenues for new clean energy projects. This should leverage investments of over $100-150 billion in clean energy globally. Given the present trend, India can expect at least one-third of the estimated investments," said Mathur.

An important facet of the CDM is it would help promote waste management projects on the lines of the Lucknow, Hyderabad and Chennai experiments to generate power from municipal waste.  This would not only help tackle growing mounds of biodegradable city waste but also reduce methane emission."

News: "The Asian Development Bank will introduce a new five-year loan programme for Pakistan and other member countries from 2006. Pakistan is expected to receive about $1 billion loans per year from the bank under the new programme, ADB Country Director in Pakistan Marshuk Shah said... in the coming two years, his bank would provide $500 million for transmission, distribution and renewable energy projects in Pakistan besides $200 million for wind, solar and other resources of alternative and renewable energy."

WorldChanging: Nanotechnology and the Developing World:  "the Global Dialogue on Nanotechnology and the Poor [is] a project intended to trigger a conversation about the ways in which nanotechnology can be applied to the problems of development and poverty. Anyone may participate .."  SciDevNet covers the conference and has an introduction to the material.   The 29-page report covers risks as well as benefits, with a useful appendix showing the UN Millenium Goals for reference.

This has been a major interest of mine since 2000.  The bottom line for me came down to two things:  nano-engineered materials for energy and water.  Nanotech's first fruits are a new universe of materials with electrical and chemical properties that will offer new options to engineers of all goods, including those meeting basic needs.  It's like plastics a century ago; we're at the start of a decades-long absorbtion of new possibilities, both good and bad.  This time the changes will come faster, sped up by computer-aided design and manufacturing.   (Nano-assembly, whenever it arrives, will only further add to the changes.) 

For developing countries, the key benefits are in the basics for manufacturing and urban life.

• purified or desalinated water
• distributed electric generation and new options for fuel, ideally from renewable sources with hydrogen and/or battery storage of power
• more efficient use of energy and materials overall 

I think this will be on balance good for the environment, in its greater material efficiency.  However, nano-engineered materials will also be applied to increase the efficiency of raw material extraction, such as taking fossil fuels from the earth faster and cheaper.  It will also give rise to more extravagant ways to use energy in the developed world, perhaps super-sonic transport, large-scale military applications, or ever-larger interiors for housing and commerce.  I am optimistic that enough funding and volunteer attention will be given to pollution-reducing and poverty-alleviating applications to tip the balance.  (I think that the top-down and exploitative applications have been refined so much already, that it's probably easier for researchers and innovators to have a big impact in the less-explored sustainable applications.)

Chilean Pigs Cut Emissions, Helps Japan, Canada: "In this case, a Chilean pork producer is eliminating methane fumes from animal waste and selling the resulting "credits" to Japanese and Canadian utilities, requiring that much less of them as they reduce carbon dioxide emissions at their coal- and oil-burning power plants. ..

Industrial pork operations usually collect excrement in pits where it decomposes naturally, emitting methane into the open air. But Chilean food producer AgroSuper, spotting the Kyoto opportunity, installed $30 million in technology to handle the waste of 100,000 pigs, covering pits with vast plastic sheets and drawing off the methane, some to flare, some to use in generators to power farm operations.

Though less prevalent than carbon dioxide, methane is a more potent greenhouse gas. Each ton of contained methane earns AgroSuper some 20 "CERs" - certified emission reductions equivalent to 20 tons of carbon dioxide. The Chilean agribusiness will divide 400,000 CERs per year for nine years between the Japanese and Canadian companies. Wharton estimated this would meet 10 percent of TransAlta's needs for reductions. A credit currently sells on the new European carbon market for about $10...

A firm called CO2e ("carbon dioxide equivalent"), a subsidiary of the New York financial house Cantor Fitzgerald, brokered the AgroSuper deal and is developing another involving Brazilian power plants using sugar cane, a renewable fuel less carbon-heavy than coal or oil. China, meanwhile, is working to qualify more than 500 projects for salable credits.

Environmentalists worry that a flood of questionable projects may win U.N. certification as Kyoto comes into force in 2005... Santiago lawyer Sergio Vives, who helped negotiate the AgroSuper deal, defends it as a real reduction. "It's quite clear they probably wouldn't have gone ahead with this technology" - and methane would still rise into the atmosphere - "without an incentive like the CDM," he said. ..

