tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7595699098355968802024-03-05T11:23:33.206-08:00Wind Power Stocks to WatchInformation on investing in wind energy stocks with links to windpower companies and wind power stocks quotes online. Research on green energy stocks to watch, Rare Earth Elements mining stocks.Joe Trainorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963030295031426970noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-759569909835596880.post-20718822416786163822012-04-16T12:02:00.002-07:002012-04-16T12:05:23.303-07:00Offshore wind farms gaining traction in NA and Europeby Jeff Siegel, Energy & Capital<br /><br />Those on the right are blasting it as a treehugging boondoggle. Those on the left are praising it as an opportunity to diversify the state's energy portfolio. And those looking to profit yet again from the transition of our global energy economy are sniffing out the money trails.<br /><br />The latter is where we'll focus our energy today.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Waiting on the Free State</span><br /><br />Earlier this year, Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley reintroduced offshore wind legislation that would've ultimately led to the construction of more than 80 turbines off the coast of Ocean City.<br /><br />A couple of weeks ago, it passed the House. But stiff opposition kept it from coming to a vote before the Senate Finance committee.<br /><br />Those who opposed the bill were unhappy with the proposal that called for ratepayers to pony up an additional $1.50 a month to help pay for the wind farm. That fee would've been tacked on once the farm went online – which would've been around 2017.<br /><br />However, most surveys have found that more than half of Maryland ratepayers actually support the plan – even with the $1.50 monthly fee. The most recent survey showed 62% of those polled back the legislation. And I suspect that despite some angry message board posts and a handful of fear-based political ads, support for offshore wind in Maryland will not go gently into that good night.<br /><br />Although this will take time, I have little doubt that within the next few years, an offshore wind bill will finally get approved. And when that happens, I definitely look forward to finding out which turbine and transmission companies will land the big deals.<br /><br />My money's on ABB (NYSE: ABB), Siemens (NYSE: SI) and Gamesa (PINK SHEETS: GCTAF), which last year launched the Offshore Wind Technology Center in Chesapeake, VA with Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC). Northrop's looking for a piece of the offshore wind business as it could offer a big boost for the company's ship building arm.<br /><br />Of course, Maryland's eventual expansion into the offshore wind space will still only represent a very small portion of the overall offshore wind market.<br /><br />But about 3,600 miles to the east, it's a completely different story.<br /><br />European Windstorm<br /><br />According to Pike Research, offshore wind growth is expected to soar over the next five years. In fact, the firm has suggested offshore wind power production will reach $104 billion in revenues by 2017. This is a 53% annual growth rate based on 2011 revenue numbers.<br /><br />Much of this growth – about 75% – will come from Europe.<br /><br /><br />In the UK, offshore wind energy development is strong. A recent government report actually shows that offshore wind could account for as much as 50% of the total electricity in the United Kingdom by 2050.<br /><br />Denmark currently has about 4,000 megawatts of wind power capacity installed (which covers about 20% of the nation's electricity needs), and a few weeks ago approved an additional 1,000 megawatts of offshore wind that's expected to be online by 2020.<br /><br />Germany actually has plans to have 10,000 megawatts of offshore wind sending juice to its grid by 2020, and 25,000 megawatts by 2030. This is massive, and to put that in perspective, Maryland's looking to add – at most – 500 megawatts.<br /><br />Now if you're a regular reader of these pages, you know that Germany's in the process of transitioning to a nuclear-free energy mix, of which 80% would come from renewable sources by 2050. This is truly an aggressive goal that, if met, could singlehandedly alter the face of renewable energy investment in the future.<br /><br />Certainly Germany accomplished this once already by turning the once-niche-based solar industry into a multi-billion-dollar powerhouse.<br /><br />I wouldn't bet against Germany falling short on its goals.<br /><br />France also recently dipped its toes into these waters.<br /><br />Last week, government officials in France finally decided which companies would be selected to build 3,000 megawatts of offshore wind. State-owned EDF, in partnership with Alstom (PINK SHEETS: AOMFF) won most of the deals with Iberdrola (PINK SHEETS: IBDRY) of Spain picking up a fourth deal.<br /><br />Interestingly, this news came about a month after the Court of Auditors in France published a report that revealed the cost of producing nuclear energy is set to surge as old plants need updating and new safety standards will be put in place. The court suggested that nuclear will require significant investment in the short- and medium-term at a rate of at least double the current level of investment.Joe Trainorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963030295031426970noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-759569909835596880.post-41706817241894364522012-04-02T08:19:00.003-07:002012-04-02T08:23:24.112-07:00Canada's dysfunctional electricity system costs Canadians dearly<span style="font-weight:bold;">Provincial isolationism creates pollution and drives up costs</span><br /><br />by Barrie McKenna, The Globe and Mail<br /><br />The oil sands’ big carbon footprint is a source of much national angst.<br /><br />It stirs East-West rivalries, riles environmentalists and sours relations with some trading partners.<br /><br />A lot less attention is paid to Canada’s hopelessly inefficient and highly politicized electricity business. That’s unfortunate, and costly.<br /><br />The fragmented market wastes billions of dollars every year and produces millions of tonnes of extra greenhouse-gas emissions, according to Pierre-Olivier Pineau, associate professor at the University of Montreal’s HEC business school and author of a new study, Integrating Electricity Sectors in Canada: Good for the Environment and for the Economy.<br /><br />“We could save money and reduce our carbon emissions,” Prof. Pineau said in an interview. “But politically, it’s difficult.”<br /><br />No kidding. Provincial monopolies, powerful entrenched bureaucracies and regional jealousies have created a balkanized energy system that serves the few at the expense of the national interest.<br /><br />Consider Quebec and Ontario. Three-quarters of Quebeckers heat their homes with electricity, generated from a vast network of hydroelectric dams.<br /><br />Meanwhile, Ontario is ramping up production of electricity made from natural gas and subsidizing purchases of wind and solar power as it scrambles to shut down dirty coal-fired capacity.<br /><br />Here’s the catch: Hydroelectricity is a wonderful and clean source of energy, but not a very efficient heat source. Natural gas, on the other hand, is a great source of heat, but an inefficient way to make electricity.<br /><br />In essence, Quebec is force-feeding wasteful hydro consumption with low electricity rates, and Ontario is paying too much and polluting more because it can’t buy enough cheap and clean hydro, Prof. Pineau argues.<br /><br />In a more rational economic world, Quebec would use inexpensive and abundant natural gas to heat homes. And Ontario would buy more hydro power from neighbouring Quebec or Manitoba to power its factories.<br /><br />“[Hydroelectricity] … should be shared, as with other energy sources and other consumer goods, according to economic criteria,” Prof. Pineau says in his study, published by Federal Idea, a Montreal-based think tank. “In other words, discrimination based on their province of residence must stop, to allow production companies to sell to the highest bidder.”<br /><br />Hydro-Québec isn’t alone. The other hydro-rich provinces – British Columbia and Manitoba – operate in a similar fashion, selling cheaply to local consumers, rather than offering that power to other provinces.<br /><br />The misallocation of gas and hydro resources isn’t the only costly anomaly in Canada’s electricity landscape. Quebec and Ontario overspend to produce wind power, creating an underused backup to other sources of supply. If Canadian utilities were serious about wind power, they would instead join forces to build vast wind farms where it makes the most economic and climatic sense – the Saskatchewan prairies.<br /><br />Then there’s Newfoundland. Still stinging from the perceived bad deal it made decades ago to sell all the power from Labrador’s Churchill Falls project to Hydro-Québec, the province now wants to tap the Lower Churchill River’s hydro potential. The best way to get the power out, of course, is through Quebec.<br /><br />But Hydro-Québec is apparently demanding too steep a transmission price. So Newfoundland is planning to reroute the power via a costly and circuitous subsea cable back to the island, across to Nova Scotia, and eventually to markets in New England. Only a federal subsidy makes the $6.2-billion megaproject feasible.<br /><br />Newfoundlanders could wind up paying dearly for power they don’t really need.<br /><br />Last year, heavily indebted New Brunswick came close to selling Crown-owned New Brunswick Power Corp. to Hydro-Québec. But the deal fell apart, at least partly because of bruised provincial pride. While deeply unpopular with ordinary New Brunswickers, the takeover was economically and environmentally sound. Quebec would get a new market for its cheap hydro, allowing New Brunswick to curb its use of oil and coal for generating electricity.<br /><br />Instead of cheaper rates, New Brunswickers will pay more and pollute more.<br /><br />And so it goes. Provincial electrical utilities operate in a strange netherworld. They compete in a free market of deregulated oil-and-gas markets, and cross-border electricity markets. But at home, they’re slaves to provincial mandates and political pressures.<br /><br />There’s plenty of opportunity for the provinces to co-operate. Too often they don’t, and Canadians are paying a steep financial and environmental price as a result.<br /><br />It’s no way to make sensible national energy policy. Maybe environmentalists should get a little more exercised about inefficiencies in electricity markets, and lay off the oil sands.Joe Trainorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963030295031426970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-759569909835596880.post-712930923247537002012-03-15T06:36:00.002-07:002012-03-15T06:38:30.238-07:00Ontario green energy producers facing reviews, price cuts for new projectsBy John Spears, Toronto Star<br /><br />Solar power producers are bracing for price cuts of up to 25 per cent as Ontario reviews its renewable energy policies, according to industry insiders.<br /><br />Energy Minister Chris Bentley says the review will formally be released next week.<br /><br />“We’re all expecting to take a haircut,” said one solar developer – although the new prices will apply only to developments going forward, not contracts already signed.