Since the outbreak of the financial crisis, many of the large economies
have announced measures designed to stimulate investment in renewable
energy and energy efficiency. Leading governments have committed USD 183
billion to clean energy within their various stimulus packages, with USD
61 billion targeted at energy efficiency and USD 34 billion at renewable
energy projects. This shows that governments have realised that going
green is good for the economy, as it has the potential to create
hundreds of thousands of "green collar" jobs.
Parallel to the stimulus packages, policy support for renewables is crucial to prepare for energy
demands growth as the economy recovers. As REN21 Chair Mohamed El-Ashry
stressed in his foreword to the recently released Renewables Global
Status Report 2009 Update, now is not the time to relax policies that
support a global, expanding renewable energy industry. By maintaining –
and expanding – these policies, governments, industry and society will
reap substantial economic and environmental rewards when the economic
rebound requires energy markets to meet rapidly increasing demand.
AFRICA
South Africa introduces aggressive feed-in tariffs
South Africa's National Energy Regulator (NERSA) announced on 31 March
2009 the introduction of a system of feed-in tariffs designed to produce
10 TWh of electricity per year by 2013. The tariffs, differentiated by
technology, will be paid for a period of 20 years.
Read more...
ASIA
Thailand: "Adder" for power generation from renewables updated in March 2009
In March, the National Energy Policy Council approved an increase in
special tariffs on power generated by renewable energy. The NEPC raised
the special tariff - the so-called 'adder' rate on various technologies.
An extra adder is also approved for renewable energy that replaces
diesel consumption. "The adders will be in effect for seven years,
except for solar and wind energy, for which the effective period will be
10 years," the NEPC said in a statement.
Read more...
China: PV subsidy programme introduced
In March, the Chinese Ministry of Finance introduced interim measures
for subsidies for "solar photovoltaic building applications" in China.
The standard subsidy for 2009 will, in principle, be set at RMB 20/Wp.
The exact amount will be determined by factors such as the degree of
integration with the building architecture, as well as the level of
technical sophistication of the photovoltaic products. In subsequent
years, the subsidy will be adjusted dependent on how the market develops.
Read more...
China: wind to reach 100GW by 2020 – outpacing nuclear
China is projected to have installed 100 GW of wind-power capacity by 2020,
more than three times the target the government laid down in an energy strategy
drawn up just 18 months ago. Fang Junshi, head of the coal department of the National
Energy Administration, expects an annual growth rate of 20 percent. That means wind
is set to be a bigger source of power than nuclear, despite a construction boom in nuclear power plants.
Read more...
Japan's ministries release Action Plan to expand solar power
Based on the action plan for achieving a low carbon society approved by the Cabinet in July, 2008,
the Action Plan for Promoting the Introduction of Solar Power Generation was recently jointly unveiled
on 11 November 2008, by the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry,
the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure,
Transport and Tourism.
Read more...
AUSTRALIA / PACIFIC
Australia's Renewable Energy Target
On 30 April 2009, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) agreed the
design of the expanded national Renewable Energy Target (RET) scheme to
implement the Government's commitment that 20 per cent of Australia's
electricity supply comes from renewable energy sources by 2020.
Read more...
Australia to build world's largest solar energy plant
Australia plans to build the world's largest solar power station with an
output of 1000MW in an AUD 1.4 billion (USD 1.05 billion) investment,
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said on Sunday. The plant would have three
times the generating capacity of the current biggest solar-powered
electricity plant, which is in California, Rudd said during a tour of a
power station. Tender details will be announced later in the year, and
successful bidders will be named in the first half of 2010. Rudd said
the project was aimed at exploiting the country's ample sunshine, which
he called "Australia's biggest natural resource."
Read more...
Solar gross feed in tariff for Western Australia
Announced last week and in meeting the Western Australian Government's
election commitments, USD 13.5 million will be allocated over four years to
introduce a gross feed-in tariff for home solar energy energy systems in
Western Australia. The state's program will be one of the most generous
in Australia.
Read
more...
2009 WA budget good news for home renewables
The gross feed-in tariff for domestic customers listed as a measure
in Western Australia's budget will mean that householders taking full advantage
of the incentive need never pay an electricity bill again, said the WA Sustainable
Energy Association in May. "The 2009 budget presented by Western Australia Treasurer, Troy Buswell, unveiled
Australia's most generous state-based incentive to support renewable energy generation
for households," says Dr Ray Wills, WA SEA Chief Executive.
Read
more...
EUROPE
Germany adopted a law for extending the grid and encouraging
electricity storage systems
In early May, a new law for the expansion of the electricity grid in
Germany was adopted. This law defines the conditions for a fast approval
procedure for new electricity lines. This will allow distributing
especially offshore wind power that will be generated in the north of
the country. The government therefore decided on a special support for
underground high tension lines and HVDC lines. Another crucial point is
the support of any kind of electricity storage system. For these systems
there will be no charge for the use of the grid for a period of 10 years.
Read
more...
EUR 65 million for a more intelligent energy future in Europe
On 31 March, the European Commission published the 2009 call for project
proposals which contribute to a wider spread of energy efficiency
practices and to a greater use of renewable energy sources under the
Intelligent Energy – Europe funding programme. Overall EUR 65 million
will be available to fund projects which can help deliver a cleaner,
more secure and sustainable energy future for Europe while fighting
climate change.
Read
more...
European Parliament calls for zero energy buildings from 2019
All buildings built after 31 December 2018 will have to produce as much
energy as they consume on-site, said the European Parliament in April,
amending the 2002 Energy Performance of Buildings Directive.
Technologies like solar panels or heat pumps should be used to reach
this target. MEPs also call for more public investments in
energy-efficient buildings. Parliament also wants Member States to set
intermediate national targets for existing buildings.
