Dwindle, Finds Frost & Sullivan
Download image MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. July 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Prospects for the hydro, wave, and tidal power market look upbeat as countries are investing in renewable energy sources to augment energy security. It is estimated that the worldwide wave resources is 6,000 TWh/year, twice as much as global nuclear production and 700 TWh/year for tidal power. In other words, the market potential for the wave industry is about $1 trillion worldwide.
New analysis from Frost & Sullivan (http://www.technicalinsights.frost.com), Hydro, Wave, and Tidal Power--Market Penetration and Roadmapping, finds that ocean (wave and tidal) technology is much more reliable and predictable than other kinds of renewable energies, such as wind or solar. Coupled with vast worldwide resources (2,000 TWh to 4,000 TWh yearly), ocean energy may be the key to answer the world's escalating energy needs.
If you are interested in a virtual brochure for this study, please send an e-mail to Sarah Saatzer, Corporate Communications, at sarah.saatzer@frost.com, with your full name, company name, job title, telephone number, company e-mail address, company website, city, state and country.
"It is projected that commercialization of wave and tidal energy will take place in the next 5-10 years as the technology evolves and production costs decline," notes Technical Insights Research Associate Chin Wai Loon. "Wave and tidal energy are expected to be deployed on a commercial scale due to its large promising resource and high market potential; it is crucial for technology developers to push through into the commercialization phase."
The future of wave and tidal energy depends heavily on financial funding from public, private, and government entities. Deployment of wave and tidal technology will not be easily achievable due to large initial installation cost. The United Kingdom has provided 8 million pounds Sterling for the European Marine Energy Research Centre (EMEC). This research centre will serve as a testing facility for technology developers to create their devices.
In another example, the UK Government has set up 22 million pounds Sterling funding to offset the large capital cost during the installation stage. Marine Current Turbines is another instance, raising sufficient funding to commercialize its 5-MW SeaGen technology. According to Alvin Smith, CEO of Dartmouth Wave Energy Ltd, the current cost for wave energy is estimated to be 2 million pounds Sterling per MW.
Apart from this, the policies and regulations set by the government and the lack of awareness on the potential of wave and tidal resources are stalling market momentum. The extremely harsh weather conditions of the ocean require the technology to be very robust. Pelamis Wave Power has halted its 2.5 MW wave farm in Portugal indefinitely. The reason cited for this is water leakage, which has severely affected their buoyancy device. Apart from this, the company is short on funds due to the recent economic recession.
"To ensure productive outcomes in this space, participants must accelerate their R&D efforts, conduct more sea trials, and reduce overall material usage," says Chin. "Participants must secure more funding from public, private and government sectors by developing prototypes for demonstrations or trial purposes."
By securing ample financial assistance, large-scale devices can be developed to generate more electricity (MW range) instead of prototype scale (kW range). Case in point, Pelamis Wave Power has managed to secure 4.8 million pounds Sterling funding from the UK Government's Marine Renewable Proving Fund (MRPF).
Technology developers could collaborate with each other to accelerate the commercialization phase, while reducing the overall cost. Joint ventures between companies and governments will serve to boost future development in marine renewable energies. Seabased AB, one of the key participants in the wave industry, has collaborated with Fortum Kellaniem to develop the largest wave farm in Sweden, capable of generating 10 MW capacity. Collaborations will not only ratchet down costs, but also help to compete with other renewable technologies, such as solar, hydro, and wind.
Hydro, Wave, and Tidal Power--Market Penetration and Roadmapping, a part of the Technical Insights subscription, provides an in-depth analysis of market drivers and restraints, industry structure, and competitive environment besides dealing with the challenges and issues faced by market participants. Further, this research service includes detailed technology analysis and industry trends evaluated following extensive interviews with market participants.
Technical Insights is an international technology analysis business that produces a variety of technical news alerts, newsletters, and research services.
About Frost & Sullivan
Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, enables clients to accelerate growth and achieve best-in-class positions in growth, innovation and leadership. The company's Growth Partnership Service provides the CEO and the CEO's Growth Team with disciplined research and best-practice models to drive the generation, evaluation, and implementation of powerful growth strategies. Frost & Sullivan leverages over 45 years of experience in partnering with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses and the investment community from 40 offices on six continents. To join our Growth Partnership, please visit http://www.frost.com.
Hydro, Wave, and Tidal Power--Market Penetration and Roadmapping
D1F6
Contact:
Sarah Saatzer
Corporate Communications – North America
P: 210.477.8427 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 210.477.8427 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
E: sarah.saatzer@frost.com
http://www.frost.com
http://www.technicalinsights.frost.com
SOURCE Frost & Sullivan
Sunday, 4 July 2010
Batteries Included? Life With An Electric Car
3:00pm UK, Wednesday June 30, 2010
Hazel Tyldesley, Sky News Online
In the hours after collecting the all-electric Smart car, I felt like I had slipped into the four-wheeled future.