<br /><br />At the same time, Premier Dalton McGuinty has already signaled to rural municipalities that he’ll give them some say in where controversial wind farms place their turbines.<br /><br />The Liberals were devastated in rural ridings where wind was an issue – in part because the Green Energy Act tied the hands of local councils in dealing with wind developers.<br /><br />“Legally, they have to come to the table. But they don’t need to listen,” said Mayor Bill Hill of Melancthon Township, which is dealing with several wind developments. “That isn’t fair.”<br /><br />The impact of renewable power on Ontario’s power system is often exaggerated: Renewable sources other than water provided only 3.4 per cent of Ontario’s power last year; that’s expected to grow to 13 per cent by 2030.<br /><br />But the prices paid for renewable power have become a political lightning rod for the Liberals.<br /><br />The government had promised to review prices under its feed-in tariff (FIT) program for renewable energy when it was introduced in 2009.<br /><br />Solar prices – which vary considerably depending on the size of the array, and whether they’re mounted on rooftops or at ground level – will take the biggest hit.<br /><br />For example:<br /><br /> • Large solar arrays planted on the ground currently get paid 44.3 cents a kilowatt hour. Industry observers expect to see that drop as low as 33 cents, though it could be a few cents higher.<br /><br /> • Small rooftop arrays on commercial buildings now get 71.3 cents a kilowatt hour. Look for the low 60s, or even high 50s.<br /><br /> • Householders with very small solar arrays now get 80.2 cents a kwh. Expect to see that drop to the mid-60s.<br /><br />Bentley refused in an interview to comment on pricing. But he said whatever new prices announced next week will apply to contracts going forward, not to those already signed, which typically have a 20-year term.<br /><br />It’s no secret that solar costs have been dropping. A U.S. market survey found that the price of solar panels has dropped 40 per cent in the past year. Racks supporting the panels have also become cheaper and easier to assemble, lowering labour costs.<br /><br />Renewable energy lobby groups themselves have accepted that lower prices are on the way.<br /><br />The Canadian Solar Industries Association submitted a brief to the review calling for prices ranging as low as 35 cents a kilowatt hour for large, ground-mounted development.<br /><br />Bentley said in an interview that the prices aren’t just about energy developers and consumers.<br /><br />The Green Energy Act was also conceived to stimulate a new industry in Ontario, he said.<br /><br />“It is an energy and jobs policy,” he said. That was a deliberate decision from the beginning. Sometimes that’s missed.”<br /><br />To qualify for the premium prices, developers must source up to 60 per cent of their inputs from Ontario suppliers.<br /><br />“We have an industry today where we didn’t have one two years ago – an industry not only of manufacturing but of planning, designing, locating these project,” Bentley says.<br /><br />And the intent is to build an industry supplying renewable power developments not just in Ontario, but in export markets, Bentley said.<br /><br />The debate over wind is less about price and more about rules. Wind farms currently get 13.1 cents a kilowatt hour for their power.<br /><br />But local councils have no say in zoning or the location of wind farms.<br /><br />Mayor Bill Hill in Melancthon – whose township has two large wind farms and is now contemplating a proposal for another – would like to have a role.<br /><br />“I don’t think we want total control,” says Hill. “We want to be heard.”<br /><br />“We’ve sat in living rooms of people’s houses, and they’ve said: When I’m sitting in my easy chair and I look out my front window, I’ll see that turbine, if you put it where you say you’re going to. But if you moved it over 50 feet, I can’t see that and it doesn’t bother me.”<br /><br />Not all opposition would be that easily satisfied. But current rules provide no leverage pushing developers to make accommodations , Hall said.<br /><br />The devil may well be in the bureaucratic details.<br /><br />Wind developers first get a contract from the Ontario Power Authority, then move through an environmental permitting process.<br /><br />Groups opposed to wind power worry that even if rules are changed, they won’t affect projects already in the approval pipeline.Joe Trainorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963030295031426970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-759569909835596880.post-74926981732243621592012-02-25T15:04:00.002-08:002012-02-25T15:08:56.412-08:00New 69 megawatt windfarm under construction in Hawaii<span style="font-weight:bold;">Wind farm in Hawaii breaks ground</span><br /><br />february 26, 2012, evwind.es<br /><br />First Wind began construction on the 69 MW Kawailoa Wind energy project in Hawaii, expected to be one of the biggest wind power projects in Hawaii with 30 Siemens wind turbines.<br /><br />The wind farm will use 30, 2.3 MW Siemens wind turbines. The Hawaiian Electric Co. signed a power purchase agreement for the output from the plant in December 2011.<br /><br />First Wind owns and operates two other wind power projects in Hawaii, including the 30 MW Kahuku Wind energy project on Oahu that went online in March 2011, and is currently building two wind power projects on Maui.<br /><br />-First Wind, an independent U.S.-based wind energy company, today celebrated the start of construction of its 69-megawatt (MW) Kawailoa Wind project on Kamehameha Schools’ Kawailoa Plantation lands on Oahu’s North Shore. Once complete, Kawailoa Wind will be the largest wind energy facility in Hawaii. The site’s thirty 2.3 MW Siemens wind turbines will have the capacity to generate enough clean, renewable wind energy to power the equivalent of approximately 14,500 homes on the island, or as much as five percent of Oahu’s annual electrical demand.<br /><br />“This groundbreaking for Kawailoa Wind is an historic occasion for Hawaii because, as the largest wind project ever in the state, it will harness enough clean, sustainable energy to provide power for thousands of families on Oahu”<br /><br />During a groundbreaking ceremony on the project site, First Wind officials were joined by U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka, Hawaii’s Lieutenant Governor Brian Schatz, State Senator Mike Gabbard and Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle, along with several other state and local leaders, who shared comments on the project’s significance.<br /><br />“This groundbreaking for Kawailoa Wind is an historic occasion for Hawaii because, as the largest wind project ever in the state, it will harness enough clean, sustainable energy to provide power for thousands of families on Oahu,” said Senator Akaka. “Renewable electricity production makes our islands more energy self-sufficient, environmentally sustainable, and secure, which is critically important now and for future generations.”<br /><br />Lt. Gov. Schatz added, “This is the largest wind farm in Hawai'i’s history, and it shows the progress we are making toward our clean energy goals. This is a great day for Hawai'i. We've moved from talking about renewable energy to actually doing it.”<br /><br />“Clean energy projects are a priority for the City and County of Honolulu because they are a priority for our future,” said Mayor Carlisle. “When completed, the Kawailoa Wind project will be able to produce clean, renewable energy to power more than 14,500 Oahu homes. Projects like this will benefit and position our city for the future.”<br /><br />In December 2011, the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission approved a power purchase agreement between First Wind and the Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO), which serves more than 400,000 Hawaii customers. Hawaii state law mandates 70 percent clean energy for electricity and surface transportation by 2030, with 40 percent coming from local renewable sources. Kawailoa Wind will significantly advance the state’s progress toward these goals.<br /><br />“This project will be an important part of Hawaii’s diverse portfolio of renewable energy resources. As the largest wind farm in Hawaii, Kawailoa represents a significant step toward reducing the impact of imported oil on our customers,” said Dick Rosenblum, Hawaiian Electric Company president and CEO.<br /><br />Working in concert with the Kamehameha Schools (KS) as part of their North Shore Plan, Kawailoa Wind reflects a genuine collaboration with the community. First Wind has been in discussions about the project with North Shore residents and community organizations for the past two years, while KS began community consultation in 2006, starting with area kûpuna (Hawaiian elders) to guide the process. First Wind also worked with federal, state, and county agencies to obtain the necessary permits.<br /><br />“The Kawailoa Wind project is an integral part of our North Shore Plan and represents the continued commitment of Kamehameha Schools, through the support of the North Shore community, to positioning Kawailoa Plantation as an important provider of sustainable food and energy for the State of Hawaii,” said Giorgio Caldarone, Regional Asset Manager and Renewable Energy Sector Lead, Kamehameha Schools. “This project will not only help the State meet its renewable energy goals, but it will also help preserve and support continued agricultural production for future generations. Kamehameha Schools is committed to sustainability and to investing in projects today that will create positive outcomes for future generations. Mahalo to the North Shore community and to everyone else who helped to make this vision a reality.”<br /><br />First Wind’s CEO, Paul Gaynor, also spoke at the event.<br /><br />“We are pleased to begin construction on our fourth project in Hawaii, and the largest wind energy facility in the state. When it comes to renewable energy, Hawaii has proven to be a national leader, innovator and an excellent partner,” said Paul Gaynor, CEO of First Wind. “Powering up to 14,500 Oahu homes with one project allows us to continue our leadership in the state’s ambitious clean energy plans. Our continued success is also a testament to all of our partners and supporters, including the North Shore residents, our PPA partners at HECO and our contractors such as RMT.”<br /><br />As with other projects on Maui and Oahu, First Wind developed a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) for Kawailoa Wind, working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Division of Forestry and Wildlife of the Hawai'i Department of Land and Natural Resources. The HCP is a wildlife conservation effort that includes research funding and actions to protect and minimize incidental harm to federally listed species in the vicinity of the wind energy project.<br /><br />First Wind owns and operates two other wind energy projects in Hawaii, and is currently building another project on Maui. Kahuku Wind, also located on Oahu’s North Shore, is a 30 MW wind project that has the capacity to generate enough energy to the power the equivalent of 7,700 Oahu homes. The Kahuku project went online in March of 2011. Beginning commercial operations in 2006, the 30 MW Kaheawa Wind project is above Ma‘alaea. First Wind is currently building a second Maui project, Kaheawa Wind Power II that will consist of 14 wind turbines, capable of generating 21 MW of energy. Once Kaheawa Wind II is complete, the two Kaheawa projects will have a capacity of 51 MW.