Danny Fortson
Charles Hendry, the new energy secretary, will cut his first ribbon in an Essex golf club lounge on Tuesday. It’s an odd venue for the maiden power plant inauguration of his tenure but that is because the site, the Gunfleet Sands wind farm, is five miles offshore from the Frinton-on-Sea club.
It will be a momentous day for Britain’s green energy revolutionaries. The new site is one of the biggest offshore wind farms ever built, and pushes Britain’s offshore wind power capacity past 1 gigawatt — enough to power 700,000 homes. It cements our position as a world leader in this form of clean — and very expensive — electricity.
It will also be a big day for Dong Energy, Denmark’s state-owned energy giant. In a very Scandinavian way, Dong has carved out a central role in reshaping Britain’s power industry. Gunfleet Sands will make Dong Britain’s biggest wind power provider, with about one-third of the market. Larger projects are already in the works.
Anders Eldrup, Dong’s chief executive, said: “The UK is our most important market after Denmark. We have read many reports about the mismatch between supply and demand in the years to come. That is part of the reason we are here.”
The company is pushing ahead with the London Array, the giant £3.5 billion offshore farm in the outer Thames Estuary, the first phase of which is expected to be completed in time for the 2012 Olympics. It is also building the Walney wind farm near Barrow-in-Furness, and has joined Total, the French oil group, to build a pipeline connecting two giant gas fields west of Shetland to Aberdeen.
The latter, said Eldrup, is the first investment in the remote and still largely untapped region. “We are the largest leaseholder there and will continue to explore for more resources.”
But why is a government-owned utility from Scandinavia so interested in Britain? It’s the same reason that rivals from Spain, Germany and France have set up shop.
Britain’s power plants are old and dirty and North Sea gas is running out. The need to replace the plants with clean, pricey alternatives — the bill is expected to hit £200 billion by 2020 — is greater here than anywhere in western Europe.
The subsidies for offshore wind, meanwhile, are among the most generous to be found. Under current prices, renewable obligation certificates (ROCs) triple the income that comes from the power price alone. “The regime in the UK has been good,” said Eldrup. “The British authorities have been quite active in promoting activity and investment in the sector.”
It is little wonder that Britain represents half of the world’s total offshore wind power market, despite opponents who say the government is wrong to bet so heavily on an expensive energy source that, in the best case, runs for only about one-third of the time.
“All three parties in the recent election set very ambitious targets for wind. If things change it would of course be for future projects, not ones we have already invested in,” said Eldrup.
His ambition doesn’t stop at ringing the British isles with windmills. He is also a believer in gas. Indeed, the company owns exploration rights covering 2,250 square miles in the area west of Shetland and he recently bought a power station in Wales that could one day be powered by gas from those fields. The company also helped build the 750-mile Langeled pipeline that connects Britain to Norway’s second-largest gas reservoir.
The third and least developed leg of the Dong strategy is biomass. Eldrup said he was considering building plants that burn organic fuels such as woodchips and elephant grass but has yet to find a suitable project.
Where he draws the line, though, is coal. “Last year we dropped all coal developments, including two in Britain we were looking at,” he said. “Right now 85% of our power comes from fossil fuels and 15% from renewables. We want to reconstruct that so that in 30 years it’s the opposite — 85% renewables. In Britain, with the need to renew the production fleet, it is an obvious occasion to look at going the green way.”
Friday, 11 June 2010
Hybrid Energy Expands Portfolio: Carbon Capture & Sequestration Market $221 Billion by 2030
Posted on: Thu, 10 Jun 2010 08:30:12 EDT
RENO, NV, Jun 10, 2010 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) --
Hybrid Energy Holdings, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: HYBE | PowerRating) announced today the official launch of the Carbon Capture & Sequestration (CSS) Acquisition and Development Project as it further diversifies its assets and enhances its revenue potential. This sector will be an active and important part of the Company's technology portfolio under its recently announced New Energy Initiative. Shareholders can expect updates on new asset acquisitions and further sector announcements as the company executes its portfolio growth strategy.
According to a new report from Pike Research, respected market research and consulting firm that provides in-depth analysis of global clean technology markets, global revenues for CCS systems could reach as high as $221 billion by 2030.
As industry and political leaders consider future policy related to climate change, one of the most high-profile approaches for the mitigation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions lies in carbon capture and sequestration (CCS). Because emissions from large point sources such as power plants and industrial facilities are a primary driver of GHGs, CCS is considered by many to be a required set of technologies to slow, if not reverse, the expected rise in the Earth's temperature.
The Company is assessing available CSS assets and assembling experienced cross-functional teams to guide the CSS Acquisition and Development Project through the innovation, acquisition, technological adaptation, and system integration development phases; the required steps to successful commercialization.
The Company will complete its due diligence regarding a select group of nascent CSS assets and operations and issue investor updates accordingly.
Hybrid Energy Expands Portfolio: Carbon Capture & Sequestration Market $221 Billion by 2030
Posted on: Thu, 10 Jun 2010 08:30:12 EDT
Symbols: HYBE
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RENO, NV, Jun 10, 2010 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) --
Hybrid Energy Holdings, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: HYBE | PowerRating) announced today the official launch of the Carbon Capture & Sequestration (CSS) Acquisition and Development Project as it further diversifies its assets and enhances its revenue potential. This sector will be an active and important part of the Company's technology portfolio under its recently announced New Energy Initiative. Shareholders can expect updates on new asset acquisitions and further sector announcements as the company executes its portfolio growth strategy.
According to a new report from Pike Research, respected market research and consulting firm that provides in-depth analysis of global clean technology markets, global revenues for CCS systems could reach as high as $221 billion by 2030.
As industry and political leaders consider future policy related to climate change, one of the most high-profile approaches for the mitigation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions lies in carbon capture and sequestration (CCS). Because emissions from large point sources such as power plants and industrial facilities are a primary driver of GHGs, CCS is considered by many to be a required set of technologies to slow, if not reverse, the expected rise in the Earth's temperature.
The Company is assessing available CSS assets and assembling experienced cross-functional teams to guide the CSS Acquisition and Development Project through the innovation, acquisition, technological adaptation, and system integration development phases; the required steps to successful commercialization.
The Company will complete its due diligence regarding a select group of nascent CSS assets and operations and issue investor updates accordingly.
The CSS Acquisition and Development Project, together with the Solar Energy Acquisition and Development Project, will increase the Company's revenue and shareholder value.
The Company recently announced Phase II of its growth and acquisition strategy and the diversification and expansion of its current asset holdings with the launch of its "New Energy Initiative." The Company has successfully established a strong and growing asset base of clean energy producing operations with strong recurring profits and cash-flows. The company will continue its aggressive acquisition and development initiatives in the New Energy sector, which includes Clean Energy, Energy Smart Technologies and Carbon Capture & Storage.
The Company recently signed a Letter of Intent to acquire assets in a transaction valued at $18 million. The transaction is equity-based transaction with no issuance of debt or use of cash reserves.