Read
more...
Cohesion Policy backs "green economy" for growth and long-term jobs
in Europe
Danuta Hübner, European Commissioner for Regional Policy, announced
today that EUR 105 billion will be invested in the "green economy" through
the EU Cohesion Policy. The funding, which represents more than 30% of
the regional policy budget for 2007-2013, offers a solid platform for
job creation and a significant boost for regions and cities in their
quest to maintain Europe's global leadership in the field of green
technologies, including renewables.
Read
more...
Ukraine: Amendment to Green Tariff law – April 2009
The Ukraine approved a law by an overwhelming majority including all
political parties which stimulates the use of alternative sources of
energy. The rate of “Green Tariff” set for electricity generated from
renewable energy sources is now determined by multiplying the existing
electricity retail tariff by a coefficient. The «Green Tariff» is set
for the period to January 1, 2030 for all business entities that
generate electricity from renewable energies.
Read
more...
NORTH AMERICA
Canada launches CAD 1 billion Clean Energy Fund
In May, the Canadian government officially launched the CAD 1
billion (USD 866 million) Clean Energy Fund announced in the budget.
Canadian Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt said the fund focuses
among other things on smaller-scale demonstration projects of renewable
and alternative energy technologies and on research into clean
technologies.
Read more...
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Green Energy Act passed in Ontario
In May, the government of the Canadian province of Ontario passed a
major piece of legislation for renewables. The "Green Energy Act",
pushed by a multi-stakeholder alliance of leading environmental groups,
industry associations, farmers and labour groups, outlines an ambitious
and globally significant strategy to improve conservation, increase
renewable energy generation and create green jobs.
Read more...
Vermont FITs become law: the mouse that roared
Vermont's feed-in tariff legislation became law on 27 May. This is
the first legislation calling for a full system of advanced renewable
tariffs in the US to pass the legislature and become law. The bill
includes changes to Vermont's Sustainably Priced Energy Enterprise
Development Program (SPEED) that would implement a pilot feed-in tariff
policy.
Read more...
California raises net metering cap to 10%
The California State Assembly passed a bill that would raise the cap for
net metering to 10 percent from 2.5 percent. The legislation aims to
boost more renewable energy production, particularly in solar. The
popularity of the state's solar rebate program, the California Solar
Initiative, especially in the region served by the Pacific Gas and
Electric Co. (PCG), means the 2.5 percent cap could be reached by next
year, the state said.
Read more...
US Government helps states foster gigawatt-level renewable energy developments
Beyond the federal tax policy, the US government is also seeking to financially support renewable energy action at
the state level. For this, the Department of Energy is providing USD 4 million in grant money. Given that the money is
awarded to states to help shape policy and regulatory frameworks,
the support could stimulate considerable investment in the sector.
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more...
MIDDLE EAST / NORTH AFRICA
Oman is getting ready for large scale renewable energy projects
Oman will chalk out policies and develop policy instruments needed to
support and sustain implementation of renewable energy projects across
the Sultanate on a large scale, thereby contributing to the vision of
His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said. "The Sultanate has implemented far
reaching structural reforms in the electricity and related water sector.
These reforms provide an excellent basis on which to start introducing
renewable energy into the electricity system" said the secretary general
of the Ministry of National Economy in May.
Read
more...
GLOBAL
Investment in clean energy companies and projects worldwide reached USD 155 billion in 2008—not including large hydro,
according to a new report launched
by the United Nations Environment Programme and New Energy Finance, and
endorsed by REN21.
Of this, USD 13.5 billion of new private investment went into companies
developing and scaling-up new technologies alongside USD 117 billion of
investment in renewable energy projects from geothermal and wind to solar
and biofuels. The economic crisis hit the EU and US clean energy sector as
emerging economy investments rose 27 percent to USD 36 billion. However,
renewables drew more investment than fossil-fueled energy technologies in 2008.
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more...
The global financial crisis and its impact on renewable energy finance
After global renewable energy sector growth had been continually breaking its own
record year after year since 2004, in late 2008 the impact of the financial crisis
began to show through, particularly in the flow of debt from banks to renewable energy
developers. A survey of some 80 representatives of the financial and renewable energy
industries, however, found that there is reason to believe the clean energy sector should
emerge strongly as a key component of a long-term stable low-carbon global economy, provided
governments act now to build and strengthen the framework conditions to make that happen.
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more...
IRENA statutes ratified by German parliament
End of May, the German Bundestag ratified the statutes of the International Renewable Energy
Agency (IRENA). The Bundesrat (representation of the states, or “Länder”) is expected to complete
the German ratification later this month. Germany is the initiator of the process to establish IRENA.
Since the founding conference in January 2009 in Bonn, over 90 countries have signed up for membership,
and the number is continuing to grow.
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more...
G8 energy ministers to cooperate on energy efficiency and innovative technologies
Under the Italian presidency, energy ministers of the G8 countries and from Brazil, China, India, Mexico,
Brazil, and South Africa as well as from Egypt, Algeria, Australia, Corea, Lybia, Nigeria, Ruanda, Saudi Arabia
and Turkey met in Rome from 24-25 May to discuss matters related to energy and climate change, energy security,
volatile oil prices, and energy poverty, especially in Africa. The important role of renewable energy in reducing
greenhouse gas emissions and for sustainable development was highlighted in the joint statements.
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more...
IEA calls for 'Clean Energy New Deal'
Nobuo Tanaka, Executive Eirector of the International Energy Agency, urged world governments to ensure that stimulus
packages aimed at restoring growth also embrace low-carbon technologies. Tanaka called on governments across the world
not to overlook the energy and climate crisis when devising economic recovery plans, warning of under-investment.
Read
more...