A Florida-based firm, AgCert, is installing methane-capture technology at 30 pig farms in Brazil. In one Brazilian state alone, Minas Gerais, 3.4 million pigs produce 7 million tons of waste per year - a lot to work with to keep lights burning in the credits-hungry north"

Distributed generation for development: Nature article endorses the idea. "The desire to mitigate climate change, and opportunities to empower consumers in the developed and developing worlds, all point towards a need for less-centralized energy generation. .. But for the 2 billion people without electricity, micropower could let them leapfrog the grid. Just as countries that had never seen an expensive copper telephone network jumped straight to mobile phones, so decentralized generation technologies offer the chance for them to leapfrog the grid and prosper. That was the take-home message from a meeting of energy companies, researchers and policy makers in Paris" in Feb 2004.  World Energy Technologies Summit Presentations are online.

Solar plan for Indian computers:  "Authorities in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh have drawn up a pilot project to use solar power to run computers in village schools.  Nearly 80% of houses are estimated to have no power, and many villages suffer frequent disruption in supply because of power cuts or other faults.   Many have to use kerosene lamps for light and most government-run primary schools have no power at all."  There is rural experience with solar for other purposes, such as battery charging and water pumps.  "Last year 109 solar pumps were installed, but the administration now aims to install 400 in 2004. "

Compact refrigeration technology:  "Twinbird Corporation are in the final stage of the development work on the Free Piston Stirling Cooler "FPSC-TB40" and expects to have market ready products in Fiscal Year 2003. The TB40 has significant differences to the conventional Rankine compressor or Peltier (thermoelectric) module type refrigeration systems. It is a new type of refrigeration system that uses neither ozone depleting nor global warming gas and no lubrication oil. The cooling technique is based on the Stirling cycle for maximum efficiency. Aside from being environmentally friendly, the unit is also compact, light weight and may be operated on many different power sources such as AC or DC electricity and photovoltaics."  Could prove very useful in developing country or off-grid conditions with variable DC power (e.g., solar cells).

Kenya: Duo Taps Wind Power [via Alternative Energy Blog]: Entrepreneurs have developed a low-cost locally-assembled micro wind turbine for household power.  "Kenyan duo Philip Osula and Mwacharo Guyo have installed wind-powered electricity generators in various homes in Nairobi, Mandera, Olengurueni and Taita in the last three years.. Using a simple dynamo-like appliance, the technicians coil a coated wire around a revolving magnet, which induces an alternating current into the wires once it starts rotating. "We make the turbines using waste material which includes wood and fibreglass, which makes them light for easy rotation by wind," explains Osula. "  It is described as having a 10 inch diameter and 3 kw capacity.

Winning the Oil Endgame: RMI's latest book on energy futures.  "Winning the Oil Endgame offers a coherent strategy for ending oil dependence, starting with the United States but applicable worldwide. There are many analyses of the oil problem. This synthesis is the first roadmap of the oil solution -- one led by business for profit, not dictated by government for reasons of ideology. This roadmap is independent, peer-reviewed, written for business and military leaders, and co-funded by the Pentagon"

BBC NEWS on distributed micropower: Nice review of various small-scale technologies.  Interesting figure: "ground source heat pumps extract stored solar energy from the ground to run a home's central heating, and can cost as little as an oil-fired boiler to install. Widely used in the rural US, they produce three or four units of heat for every unit of electricity they use, and can be reversed to provide cooling."  I wonder if new materials for the underground piping can make the energy transfer more efficient, reducing the installation costs of these heat pumps.

DOE AND OPIC Form Partnership to Promote Environmentally Sound Economic Development in Emerging Markets: "Under this agreement, both agencies will work to create an Efficient Energy and Renewables Program focused on innovative financing and creative partnerships that will lead to environmentally-sound economic growth in developing countries throughout the world.   .. , DOE and OPIC are currently engaged in an effort to gather information regarding wind and efficiency opportunities in developing countries to determine the most promising targets for investment. "

Cane waste into electricity: "Cogeneration from bagasse could supply 25% of power in cane-producing countries, according to a report from the World Alliance for Decentralized Energy.  The overall potential share in the world’s major developing country producers exceeds 7%, but no more than 15% of this potential has yet been realized, says the report, ‘Bagasse Cogeneration - Global Review & Potential.’ Bagasse cogeneration describes the use of fibrous sugarcane waste to cogenerate heat and electricity at high efficiency in sugar mills.