The Company's long-range goals embrace complete conversion to sustainable and alternative energy sources as its primary portfolio focus. The company's current portfolio exceeds $200,000,000 in known reserves with active and profitable energy production across several properties. The Company will release projections and estimates of portfolio valuation and revenues as current acquisitions mature.
About Hybrid Energy Holdings Hybrid Energy Holdings (HEH) acquires and operates profitable energy companies with strong historical cash-flow and sustainable profitability. The Company acquires sector-specific technology and assets as part of its Phase II Clean Energy Initiative. HEH's prior Phase I foundation building acquisitions focused primarily on traditional and proven fuel production. The company now turns its growth strategy to adding the latest in energy conservation and power co-generation technologies. HEH may acquire nascent energy technology or rights as portfolio enhancing assets. HEH's primary business strategy is the acquisition of diverse, profitable energy related assets that provide synergistic profits and revenue enhancements across all portfolio companies.
HEH believes its combination of profitability and mitigated-risk funding structures provides long-term shareholder equity appreciation.
The company maintains its web site at: www.HybridEnergyHoldings.com
Safe-Harbor Statement This release contains statements or projections regarding future performance that are forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those projected as a result of certain risks and uncertainties. The company's filings contain various RISK FACTORS (and are incorporated on the Company's website "Investors" section by reference) and should be read before any investment decision.
Contact:
Investor Relations
Tel: +1 (775) 636-7602 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting +1 (775) 636-7602 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Fax: +1 (775) 996-7330
info@hybridenergyholdings.com
RENO, NV, Jun 10, 2010 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) --
Hybrid Energy Holdings, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: HYBE | PowerRating) announced today the official launch of the Carbon Capture & Sequestration (CSS) Acquisition and Development Project as it further diversifies its assets and enhances its revenue potential. This sector will be an active and important part of the Company's technology portfolio under its recently announced New Energy Initiative. Shareholders can expect updates on new asset acquisitions and further sector announcements as the company executes its portfolio growth strategy.
According to a new report from Pike Research, respected market research and consulting firm that provides in-depth analysis of global clean technology markets, global revenues for CCS systems could reach as high as $221 billion by 2030.
As industry and political leaders consider future policy related to climate change, one of the most high-profile approaches for the mitigation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions lies in carbon capture and sequestration (CCS). Because emissions from large point sources such as power plants and industrial facilities are a primary driver of GHGs, CCS is considered by many to be a required set of technologies to slow, if not reverse, the expected rise in the Earth's temperature.
The Company is assessing available CSS assets and assembling experienced cross-functional teams to guide the CSS Acquisition and Development Project through the innovation, acquisition, technological adaptation, and system integration development phases; the required steps to successful commercialization.
The Company will complete its due diligence regarding a select group of nascent CSS assets and operations and issue investor updates accordingly.
Hybrid Energy Expands Portfolio: Carbon Capture & Sequestration Market $221 Billion by 2030
Posted on: Thu, 10 Jun 2010 08:30:12 EDT
Symbols: HYBE
Email to friend
Add This RSS Feed
Font size: A A A
RENO, NV, Jun 10, 2010 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) --
Hybrid Energy Holdings, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: HYBE | PowerRating) announced today the official launch of the Carbon Capture & Sequestration (CSS) Acquisition and Development Project as it further diversifies its assets and enhances its revenue potential. This sector will be an active and important part of the Company's technology portfolio under its recently announced New Energy Initiative. Shareholders can expect updates on new asset acquisitions and further sector announcements as the company executes its portfolio growth strategy.
According to a new report from Pike Research, respected market research and consulting firm that provides in-depth analysis of global clean technology markets, global revenues for CCS systems could reach as high as $221 billion by 2030.
As industry and political leaders consider future policy related to climate change, one of the most high-profile approaches for the mitigation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions lies in carbon capture and sequestration (CCS). Because emissions from large point sources such as power plants and industrial facilities are a primary driver of GHGs, CCS is considered by many to be a required set of technologies to slow, if not reverse, the expected rise in the Earth's temperature.
The Company is assessing available CSS assets and assembling experienced cross-functional teams to guide the CSS Acquisition and Development Project through the innovation, acquisition, technological adaptation, and system integration development phases; the required steps to successful commercialization.
The Company will complete its due diligence regarding a select group of nascent CSS assets and operations and issue investor updates accordingly.
The CSS Acquisition and Development Project, together with the Solar Energy Acquisition and Development Project, will increase the Company's revenue and shareholder value.
The Company recently announced Phase II of its growth and acquisition strategy and the diversification and expansion of its current asset holdings with the launch of its "New Energy Initiative." The Company has successfully established a strong and growing asset base of clean energy producing operations with strong recurring profits and cash-flows. The company will continue its aggressive acquisition and development initiatives in the New Energy sector, which includes Clean Energy, Energy Smart Technologies and Carbon Capture & Storage.
The Company recently signed a Letter of Intent to acquire assets in a transaction valued at $18 million. The transaction is equity-based transaction with no issuance of debt or use of cash reserves.
The Company's long-range goals embrace complete conversion to sustainable and alternative energy sources as its primary portfolio focus. The company's current portfolio exceeds $200,000,000 in known reserves with active and profitable energy production across several properties. The Company will release projections and estimates of portfolio valuation and revenues as current acquisitions mature.
About Hybrid Energy Holdings Hybrid Energy Holdings (HEH) acquires and operates profitable energy companies with strong historical cash-flow and sustainable profitability. The Company acquires sector-specific technology and assets as part of its Phase II Clean Energy Initiative. HEH's prior Phase I foundation building acquisitions focused primarily on traditional and proven fuel production. The company now turns its growth strategy to adding the latest in energy conservation and power co-generation technologies. HEH may acquire nascent energy technology or rights as portfolio enhancing assets. HEH's primary business strategy is the acquisition of diverse, profitable energy related assets that provide synergistic profits and revenue enhancements across all portfolio companies.
HEH believes its combination of profitability and mitigated-risk funding structures provides long-term shareholder equity appreciation.
The company maintains its web site at: www.HybridEnergyHoldings.com
Safe-Harbor Statement This release contains statements or projections regarding future performance that are forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those projected as a result of certain risks and uncertainties. The company's filings contain various RISK FACTORS (and are incorporated on the Company's website "Investors" section by reference) and should be read before any investment decision.
