6/09
Read in this issue:
Number one in North America - The province of Ontario has passed feed-in rates for renewables
Offshore inland - Stockholm’s ambitious climate targets
How can we tighten our carbon belts? - The editorial staff at new energy went on a carbon diet
One step forward, two steps back - Australia hopes to have 20 percent renewables and a carbon trading system
Energy News
6| News: Feed-in rates for California and Slovakia, new targets and tariffs in China, political change in Tokyo, and Italian wind farms confiscated.
15| Events
16| EREC:
What is the next step in Brussels? A comment on Europe’s grid demands, and the EU building directive calls for zero-energy construction.
_Energy Politics
20| Attempting the impossible
Although Berlin’s center-right government, which has close ties to large power providers, announced a one-piece energy policy, it simultaneously made agreements to expand both renewable and fossil fuel plants.
_Country markets
22| Number one in North America
The province of Ontario has passed feed-in rates for renewables and set far-reaching goals for green energy.
27| “We have something very unique,”
says CanWEA president Robert Hornung about the opportunities and diffculties that the wind sector faces under Ontario’s new Green Energy Act.
28| Offshore inland
Covered with forest, Sweden will soon also have to be covered with wind turbines if it is going to reach Stockholm’s ambitious climate targets. Sweden is already a leader in bioenergy, both for electricity and wood heat.
32| “We have no capacity problems,”
says Sture Larsson technical director of Svenska Kraftnät.
_Dossier
34| The carbon diet
The global climate is in danger. The 1-ton CO2 society could be the answer. But getting there will be tough, as new energy discovered in practice.
41| “Flying leaves people speechless,”
warns Hans Hertle, the inventor of Germany’s best known carbon calculator, and he explains how people can nonetheless help protect the climate.
46| Fight for the skies
The climate debate is heating up in the U.S. Will Obama succeed in pushing through a federal law?
50| Canada’s dark side
The exploitation of oil sands is driving up Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions.
54| One step forward, two steps back
For years, Australia has refused to lower its carbon emissions. Under Kevin Rudd’s administration, it now hopes to have 20 percent renewables and a carbon trading system.
_Business
58| Stimulus funds boost lending
A few projects vie for a smaller amount of equity, leaving the supply –demand balance roughly the way it was before the crisis.
62| Little to celebrate
Banks are still reluctant to sign loans, making it hard to fnance wind farms. But sometimes development banks can help.
66| Siemens goes solar
First wind, now CSP. Siemens has paid a large sum for Solel and now hopes to become the market leader.
67| “It’s a perfect fit,”
says Rène Umlauft, Director of the renewable energy division at Siemens, of the acquisition.
_Wind power
68| Changing ships
The wind sector needs better crane ships to set up offshore turbines in ever deeper water.
72| Islands of insight
Germany’s three research platforms Fino I-III present results.
_Solar Power
76| Who’s not playing fair?
At PV Sec and Hamburg, the German solar industry had a few innovations to show for itself despite the ferce competition from China.
80| “China is our workbench,”
says Martin Green, chief solar researcher at the renowned University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.
84| Inverting Business
SMA leads the pack with mass-produced inverters.
_Bio Power
86| Biofuels off to sputtering start
Second-generation biofuels have not been making headlines lately. Choren will be launching production in 2010 – after quite a delay.
90| Green coal
Half of all wood pellets were used to generate electricity in central power lants in 2008. This trend is increasing demand.
94| Company directory
98| Addresses