Renewable energy sources present particular challenges for the electricity grid. For example, the performance of hydro plants is diminished in dry seasons; good wind conditions don’t generally correlate to when electricity demand is at its highest; and, of course, solar power generating technologies depend on clear sunshine. While weather prediction technologies are improving, they are […]
Author Archives: GEC
Water Deregulation Report 2008 – Historical NRG Expert Energy Data Series Although the absolute figure looks large, the water and waste sector lags sadly behind other the infrastructure sectors in the private investment it receives. By the end of 2006 526 PSP projects worth a cumulative total of $53 billion had been closed in the […]
Greenhouse gases are accumulating in Earth’s atmosphere as a result of human activities, causing surface air temperatures and subsurface ocean temperatures to rise. The changes observed over the last several decades are most likely due to human activities, but we cannot rule out that some significant part of these changes is also a reflection of […]
In 1965, ten years after Britain commissioned the world’s first commercial nuclear power station at Calder Hall in 1956, global consumption of nuclear energy reached six million tonnes oil equivalent (Mtoe), amounting to 0.15% of the world’s total energy consumption from all sources. This rose steadily to 637 Mtoe in 2005, 6.0% of total consumption. […]
The gas sector differs from the electricity sector in that not every country produces or uses gas, natural or manufactured, whereas every country generates and uses electricity. The transport of natural gas requires enormous investment with pipelines covering great distances, sometimes thousands of kilometers, or conversion plants and shipping for liquified natural gas (LNG). 21.7% […]
The Oil & Gas Journal (OGJ), a leading source for worldwide reserves estimates that at the end of 2010, worldwide reserves were 1.35 trillion barrels of oil and 6,609 trillion cubic feet or 187 trillion cubic metres of natural gas. These estimates are 14 billion barrels of oil and 348 trillion cubic feet or 10 […]
Solar PV 2009 – Historical Data Seies. Global investment in renewables grew very fast from $35 billion in 2004 to $148 billion in 2007, averaging over 60% growth a year, but slowed down with only 5% growth in 2008 to $155 billion. $41.3 billion was by company investment through VC/PE (venture capital/private equity), equity in […]
There is increasing discussion of linking wind power systems with pumped storage hydro facilities, especially in Norway and Canada, directly via the grid. This was effectively done with Danish wind power, a large amount of which has been generated at periods of low demand, necessitating export to Norway and Sweden. Pumped hydro storage alone will […]
Poland has steadfastly pursued a policy of economic liberalisation since 1990 and today stands out as a success story among transition economies. Even so, much remains to be done, especially in bringing down the unemployment rate, which is still the highest in the EU despite recent improvement. The privatisation of small- and medium-sized state-owned companies […]
In August 2008, the Crown Estate of the UK purchased Clipper’s 7.5 MW Britannia turbine for testing in its laboratory. Following successful tests, Clipper is planning to open a manufacturing facility in the UK and planning to produce its 7.5 MW turbine in the third quarter of 2010. In 2012, the company is expecting to […]