<br /><br />Beyond the affordable clean energy they produce, First Wind’s projects in Hawaii have been significant economic drivers. RMT Inc., which also handled construction for First Wind’s Kahuku Wind project on Oahu and is currently building Kaheawa Wind II on Maui, will lead construction efforts for Kawailoa Wind. Collectively, ongoing work at Kaheawa Wind II and the work done at Kahuku Wind have driven nearly 200,000 on-site labor hours during construction, and more than 50 Hawaii businesses have been included in the development and construction supply chains for the two projects. <br /><br /><br />www.firstwind.com <br /><br /><br /><a href="http://yuya-joe.blogspot.com/2011/12/ten-commandments-of-native-peoples.html"target="_blank">Ten Commandments of Native Peoples</a>Joe Trainorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963030295031426970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-759569909835596880.post-33753623942893727812012-02-10T12:04:00.000-08:002012-02-10T12:07:37.189-08:00Trump is such an A-hole; vacuous hyperbole over offshore wind farm<span style="font-weight:bold;">Donald Trump blasts plans for Scottish wind farm</span><br /><br />By BEN McCONVILLE, Associated Press – 10FEB12<br /><br />EDINBURGH, Scotland (AP) — The feel-good era between New York property tycoon Donald Trump and Scotland's political leaders seems to have come to a dramatic end.<br /><br />Trump has launched a blistering attack on Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond over plans to build a "horrendous" wind farm off the coast of his luxury Scottish golf resort. In an open letter, Trump accuses Salmond of being "hell bent on destroying Scotland's coast line and therefore Scotland itself."<br /><br />The bitter words are a far cry from the love-in the two men enjoyed four years ago when Salmond backed Trump's 750 million pound (US$1.2 billion) golf development 12 miles (16km) north of Aberdeen despite protests from environmentalists and locals about damage to rare sand dunes.<br /><br />Back then, Trump invited Salmond to join him and actor Sean Connery to be the first to tee off on what the businessman described as "the world's greatest golf course." Trump also heaped praise on Salmond's government after it overruled local lawmakers who rejected the planned golf resort.<br /><br />The Scottish leader backed the golf course by claiming it would create hundreds of tourism jobs around the Aberdeenshire area.<br /><br />Locals and environmentalists campaigned in vain to save the sand dunes which were home to numerous species of wading birds and wildlife, but the dunes were bulldozed to make way for the fairways in 2009 and 2010. The course is due to open in July.<br /><br />Salmond's support for the wind farm is consistent with the Scottish government's plan to position itself as a leader in the provision and technology of renewable energy. The wind farm's turbines will be visible from the beach and the golf course.<br /><br />Salmond has refused to comment on Trump's letter, but Niall Stuart, chief executive of Scottish Renewables, which represents the wind farm industry, reacted with anger to the intervention.<br /><br />"Who is Donald Trump to tell Scotland what is good for our economy or environment?" Stuart said in a statement. "He completely over-blows the impact of the proposed wind farm and to be honest there are so many mistakes in this 'trumped up' nonsense that it's difficult to know where to begin."<br /><br />Trump tells Salmond in the ill-tempered letter: "With the reckless installation of these monsters, you will single-handedly have done more damage to Scotland than any event in Scottish history!"<br /><br />He adds: "I will never be 'on board,' as you have stated I would be, with this insanity."<br /><br />The tycoon warns Salmond that he will be using his wealth to fight his government's renewables policy.<br /><br />"I have just authorized my staff to allocate a substantial amount of money to launch an international campaign to fight your plan to surround Scotland's coast with many thousands of wind turbines — it will be like looking through the bars of a prison and Scottish citizens will be like prisoners!"<br /><br />He ridicules the Scottish National Party's renewable energy policies, claiming the economic benefit is going to China and other countries, not Scotland.<br /><br />"Jobs will not be created in Scotland because these ugly monstrosities known as turbines are manufactured in other countries such as China. These countries, who so benefit from your billions of pounds of payments, are laughing at you!" Trump said.<br /><br />Trump concludes the attack by referring to his mother, who was raised in Scotland.<br /><br />He adds: "I'm doing this to save Scotland and honor my mother..."Joe Trainorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963030295031426970noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-759569909835596880.post-60106376008335312392012-02-10T09:34:00.000-08:002012-02-10T09:41:38.572-08:00Windpower news from TreeHugger.com<span style="font-weight:bold;">367 MW Offshore Wind Farm Opens in UK<br /></span><br /><br />Let's start with the good news today (the for-now-largest offshore wind power project is online) and move on to the more troubling (another study casts serious doubt on the benefits of natural gas as a bridge fuel as more renewable energy gets built). Here we go.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">367 MW Offshore Wind Farm Is Britain's & (For Now) World's Largest</span><br /><br />The Walney offshore wind farm, 14km off the coast of Walney Island in northwest England, has opened. At 367 MW for the moment it is the largest offshore wind power project in the world (there are larger projects in various stages of development), supplying enough electricity to power 320,000 households. More on the financial details of the project and criticism of the costs of offshore wind power in general at Reuters.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">100 MW Solar PV Project Planned for Germany</span><br /><br />Most of the time when you see a solar power project of this size it's not solar photovoltaics. PV Magazine reports that Parabel AG has announced that it has begun preliminary work on a 100 MW solar PV project in the Brandenburg region of Germany. Expected to be completed in 2013, the project will occupy parts of a former military training facility, and will be made up of "several spatially separate solar construction sites within an approximately 430 hectare planning area." In other words several smaller projects are being linked together under one heading.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Best to Build New Wind Farms Farther From Neighbors</span><br /><br />Renewable Energy World has an interesting piece on wind power historian Robert Righter, who urges new wind power development to be built farther away from human development. REW sums up Righter's views:<br /><br />As a hearty advocate of wind energy and continued rapid growth of the industry, Righter may surprise some with his strong call for more sensitivity to quality of life concerns of rural residents. He spends three chapters [of his new book] addressing the increasing problems caused by wind farm noise in rural communities, chides developers for not building farther from unwilling neighbors, and says that new development should be focused on the remote high plains, rather than more densely populated rural landscapes in the upper midwest and northeast. Righter seems to be especially sensitive to the fact that today's turbines are mechanical intrusions on pastoral landscapes, a far cry from the windmills of earlier generations.<br />After The Natural Gas Rush, What?<br /><br />A very good counterpoint from The Oil Drum to all the natural gas ra-ra-ra messaging coming out of the Obama administration, not to mention the natural gas industry and high profile business publications betting on natural gas for now, the future and forever. A bit of it:<br /><br />For several years, we have been asked to believe that less is more, that more oil and gas can be produced from shale than was produced from better reservoirs over the past century. We have been told more recently that the U.S. has enough natural gas to last for 100 years. We have been presented with an improbable business model that has no barriers to entry except access to capital, that provides a source of cheap and abundant gas, and that somehow also allows for great profit. Despite three decades of experience with tight sandstone and coal-bed methane production that yielded low-margin returns and less supply than originally advertised, we are expected to believe that poorer-quality shale reservoirs will somehow provide superior returns and make the U.S. energy independent. Shale gas advocates point to the large volumes of produced gas and the participation of major oil companies in the plays as indications of success. But advocates rarely address details about profitability and they never mention failed wells. Shale gas plays are an important and permanent part of our energy future. We need the gas because there are fewer remaining plays in the U.S. that have the potential to meet demand. A careful review of the facts, however, casts doubt on the extent to which shale plays can meet supply expectations except at much higher prices.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">High Methane Emission Over Gas Field May Offset Natural Gas' Climate Benefits</span><br /><br />Another study casts serious doubt on benefits of natural in lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Think Progress is highlight the fact that an air sampling done by NOAA over Colorado shows that methane leakage from natural gas field near Denver are double industry industry claims (4% measure versus 2% claim).<br /><br />Joe Romm then connects the dots with a 2011 study on the efficacy of using natural gas to lower greenhouse gas emissions from electricity production. The study was done by National Center for Atmospheric Research and concludes:<br /><br />Unless leakage rates for new methane can be kept below 2%, substituting gas for coal is not an effective means for reducing the magnitude of future climate change.Joe Trainorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963030295031426970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-759569909835596880.post-85995436774748251552012-01-12T09:32:00.000-08:002012-01-12T09:46:19.060-08:00Fracking reduces investment in renewable energy - MIT report<span style="font-weight:bold;">Toxic, biocidal, carcinogenic chemicals injected into Earth's crust</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">The study finds that shale use suppresses the development of renewables. Under one scenario, for example, the researchers impose a renewable-fuel mandate. They find that, with shale, renewable use never goes beyond the 25 percent minimum standard they set — but when shale is removed from the market, renewables gain more ground. </span><br /><br />In light of the <a href="http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2012/shale-gas-revolution-report.html"target="_blank">recent MIT report stating that fracking slows development of renewable energy technologies</a>, I have decided to post a list of the most common chemicals injected into the ground during hydraulic fracturing (fracking) process, and a second list including the most carcinogenic of these chemicals.