Contact:
Investor Relations
Tel: +1 (775) 636-7602 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting +1 (775) 636-7602 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Fax: +1 (775) 996-7330
info@hybridenergyholdings.com
Big DOE Carbon Capture Winners (APD, VLO, ADM, LUK, DNR)
Posted: June 10, 2010 at 2:08 pm
Betting on carbon capture has been hard to do, and it still may be a stretch for some investors who may have preferred to see smaller companies. Today came the announcement from the Department of Energy that it is awarding some $612 million for carbon capture projects to continue testing large-scale carbon capture and storage from industrial sources. We have found the three groups which are beneficiaries announced today…. Air Products & Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE: APD) and Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE: VLO) are one, Archer Daniels Midland Corporation (NYSE: ADM) is a second, and Leucadia National Corp. (NYSE: LUK) and Denbury Resources Inc. (NYSE: DNR) is a third (Denbury is a winner in two of these actually). Unfortunately, these projects are going to require patience for the next phases…
Air Products & Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE: APD) is one beneficiary with the DOE share listed at $253 million, although Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE: VLO) is involved as well. This one also includes Denbury Resources Inc. (NYSE: DNR). Air Products will partner with Denbury Onshore LLC to capture and sequester 1 million tons of CO2 per year from existing steam-methane reformers in Port Arthur, Texas, starting in November 2012. As stated… “The CO2 will be delivered via a 12-mile connector pipeline to an existing Denbury interstate CO2 pipeline and sequestered via use for enhanced oil recovery in the West Hastings oilfield. The project team includes Air Products & Chemicals, Denbury Onshore LLC, the University of Texas Bureau of Economic Geology, and Valero Energy Corporation.”
Archer Daniels Midland Corporation (NYSE: ADM) was the second beneficiary, although this is smaller with a DOE share listed as $99 million. The project will capture and sequester 1 million tons of CO2 per year from an existing ethanol plant in Illinois, starting in August 2012. As stated, “The CO2 will be sequestered in the Mt. Simon Sandstone, a well-characterized saline reservoir located about one mile from the plant. The project team includes Archer Daniels Midland, Schlumberger Carbon Services, and the Illinois State Geological Survey.” Schlumberger Ltd. (NYSE: SLB) is just too large to make note of for the size of this.
Leucadia National Corp. (NYSE: LUK) and Denbury Resources Inc. (NYSE: DNR) are listed as the third winners via Leucadia Energy, LLC and Denbury Onshore LLC with the DOE share being listed as $260 million. It and Denbury Onshore LLC will capture and sequester 4.5 million tons of CO2 per year from a new methanol plant in Lake Charles, La. As stated, “The CO2 will be delivered via a 12-mile connector pipeline to an existing Denbury interstate CO2 pipeline and sequestered via use for enhanced oil recovery in the West Hastings oilfield, starting in April 2014. The project team includes Leucadia Energy, Denbury, General Electric, Haldor Topsoe, Black & Veatch, Turner Industries, and The University of Texas Bureau of Economic Geology.” General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) is in this but is too large to make note of for this type of award. Leucadia’s 2009 annual report noted regarding the Lake Charles project, “We have applied for U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) grants that will assist us with
working out a means to sequester the carbon dioxide (CO2) produced by the plant. We are in active negotiations with multiple parties for the sale of the plant’s output.”
Keep in mind that this is out to 2012 and is a continuation of smaller and previous pacts in what may total a $1.4 billion effort in total.
Betting on carbon capture has been hard to do, and it still may be a stretch for some investors who may have preferred to see smaller companies. Today came the announcement from the Department of Energy that it is awarding some $612 million for carbon capture projects to continue testing large-scale carbon capture and storage from industrial sources. We have found the three groups which are beneficiaries announced today…. Air Products & Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE: APD) and Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE: VLO) are one, Archer Daniels Midland Corporation (NYSE: ADM) is a second, and Leucadia National Corp. (NYSE: LUK) and Denbury Resources Inc. (NYSE: DNR) is a third (Denbury is a winner in two of these actually). Unfortunately, these projects are going to require patience for the next phases…
Air Products & Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE: APD) is one beneficiary with the DOE share listed at $253 million, although Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE: VLO) is involved as well. This one also includes Denbury Resources Inc. (NYSE: DNR). Air Products will partner with Denbury Onshore LLC to capture and sequester 1 million tons of CO2 per year from existing steam-methane reformers in Port Arthur, Texas, starting in November 2012. As stated… “The CO2 will be delivered via a 12-mile connector pipeline to an existing Denbury interstate CO2 pipeline and sequestered via use for enhanced oil recovery in the West Hastings oilfield. The project team includes Air Products & Chemicals, Denbury Onshore LLC, the University of Texas Bureau of Economic Geology, and Valero Energy Corporation.”
Archer Daniels Midland Corporation (NYSE: ADM) was the second beneficiary, although this is smaller with a DOE share listed as $99 million. The project will capture and sequester 1 million tons of CO2 per year from an existing ethanol plant in Illinois, starting in August 2012. As stated, “The CO2 will be sequestered in the Mt. Simon Sandstone, a well-characterized saline reservoir located about one mile from the plant. The project team includes Archer Daniels Midland, Schlumberger Carbon Services, and the Illinois State Geological Survey.” Schlumberger Ltd. (NYSE: SLB) is just too large to make note of for the size of this.
Leucadia National Corp. (NYSE: LUK) and Denbury Resources Inc. (NYSE: DNR) are listed as the third winners via Leucadia Energy, LLC and Denbury Onshore LLC with the DOE share being listed as $260 million. It and Denbury Onshore LLC will capture and sequester 4.5 million tons of CO2 per year from a new methanol plant in Lake Charles, La. As stated, “The CO2 will be delivered via a 12-mile connector pipeline to an existing Denbury interstate CO2 pipeline and sequestered via use for enhanced oil recovery in the West Hastings oilfield, starting in April 2014. The project team includes Leucadia Energy, Denbury, General Electric, Haldor Topsoe, Black & Veatch, Turner Industries, and The University of Texas Bureau of Economic Geology.” General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) is in this but is too large to make note of for this type of award. Leucadia’s 2009 annual report noted regarding the Lake Charles project, “We have applied for U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) grants that will assist us with
working out a means to sequester the carbon dioxide (CO2) produced by the plant. We are in active negotiations with multiple parties for the sale of the plant’s output.”
Keep in mind that this is out to 2012 and is a continuation of smaller and previous pacts in what may total a $1.4 billion effort in total.
Biofuel cell retrieves copper
June 10, 2010 by Albert Sikkema (PhysOrg.com) -- Producing energy and recovering copper from waste water at the same time: this is what Wageningen University environmental technologists are doing with their new microbial fuel cell.
'We obtain quite a lot of electricity from the process. In addition, copper dissolved in water is turned into a layer of copper on the electrode of the microbial fuel cell', says Annemiek ter Heijne, who published the basic principles of the microbial fuel cell in Environmental Science & Technology in the beginning of June.
In microbial fuel cells bacteria grow on anodes. They break down the organic waste in water and produce electrons. These electrons transmute the copper solution in the water into solid copper on the cathode of the fuel cell. Here an orange layer emerges which consists of pure copper. To make this process possible a special type of membrane is needed that regulates the pH value in the fuel cell.
Ter Heijne has now described the principles underlying this microbial fuel cell. Further research is needed to scale up and apply the process. She is thinking of applying the process in Chile, for example, to purify waste water from the copper mines and simultaneously convert biomass into energy.
An elegant feature of the microbial fuel cell is that it enables environmental technologists to vary the extraction of copper and energy. Under oxygen-free (anaerobic) conditions 85 percent of the electrons produced by bacteria reclaim copper in solid form; under oxygen-rich (aerobic) conditions this is only 43 percent. In the latter case the fuel cell produces more energy.