It was jaw-droppingly quiet, surprisingly agile and entirely exhaust-fume free.
I certainly didn't expect that 48 hours, numerous phone calls, five attempted charging attempts and two aborted journeys later, it would feel like a liability.
My three-day trial began well and the first spin to the shops was a joy.
The courier who dropped it off told me it would be like driving a hairdryer, but he couldn't have been more wrong.
When I turned the ignition, there was no buzz or purr, let alone a hairdryer-like roar. Cyclists did double takes as I glided silently past.
The Smart fortwo Electric Drive
Range: 84 miles
Full charge time: 8 hours
Average cost of charge: £3
Acceleration: 0–38mph, 6.5s
Top speed: 62mph
Released: 2012
Retail price: unknown
At the traffic lights I could hear chattering outside, thanks to the absence of engine noise, and when the lights turned green, the Smart electric pulled away just as easily as my small petrol car.
Looking back, the first warning sign came when the courier noted that I lived in a flat, and questioned where I would charge the car - a process that can take up to eight hours and can't be done using a standard extension lead.
I assumed electric cars were aimed at flat-dwelling urbanites and that I would be well-served by the council-run charging point network in central London.
That might have been the case - if I had read the small print.
The nearest charging bay was under a mile from my home, but I discovered I needed to sign up to local council scheme, with an annual charge of £100, in order to use it.
Great value for a year, less so for a three-day trial, and illustrative of the need for different councils to arrange a co-ordinated electric car policy.
I turned to my employer, thinking I was fortunate to work for a company large and forward-looking enough to have installed three dedicated electric car charging bays on site.
Unfortunately, the bays were so infrequently-used that nobody seemed to know exactly where on the large campus they were.
Having finally located them via a string of emails and a hot hike around the site, I was faced with the disappointing discovery that my three-pin plug didn't fit their two-pin socket.
A rather basic problem, and one easily fixed with an adapter, but that didn't solve my immediate problem of a rapidly emptying battery.
More calling round found me a saviour in the form of a supermarket - Sainsbury's - where a helpful security guard tried to fit the lead so I could use the two hours of free charging offered to shoppers with electric cars.
It took some time, but eventually the blue led lights on the charge point flashed a cheery green and pink to let me know it had recognised my car.
The security guard looked pleased. I imagine I looked pleased. Until I looked at my watch and realised I would need to unplug it again in 20 minutes.
By Wednesday morning, the Smart electric was running on 30% and my evening's plans looked to be in peril.
An afternoon date with the local Smart showroom gave the battery a brief boost, but when they closed at 6pm I left still woefully undercharged and had to cancel the lift home I had promised my colleague.
As a last resort, I manoeuvred the car through the gates of my local boat club and awkwardly hooked it up to the mains. Not a sustainable option, but it worked - and three hours later the battery had an 80% charge.
With the sky darkening, I headed out of town, determined to fulfil the lift home I had offered my fiance.
The car reached its top speed of 62mph easily on the quiet motorway, but as I zipped along, in the corner of my eye I could see the charge level falling.
With 40% of battery gone, and still several miles from the pick-up point, I had to cut my losses if I wanted to be sure of getting home.
Sitting in a layby off the M4, waiting for my passenger to be dropped off in a friend's (petrol) car, was a low point of the electric car experience.
I gave back the keys the next morning with some relief.
The Smart electric is a delight to drive round town, and I imagine the 100 people picked for a year-long trial may be won round by the benefits of petrol-free motoring.
But unless you have a reliable charge point and no road trip ambitions, going all-electric will be a bumpy ride.
:: 100 Smart fortwo electric drives have now been handed over to residents in London, the South East and the West Midlands for a 12-month trial under the Government-funded Ultra Low Carbon Vehicle Demonstrator Programme.
Hazel Tyldesley, Sky News Online
In the hours after collecting the all-electric Smart car, I felt like I had slipped into the four-wheeled future.
It was jaw-droppingly quiet, surprisingly agile and entirely exhaust-fume free.
I certainly didn't expect that 48 hours, numerous phone calls, five attempted charging attempts and two aborted journeys later, it would feel like a liability.
My three-day trial began well and the first spin to the shops was a joy.
The courier who dropped it off told me it would be like driving a hairdryer, but he couldn't have been more wrong.
When I turned the ignition, there was no buzz or purr, let alone a hairdryer-like roar. Cyclists did double takes as I glided silently past.