“The critical condition for the full exploitation of this major opportunity is that mill owners should be able to secure competitive rates for the electricity they supply to the grid or to other power consumers,” it explains. “Currently, these buyback rates only rarely reflect the fair value of the electricity to the system - disincentivising producers and preventing high efficiency cogeneration plants from being optimally sized to meet heat demand.”
The issue is being addressed in parts of India, where the introduction of biomass feed-in tariffs are ensuring that the external benefits of bagasse cogeneration are recognised by markets. The cost burden to India will be reduced by almost US$1 billion a year through a buyback rate of 7¢/kWh.. "  The Kyoto CDM is seen as a financing mechanism for these plants.

Global Village Energy Project: GVEP is a partnership of UNDP, World Bank, donor governements and NGOs for sustainable rural energy development.  ITDG – the Intermediate Technology Development Group – is the new host for the GVEP Technical Secretariat.  The site has a useful database of documents and pointers on renewable energy work around the world.   They participate in several EU programs on RE.  A brief 2003 survey of 9 related programs is online.

Solar lanterns to light up 1,000 villages:  A product that is getting more popular in developing countries.  "As many as 660.000 houses in 1,000 villages in the State will get at least one solar-powered lantern as part of a `self-village energy security programme' involving the State Government and the Union Ministry for Non-conventional Energy Sources (MNES). This is part of a scheme to electrify `remote' hamlets using renewable energy..  The 1,000-village electrification project would cost Rs. 100 crores ($20 m). The MNES would provide 90 per cent of the funds and the State the rest. The project is to be facilitated by Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Ltd. (KREDL). The Managing Director of KREDL, B. Shivalingaiah, said the organisation was identifying the 1,000 villages. Villagers would initially have to pay Rs. 40 to Rs. 50 a month under the scheme, he said. "

Technology already exists to stabilize global warming: Article published in Science identifies portfolio of options to cut emissions now.  They refer to a stabilization triangle composed of emission reduction wedges:  "Keeping emissions flat for 50 years will require trimming projected carbon output by roughly 7 billion tons per year by 2054, keeping a total of ~175 billion tons of carbon from entering the atmosphere [graphed as a triangle]. We refer to this carbon savings as the "stabilization triangle."

To keep pace with global energy needs at the same time, the world must find energy technologies that emit little to no carbon, plus develop the capacity for carbon storage. Many strategies available today can be scaled up to reduce emissions by at least 1 billion tons of carbon per year by 2054. We call this reduction a "wedge" of the triangle. By embarking on several of these wedge strategies now, the world can take a big bite out of the carbon problem instead of passing the whole job on to future generations. "

Economist on Prahalad:  Good short review.  "To be profitable, firms cannot simply edge down market fine-tuning the products they already sell to rich customers. Instead, they must thoroughly re-engineer products to reflect the very different economics of BOP [the bottom of the pyramid]: small unit packages, low margin per unit, high volume. Big business needs to swap its usual incremental approach for an entrepreneurial mindset, because BOP markets need to be built not simply entered. Products will have to be made available in affordable units -- most sales of shampoo in India, for example, are of single sachets. Distribution networks may need to be rethought, not least to involve entrepreneurs from among the poor. Customers may need to be educated in how to consume, and even why -- about credit, say, or even about the benefits of washed hands. The corruption now widespread in poor countries must be tackled (about which Mr Prahalad has penned a particularly useful chapter). "

Tidal Flow To Power New York City: Excellent summary of tidal flow power from Roland Piquepaille.  The lead story is about a NY installation:  "Verdant Power, an energy company based in Arlington, Virginia, plans to plunge six electricity turbines into the East River. If the $4.5-million project is successful, the generators will form the first farm of tide-powered turbines in the world. The plan is to attach the machines, which look like small wind turbines, to concrete piles hammered into the bedrock nine metres below the river's surface. As the tide surges in and out, the heads pivot to face the current and the blades spin."

