By Roy L Hales
Germany leads the World in energy efficiency, according to the 2014 scorecard released by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) today. Sixteen nations were studied. Six of the top 10 were from Europe. Canada was the only North American nation to make the cut, placing 9th.
Continue reading Germany Leads the World in Energy EfficiencyBy Roy L Hales
Germany’s renewable sector (RE) is flexing its muscles. Solar production was up 28% and wind 19% during the first half of 2014. As a result, the renewable sector accounted for 31% of the nation’s electricity. If this trend continues, this may be the third year in a row that Germany sets a record for energy exports. The increase in renewables has also been accompanied by a decrease in fossil fuel usage. Gas-fired power plant production is down 25%, compared to last year. Hard coal production fell 11%. Only Lignite power usage rose. So what does the expanding sector mean to Germany’s utilities?
Continue reading What Does the Expanding Solar Sector Mean to Germany’s Utilities?
The 9th annual Paddle for the Peace begins today: Saturday, July 12, 2014. This year’s trek is especially important because of the impending decision on British Columbia’s proposed Site C dam. If this project is approved, close to 9,429 acres of class 1-5 farmland will be submerged by water. The government will also be breaking treaty 8, which promised the local First Nations they would be allowed to pursue their traditional way of life in this area “for as long as the sun shines, the grass grows and the rivers flow.” In its zeal to develop Site C, British Columbia’s Provincial Government could miss the opportunity to build what is, potentially, the biggest solar project in North America,
Peter Varadi is one of the few people who could be said to personify the solar industry. He and his partner, Joseph Lindmayer helped develop this technology for space and founded the World’s first terrestrial solar company in 1973. It was the worlds largest, and possibly the only profitable, solar company when they sold out a decade later. That did not end Varadi’s involvement. He has continued to be at the center of developments, as a consultant to organizations like the European Commission, The World Bank and National Renewable Energy Laboratory. His recently published book, Sun Above the Horizon: Meteoric Rise of the Solar Industry, is and insider’s view of what has transpired since Bell laboratories discovered that silicon was a incredible conductor of electricity in 1953.
Germany has long been one of the world’s leading centers of the wind industry. Thus I welcomed an opportunity to question Esther Frey, renewable energies expert at Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI), about this technology’s effectiveness and future development. GTAI is the foreign trade and inward investment promotion agency of the Federal Republic of Germany. Ms Frey provided some valuable insight into some of the issues involved in developing Germany’s Wind Energy Potential.
