Renewables show strong performance

13 July 2011 – 

UN-backed report shows strong performance by renewable energy sector

The renewable energy sector has continued to perform well despite the global economic slowdown, cuts in incentives, and low natural-gas prices, according to a United Nations-backed report unveiled today, which shows that the sector supplied an estimated 16 per cent of global energy last year.

The sector also delivered close to 20 per cent of the world’s electricity production, according to the report commissioned by the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21), whose secretariat is supported by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

“The global performance of renewable energy despite headwinds has been a positive constant in turbulent times,” said Mohamed El-Ashry, Chairman of REN21’s Steering Committee. “Today, more people than ever before derive energy from renewables as capacity continues to grow, prices continue to fall, and shares of global energy from renewable energy continue to increase.”

Global solar power generation doubled last year compared to the previous year, thanks to government incentive programmes and the continued fall in the price of Photovoltaic (PV) solar panels, according to the “Renewables 21: Global Status Report.”

Germany installed more PV in 2010 than the entire world added in 2009. PV markets in Japan and the United States almost doubled relative to 2009.

Globally, wind power added the most new capacity, followed by hydropower and solar PV, but for the first time ever, Europe added more PV than wind capacity.

Renewable energy policies continue to be the main driver of the renewable energy growth, according to the report. By early this year, at least 119 countries had some type of policy target or renewable support policy at the national level, more than doubling from 55 countries in early 2005. More than half of those countries are in the developing world. full article http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=39024&Cr=renewable+energy&Cr1=

 

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Harvesting Solar power inplace of crops

by Keely Chalmers, KGW Staff

Posted on July 1, 2011 at 4:57 PM

AURORA, Ore. -- A new kind of cash-generating crop is popping up in Clackamas County; it's not grapes or berries, but solar power.

This past week the largest ground-mounted solar farm in the region went on line at the 88-acre Lever Family Farm in Aurora.

“It's been in potatoes, it’s been in cucumbers, it’s been in flax seed,” Carrie Jo Vincent said of the farm's many other crops.

Vincent's father first purchased the land in the 1970’s. But recently the family decided to add another renewable resource to their acreage.

This one will generate twice as much revenue as traditional agricultural crops, will keep with the family's "green" way of thinking and will add a new element to the landscape.

“It’s totally different,” Vincent said.

Where there was once grass seed now sit two acres of solar panels that together generate enough energy to power more than 50 homes.

“It’s PGE’s largest--it's Clackamas County's largest--ground mounted system,” said Kirk Cameron of 3CSolar, which owns the system.

3CSolar is a small Portland-based company. The company leases the land from the Lever family and, under an agreement, sells the power to PGE. All the power generated from the solar array goes straight into the grid.

“This is part of PGE’s program to help Oregon hit 25 percent renewables by 2025,” said Chris Copp, also of 3CSolar.

It was a change the family said not all their neighbors appreciated.

“It got mixed reviews,” farm co-owner Dan Lever admitted.

But it was a change, in these tough economic times, Lever said his family couldn't afford not to make.

“Not ever could I make the same money per acre farming any crop than he offered me for these two acres,” said Lever.

It’s a new kind of crop the Lever family hopes will have a bright future, producing clean energy for generations to come.

“This isn’t, on a world scale, a big contribution," Lever said. "But I'll be able to say I did something, rather than what most people do which is nothing.”

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