World Bank rejects reforms in extractive industries:  "The World Bank group rejected moves towards phasing out investment in oil and coal mining, as recommended by its own extractive industries review, this week, despite releasing a statement saying that it "broadly agreed that it [the review] represented a balanced way forward for the Bank Group." .. The Bank is also seeking to scale up its activities in the renewable energy sector by 20% annually over the next five years, bringing investment to more than US$400 million per year. This target will also be reviewed on a regular basis. It compares to an estimated annual investment of US$3 billion in fossil fuels. "  The World Wildlife Fund and others criticized the move.  "WWF says the Bank is missing “a historic opportunity to show real leadership and help guide the developing world towards a truly sustainable and clean energy future.” It wants the Bank to allocate at least $800 million of its $3 billion annual energy budget to renewables and energy efficiency, and to increase that level by 20% a year over the next five years. " The WB spin (World Bank Accepts New Oil, Gas Lending Controls) emphasises the changes in banking rules they are adopting, which basically require more reporting on where the money goes.  Full text of EIR and supporting documents are online.

Low-income villages get renewables in the Philippines: Interesting model for low income energy projects, incorporating lessons from earlier efforts.  "Eight off-grid villages in the Negros Occidental region of the central Philippines will benefit from a grant of US$1.5 million to install renewable energy systems.  The ADB (Asian Development Bank) will provide the money from its Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction, which is financed by the Japanese government. The project is the sixth JFPR project in the Philippines, which have included urban development projects for slum communities in Manila to livelihood projects for the rural poor in Mindanao.

This community-based project will set up solar, wind, biomass and micro hydro systems for 2,480 residents who depend on kerosene, batteries and candles for energy. One-third of the villagers live below the regional poverty threshold of 27¢ per day, and the project was approved because of its creation of livelihood opportunities..  To mobilize the participating communities, sitios or barangays will be organized into power associations and a funds collection mechanism will be set up to operate and maintain the renewable energy systems. 

A revolving fund will be established so lighting, tools and equipment can be installed and homes can connect to the green power systems. A second revolving fund will promote activities which consume the power, such as community-owned rice mills to increase rice production, ice plants for cold storage of fish products, purchase of small power tools and sewing machines for home-based work, and skills development and on-site training.  After the four-year assistance period ends, the project will be turned over to the communities to take responsibility for operating and maintaining the renewable energy systems ..

JFPR was launched in 2000 with an initial contribution of $90 million, followed by another contribution of $155 million and a commitment of $50 million. The fund supports projects that target the poor and take innovative approaches."

Identifying Environmentally Preferable uses for Biomass Resources: A study of North American biomass resources and their comparative effects on greenhouse emissions.  Recommendations:

1. If biomass is specifically grown to produce energy, avoid using low-yielding energy crops. Wheat, canola, or corn should not be used as energy crops, as they require considerable energy inputs in the form of fertilizer etc., take up prime farmland, and deliver small yields per hectare. Switchgrass or wood from short-rotation forestry (e.g., poplar or willow) should be used to produce energy.
2. Use biomass waste and energy crops where they displace fuels with high carbon
   content. Combined heat and power, or the production of either biofuels or hydrogen are preferred over electricity-only options, since electricity production will usually replace relatively efficient natural gas burning.
3. Landfilling and incineration are the best options to minimize GHG emissions from municipal solid waste. While landfilling with efficient gas collection is slightly preferred over incineration.  Composting is not recommended due to the considerable methane emissions from pockets of anaerobic activity.
4. Do not produce biodiesel from virgin vegetable oils. Available land can be used more efficiently by growing other crops for energy purposes. However, waste oil and fat should be used to make either biodiesel, or a diesel additive.
5. If the ultimate goal is to displace a maximum quantity of fossil fuels, combined heat and power systems are the preferable biomass use option. 

Intelligent Energy Demonstrates Fuel Cell for Rural Electrification in Latin America: "Intelligent Energy Inc. says it has completed trials of its ethanol-based fuel cell technology system, showing that sufficient electricity can be generated for a rural home from equipment little larger than a shoebox, using fuel derived from sugar cane. ..