<br /><br />Chemical additives used in fracturing fluids typically make up less than 2% by weight of the total fluid. Over the life of a typical well, this may amount to 100,000 gallons of chemical additives. They are biocides, surfactants, adjusting viscosity, and emulsifiers. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Table 1. Chemical Components Appearing Most Often in Hydraulic Fracturing Products Used Between 2005 and 2009 </span><br /><br />Chemical Component / No. of Products Containing Chemical :<br /><br />Methanol (Methyl alcohol) 342 <br />Isopropanol (Isopropyl alcohol, Propan-2-ol) 274 <br />Crystalline silica - quartz (SiO2) 207 <br />Ethylene glycol monobutyl ether (2-butoxyethanol) 126 <br />Ethylene glycol (1,2-ethanediol) 119 <br />Hydrotreated light petroleum distillates 89 <br />Sodium hydroxide (Caustic soda) 8<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Table 2 - Longer List of the most dangerous chemicals (incl MANY carcinogens) used in fracking process:</span><br /><br />Methanol (Methyl alcohol) HAP 342<br />Ethylene glycol (1,2-ethanediol) HAP 119<br />Diesel19 Carcinogen, SDWA, HAP 51<br />Naphthalene Carcinogen, HAP 44<br />Xylene SDWA, HAP 44<br />Hydrogen chloride (Hydrochloric acid) HAP 42<br />Toluene SDWA, HAP 29<br />Ethylbenzene SDWA, HAP 28<br />Diethanolamine (2,2-iminodiethanol) HAP 14<br />Formaldehyde Carcinogen, HAP 12<br />Sulfuric acid Carcinogen 9<br />Thiourea Carcinogen 9<br />Benzyl chloride Carcinogen, HAP 8<br />Cumene HAP 6<br />Nitrilotriacetic acid Carcinogen 6<br />Dimethyl formamide HAP 5<br />Phenol HAP 5<br />Benzene Carcinogen, SDWA, HAP 3<br />Di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate Carcinogen, SDWA, HAP 3<br />Acrylamide Carcinogen, SDWA, HAP 2<br />Hydrogen fluoride (Hydrofluoric acid) HAP 2<br />Phthalic anhydride HAP 2<br />Acetaldehyde Carcinogen, HAP 1<br />Acetophenone HAP 1<br />Copper SDWA 1<br />Ethylene oxide Carcinogen, HAP 1<br />Lead Carcinogen, SDWA, HAP 1<br />Propylene oxide Carcinogen, HAP 1<br />p-Xylene HAP 1<br />Toluene<br />Ehylbenzene<br />Benzene<br />Methanol (Methyl alcohol) 342<br />Isopropanol (Isopropyl alcohol, Propan-2-ol) 274<br />Crystalline silica - quartz (SiO2) 207<br />Ethylene glycol monobutyl ether (2-butoxyethanol) 126<br />Ethylene glycol (1,2-ethanediol) 119<br />Hydrotreated light petroleum distillates 89<br />Sodium hydroxide (Caustic soda) 80Joe Trainorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963030295031426970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-759569909835596880.post-30640315823423799062011-12-30T08:55:00.001-08:002011-12-30T10:33:03.451-08:00NRC infighting shows politics over pragmatism in nuclear safetyWASHINGTON -- A feud at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, where five presidentially appointed commissioners oversee the safety of the nation's nuclear power reactors, has broken out into full public view, with Chairman Gregory Jaczko's fellow commissioners assailing his character and management style, both in a letter made public earlier this month and in the resulting testimony before Congress.<br /><br />Republicans have begun calling for Jaczko's ouster.<br /><br />"The situation at the NRC sounds dire," wrote Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.) in a letter to President Barack Obama, "leaving me very concerned that the Chairman is unable to lead the Commission in the fulfillment of its responsibilities."<br /><br />On K Street, energy lobbyists have rallied to support the four other commissioners.<br /><br />So far, the White House is standing by Jaczko, one of the least industry-friendly leaders to serve at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in a generation.<br /><br />For Washington's tight nuclear policy circle, where scientifically trained political operatives move back and forth between the industry, the NRC, the Department of Energy and key congressional committees, it's déjà vu. Interviews with several senior officials who worked on nuclear energy policy in the 1990s reveal that at least two of those operatives -- both with strong ties to the nuclear industry -- were closely involved in the ouster of an earlier reformist regulator and are now involved in the current drama.<br /><br />What's unfolding at the NRC is a textbook example of a little-discussed corporate tactic that is employed against public officials in extreme situations. Observers of the way Washington works tend to describe the corruption of the political system and the people within it in terms of action and reward: Do what industry wants, and benefit both professionally and personally. But when carrots aren't enough, corporations have sticks to swing, too.<br /><br />Susan McCue, who served as chief of staff for Jaczko's former employer and chief Democratic supporter, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.), wasn't surprised to see the industry strategy at work.<br /><br />"They have a lot of power, and they wield it," said McCue. "They can't tell Chairman Jaczko what to do, and I think that frustrates them."<br /><br />THE FIRST COUP<br /><br />The Clinton administration's skepticism of nuclear power -- driven in large part by then-Vice President Al Gore -- reached its fullest and earliest expression in 1994 with the installment of Terry Lash at the top of the Department of Energy's nuclear energy program.<br /><br />Lash was a former staff scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council, a prominent environmental group, and his appointment rankled nuclear industry insiders and their Republican supporters on the Hill. It wasn't long, say energy policy staffers involved at the time, before Lash's critics began seeking ways to undermine his position inside the department.<br /><br />They got their chance after the White House struck a broad agreement with Russia, in which the U.S. would help Russia protect its nuclear stockpile. GOP appropriators had zeroed out funding for the program, and they instructed the administration not to use money set aside for other purposes.<br /><br />Lash funded the program anyway and failed to keep congressional appropriators fully apprised of his activity. He was promptly called before a House subcommittee and publicly excoriated for his failure to communicate with Congress.<br /><br />A subsequent investigation by the DOE's inspector general concluded that Lash, while violating procedure, had not broken any laws. But according to multiple sources who recalled the incident, Lash's gaffe was clearly being exploited in the service of a coup. These sources identified two men, Bill Magwood and Alex Flint, as being directly involved in Lash's ultimate downfall.<br /><br />Magwood was Lash's deputy. He had come to the DOE from the nuclear industry, and he would return to it at subsequent points in his career.<br /><br />Flint, meanwhile, was a clerk for Republican Sen. Pete Domenici, who steered billions of nuclear research dollars to his home state of New Mexico from his perch as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development.<br /><br />Democrats in the Senate and DOE who were involved at the time say that the House only found out about Lash's funding of the Russia program because Magwood, a fellow Democrat, personally alerted Domenici. One source recalled that Magwood went directly to Flint.<br /><br />"I know that he talked to the Hill," said one former senior Senate Democratic aide who worked directly with Flint and Domenici's office at the time. "Whether he came to the Hill [physically], that's how it was brought to Domenici's attention, was through Magwood."<br /><br />Lash, realizing too late that he was the likely target of a power play by his own deputy, fought back against Magwood by stripping him of staff. Congressional appropriators then rushed to Magwood's defense.<br /><br />In an eerie echo of language that would later be used against Chairman Jaczko at the NRC, Rep. Joseph McDade (R-Pa.), who chaired the House subcommittee with nuclear jurisdiction, called Lash's move against Magwood an "unprecedented action which I believe further demonstrates the willingness of the director to treat this office as his personal playground."<br /><br />In the end, Lash was not fired from the DOE, but was instead moved to a top adviser position within what is now the National Nuclear Security Administration in May 1998 -- evidence that Lash had been the victim of politics rather than guilty of wrongdoing. "The Secretary just felt it was better for Terry to step aside," given the political pressure, said a former DOE official who worked with both Lash and Magwood.<br /><br />Magwood, meanwhile, took over for Lash as acting director of the Office of Nuclear Energy. When George W. Bush became president in early 2001, he asked for the resignations of top DOE officials. But Magwood had a patron in Domenici, and with the senator's support, according to people involved at the time, Magwood was made permanent director of the program.<br /><br />The coup was complete.<br /><br />In an interview with The Huffington Post, Magwood denied that he'd orchestrated Lash's overthrow, insisting that he had never spoken to Flint, Domenici or anyone else on the Hill about his former boss. "No, he did it all by himself," Magwood said. "The problem back in the '90s had to do with the allocation of appropriated funds. The House Appropriations Committee was very agitated about that and made a big deal out of that. That's what led to his issues."<br /><br />Lash's career was effectively over.<br /><br />"It does change your life," he told HuffPost. "It interferes with personal relationships, the ability to work with others who were not what you would call close, personal friends, but who were acquaintances. You could see in their mind that you have become tainted, and it just makes the whole thing less comfortable, and you never know who's doing what and who believes what at some level."<br /><br />THE SPOILS<br /><br />Magwood built a reputation at the Department of Energy as a sharp-elbowed operator. "He was a consummate inside player, a bureaucratic power player of the first order," recalled a former Department of Energy colleague, who, like many others interviewed for this story, requested anonymity because his current work has him interacting regularly with industry clients.<br /><br />But that level of ambition is hard to contain over a long period of time in a relatively small industry. Every source to whom HuffPost spoke for this story referred to other players, whether friends or foes, by their first names. Magwood never understood it's a small world. "He always struck me as a guy who thought he was playing in a bigger political pond than he was. I mean, there are about 50 people here in town who care about nuclear energy. So it seemed like a lot of politics for no good reason," said one Democratic lobbyist who worked in the Senate while Magwood served in the Department of Energy.<br /><br />Flint is known as quite the operator as well. "I am telling you this, of all the appropriations clerks, House and Senate, all of them," said a former senior Democratic aide who worked closely with him, "there was nobody as shrewd or full of guile or as politically calculating as Alex Flint. Before you would look at the tables of what you got in terms of earmarks and count 'em up, I kid you not, you'd count your fingers, and you walked out of the room."