The installed base of solar PV reached 9,151 MW by the end of 2009 and the final figure for 2010 is expected to be 11,520 MW. We now note the development and potential development of a number of large scale installations, the most significant of which are the 54 MW project in Strasskirchen and 53 […]
Non-utility generation capacity in the US markets has increased substantially. Numerous electricity trading hubs and wholesale electricity markets that have developed across the country have grown from about 6% of total generation capacity in 1991 to almost 20% in 1999. Non-utility generators produce power mostly for wholesale markets and are in direct competition with traditional […]
From total regulation in 1970 the market has evolved into partial deregulation, with varying degrees of market opening at the different stages of the industrial process. This has happened in 3 stages; wellhead deregulation, pipeline reform and finally unbundling gas services. At the retail level, reforms and restructuring have occurred on a piecemeal basis. For […]
Reserves may be classified as proved if facilities to process and transport those reserves to market are operational at the time of the estimate or there is a reasonable expectation that such facilities will be installed. Reserves in undeveloped locations may be classified as proved undeveloped provided (1) the locations are direct offsets to wells […]
Probable reserves are those unproved reserves which analysis of geological and engineering data suggests are more likely than not to be recoverable. In this context, when probabilistic methods are used, there should be at least a 50% probability that the quantities actually recovered will equal or exceed the sum of estimated proved plus probable reserves. […]
The growth of activity in the wind energy field has provided a powerful impetus to the development of the Spanish wind industry, covering not only the manufacture of complete wind turbines but also the manufacture of components for the wind industry: blades, generators, gearboxes, towers and wind sensors. The service sector (installation, maintenance, and engineering) […]
After 6 years of marginal growth, the Danish wind industry experienced strong growth in 2009 with 294 MW of new installed capacity. The bulk of this, 209 MW, was new offshore capacity, resulting in a total installed capacity of 3,410 MW at year end. In 2009, the share of total energy production in Denmark for […]
A major difference between the US and Europe is that US renewable energy policy has been driven by the states, and not the national government. Although states have developed a broad range of renewable energy incentives, such as tax incentives, rebates, loan programmes, public benefits funds, RPS systems have emerged as the primary state-level renewable […]
In contrast to the US, most European countries have adopted feed-in tariffs. While RPS policies typically seek to create electricity price competition, feed-in tariffs require utilities to purchase power from renewable energy generators at a fixed price. These fixed prices are structured either in the form of long-term payments based on generation cost (as in […]
There is a growing need for desalinated water from the general public, which has a greater understanding of water issues and often demands high quality potable water. Several industries require ultra pure water produced from desalination, and these industries are growing e.g. pharmaceutical and semi-conductors, and equipment can now measure contaminants at very low concentrations. […]