The recent environmental and resulting economic disaster in Japan drastically demonstrates the need for an ‘energy shift’ towards sustainable and decentralised forms of energy, which is where solar PV can play a major part.
30 April, 2011
Lyn Corum profiles a number of innovative projects that are at the heart of sustainable development in the U.S., including a subtropical rain forest that thrives on CO2 and waste heat on a college campus…
29 April, 2011
Although computer models of wind flow over terrain have improved dramatically in the past few years, there is still no substitute for data recorded at the site.
28 April, 2011
Critics of wind energy often charge that wind energy is too ‘unreliable’ to generate a large portion of a nation's electricity and suggest that base load needs ‘reliable’ sources of generation such as nuclear power.
28 April, 2011
The first fuel cell applications on seagoing vessels will be competitive with diesel engines as early as 2020, according to a new market survey...
27 April, 2011
GE has returned to offshore wind for full with the introduction of its GW 4.1-113 direct drive offshore wind turbine at the European Wind Energy Association’s annual conference and exhibition (EWEA 2011) in March this year.
27 April, 2011
Iceland's volcano reminds us the island is full of renewable power. Now the country is stepping up efforts to land energy-intensive industry. It might also export electricity.
26 April, 2011
If Japan adopted an aggressive renewable energy policy like that of Germany, it could, within 10 years, generate more than four times the electricity lost at the Fukushima 1 nuclear power plant, cutting the country's reliance on nuclear power by one-half or more.
21 April, 2011
Modern society is dependent on flexible electrical energy, available on demand and at an affordable cost. Most of our electrical energy is produced by converting the carbon stored in coal or natural gas into heat energy and then via a turbine into mechanical energy.
20 April, 2011
Renewable energy can have wide-ranging social and economic benefits for developing countries, as well as contributing to the climate change agenda. But a balance needs to be struck between public subsidies, the charity sector and private investment.
18 April, 2011
Deep drilling to exploit geothermal energy involves risks related to engineering, financing and non-discovery. Feasibility studies conducted at an early stage of the project point the way to successful exploitation of geothermal energy. The key task of these studies lies in the systematic disclosure of the risks and opportunities involved in a project,
15 April, 2011
Photovoltaics (PV) is the dominant solar technology with more than 12 GW installed in 2010 alone, but PV (not to mention wind power) has inherent limitations of intermittency. This gives CSP a distinct advantage, and current advances in heat transfer and storage could increase the implementation of CSP as a significant renewable resource.
13 April, 2011
The offshore wind industry is facing a massive ramp up ahead of Round 3 developments in the UK. But with few developers setting up shop in the UK and a hesitant supply chain waiting on firm orders before investing in upgraded facilities, will Round 3 deliver on time, and on budget? Renewable Energy Focus’ Kari Williamson travelled to one potential cluster in North East England.
11 April, 2011
Following recent proposals from the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) to dramatically reduce the tariff paid to those with solar PV (photovoltaic) energy schemes generating more than 50 kW, power experts at IMS Research are questioning the viability and future of solar energy in the UK.
08 April, 2011
The forthcoming March/April print issue of Renewable Energy Focus will be publishing an article on the need for wind industry players to share understanding of the Operation and Maintenance issues involved in wind farm development...
07 April, 2011
Part one: The collector. At the heart of every solar thermal system is a collector, which traps heat by absorbing sunlight. Matthias Rommel, Peter Kovács and Korbinian Kramer look at the various designs of collectors on the market today, and discuss performance evaluation, state-of-the-art technology, as well as potential future developments.
07 April, 2011
A mining company in Australia hopes that waste tailings from a 19th century gold mine could be transformed into a new, surprisingly pure form of silicon for use in the solar PV industry, but could this new process really be feasible?
05 April, 2011