Intelligent Energy is engaged in a partner program in Argentina, Brazil and Mexico which is focused on providing rural and urban electricity solutions.  Dr. Eduardo Torres Serra of CEPEL, Brazil's premier energy research laboratory, which is currently engaged in research aimed at rural and peri-urban electrification, witnessed the operation of Intelligent Energy's fully integrated ethanol-in to electricity-out system. He commented: "The Intelligent Energy system is at the cutting edge of technology, it is very compact and extremely impressive."

Making the announcement today, Intelligent Energy's Chairman, former Chairman of Shell, Sir John Jennings, said: "This successful demonstration is an important part of our expanding strategy to accelerate market acceptance of fuel cell technology as an alternative power source. " The company has interesting people from the conventional energy business, and materials that emphasize developing countries.  They appear to proceed by acquisition of companies with promising technology, from fuel source to power output.

Jatropha plant yields biodiesel: "DaimlerChrysler is launching a new public-private joint enterprise in India for the production of environment-friendly biodiesel that can be used to power Mercedes vehicles. .. The project is setting out to test the production of biodiesel from Jatropha plants on eroded ground and its preparation for subsequent use in internal combustion engines.

With the establishment of this plantation, wind erosion will be alleviated and the roots of the plants will help reduce water erosion. The biscuits created as a byproduct of the oil extraction make an excellent organic fertilizer that helps improve the quality of the soil. It is envisaged that the plantations will later be operated by the municipal authorities.

Jatropha biodiesel is characterized by particularly favorable ignition performance. It also contains no sulfur and is thus a clean, low-emission fuel. .. Jatropha grows wild in many areas of India and even thrives on infertile soil. A good crop can be obtained with little effort. " 

The Austrian Biofuels Institute provided a note on a field test of the fuel in 2004, with some into on its development since 1996.

New Solar Tent Prototypes for US Army (June 16, 2004):   "Iowa Thin Film Technologies, Inc., has completed the development of integrated solar technology for three Army tent prototypes. The tents integrate the company's PowerFilm® flexible solar panels directly with the tent fabric. Iowa Thin Film Technologies says that it is the only company in the world that has developed this fabric integration solar technology."  Could be equally useful during disasters or in refugee camps.

WRI Conference: Eradicating Poverty through Profit: Dec 12-14, 2004, San Francisco.  Program lists presenters and tracks on Connectivity, Energy and Agriculture, among other topics.

Sustainable Resources:  "An International Forum Connecting People with Hands-on Solutions to World Poverty."  Boulder CO, Sept 30 - Oct 2, 2004 (plus pre- and post-conference workshops).  Keynotes by John Todd, A.T. Ariyaratne, William McDonough.

Unfortunately, it overlaps with Engineers for a Sustainable World - 2004 National Conference, Stanford CA, Sept 30-October 2, 2004.  Keynotes by William McDonough (busy guy!), and Jeffrey Sachs.

What is an AGM battery: Background on absorbed glass mat battery products. In this battery design, acid is completely absorbed into microfiber glass mat separators which are sandwiched between lead plates and typically wound in coils. Advantages:

• totally sealed and maintenance free design
• more heat and vibration resistant
• slower self discharge rate (longer shelf life). A wet battery discharges 15% a month, some AGM batteries discharge only 2-3% a month, so 6 months idle is no problem

Many vendors are online.

VentureBlog: Tapping The Trillion Dollar Market: "Hard-headed venture investors have suddenly become environmentalists; there's money to be made in saving the world. .. Investing in the area has been growing more than 8% a year. After several false starts in the late 80's and mid 90's, is now the time to invest in alternative energy?"  The author notes that "The California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) launched a new investment program that will invest up to $200 million in the burgeoning environmental technology sector during the next few years [that] will target investments in environmental technology solutions .. such as recycling; minimizing the use of natural resources; and reducing emissions, refuse, and contamination to air, water, and land."  It is part of a larger "plan to invest $1.5 billion of the state's pension funds in environmental technologies. State Treasurer Phil Angelides said the "Green Wave" initiative is aimed at helping the state improve financial returns, generate jobs and clean up the environment.  "I want to see California in the best position to reap the benefits of this growing sector of the global economy," Angelides said in an interview. The California Public Employees' Retirement System, the nation's largest pension fund, voted in March to invest $200 million in clean technology startups, and agreed this month to pump $500 million into environmentally responsible stocks and mutual funds."