<br /><br />Three other former top Democratic Senate aides interviewed for this article who worked closely with Flint described him in similar terms.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/29/nuclear-power-gregory-jaczko-nuclear-regulatory-commission_n_1160711.html?ir=Green"target="_blank">USA Nuclear regulatory scandal continues on HuffingtonPost.com</a>Joe Trainorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963030295031426970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-759569909835596880.post-59850388914851370132011-10-13T09:50:00.000-07:002011-10-13T10:08:32.325-07:00Energy-Critical Elements (ECEs) an emerging mining sub-sctorEveryone by now knows about <a href="http://rareearthstocks.blogspot.com"target="_blank">Rare Earth Elements (REEs) and the role they play in green energy technologies</a>. Within the REE sector, there are a range of rare earth metals that are particularly crucial to clean energy production, including solar, wind, fuel cells and more.<br /><br />The following is an excerpt from today's Energy & Capital newsletter by Nick Hodge, who himself is quoting from a recent report by the American Physical Society and Materials Research Society about “Energy Critical Elements”.<br /><br />Here are some of the salient points:<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Energy-related systems are typically materials intensive. As new technologies are widely deployed, significant quantities of the elements required to manufacture them will be needed. A shortage of these “energy-critical elements” (ECEs) could significantly inhibit the adoption of otherwise game-changing energy technologies.<br /><br />This, in turn, would limit the competitiveness of U.S. industries and the domestic scientific enterprise and, eventually, diminish the quality of life in the United States.</span><br /><br />The U.S. already relies on other countries for more than 90% of these elements. Some simply aren't abundant in the earth's crust; others aren't adequately concentrated.<br /><br />A few are located in only a couple countries (like China), which makes their production and availability susceptible to manipulation.<br /><br />Rhenium, for example, is rarer than gold by a factor of five. We need it for jet engines and industrial gas turbines.<br /><br />Tellurium is quite rare, too. And without it, First Solar (NASDAQ: FSLR) couldn't make its famous thin film solar panels.<br /><br />It's the high demand for these critical elements that has led to their high prices — and therefore the big market returns they've produced so far. Many more big winners are on the way from this situation.<br /><br />That said, here's a list of energy critical elements and their uses as described by the report:<br /><br />Gallium, germanium, indium, selenium, silver, and tellurium, all employed in advanced photovoltaic solar cells, especially thin-film photovoltaics<br /><br />Dysprosium, neodymium, praseodymium, samarium (all REEs), and cobalt, used in high-strength permanent magnets for many energy-related applications, such as wind turbines and hybrid automobiles<br /><br />Most REEs, valued for their unusual magnetic and/or optical properties: examples include gadolinium for its unusual paramagnetic qualities and europium and terbium for their role in managing the color of fluorescent lighting; yttrium, another REE, is an important ingredient in energy-efficient solid-state lighting<br /><br />Lithium and lanthanum, used in high-performance batteries<br /><br />Helium, required in cryogenics, energy research, advanced nuclear reactor designs, and manufacturing in the energy sector<br /><br />Platinum, palladium, and other PGEs, used as catalysts in fuel cells that may find wide applications in transportation; cerium, a REE, is also used as an auto-emissions catalyst<br /><br />Rhenium, used in high performance alloys for advanced turbines<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Many potential ECEs are not found in concentrations high enough to warrant extraction as a primary product, given today’s prices. Instead, these ECEs are obtained primarily as by-products during the refining process of other primary ores, especially copper, zinc, and lead. Joint production complicates attempts to ramp up output by a large factor.<br /><br />Because they are relatively scarce, many ECEs are available only in low-grade ores, which necessitates the processing of tons of rock for each gram of element recovered, sometimes in ways that do unacceptable environmental damage.</span><br /><br /><br />Companies producing ECEs include:<br /><br />Quest Rare Minerals (AMEX: QRM)<br /><br />Molycorp (NYSE: MCP)<br /><br />Avalon Rare Metals (AMEX: AVL)<br /><br />China Shen Zhou Mining & Resources (AMEX: SHZ)<br /><br /><br />Do your research, and happy hunting!Joe Trainorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963030295031426970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-759569909835596880.post-86284270775655474842011-09-29T08:08:00.000-07:002011-09-29T08:09:17.131-07:00Trillium Power sues Ontario for $2.25 billionA company that planned to build a series of huge wind farms in Lake Ontario is suing the provincial government for $2.25-billion, claiming it unfairly cancelled all offshore wind projects earlier this year.<br /><br />Trillium Power Wind Corp. spent millions of dollars over many years planning its projects, and had dutifully followed the government’s application processes, the suit claims, but the rug was pulled from under its feet when the province said it would not consider any offshore development until more scientific studies were done.<br /><br />Source: Globe and Mail, TorontoJoe Trainorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963030295031426970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-759569909835596880.post-15034656832598760732011-08-31T09:44:00.000-07:002011-08-31T09:48:10.011-07:00Greenergy and Tianjin Tianbao in Philippines windfarm JV<h3>Chinese company plans 1,000 Megawatt wind power portfolio</h3>
<br />from Malya.com.ph:
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<br />A Chinese company has partnered with listed semiconductor firm Greenergy Holdings Inc. (formerly MUSX Corp.) for the development of a 1,000 megawatt wind energy portfolio.
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<br />Greenergy said it and Tianjin Tianbao Investment and Development Corp. of China plan to spend $1.3 billion in 10 years for the planned 1,000 MW facilities, with priority going to investing up to $200 million for wind energy projects within the first two years.
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<br />They company said the initial project would have a capacity of 49.5 MW, composed of 33 units of 1.5 MW wind mills.
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<br />Greenergy said a joint venture company would be formed as the corporate vehicle for the investments.
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<br />The first project is scheduled to come on stream within a year after the joint venture vehicle is established.
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<br />The company said that it is also looking at other renewable projects such as biomass, solar, hydro, geothermal energy, but the priority for the first two years of the joint venture vehicle would be wind energy projects.
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<br />Greenergy was established to create, design, develop and manufacture specialty semiconductor products and to market and sell these products.
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<br />The Department of Energy has awarded 236 service contracts for renewable energy sites since the Renewable Energy Law was signed in 2008. Total investment that could come from the development of these RE contracts is placed at P87.72 billion.
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<br />The resources from these sites once developed are expected to generate about 2,823 MW.
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<br />About 384 renewable energy service contracts are pending approval by the DOE. Data show that the resources at the proposed project sites, once developed, could generate 6,046 MW.Joe Trainorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963030295031426970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-759569909835596880.post-54906433684769475882011-07-07T06:56:00.000-07:002011-07-07T07:03:16.227-07:00Dr. David Suzuki says wind power is path to human health<span style="font-weight:bold;">Risk-reward ratio blows older alternatives away</span><br /><br />In Canada we are blessed to have a knowledgeable, highly respected environmentalist in the public eye, a Canadian icon with his own TV show and an unmatched reputation for fairness and accuracy. So when Suzuki touts the health benefits of wind energy, Canadians listen. Here's an article David wrote (with research assistance from Dale Marshall) for the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/"target="_blank">Canadian edition of Huffington Post</a>:<br /><br /><H3>Windpower backlash an unwarranted concern</H3><br />Wind energy is increasingly being considered a viable and attractive power source. Many countries, including the U.S., Germany, Spain, China, and India, are putting policies into place to drive the development of their wind energy industries. In Canada, the amount of wind energy being harnessed for use in our homes, offices, and factories has grown quickly over the past few years, led by Ontario with its Green Energy Act.<br /><br />However, a backlash has been growing in many places where wind power is being developed. In Ontario, one of the main criticisms of wind development has been its impact on human health, mostly because of the noise that wind turbines produce. Yet, the peer-reviewed scientific research indicates that the sound from windmills, which generally falls into three categories (audible sound, low frequency, and infrasound), has little to no impact on human health.<br /><br />This is especially true if windmills are built far enough away from residences. For example, the required setback in Ontario is 550 metres. At this distance, the audible sound from windmills has been found to be below 40 decibels, which is around the level of sound you'd find in most bedrooms and living rooms. Studies from the University of Massachusetts similarly found that even if the sound were audible, annoyance would be minimal.<br /><br />Critics have also pointed to low frequency sound and infrasound as the source of health impacts from wind turbines. These are sounds that are either difficult to hear or inaudible to humans. However, Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health did a review of the scientific literature and found no evidence that low frequency sound from wind turbines causes adverse health effects.<br /><br />Research from Sweden and the Netherlands may shed some light on the opposition that windmills are facing, despite the lack of evidence for human health impacts. At or just under 40 decibels, 73 per cent of people could notice the sound and six per cent were annoyed. But those who did not like windmills or found them ugly were more likely to notice the sound and were more likely to be annoyed by it.