'If your particular aim is to remove copper, it's better to work under oxygen-free conditions. But if you want to produce electricity, you have to add more oxygen', says Ter Heijne. The energy output of her prototype is high. Her guess is that copper acts as a catalyst in the production of energy.
Provided by Wageningen University
'We obtain quite a lot of electricity from the process. In addition, copper dissolved in water is turned into a layer of copper on the electrode of the microbial fuel cell', says Annemiek ter Heijne, who published the basic principles of the microbial fuel cell in Environmental Science & Technology in the beginning of June.
In microbial fuel cells bacteria grow on anodes. They break down the organic waste in water and produce electrons. These electrons transmute the copper solution in the water into solid copper on the cathode of the fuel cell. Here an orange layer emerges which consists of pure copper. To make this process possible a special type of membrane is needed that regulates the pH value in the fuel cell.
Ter Heijne has now described the principles underlying this microbial fuel cell. Further research is needed to scale up and apply the process. She is thinking of applying the process in Chile, for example, to purify waste water from the copper mines and simultaneously convert biomass into energy.
An elegant feature of the microbial fuel cell is that it enables environmental technologists to vary the extraction of copper and energy. Under oxygen-free (anaerobic) conditions 85 percent of the electrons produced by bacteria reclaim copper in solid form; under oxygen-rich (aerobic) conditions this is only 43 percent. In the latter case the fuel cell produces more energy.
'If your particular aim is to remove copper, it's better to work under oxygen-free conditions. But if you want to produce electricity, you have to add more oxygen', says Ter Heijne. The energy output of her prototype is high. Her guess is that copper acts as a catalyst in the production of energy.
Provided by Wageningen University
Solar Photovoltaic Market in India 2010
June 9, 2010 5:06 PM EDT
DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/f7c656/solar_photovoltaic) has announced the addition of the "Solar Photovoltaic Market in India 2010" report to their offering.
Government initiatives to drive the Solar Photovoltaic Market in India, finds Netscribes
Netscribes (India) Pvt. Ltd., launches Solar Photovoltaic Market in India 2010 report covering one of the emerging markets in India with strong growth prospects. This report is a part of Netscribes Renewable Energy Industry Series.
Mumbai, India June 08, 2010 Netscribes (India) Pvt. Ltd., a knowledge consulting solutions company, announces the launch of its Solar Photovoltaic Market in India 2010 report covering an industry which has immense potential to grow. Abundant solar radiation and a plethora of initiatives from the Government is expected to drive the growth of the market. The solar photovoltaic sector in India is witnessing the entry of players engaged in the conventional energy business to capitalize on the rising growth opportunities in the market.
The overview section provides an introduction to the overall renewable energy market including the share of renewable energy in the overall power sector in India, growth, and the share of the various segments of renewable energy, followed by a brief study on the photovoltaic technology and the overall solar photovoltaic market in India including region-wise distribution. An analysis of drivers reveals that abundant solar radiation, rise in foreign trade, fall in prices of raw materials, availability of funds, demand for off-grid PV applications, demand supply gap and rise in polysilicon plants is driving growth in this sector. The key challenges identified are high costs for setting up large scale grid connected solar PV projects, lack of supply of silicon wafers, lack of standards, land acquisition problems, lack of consumer awareness.
The report covers the various initiatives undertaken by the Government of India with the major initiative being the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission. Other initiatives include generation based incentives, focus on R&D, fiscal incentives, special incentive package, Akshay Urja shops, remote village lighting program and various State funded initiatives. The report also discusses the current market trends including tie-ups between domestic and foreign firms, introduction of EMI schemes, telecom towers adopting solar PV applications and thermal power companies diversifying into solar photovoltaic segment. The competitive landscape includes the profile, expansion plans of the players in the market. The report also covers key developments in the sector.
Key Topics Covered:
Page 1: Executive Summary
Introduction
Page 2: Indian Renewable Energy Market
Page 3: Solar PV technology
Market Overview
Page 4: Indian SPV Market SPV, SPV cells and modules (Market size and growth)
Page 5: Capacity of SPV products SPV product capacity range, grid and off-grid cumulative solar systems installation
Page 6: Value Chain
Page 7: Region wise distribution of PV cells and modules
Drivers & Challenges
Page 8: Summary
Page 9-14: Drivers
Page: 15-18: Challenges
Trends
Page 19: Summary
Page 20-23: Trends
Government Initiatives
Page 24-30: Government Authorities, Policies, Programmes, Research and Development Projects
Competition
Page 31-32: Overview
Page 33-46: Players in the market
Page 47: Other players with projects in the pipeline
Key Developments
Page 48: Key Developments
For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/f7c656/solar_photovoltaic
Research and MarketsLaura Wood, Senior Manager,press@researchandmarkets.comU.S. Fax: 646-607-1907Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716
DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/f7c656/solar_photovoltaic) has announced the addition of the "Solar Photovoltaic Market in India 2010" report to their offering.
Government initiatives to drive the Solar Photovoltaic Market in India, finds Netscribes
Netscribes (India) Pvt. Ltd., launches Solar Photovoltaic Market in India 2010 report covering one of the emerging markets in India with strong growth prospects. This report is a part of Netscribes Renewable Energy Industry Series.
Mumbai, India June 08, 2010 Netscribes (India) Pvt. Ltd., a knowledge consulting solutions company, announces the launch of its Solar Photovoltaic Market in India 2010 report covering an industry which has immense potential to grow. Abundant solar radiation and a plethora of initiatives from the Government is expected to drive the growth of the market. The solar photovoltaic sector in India is witnessing the entry of players engaged in the conventional energy business to capitalize on the rising growth opportunities in the market.
The overview section provides an introduction to the overall renewable energy market including the share of renewable energy in the overall power sector in India, growth, and the share of the various segments of renewable energy, followed by a brief study on the photovoltaic technology and the overall solar photovoltaic market in India including region-wise distribution. An analysis of drivers reveals that abundant solar radiation, rise in foreign trade, fall in prices of raw materials, availability of funds, demand for off-grid PV applications, demand supply gap and rise in polysilicon plants is driving growth in this sector. The key challenges identified are high costs for setting up large scale grid connected solar PV projects, lack of supply of silicon wafers, lack of standards, land acquisition problems, lack of consumer awareness.
The report covers the various initiatives undertaken by the Government of India with the major initiative being the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission. Other initiatives include generation based incentives, focus on R&D, fiscal incentives, special incentive package, Akshay Urja shops, remote village lighting program and various State funded initiatives. The report also discusses the current market trends including tie-ups between domestic and foreign firms, introduction of EMI schemes, telecom towers adopting solar PV applications and thermal power companies diversifying into solar photovoltaic segment. The competitive landscape includes the profile, expansion plans of the players in the market. The report also covers key developments in the sector.