China grows solar-cell production: "Mainland China will enter the top 5 countries with the largest output of solar cells next year.. The total capacity of the mainland's solar-cell industry doubled to 30MW last year.. [forecasting] 60MW this year.

Of over 30 solar-cell manufacturers in the mainland, about 6 have large-scale operations. .. The central government has allocated Rmb10 billion ($1.21 billion at Rmb8.28:$1) for the adoption of solar and wind energy for power generation in remote areas of West China. ..

At present, local solar cell manufacturers focus on improving the efficiency of their solar cells. The converting efficiency of Suntech Power's mono- and polycrystalline silicon solar cells range between 16 to 16.5 percent and 15 to 15.5 percent, respectively. Guan says the company plans to upgrade efficiency by 1 percent annually in the next several years."

Combining Renewable Energy With Information And Communication Technologies: a New Solution to Rural Poverty And Global Competitiveness: Nice to see a UN panel endorsing the concept:  "Combining the use of renewable energy, such as solar power, with wireless technologies and energy efficient computers should be a key strategy for developing nations in addressing the rural development crisis and in improving global competitiveness. This was the central conclusion of the Task Force for ICT Applications of Renewable Energy for Sustainable Development (IRESD), initiated two years ago in Paris, where the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Division of Technology Industry and Economics is headquartered.

The Task Force found a number of successful renewable energy and ICT projects in rural areas around the world, but points out that a variety of issues still need to be addressed in order for these examples to become more generally adopted. In particular, the group says that governments need to create incentives for using renewable energies, reduce the regulatory barriers for private networks to obtain connectivity, such as through tax incentives, and sanction the use of license-free radio spectrum. ..

Members of the Task Force [include] energy, ICT and development experts and include representatives from the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Switzerland; Winrock International, USA; Massachussettes Institute of Technology (MIT), USA; Kumasi Institute of Technology and Environment (KITE), Ghana; United Nations Industrial Development Organization; an independent consultant Mark A. Foster (MAFA), USA; and Mike Jensen, South Africa."

Gapminder world statistics: Interesting source of software, data, and documents on international development, including income distribution and historical trends.

Lights Go Out for South Africa Off-Grid Energy Projects: "[The SA] government is reviewing its off-grid renewable energy programme after finding that it does not meet targets; the technology is too costly and it lacks acceptance among intended users.   This means that the provision of electricity to remote areas, especially using solar energy technology, will be halted while government seeks other sources of power.

Long distances from existing power grids and the inaccessibility of some areas make connections to electricity supply an expensive exercise. This is why renewable energy was explored as an alternative. In 1999 about 300000 rural households were identified for a pilot solar system. The aim was to connect them over a 10-year period. The minerals and energy department says the failure of contractors to meet their targets and the failure of the technology to meet the needs of rural people "gives doubts about its sustainability".

Nelisiwe Magubane, the deputy director-general responsible for electricity and nuclear energy at the department, says the six companies contracted to install the solar systems managed to deliver only 8000 units in 18 months. The target was 60 000 units 10000 for each company. The companies were EDF/Total, Eskom/Shell, Nuon/Raps, Solar Vision, Renewable Energies Africa, and BP.

Magubane says that of the R105m allocated to the project, the contractors spent only R20m by August last year. The remaining R85m has been taken back by the treasury, which demands that all unspent funds be returned so that they can be allocated to better-performing projects.  [State power utility] Eskom is also considering withdrawing from the project because it believes it is not viable.

The power utility and other companies complained about nonpayment from users and vandalism of solar systems. High maintenance costs and the replacement of batteries every other three to years, at the company's cost, compounds the problem. ..

Minerals and Energy Minister Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka told Parliament last year that 1740 nongrid systems were installed in rural households in 2002. About 77000 grid connections were also made in these areas.

Mlambo-Ngcuka said her department, with the assistance of the World Bank and the Prototype Carbon Fund, would this year begin to promote [grid-connected] renewable energy electrification generation. "The target is an additional 1000gW- hours of energy consumed by 2013, which will be achieved through renewable energy generation and other sources such as biodiesel, solar water heating, solar photovoltaic, and solar design in housing."