<br /><br />Though we should always remain open-minded about new and emerging research on any issue, the evidence seems clear that wind turbines built with appropriate setbacks do not constitute a health hazard. And wind becomes a more attractive energy source when you consider the health impacts of the main energy alternative, burning coal and other fossil fuels.<br /><br />The Canadian Medical Association estimated that in 2008 Canada's air pollution was responsible for 21,000 premature deaths, 92,000 emergency room visits, and 620,000 visits to a doctor's office. Even if you look only at the health impacts of Ontario coal-fired power plants, the numbers are significant and startling.<br /><br />When considering whether Canada needs to curtail the development of its wind resources or expand wind power in the way that Ontario's Green Energy Act proposes, we should heed the conclusion of Maine's Center for Disease Control. After dismissing the notion of a moratorium on wind development due to its health impacts, the Center's Dr. Dora Ann Mills concluded, "If there is any evidence for a moratorium, it is most likely on further use of fossil fuels, given their known and common effects on the health of our population."<br /><br />As for the impacts on wildlife, that's another story. But most scientific research shows that newer technologies and proper locating can overcome most of the threats to birds and bats. One recent study also noted that "the number of birds killed in wind developments is substantially lower relative to estimated annual bird casualty rates from a variety of other anthropogenic factors including vehicles, buildings and windows, power transmission lines, communication towers, toxic chemicals including pesticides, and feral and domestic cats."<br /><br />It's never easy to find energy technologies that will satisfy everyone, but with the world facing ever-growing negative consequences of burning fossil fuels, we must weigh our options. In doing so, wind power comes out ahead. If we ensure that care is taken to use technologies with minimal environmental impact and to locate turbines in areas where effects on humans and animals are also minimal, there is no good reason to oppose wind power.<br /><br />Written with contributions from David Suzuki Foundation climate change policy analyst Dale Marshall.Joe Trainorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963030295031426970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-759569909835596880.post-28038493030750375422011-06-28T08:01:00.000-07:002011-06-28T08:04:03.961-07:00CanWEA predicts $16 billion Ontario wind energy investmentFrom NorthernOntarioBusiness.com :<br /><br />A study commissioned by the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) predicts Ontario will see more than 80,000 person years of employment and more than $16 billion in investment over the next eight years as a result of the burgeoning wind energy industry.<br /><br />The study, called The Economic Impacts of the Wind Energy Sector in Ontario 2011-2018, was conducted by ClearSky Advisors to determine the projected employment and economic benefits associated with the Ontario wind energy industry.<br /><br />“The Green Energy and Economy Act and the Long-Term Energy Plan have opened up the market in Ontario for wind energy and will allow faster growth than otherwise would be the case,” Tim Wohlgemut, co-founder and principal consultant at ClearSky, said in a news release. “Ontario has been put on the global map for renewable energy development and this has the potential to create a significant number of highly skilled jobs, and attract billions in investment to the province.”<br /><br />It's not indicated how much of that investment will filter into Northern Ontario; however, municipalities and landowners across the province are expected to reap about $1.1 billion in taxes and lease payments over the 20-year lifespan of the projects.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">700+ Megawatts to be installed per year</span><br /><br />On average, 709 MW will be installed per year, while the market capacity will be between 900 MW and 1,000 MW per year. The industry will create 10.5 person years of employment per MW during the construction phase and 3.6 MW for ongoing operations and maintenance.<br /><br />Ontario's wind energy capacity is expected to grow from 1,428 MW of power at the end of 2010 to more than 7,100 MW by 2018. The study says this is in line with targets set out in the province's Long-Term Energy Plan.Joe Trainorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963030295031426970noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-759569909835596880.post-78284800821011692412011-06-20T11:30:00.000-07:002011-06-20T11:36:51.529-07:00Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy honours Ghana project<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgm5CQpH_dfsZNuHwozD0KWluhWANgithGdYLIOsKX5Cy0E0bFDjBSP6fdLrHGb2iVFlUmH_CE-sPs2v3o-e_YiBKG15DspYLMPwUGDWznWCc-zS9oPupMeGBE81VMeGgfj7cNNHdxx6sp/s1600/ashden+awards+sustainable+energy.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 260px; height: 66px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgm5CQpH_dfsZNuHwozD0KWluhWANgithGdYLIOsKX5Cy0E0bFDjBSP6fdLrHGb2iVFlUmH_CE-sPs2v3o-e_YiBKG15DspYLMPwUGDWznWCc-zS9oPupMeGBE81VMeGgfj7cNNHdxx6sp/s320/ashden+awards+sustainable+energy.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620372105340214130" /></a><br />The Ashden Awards showcase practical solutions to combat climate change and meet the energy needs of the poor, rewarding outstanding and innovative clean energy schemes across the developing world and in the United Kingdom.<br /><br />Toyola Energy Limited, Ghana, was awarded the coveted Gold Award worth $340,000 in recognition of its success in making over 150,000 efficient charcoal stoves and marketing them to low-income families at very affordable prices.<br /><br />Ms Sarah Butler-Sloss, Founder/Director of the Ashden Awards and Chair of the judging panel said: 93Toyola Energy Limited has taken a simple stove technology, adapted it to make it more robust and efficient and then focused it's efforts on making the stoves accessible to the poor so that they can save money and have cleaner, healthier environments to cook in.<br /><br />"In the meantime Ghana's forests are protected and greenhouse emissions reduced. This is a perfect example of how much can be achieved through the use of simple, clean energy technologies and clever, pro-poor marketing strategies."<br /><br />By cutting the use of charcoal by around a third, Toyola's stoves save trees, reduce carbon emissions and allow families to make considerable savings.<br /><br />They are also easy to cook with and are far less smoky than the traditional charcoal stoves that can cause breathing difficulties and, often, severe eye irritation over time.<br /><br />There is also 90 per cent less chance of accidental burns when using a Toyola stove as compared to traditional stoves.<br /><br />By allowing the customers to buy the stoves on credit and use the money saved on charcoal to make repayments, Toyola ensures that the stoves are accessible to the poor.<br /><br />"When I got the stove I was given this money box and every day I would put money in. When I eventually removed the money I had enough for the stove," Josephine Adjololo, a user said.<br /><br />In a country where most urban households spend a significant proportion of their household income cooking on inefficient and polluting charcoal stoves, Toyola's success is significant.<br /><br />Toyola's stoves are currently saving around 26,000 tonnes of charcoal a year, a tangible success given that charcoal comes largely from unsustainable sources.<br /><br />The levels of CO2 reductions achieved - around 150,000 tonnes a year has attracted the attention of Goldman Sachs who now buys Toyola's carbon offsets and sells them on the global market.<br /><br />Toyola has just opened a production centre in Togo and plans to open more centres in Benin and Sierra Leone in the next two years, stepping up sales to a further 140,000 stoves by 2013.<br /><br />With facts on Ghana Energy, nearly three quarters of charcoal production in Ghana comes from unsustainable wood-charcoal, which contributes to deforestation.<br /><br />Charcoal is used by approximately 1.3 million households or 31 per cent of families in Ghana.<br /><br />In Accra, about 70 per cent of households use charcoal for cooking.<br /><br /><br />Winners from Pakistan, India and Africa were also announced at a VIP ceremony in London addressed by Greg Barker, UK Government Minister for Climate Change.<br /><br />A statement issued and copied to Ghana News Agency in Accra on Friday said the Prince of Wales, Patron of the Ashden Awards, who personally congratulated the international winners in a meeting, said: 93The Ashden Awards show what it is possible to do now in saving resources and cutting emissions.<br /><br />"They remind us how, as individuals, we can make a huge difference to the world in which we live. In a nutshell, they remind us that acting locally is, in fact, acting globally."<br /><br />Source: GhanaWeb.comJoe Trainorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963030295031426970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-759569909835596880.post-81898320717818412362011-05-04T10:44:00.001-07:002011-05-04T10:52:03.334-07:00Worldwide wind energy growth, 2000-2020<h3>Top publicly-listed wind energy stocks</h3><br />Have a look at this chart here, then start looking for some longterm growth investments in the windpower sector.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY6dIRgntkRsxrVvWbKigTDODvARjwfmpT34MeaGo0W6KvYDtndDSNz-u5aOOcGzO3f8APod6IDtpLOvPMihi0t7o5JE4iC6PsqCWe3s9hpSeD-Psr5e7zRlwfoOeDccZuq9m9jxYDUrkS/s1600/worldwide-installed-wind-capacity-2000-2020.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 172px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY6dIRgntkRsxrVvWbKigTDODvARjwfmpT34MeaGo0W6KvYDtndDSNz-u5aOOcGzO3f8APod6IDtpLOvPMihi0t7o5JE4iC6PsqCWe3s9hpSeD-Psr5e7zRlwfoOeDccZuq9m9jxYDUrkS/s320/worldwide-installed-wind-capacity-2000-2020.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602918599905035330" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://windintell.blogspot.com/"target="_blank">Wind Intell investing in windpower companies info</a><br /><br /><a href="http://windpowerstockstowatch.blogspot.com/2011/01/wind-energy-stocks-for-2011-company.html"target="_blank">Website links for major wind energy stocks</a><br /><br /><a href="http://bestgreenstocks.blogspot.com/"target="_blank">Wind energy, solar power and green stocks investing</a>Joe Trainorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963030295031426970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-759569909835596880.post-9506610691733634752011-04-20T09:42:00.001-07:002011-04-25T21:02:32.549-07:00Kenya building Africa's largest wind energy farm<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPtWFO7YaE6bj9ysj_ToqffT7Z84jLl4ew87EJRxhzf1LlSJbM2AWAQ2lvbXWjW3MEAmBTy-84Bd1ekG6HLPrWHMoBWpR7KFrUuHYvR8x_M79nue-u5qGtMvfcbbckb-QUw-0ItRlmQsAh/s1600/vestas-v52-turbines.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 250px; height: 251px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPtWFO7YaE6bj9ysj_ToqffT7Z84jLl4ew87EJRxhzf1LlSJbM2AWAQ2lvbXWjW3MEAmBTy-84Bd1ekG6HLPrWHMoBWpR7KFrUuHYvR8x_M79nue-u5qGtMvfcbbckb-QUw-0ItRlmQsAh/s320/vestas-v52-turbines.