Key Topics Covered:
Page 1: Executive Summary
Introduction
Page 2: Indian Renewable Energy Market
Page 3: Solar PV technology
Market Overview
Page 4: Indian SPV Market SPV, SPV cells and modules (Market size and growth)
Page 5: Capacity of SPV products SPV product capacity range, grid and off-grid cumulative solar systems installation
Page 6: Value Chain
Page 7: Region wise distribution of PV cells and modules
Drivers & Challenges
Page 8: Summary
Page 9-14: Drivers
Page: 15-18: Challenges
Trends
Page 19: Summary
Page 20-23: Trends
Government Initiatives
Page 24-30: Government Authorities, Policies, Programmes, Research and Development Projects
Competition
Page 31-32: Overview
Page 33-46: Players in the market
Page 47: Other players with projects in the pipeline
Key Developments
Page 48: Key Developments
For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/f7c656/solar_photovoltaic
Research and MarketsLaura Wood, Senior Manager,press@researchandmarkets.comU.S. Fax: 646-607-1907Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716
Turning water into jobs. How eco-car fuels a city's hopes
By Terri Judd
Thursday, 10 June 2010
With its space age design, light, nippy frame and pollution-free assurances, the hydrogen fuel-cell powered car may seem like a futuristic fantasy but today a deal was struck for the first major trial of these eco-friendly vehicles.
The city of Leicester became the first to make a giant leap into the unknown, signing an agreement to see 30 of the cars leased out to its citizens as well as the construction of refuelling points.
Designed by motor sport enthusiasts and built at Silverstone, the Riversimple hydrogen fuel-cell car is more of a runabout that a racer with a top speed of 50mph and a maximum distance of 200 miles on one tank.
However, the two-seater, which weighs a quarter of small average car at 350kg but has a tough carbon fibre body, emits only drops of water and is seen as a vital step in cutting emissions. Manufacturers insist the whole car is recyclable but acknowledge that to achieve true "zero emission" credentials the fuel must be produced from renewable energy sources.
"We need to harness cutting edge technology to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels if we are to tackle climate change," said Chris Huhne, the Energy and Climate Change Secretary, adding: "Nowhere is this more important than with passenger cars, which are responsible for almost 60 per cent of domestic transport emissions.
"A radical transformation of our transport network is needed in the next 40 years and this is another great example of British innovation developing low carbon solutions to bring that about."
The deal signed today between Leicester City Council and Riversimple, a small Shropshire-based manufacturer, was for a 12-month pilot which will see 30 of the cars - which do the petrol-equivalent of 300 miles per gallon - rented out to private customers, businesses, car-share schemes and local government officials at a cost of £200 a month and 15p a mile.
Councillor Abdul Osman, in charge of regeneration and transport at Leicester City Council, said: "This hydrogen fuel-cell car is another example of revolutionary technology being used to meet future transport needs.
"This is yet another step in making Leicester a better place to live, and proposals to build the cars locally if the scheme proves successful could also mean a major jobs boost for the city."
The company insists if the trial starting in Spring 2012 is successful, it will consider building a factory in Leicester which would employ 250 people and manufacture 5,000 of the cars each year. It is understood that its executives are also in talks with other cities with Oxford a leading contender to start a similar pilot project.
The project is being backed by relatives of Ernst Piech, whose family founded Porche, but Riversimple is now looking for new investors to help finance this next phase. It hopes that by 2015 it will have manufactured a four-seater version of the car which can be used safely on motorways and for long journeys.
Hugo Spowers, the founder of Riversimple, said: "The age of fossil-fuelled cars may not be over yet but it is surely dying."
Thursday, 10 June 2010
With its space age design, light, nippy frame and pollution-free assurances, the hydrogen fuel-cell powered car may seem like a futuristic fantasy but today a deal was struck for the first major trial of these eco-friendly vehicles.
The city of Leicester became the first to make a giant leap into the unknown, signing an agreement to see 30 of the cars leased out to its citizens as well as the construction of refuelling points.
Designed by motor sport enthusiasts and built at Silverstone, the Riversimple hydrogen fuel-cell car is more of a runabout that a racer with a top speed of 50mph and a maximum distance of 200 miles on one tank.
However, the two-seater, which weighs a quarter of small average car at 350kg but has a tough carbon fibre body, emits only drops of water and is seen as a vital step in cutting emissions. Manufacturers insist the whole car is recyclable but acknowledge that to achieve true "zero emission" credentials the fuel must be produced from renewable energy sources.
"We need to harness cutting edge technology to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels if we are to tackle climate change," said Chris Huhne, the Energy and Climate Change Secretary, adding: "Nowhere is this more important than with passenger cars, which are responsible for almost 60 per cent of domestic transport emissions.
"A radical transformation of our transport network is needed in the next 40 years and this is another great example of British innovation developing low carbon solutions to bring that about."
The deal signed today between Leicester City Council and Riversimple, a small Shropshire-based manufacturer, was for a 12-month pilot which will see 30 of the cars - which do the petrol-equivalent of 300 miles per gallon - rented out to private customers, businesses, car-share schemes and local government officials at a cost of £200 a month and 15p a mile.
Councillor Abdul Osman, in charge of regeneration and transport at Leicester City Council, said: "This hydrogen fuel-cell car is another example of revolutionary technology being used to meet future transport needs.
"This is yet another step in making Leicester a better place to live, and proposals to build the cars locally if the scheme proves successful could also mean a major jobs boost for the city."
The company insists if the trial starting in Spring 2012 is successful, it will consider building a factory in Leicester which would employ 250 people and manufacture 5,000 of the cars each year. It is understood that its executives are also in talks with other cities with Oxford a leading contender to start a similar pilot project.
The project is being backed by relatives of Ernst Piech, whose family founded Porche, but Riversimple is now looking for new investors to help finance this next phase. It hopes that by 2015 it will have manufactured a four-seater version of the car which can be used safely on motorways and for long journeys.
Hugo Spowers, the founder of Riversimple, said: "The age of fossil-fuelled cars may not be over yet but it is surely dying."
Bill Gates: U.S. Must Expand Energy Research
By Stephen Power
Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates, who’s put more of his money behind clean energy technology during the past year, is now lending his voice to a business group pushing the government to sharply increase federal spending on energy research.
“It’s the only way you’re going to get to the goal of not driving extreme climate change without extreme pain,” Gates said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. “The fact that we’re not getting going is terrible.”
Gates said he supports putting a price on carbon, as well as measures to make buildings and vehicles more energy efficient. But what’s really time critical, he says, is spending money to develop breakthrough technologies that can be commercialized at large scale.
Gates hadn’t always been an active player on energy policy. That changed in January when he outlined investments he’s making in nuclear energy, a key area he said needed expansion if the world is to reduce carbon emissions. Gates is also funding research into various “geo-engineering” schemes to alter Earth’s climate to reduce global warming.
His interest in energy springs partly from his philanthropy. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is a big backer of vaccine development but it increasingly faces basic problems in poor countries – such as the lack of power systems — that limit the delivery of those vaccines.