The increasing demand for electricity and environmental imperatives also prompted Eskom to explore an energy mix of hydro power, natural gas, and other renewable energy sources.  Eskom says that by 2012 at least 5% of the power it generates will be from renewable sources. To this end, the company has budgeted about R60m on wind farming, R9m on solar power, R1m on biopower and R500000 in wave power."

BP awards $1.95 million to Stanford University's Program on Energy and Sustainable Development: "The BP Foundation awarded a three-year, $1.95 million gift to Stanford University for a research program to support the Program on Energy and Sustainable Development at the Stanford Institute for International Studies (SIIS). With the gift, the BP Foundation joins the Electric Power Research Institute in Palo Alto, Calif., as a core sponsor of the program. "This new partnership with BP will accelerate research in several areas, including the design and operation of market-based policies to address the threats of global warming," said Program Director David Victor. "

WorldWater News Sept 2003: "Ronda, Cebu, Philippines, will inaugurate the world’s first solar powered, prepaid municipal water distribution system .. For the first time, a municipal water distribution system utilizes smart card technology as a financing solution for community water production and to remove problems associated with the payment collection process. The Ronda system uses WorldWater’s proprietary AquaCard™ (Smart Card) debit card system, which operates directly with WorldWater’s AquaMeter™ solar pumping stations throughout the community. The project was made possible by a commercial loan from the Philippine National Bank (PNB), and required no special subsidies or grants.  “This is one of the first times that PNB has been able to lend to a municipality the size of Ronda,” said Worldwater (Phils.) President John Herrman. “The bank’s willingness is based on the collection security of the ‘AquaCard™,’ which enables the community to recover its costs and pay off the loan.” .. Water purchased from the AquaMeter™ is not only clean, but is also significantly less expensive than water purchased from other sources. "

Australian Company Solar Powers Mobile Phone Network in Oman: Nice pictures.  Similar story on the company's site with a South Pacific Island satellite station: "Tokelau is a New Zealand dependency situated about 10 degrees south of the equator in the South Pacific, approximately 400km North of Western Samoa. The 3 main islands in the group comprise of Atafu, Fakaofo and Nukunonu. The location of Tokelau, remote even by South Pacific island standards, has meant that the local Government has had to rely on diesel generator sets for the provision of power, which presents big problems due to irregular shipping and handling of diesel fuel in drums through the shallow waters. The Telecommunication Tokelau Corporation (Tele Tok) recently turned to Solar Sales Pty. Ltd. for expanding their already existing solar power installations on all 3 islands. "  Solar Sales is located near Perth, Australia.

BP donation to India via BASE: "BP Solar USA is donating over $1 million worth of solar modules to BASE (Basel Agency for Sustainable Energy), who in turn are dispatching them to rural and semi-rural areas of India where over 60 per cent of the population is without electricity. The solar systems will be used for water pumping, lighting and for powering telecommunications services including cyber cafes."  Contact info for BASE director provided in the article.

E7 Renewables reports: "The e7, an organization of nine leading electricity companies, has released two new reports that share the companies knowledge in understanding and helping to remove barriers to the diffusion of renewable energy technologies and the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). The first report, Renewable Energy Technology Diffusion, .. presents guidelines to help individual stakeholders execute the focused, committed actions necessary to address microbarriers, and recommendations to guide the broad, coordinated initiatives that are appropriate to address macrobarriers.

The Human Footprint: Neat maps of the spread of human actiivty.

Energy Efficient System for Desalination of Sea-water: "Clean water is becoming scarce and until now the cost of desalination has been a barrier to exploiting seawater. However, a Danish company, HOH Water Supply (HOH), specialising in water technology, has overcome this barrier and invented a new method, which halves the energy consumption of desalination plants. The method, based on existing membrane technology, makes it possible to recycle 95% of the pressure used for pumping sea water through the membrane system. Thus the energy consumption at the desalination plant's pumps and operations are cut from about 7 kWh/m3 of water to 3-4 kWh/m3 of desalinated water. The new Energy Recovery System (ERS) has been developed by an independent engineer in co-operation with HOH. "

DIY Solar Electricity: Kits of micro-PV for battery charging a