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597708573793935522" /></a><br />Vestas V52 windpower turbines have been chosen for largest wind energy project in Africa<br /><br /><h3>Kenyan windfarm construction to commence this year</h3><br />Lake Turkana Wind Power consortium (LTWP) is poised to provide 300 MW of clean power to Kenya's national electricity grid by taking advantage of a unique wind resource in Northwest Kenya near Lake Turkana. Using the latest wind turbine technology LTWP can provide reliable and continuous clean power to satisfy up to 30% of Kenya's current total installed power.<br /><br />LTWP will construct a "wind farm" consisting of 353 wind turbines, each with a capacity of 850 KW. The total foreseen power generated by the initial phase of this wind farm is expected to start production in June 2011 and reach full production of 300 MW by July 2012, adding 30% or more to the total existing installed capacity available in Kenya. Wind turbine technology has seen recent rapid improvement with the development of turbines such as the Vestas V52 that is the design standard selected by LTWP<br /><br /><a href="http://laketurkanawindpower.com/gallery.asp"target="_blank">View images of Lake Turkana windpower site in Kenya, Africa</a>Joe Trainorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963030295031426970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-759569909835596880.post-43354620463857837542011-04-14T10:50:00.000-07:002011-04-14T11:03:30.726-07:00Look for oil prices to peak in July 2011, around $130I <a href="http://solar-intelligence.blogspot.com/2008/05/is-oil-getting-toppy-in-2008-yes-it.html">called the top on oil prices back in 2008</a>, as it approached the unsustainable $140 mark. I could see that either oil had to fall or BOTH China and the USA would have collapsed economically. This time it has to start dropping in price by Autumn or about a dozen countries will fail...<br /><br />Resistance is still at $140, and we may not even get past $130 this time, as major economies are growing slower and oil-displacement technologies (conservation, geothermal, electric vehicles, biofuels +++) are taking increasing market share.<br /><br />Look for a high in July or sooner, possibly between $125 and $135.<br /><br />Peace,<br /><br />JoeJoe Trainorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963030295031426970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-759569909835596880.post-24522303757207110532011-04-04T07:40:00.000-07:002011-04-04T07:54:49.927-07:00Clean Nuclear a "big lie", says Alec BaldwinI've always thought people who count nuclear as "green energy" are idiots who wouldn't know a red paint theory if it fell on them. Just because you can't see, hear, smell or taste (usually) radioactive poisons doesn't make them less deadly. Ralph Nader once opined (red paint theory) that if a town or city woke up one day and overnight everything had been painted red by a non-toxic colouring that fell from the sky, people would spend millions to billions to clean it up, even though it represented no threat to human health.<br /><br />Conversely, as most modern pollution is invisible to human sense and there is no red paint / burning fire / smelly smoke to run from, people are unaware of the toxins in their food, water and air, and thus paralyzed when it comes time to take action. It is time for Toronto to start announcing radiation levels in Toronto and GTA tap water, as these levels rise and fall based on radioactive tritium releases from Pickering and Darlington nuclear power plants just east of the city.<br /><br />I had figured that the Fukushima disaster would wake up a few more humans, and seeing a Hollywood icon like Alec Baldwin take up the baton is encouraging. Here's an excerpt from Baldwin's Huffington Post article on why nuclear energy is NOT green.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Big Lie of "Clean" Nuclear</span><br /><br />by Alec Bladwin, Actor<br /><br />Fascinating and heartbreaking how the Japanese civilian population, once again, has been called upon to teach us a harsh lesson about nuclear energy.<br /><br />In the past few decades, more details have emerged about the development and deployment of the nuclear weapons dropped on Japan during World War II. Best-selling books report about how some government officials and scientists involved with the project urged Leslie Groves and the military to drop the bomb over the ocean, just off the coast of Japan, as perhaps this measure would scare the enemy into surrendering.<br /><br />Groves and other military leaders asserted that there were only three finished weapons and that if the "demonstration blast" did not produce the desired effect, the US would have squandered a rare (at that time) and expensive opportunity. Also, some believed that the dropping of the two bombs served some grim purpose as a medical experiment. What would the bomb actually do to a city, its infrastructure and its population?<br /><br />Who would argue that the results of those two bombs have kept that option at bay since 1945?<br /><br />In the wake of the recent Japanese nuclear disaster, Kenzaburo Oe writes in The New Yorker about Hiroshima:<br /><br />What did Japan learn from the tragedy of Hiroshima? One of the great figures of contemporary Japanese thought, Shuichi Kato, who died in 2008, speaking of atomic bombs and nuclear reactors, recalled a line from "The Pillow Book," written a thousand years ago by a woman, Sei Shonagon, in which the author evokes "something that seems very far away but is, in fact, very close." Nuclear disaster seems a distant hypothesis, improbable; the prospect of it is, however, always with us. The Japanese should not be thinking of nuclear energy in terms of industrial productivity; they should not draw from the tragedy of Hiroshima a "recipe" for growth. Like earthquakes, tsunamis, and other natural calamities, the experience of Hiroshima should be etched into human memory: it was even more dramatic a catastrophe than those natural disasters precisely because it was man-made. To repeat the error by exhibiting, through the construction of nuclear reactors, the same disrespect for human life is the worst possible betrayal of the memory of Hiroshima's victims.<br /><br />I had written two pieces deconstructing the bizarre claims of the nuclear power industry. The incessant lie that nuclear is clean power, forever discounting the filthy and contaminating processes that mine, refine and enrich fissionable material for utility reactors. Although we must never set aside other factors such as vulnerability to terrorism and the lingering and unsolved issue of waste disposal, the Big Lie regarding "clean nuke" hype seems to trouble me most. You can't get many Americans to view a wind farm as a sign of our investment in a clean, safe energy future, but they seem to roll over and let the nuke industry do as they please, even in the wake of Fukushima.<br /><br />If I told you that the chances that you would get AIDS from one act of unprotected sex with an infected partner were one in a million, would you do it? (Actually, according to a report by researchers Norman Hearst and Stephen Hulley in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the odds of a heterosexual becoming infected with AIDS after one episode of penile-vaginal intercourse with someone in a non-high-risk group without a condom are one in 5 million.) The answer is no. Because, if you took that bet and lost, you'd get AIDS.<br /><br />Nukes are a similar bet. And there is no "protection" you can put on to save you. Fukushima shows us that utility companies reap all of the benefits, while we assume all of the risks.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alec-baldwin/the-big-lie-of-clean-nucl_b_844161.html?utm_source=DailyBrief&utm_campaign=040411&utm_medium=email&utm_content=BlogEntry&utm_term=Daily%20Brief"target="_blank">Full online article on nuclear energy by Alec Baldwin, Huffington Post</a>Joe Trainorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963030295031426970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-759569909835596880.post-17248652372558347922011-03-24T09:48:00.000-07:002011-03-24T10:12:39.099-07:005 Wind Energy Stocks that may benefit from clean power pushIn light of the troubles at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan, energy authorities worldwide are reviewing atomic power and considering green energy alternatives. For those considering investing in windpower, here we present 5 stocks for you to research and review.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Top global windpower companies</span><br /><br /><a href="http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=GAM.MC"target="_blank">Gamesa (MCE: GAM), (PINK:GCTAF) </a><br /><br />Gamesa is the Spain-based, global leader in the wind industry market, with close to 21000 MW installed in 4 continents. With nominal power of 4.5 MW, the Gamesa G10X-4.5 MW is the most powerful onshore wind turbine system in the market. It offers lower cost of energy (CoE) and ease of transport and installation similar to that of a 2.0 MW turbine.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.google.com/finance?q=SHA:601558"target="_blank">Sinovel Wind Group (SHA:601558) </a><br /><br />SINOVEL WIND GROUP CO., LTD. is principally engaged in the development, research, manufacture and distribution of large-scale wind electric power generator sets. The Company primarily provides 1.5 megawatt (MW) series land wind electric power generator sets and 3 MW marine wind electric power generator sets. The Company offers its products under brands named Huarui Fengdian, Huarui Wind, Sinowind, Sinovel Wind, Sinovel and Sinovel Windtec. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=VWS.CO"target="_blank">Vestas (CO: VWS), (PINK: VWDRY) </a><br /><br />Denmark-based Vestas Wind Systems A/S engages in the development, manufacture, sale, and maintenance of wind technology that uses the energy of the wind to generate electricity. It offers wind turbines and wind power systems. The company also provides planning, installation, operation, and maintenance services. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/q?s=WND.V"target="_blank">Western Wind Energy Corporation (TSX-V:WND)</a><br /><br />Western Wind Energy (TSXV: WND) produces clean, renewable energy from more than 500 wind turbine generators located in Tehachapi and San Gorgonio Pass, California. Currently, Western Wind Energy's annual energy output is approximately 34.5 MW.<br />Western Wind Energy is in the business of acquiring exceptional land sites, capital and technology for the production of electricity from renewable sources. Western Wind Energy conducts its operations in California, Arizona, Ontario, and Puerto Rico through various wholly owned subsidiaries. Management of Western Wind Energy includes individuals involved in the operations and ownership of utility scale wind energy facilities in California since 1981.