“Cheap energy is key to the poor. It’s the price of fertilizer, or getting to the hospital, or getting a C-section at the hospital,” Gates said. “The world needs us to lead on [energy research]. Other countries aren’t funding it well, or aren’t equipped to do it.”
Gates plans to join other business leaders acting under the banner of the American Energy Innovation Council in Washington Thursday to urge Congress and the Obama administration to boost federal spending on energy research to at least $16 billion a year from less than $3 billion currently.
The business chieftains, including General Electric Co.’s Jeff Immelt and venture capitalist John Doerr, arrive in a capital awash in red ink and deeply divided over what to do on energy and climate issues.
Gates says that if lawmakers can’t find money in the general treasury, “then you need a modest energy tax” to increase research spending. Some options he and his fellow business leaders suggest in a new report include raising taxes on gasoline, or cutting subsidies for fossil fuels.
President Barack Obama has ruled out higher gasoline taxes. Congressional leaders in both parties have also opposed gasoline taxes. Efforts to curtail oil company tax breaks have also failed in Congress.
Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates, who’s put more of his money behind clean energy technology during the past year, is now lending his voice to a business group pushing the government to sharply increase federal spending on energy research.
“It’s the only way you’re going to get to the goal of not driving extreme climate change without extreme pain,” Gates said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. “The fact that we’re not getting going is terrible.”
Gates said he supports putting a price on carbon, as well as measures to make buildings and vehicles more energy efficient. But what’s really time critical, he says, is spending money to develop breakthrough technologies that can be commercialized at large scale.
Gates hadn’t always been an active player on energy policy. That changed in January when he outlined investments he’s making in nuclear energy, a key area he said needed expansion if the world is to reduce carbon emissions. Gates is also funding research into various “geo-engineering” schemes to alter Earth’s climate to reduce global warming.
His interest in energy springs partly from his philanthropy. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is a big backer of vaccine development but it increasingly faces basic problems in poor countries – such as the lack of power systems — that limit the delivery of those vaccines.
“Cheap energy is key to the poor. It’s the price of fertilizer, or getting to the hospital, or getting a C-section at the hospital,” Gates said. “The world needs us to lead on [energy research]. Other countries aren’t funding it well, or aren’t equipped to do it.”
Gates plans to join other business leaders acting under the banner of the American Energy Innovation Council in Washington Thursday to urge Congress and the Obama administration to boost federal spending on energy research to at least $16 billion a year from less than $3 billion currently.
The business chieftains, including General Electric Co.’s Jeff Immelt and venture capitalist John Doerr, arrive in a capital awash in red ink and deeply divided over what to do on energy and climate issues.
Gates says that if lawmakers can’t find money in the general treasury, “then you need a modest energy tax” to increase research spending. Some options he and his fellow business leaders suggest in a new report include raising taxes on gasoline, or cutting subsidies for fossil fuels.
President Barack Obama has ruled out higher gasoline taxes. Congressional leaders in both parties have also opposed gasoline taxes. Efforts to curtail oil company tax breaks have also failed in Congress.
Obama hasn't learned lessons of Bhopal
Foreign companies such as BP are shown the big stick, but Washington offers a big shield for its multinationals abroad
Randeep Ramesh guardian.co.uk, Thursday 10 June 2010 12.33 BST
While Barack Obama is lambasting BP for spreading muck in the Gulf of Mexico, he should perhaps pencil in a date with the people of Bhopal when he visits India later this year. While 11 men lost their lives on BP's watch and the shrimps get coated with black stuff, the chemicals that killed thousands of people in Bhopal in 1984 are still leaching into the ground water a quarter of a century after a poisonous, milky-white cloud settled over the city.
The compensation – some $470m – paid out by Union Carbide, the US owner of the plant and now part of Dow Chemical, was just the cash it received from its insurers to compensate the victims, a process that took 17 years. But it's one rule for them and another for anybody else.
Obama wants "British Petroleum" to pay back every nickel and dime the Deepwater Horizon disaster costs. To make sure BP gets the message, the president says he back Congress plans to retrospectively raise the liability limit for claims from $75m to $10bn. That's real money.
While foreign companies in the US are shown the big stick, Washington offers a big shield for its multinationals abroad. In the case of Bhopal, it was the US that blocked India's requests to extradite Warren Anderson, the former chairman of Union Carbide who accepted "moral responsibility" for the accident until a short spell in an Indian jail changed his mind. This week saw just the prosecution of local Indian managers – 26 years after the event.
That was then. Surely India, which says it is an emerging power that wants to shape the world, would be able to stand up to the United States today? And wouldn't a more moral president see that foreign lives are as precious as American ones? Apparently not.
India's still playing a craven toady to a US that is ruthlessly pursuing an agenda where commercial interests are put above the lives of others. Delhi has stripped a flagship nuclear bill of a clause that allowed companies to be sued for negligence in the event of a – God forbid – accident.
It is bizarre to see a leader of the developing world offer up its citizens' lives cheaply to secure investment from foreign companies and governments. Under the civil liabilities for nuclear damage bill, central to a deal with the controversial nuclear pact with the US, costs for cleaning up a catastrophic failure would end up being paid by the Indian taxpayer.
Sure, India is desperate for the nuclear deal – which will see it become the only nonpermanent member of the UN security council to keep its atomic weapons and trade in nuclear know-how. But at what price? Today we know.
Washington made it clear it wanted India to set the bar low on liability – so that shareholders of large US corporations would not be forced to pay out for sloppy, deadly mistakes. So any future victims in India would be left at the mercy of the country's justice system, like those poor souls who lost lives, loved ones and their health and were condemned to spending years lost in the courts with little to show but false hope.
Delhi had argued that international suppliers would not be willing to enter the Indian nuclear market without such a bill. But has Russia been willing to do so. And Germany accepts no cap on nuclear liability. In the US the nuclear lobby accepts a liability set at $10bn.
In Bhopal, what happened in the years after was a bigger scandal than the original accident. Although Delhi was cackhanded, the US bears most of the blame. Unlike BP, Washington did not threaten US companies for deaths in the past and is actively working to ensure they evade responsibility in the future. Obama's administration has not learned the lessons of history. It means we are doomed to repeat its mistakes.
Randeep Ramesh guardian.co.uk, Thursday 10 June 2010 12.33 BST
While Barack Obama is lambasting BP for spreading muck in the Gulf of Mexico, he should perhaps pencil in a date with the people of Bhopal when he visits India later this year. While 11 men lost their lives on BP's watch and the shrimps get coated with black stuff, the chemicals that killed thousands of people in Bhopal in 1984 are still leaching into the ground water a quarter of a century after a poisonous, milky-white cloud settled over the city.
The compensation – some $470m – paid out by Union Carbide, the US owner of the plant and now part of Dow Chemical, was just the cash it received from its insurers to compensate the victims, a process that took 17 years. But it's one rule for them and another for anybody else.
Obama wants "British Petroleum" to pay back every nickel and dime the Deepwater Horizon disaster costs. To make sure BP gets the message, the president says he back Congress plans to retrospectively raise the liability limit for claims from $75m to $10bn. That's real money.
While foreign companies in the US are shown the big stick, Washington offers a big shield for its multinationals abroad. In the case of Bhopal, it was the US that blocked India's requests to extradite Warren Anderson, the former chairman of Union Carbide who accepted "moral responsibility" for the accident until a short spell in an Indian jail changed his mind. This week saw just the prosecution of local Indian managers – 26 years after the event.
That was then. Surely India, which says it is an emerging power that wants to shape the world, would be able to stand up to the United States today? And wouldn't a more moral president see that foreign lives are as precious as American ones? Apparently not.
India's still playing a craven toady to a US that is ruthlessly pursuing an agenda where commercial interests are put above the lives of others. Delhi has stripped a flagship nuclear bill of a clause that allowed companies to be sued for negligence in the event of a – God forbid – accident.
It is bizarre to see a leader of the developing world offer up its citizens' lives cheaply to secure investment from foreign companies and governments. Under the civil liabilities for nuclear damage bill, central to a deal with the controversial nuclear pact with the US, costs for cleaning up a catastrophic failure would end up being paid by the Indian taxpayer.
Sure, India is desperate for the nuclear deal – which will see it become the only nonpermanent member of the UN security council to keep its atomic weapons and trade in nuclear know-how. But at what price? Today we know.
Washington made it clear it wanted India to set the bar low on liability – so that shareholders of large US corporations would not be forced to pay out for sloppy, deadly mistakes. So any future victims in India would be left at the mercy of the country's justice system, like those poor souls who lost lives, loved ones and their health and were condemned to spending years lost in the courts with little to show but false hope.
Delhi had argued that international suppliers would not be willing to enter the Indian nuclear market without such a bill. But has Russia been willing to do so. And Germany accepts no cap on nuclear liability. In the US the nuclear lobby accepts a liability set at $10bn.
In Bhopal, what happened in the years after was a bigger scandal than the original accident. Although Delhi was cackhanded, the US bears most of the blame. Unlike BP, Washington did not threaten US companies for deaths in the past and is actively working to ensure they evade responsibility in the future. Obama's administration has not learned the lessons of history. It means we are doomed to repeat its mistakes.
Top scientist says politicians have 'heads in the sand' over oil
Supplies are dwindling and governments need to act now to introduce low-carbon transport, says Sir David King
David Adam, environment correspondent guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 9 June 2010 18.02 BST
Britain's former chief scientist has attacked politicians and industry experts who have their "heads in the sand" over dwindling oil supplies.
Sir David King said governments, including the UK's, were too eager to believe the optimistic predictions of economists who tell them that "oil will be squeezed out of the ground pretty much forever".
King, the government's chief scientific adviser from 2000 to 2007, is now director of the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment in Oxford.
He said: "That's what governments want to hear and that's what they do hear, and I think the British government as much as many others."
He added that those with a "vested interest" repeatedly overstated how much accessible oil remains in the ground. Conventional oil reserves are about 30% lower than widely reported, he said.
Established oil sources were becoming harder to exploit, he said, leading to wider use of unconventional sources such as deepwater drilling, with environmental impacts including those seen with the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
He said oil demand would overtake production capacity as soon as 2015, which would drive up the price further.
King was speaking to journalists ahead of a conference on low-carbon transport. He said the transport sector contributed a "very significant proportion" of carbon emissions and relied heavily on fossil fuels, such as kerosene, to keep planes flying.
While transport is seen as the most difficult sector to decarbonise, action needs to be taken immediately to keep people and goods moving while reducing reliance on fossil fuels, he said.
"I can't overemphasise the importance of persuading governments to focus attention on what's going to be a very significant issue as we move into the next decade.
"It is down to government to steer us towards a defossilised economy using the regulatory and financial incentives available.
"The technologies do already exist to deliver low-carbon transport, but we need to incentivise the private sector to deliver these solutions to the marketplace."
Oliver Inderwildi, lead author on a report on low carbon transport published by the Smith School, said: "Eventually the era of cheap oil will be over and alternative fuels, the electrification of road transportation, fuel cells and the hydrogen economy will all play their role in providing low carbon mobility."
David Adam, environment correspondent guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 9 June 2010 18.02 BST
Britain's former chief scientist has attacked politicians and industry experts who have their "heads in the sand" over dwindling oil supplies.
Sir David King said governments, including the UK's, were too eager to believe the optimistic predictions of economists who tell them that "oil will be squeezed out of the ground pretty much forever".
King, the government's chief scientific adviser from 2000 to 2007, is now director of the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment in Oxford.
He said: "That's what governments want to hear and that's what they do hear, and I think the British government as much as many others."
He added that those with a "vested interest" repeatedly overstated how much accessible oil remains in the ground. Conventional oil reserves are about 30% lower than widely reported, he said.
Established oil sources were becoming harder to exploit, he said, leading to wider use of unconventional sources such as deepwater drilling, with environmental impacts including those seen with the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
He said oil demand would overtake production capacity as soon as 2015, which would drive up the price further.
King was speaking to journalists ahead of a conference on low-carbon transport. He said the transport sector contributed a "very significant proportion" of carbon emissions and relied heavily on fossil fuels, such as kerosene, to keep planes flying.
While transport is seen as the most difficult sector to decarbonise, action needs to be taken immediately to keep people and goods moving while reducing reliance on fossil fuels, he said.
"I can't overemphasise the importance of persuading governments to focus attention on what's going to be a very significant issue as we move into the next decade.
"It is down to government to steer us towards a defossilised economy using the regulatory and financial incentives available.
"The technologies do already exist to deliver low-carbon transport, but we need to incentivise the private sector to deliver these solutions to the marketplace."
Oliver Inderwildi, lead author on a report on low carbon transport published by the Smith School, said: "Eventually the era of cheap oil will be over and alternative fuels, the electrification of road transportation, fuel cells and the hydrogen economy will all play their role in providing low carbon mobility."
Biodiversity protection can help tackle climate change and poverty
Climate change and ecological scarcity are vital risks to be addressed for development to succeed in poor countries
• Case for saving species 'more powerful than climate change'
Pavan Sukhdev
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 10 June 2010 11.19 BST
For years I have been accustomed to quizzical looks when I talk about "biodiversity" – and reactions ranging from incredulity to incomprehension when I talk about its economic value.
So it was a pleasant surprise to be told there were more than 1,000 comments, tweets and Facebook mentions regarding Juliette Jowit's Guardian article UN says case for saving species more powerful than climate change.
Below is my response to two of the questions most frequently asked by those commenting.
But before that, a word of clarification: what do we mean by biodiversity?
In common parlance, biodiversity is often understood as species diversity, while ecosystems are types of large-scale habitat: tropical forests, mangroves, coral reefs.
However, the definition of biodiversity agreed by the UN Convention on Biological Diversity includes three levels – ecosystems, species and genes.
Furthermore, both ecologists and economists point out an important "quantity" dimension to these three levels: ecosystems are recognised by their extent as well as their category; species can be described in terms of abundance as well as their diversity; and genes are useful because of their population as well as their variability. All of this is biodiversity – in short, the living fabric of this planet.