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.google.com/finance?q=SHE:002202"target="_blank">Xinjiang Goldwind Science (SHE:002202) </a><br /><br />Xinjiang Goldwind Science & Technology Co., Ltd is a China-based company engaged in manufacture and distribution of wind turbine generator sets. The Company’s major products are 750 kilowatt (KW) and 1.5 megawatt (MW) wind turbine sets. The Company also involves in spare parts development and manufacture, provision of wind power services, development and distribution of wind farms, as well as development and transfer of wind power technologies, among others. During the year ended December 31, 2009, wind turbine generator sets accounted for approximately 95.33% of the Company’s total revenueJoe Trainorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963030295031426970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-759569909835596880.post-2350360069258562692011-03-19T13:09:00.000-07:002011-03-19T13:16:04.101-07:00Offshore wind moratorium a chickenshit moveFebruary's election-minded announcement that the Ontario government has placed a moratorium on offshore windfarm development was a cowardly, backwards-looking decision. Fearful of voters' groups opposed to wind turbines "ruining" their lake views, the government caved against unwarranted and limited protests.<br /><br />It is time for the government to choose 2 or 3 Lake Ontario projects and a few more in other lakes as a test project, and then expand the program as more data and opportunities surface. Our province needs to phase out both coal-fired and atomic fission electricity generation, and both land-based and offshore wind energy developments will be core components of our 21st Century energy infrastructure mix.Joe Trainorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963030295031426970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-759569909835596880.post-12917905785502788002011-03-10T18:38:00.000-08:002011-03-10T18:52:09.228-08:0015 Green energy stocks rising against the tide todayWith the Dow dropping 228 and NASDAQ off 51, there were only a small number of companies showing increases in share prices today. Here are some with clean energy technology:<br /><br /><strong>Renewable Power Company Clean Energy Stocks</strong><br /><br /><strong> Name Symbol Last price Change Mkt cap Volume Open High Low</strong><br /><br /> Solar Power Inc SOPW 0.440* +0.030 (7.32%) 23.01M 27,475.00 0.4 0.45 0.39 <br /> <br /> Shear Wind Inc SWX 0.265* +0.015 (6.00%) 38.66M 4,282.00 0.27 0.27 0.265 <br /> <br /> Cleanfield Alternative... AIR 0.095* +0.005 (5.56%) 2.91M 48,000.00 0.09 0.095 0.09 <br /> <br /> Catch the Wind Ltd. CTW 0.650* +0.030 (4.84%) 52.32M 11,650.00 0.59 0.65 0.59 <br /> <br /> ARISE Technologies Corp. APV 0.125* +0.005 (4.17%) 24.05M 353,680.00 0.125 0.125 0.12 <br /> <br /> AeroVironment, Inc. AVAV 33.80 +1.32 (4.06%) 740.13M 644,616.00 32 34.35 31.73 <br /> <br /> FuelCell Energy, Inc. FCEL 1.86 +0.07 (3.91%) 229.14M 6.33M 1.98 1.99 1.85 <br /><br /> Nevada Geothermal Power... NGP 0.640* +0.020 (3.23%) 74.43M 199,185.00 0.64 0.64 0.6 <br /> <br /> Ascent Solar Tech., Inc. ASTI 2.69 +0.06 (2.28%) 86.87M 234,001.00 2.61 2.71 2.5 <br /> <br /> ReneSola Ltd. (ADR) SOL 8.79 +0.18 (2.09%) 764.05M 5.08M 8.33 8.88 8.3 <br /> <br /> A-Power Energy Generatio... APWR 4.84 +0.09 (1.89%) 224.40M 460,630.00 4.76 4.87 4.65 <br /> <br /> Rare Element Resources... RES 10.94* +0.08 (0.74%) 472.28M 230,943.00 10.85 11.22 10.56 <br /> <br /> Ultralife Corp. ULBI 5.20 +0.03 (0.58%) 89.66M 99,564.00 5.12 5.45 5.08 <br /> <br /> 5N Plus Inc. VNP 9.24* +0.05 (0.54%) 421.88M 97,759.00 9.32 9.32 8.96 <br /> <br /> Nordex SE NDX1 6.00* +0.02 (0.33%) 401.07M 371,045.00 5.95 6.11 5.92Joe Trainorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963030295031426970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-759569909835596880.post-31409259350626251282011-02-23T16:14:00.000-08:002011-02-23T19:00:12.265-08:00Green Stock Watch: High energy prices are wind in cleantech sailsThe double-edged events in Libya have caused a spike in global oil prices that will slow growth at home and abroad, however renewed high energy prices also invigorate renewable clean power companies.<br /><br />The more you look into it, the more you will realize that oil is the most replaceable of all commodities, via natural gas, methanol, ethanol, new biogas / biofuel technologies and even solar, wind, geothermal, conservation and energy storage, directly and via equivalent energy displacement.<br /><br />This is good news for green power stocks, however any with weak coffers should move quickly to raise cash now, for peace is just as likely to break out as war, if not more so. Money may soon be more expensive, so CFOs and CEOs, start working overtime to have sufficient money raised in the next two to three months, to last two to three years if possible.<br /><br />A few years back I called the <a href="http://solar-intelligence.blogspot.com/2008/05/is-oil-getting-toppy-in-2008-yes-it.html"target="_blank">2008 top in oil prices</a>, predicted it coming and announced its arrival after oil crossed the $140 mark. We're getting into frothy territory again, and a new prediction is likely coming very soon. Not sure how high this one's gonna go, but we're climbing the peak now:<br /><br /><a href="http://investing.thisismoney.co.uk/companyresearch/100815/Brent_Crude/company_charts.html"target="_blank">5 year chart Brent Crude oil price</a><br /><br /><br />Events and human psychology will determine this coming top, yet it already looks probable that support after the next oil price downturn will be around $56, up from $42 during the most recent bottom. THIS is a third higher, so when oil is next near a bottom and everyone is barking "disinflation", just compare the current bottom to the bottom in the previous cycle, and make your calculations from there.<br /><br />If the oil price goes through 140 and makes a new high above 160, then 56 would be likely support for the next recession. If the oil price falters around or below the 140 mark, we have the dreaded double top and the downside may be even more severe, possibly to 24 at the nadir.<br /><br />The bulls will tell you that $140 will become the new support level, converting former resistance, but don't believe them. At that price the global economy would crash, which is good for neither sellers nor buyers. Traders will take the market down about four or five times faster than they take it up, so don't be shy about starting to take long oil profits soon.<br /><br />It also seems rather early to short, with Libya onstage, Iran in the wings, Bahrain and Yemen on side stages. As the ancient Chinese proverb says, "May you live in interesting times!"<br /><br /><br />Perhaps 2011 is another Sell in May and Stay Away year, or maybe things are moving even faster. Stay tuned.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Middle East democracy uprisings related links:</span><br /><br /><a href="http://ojoecollege.blogspot.com/2011/02/revolution-20-timelines-chronology-dec.html"target="_blank">Middle East Revolutions 2.0; Egypt and Tunisia Timelines Dec 2010 to Feb 2011</a><br /><br /><a href="http://ojoecollege.blogspot.com/2011/02/heroes-and-martyrs-of-2011-revolution.html"target="_blank">Heroes and Martyrs of 2011 Tunisia and Egypt Revolutions</a><br /><br /><a href="http://yuya-joe.blogspot.com/2011/02/canada-urges-libya-restraint-tripoli.html"target="_blank">Canada urges Libya to show restraint with democracy protesters</a>Joe Trainorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963030295031426970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-759569909835596880.post-34037965845939533532011-02-16T19:58:00.000-08:002011-02-16T20:20:30.836-08:00Will Arab Awakening "Day of Anger" spike oil and metal markets?Protests expected in Algeria, Yemen, Libya, Bahrain, Jordan, Syria and Iran this Friday have the potential to cause a short-term spike in commodity prices, even though that some troubles can be reasonably predicted, and some would say are already priced in, though we've heard that before.<br /><br />Here are a couple of links to follow short term and longer term movements in major commodities markets:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/energy/">Oil price Brent Crude updated Bloomberg.com</a><br /><br /><a href="http://goldprice.org">Gold price live feed</a><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Middle East democratic uprising links</span><br /><br /><a href="http://ojoecollege.blogspot.com/2011/02/list-of-countries-with-rigged-elections.html"target="_blank">List of countries with fake elections, rigged votes, false democracies</a><br /><br /><a href="http://ojoecollege.blogspot.com/2011/02/egypt-wael-ghonim-deserves-seat-on.html"target="_blank">Egypt: Wael Ghonim deserves seat on Egypt's National Constitution Council</a><br /><br /><a href="http://ojoecollege.blogspot.com/2011/02/victory-new-day-dawning-in-egypt-and.html"target="_blank">VICTORY!!! New Day Dawning in Egypt and Middle East</a><br /><br /><a href="http://ojoecollege.blogspot.com/2011/02/egypt-how-facebook-youtube-and-twitter.html"target="_blank">Egypt: How Facebook, YouTube, Google and Twitter revolutionized Egypt</a><br /><br /><a href="http://ojoecollege.blogspot.com/2011/02/farid-zakaria-obama-statement-on-egypt.html"target="_blank">Fareed Zakaria: Obama statement on Egypt unprecedented in recent decades</a>Joe Trainorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963030295031426970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-759569909835596880.post-7733358226982309642011-02-06T19:47:00.000-08:002011-02-06T19:49:40.263-08:00Blowin' In The Wind lyrics, by Bob Dylan<span style="font-weight:bold;">Blowin' In The Wind</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Lyrics and Music by Bob Dylan</span><br /><br />How many roads must a man walk down<br />Before you call him a man?<br />Yes, ’n’ how many seas must a white dove sail<br />Before she sleeps in the sand?<br />Yes, ’n’ how many times must the cannonballs fly<br />Before they’re forever banned?<br />The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind<br />The answer is blowin’ in the wind<br /><br />How many years can a mountain exist<br />Before it’s washed to the sea?<br />Yes, ’n’ how many years can some people exist<br />Before they’re allowed to be free?<br />Yes, ’n’ how many times can a man turn his head<br />Pretending he just doesn’t see?<br />The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind<br />The answer is blowin’ in the wind<br /><br />How many times must a man look up<br />Before he can see the sky?<br />Yes, ’n’ how many ears must one man have<br />Before he can hear people cry?<br />Yes, ’n’ how many deaths will it take till he knows<br />That too many people have died?<br />The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind<br />The answer is blowin’ in the windJoe Trainorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963030295031426970noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-759569909835596880.post-35078713516904118202011-01-28T06:15:00.000-08:002011-01-28T06:27:42.723-08:00Industries seeking alternatives to reliance on Rare Earth Elements (REEs)In an informative article in today's Toronto Star, Clean Break columnist Tyler Hamilton, a very knowledgeable green power expert, explains that many clean power technology industries do have options not involving rare earth elements.<br /><br />My feeling is that while it is true there are many green technologies that do not require rare earth elements, the countries and companies that have the option of using them will develop superior technology in the end. In the near term, the shortage may actually spur a whole new generation of LED lighting and other innovations, but in the medium to longer term I'd like North American companies to have secure access to rare earth elements.<br /><br />The article is not yet online, however check TheStar.com tomorrow for it, and I may also post some quotes from it right here.Joe Trainorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03963030295031426970noreply@blogger.com2