Why can't prevention of global warming and preservation of biodiversity go hand-in-hand?
Biodiversity loss – razed rainforests, converted mangroves, lost coral reefs – results in emissions of greenhouse gases.
Conversely, reforestation and the restoration of marine ecosystems removes carbon and reduces climate change risks.
The onset of climate change destabilises ecosystems, pushing vulnerable species into extinction.
There are many strong links between preserving biodiversity and preventing climate change, and actions to achieve one will usually help the other.
Having said that, we need to be careful to avoid potential conflicts between climate mitigation and biodiversity conservation – for example, replacing diverse grasslands with vast plantations of exotic tree species to absorb carbon, or converting tropical peat swamps to oil palm plantations to produce biofuels.
This is very much a focus for both climate and biodiversity research and policymaking.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and many others are working hard to develop an international finance mechanism called Redd+.
This would incentivise those developing countries which Reduce Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation plus undertake activities such as afforestation, conservation, and the sustainable management of forests.
By making standing forests worth more than forests cut, they intend to reverse the loss of these vital ecosystems.
In doing so, they will have provided a platform if not a model for rewarding biodiversity conservation as well as climate mitigation.
It is very much a concern of the creators of this mechanism that climate change and biodiversity loss are not seen as siloed problems to be solved at arms length, but rather within the same mechanism.
National policymakers are being encouraged by the UN's Convention on Biological Diversity to look at these issues holistically – as indeed they should be.
Won't solutions to global warming and biodiversity loss conflict with the development needs of developing countries?
More than a billion of the world's poorest people depend on the free flow of nature's goods and ecosystem services – for example, the flood prevention and drought control provided by forests.
Forests also provide: nutrient cycling and freshwater regulation essential for subsistence farming; fuel wood for cooking; fodder for cattle; construction materials; fruit and other marketable foods. These benefits are generally available free.
Calculations by The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) initiative that I lead for Brazil, India and Indonesia have shown that the relative importance of such ecosystem services to the poor can be very high – they comprise 40% to 80% of their household incomes.
Replacing this supply to the poor is a non-trivial development challenge. The benefits of most largescale forest destruction flow to commercial interests, not to these poor communities.
At the same time, the vulnerability of the world's poor to the ravages of a changing climate are relatively high too, as described in the Stern report.
Therefore both climate change and ecological scarcity are vital risks to be addressed for development to succeed in developing countries.
In fast-developing countries, new green economy models are evolving, which may give them a competitive edge in a climate-constrained world.
Curitiba in Brazil is a model sustainable city. China's solar heaters warm 40m homes.
India pays stipends to millions of its rural poor for reforestation and water harvesting. Uganda provides a success story in organic agriculture.
And the best model of scalable solar photovoltaic lighting for village homes is in Bangladesh.
Therefore, I am convinced there are more development solutions than development problems in addressing global warming and biodiversity loss.
Pavan Sukhdev is an economist and leader of the UN's Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity initiative.
• Case for saving species 'more powerful than climate change'
Pavan Sukhdev
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 10 June 2010 11.19 BST
For years I have been accustomed to quizzical looks when I talk about "biodiversity" – and reactions ranging from incredulity to incomprehension when I talk about its economic value.
So it was a pleasant surprise to be told there were more than 1,000 comments, tweets and Facebook mentions regarding Juliette Jowit's Guardian article UN says case for saving species more powerful than climate change.
Below is my response to two of the questions most frequently asked by those commenting.
But before that, a word of clarification: what do we mean by biodiversity?
In common parlance, biodiversity is often understood as species diversity, while ecosystems are types of large-scale habitat: tropical forests, mangroves, coral reefs.
However, the definition of biodiversity agreed by the UN Convention on Biological Diversity includes three levels – ecosystems, species and genes.
Furthermore, both ecologists and economists point out an important "quantity" dimension to these three levels: ecosystems are recognised by their extent as well as their category; species can be described in terms of abundance as well as their diversity; and genes are useful because of their population as well as their variability. All of this is biodiversity – in short, the living fabric of this planet.
Why can't prevention of global warming and preservation of biodiversity go hand-in-hand?
Biodiversity loss – razed rainforests, converted mangroves, lost coral reefs – results in emissions of greenhouse gases.
Conversely, reforestation and the restoration of marine ecosystems removes carbon and reduces climate change risks.
The onset of climate change destabilises ecosystems, pushing vulnerable species into extinction.
There are many strong links between preserving biodiversity and preventing climate change, and actions to achieve one will usually help the other.
Having said that, we need to be careful to avoid potential conflicts between climate mitigation and biodiversity conservation – for example, replacing diverse grasslands with vast plantations of exotic tree species to absorb carbon, or converting tropical peat swamps to oil palm plantations to produce biofuels.
This is very much a focus for both climate and biodiversity research and policymaking.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and many others are working hard to develop an international finance mechanism called Redd+.
This would incentivise those developing countries which Reduce Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation plus undertake activities such as afforestation, conservation, and the sustainable management of forests.
By making standing forests worth more than forests cut, they intend to reverse the loss of these vital ecosystems.
In doing so, they will have provided a platform if not a model for rewarding biodiversity conservation as well as climate mitigation.
It is very much a concern of the creators of this mechanism that climate change and biodiversity loss are not seen as siloed problems to be solved at arms length, but rather within the same mechanism.
National policymakers are being encouraged by the UN's Convention on Biological Diversity to look at these issues holistically – as indeed they should be.
Won't solutions to global warming and biodiversity loss conflict with the development needs of developing countries?
More than a billion of the world's poorest people depend on the free flow of nature's goods and ecosystem services – for example, the flood prevention and drought control provided by forests.
Forests also provide: nutrient cycling and freshwater regulation essential for subsistence farming; fuel wood for cooking; fodder for cattle; construction materials; fruit and other marketable foods. These benefits are generally available free.
Calculations by The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) initiative that I lead for Brazil, India and Indonesia have shown that the relative importance of such ecosystem services to the poor can be very high – they comprise 40% to 80% of their household incomes.
Replacing this supply to the poor is a non-trivial development challenge. The benefits of most largescale forest destruction flow to commercial interests, not to these poor communities.
At the same time, the vulnerability of the world's poor to the ravages of a changing climate are relatively high too, as described in the Stern report.
Therefore both climate change and ecological scarcity are vital risks to be addressed for development to succeed in developing countries.
In fast-developing countries, new green economy models are evolving, which may give them a competitive edge in a climate-constrained world.
Curitiba in Brazil is a model sustainable city. China's solar heaters warm 40m homes.
India pays stipends to millions of its rural poor for reforestation and water harvesting. Uganda provides a success story in organic agriculture.
And the best model of scalable solar photovoltaic lighting for village homes is in Bangladesh.
Therefore, I am convinced there are more development solutions than development problems in addressing global warming and biodiversity loss.
Pavan Sukhdev is an economist and leader of the UN's Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity initiative.
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