The Smart fortwo Electric Drive
Range: 84 miles
Full charge time: 8 hours
Average cost of charge: £3
Acceleration: 0–38mph, 6.5s
Top speed: 62mph
Released: 2012
Retail price: unknown
At the traffic lights I could hear chattering outside, thanks to the absence of engine noise, and when the lights turned green, the Smart electric pulled away just as easily as my small petrol car.
Looking back, the first warning sign came when the courier noted that I lived in a flat, and questioned where I would charge the car - a process that can take up to eight hours and can't be done using a standard extension lead.
I assumed electric cars were aimed at flat-dwelling urbanites and that I would be well-served by the council-run charging point network in central London.
That might have been the case - if I had read the small print.
The nearest charging bay was under a mile from my home, but I discovered I needed to sign up to local council scheme, with an annual charge of £100, in order to use it.
Great value for a year, less so for a three-day trial, and illustrative of the need for different councils to arrange a co-ordinated electric car policy.
I turned to my employer, thinking I was fortunate to work for a company large and forward-looking enough to have installed three dedicated electric car charging bays on site.
Unfortunately, the bays were so infrequently-used that nobody seemed to know exactly where on the large campus they were.
Having finally located them via a string of emails and a hot hike around the site, I was faced with the disappointing discovery that my three-pin plug didn't fit their two-pin socket.
A rather basic problem, and one easily fixed with an adapter, but that didn't solve my immediate problem of a rapidly emptying battery.
More calling round found me a saviour in the form of a supermarket - Sainsbury's - where a helpful security guard tried to fit the lead so I could use the two hours of free charging offered to shoppers with electric cars.
It took some time, but eventually the blue led lights on the charge point flashed a cheery green and pink to let me know it had recognised my car.
The security guard looked pleased. I imagine I looked pleased. Until I looked at my watch and realised I would need to unplug it again in 20 minutes.
By Wednesday morning, the Smart electric was running on 30% and my evening's plans looked to be in peril.
An afternoon date with the local Smart showroom gave the battery a brief boost, but when they closed at 6pm I left still woefully undercharged and had to cancel the lift home I had promised my colleague.
As a last resort, I manoeuvred the car through the gates of my local boat club and awkwardly hooked it up to the mains. Not a sustainable option, but it worked - and three hours later the battery had an 80% charge.
With the sky darkening, I headed out of town, determined to fulfil the lift home I had offered my fiance.
The car reached its top speed of 62mph easily on the quiet motorway, but as I zipped along, in the corner of my eye I could see the charge level falling.
With 40% of battery gone, and still several miles from the pick-up point, I had to cut my losses if I wanted to be sure of getting home.
Sitting in a layby off the M4, waiting for my passenger to be dropped off in a friend's (petrol) car, was a low point of the electric car experience.
I gave back the keys the next morning with some relief.
The Smart electric is a delight to drive round town, and I imagine the 100 people picked for a year-long trial may be won round by the benefits of petrol-free motoring.
But unless you have a reliable charge point and no road trip ambitions, going all-electric will be a bumpy ride.
:: 100 Smart fortwo electric drives have now been handed over to residents in London, the South East and the West Midlands for a 12-month trial under the Government-funded Ultra Low Carbon Vehicle Demonstrator Programme.
Car fuel made from carbon dioxide and sunlight
New technology for "photosynthesising" fuel could lead to cars running on "petrol" made from carbon dioxide and sunlight.
By Tom Chivers
Published: 1:13PM BST 02 Jul 2010
The two can then be reacted together with a catalyst to form hydrocarbon fuels, in a technique known as the Fischer-Tropsch process.
Electric cars: the pick of the next generationFuels made in this way are sufficiently similar to those currently used in cars that major redesigns of engines and refuelling stations should not be necessary. If fuels can be made entirely from atmospheric carbon, running a car on that fuel would be carbon neutral.
One such machine, the Counter Rotating Ring Receiver Reactor Recuperator (CR5), created by a team of scientists at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, captures carbon dioxide from power plant exhaust fumes. In the future, however, they hope to extract it directly from the air.
The system uses a giant parabolic mirror, which concentrates sunlight on to two chambers separated by spinning rings of cerium oxide. As the rings turn, the cerium oxide is heated to 1500C and releases oxygen into one of the chambers. The oxygen is then pumped away.
As the ring spins, the now de-oxidised cerium moves into the other chamber. Carbon dioxide is pumped in, and the deoxidised cerium steals one of the oxygen molecules, creating carbon monoxide and cerium oxide.
Another team, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, uses a similar system, but with calcium oxide, zinc oxide and steam, which can create a stream of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. Their system can already use atmospheric carbon dioxide.
At the moment the two reactors have problems. The New Mexico team's system currently only works for a few seconds at a time, while the Swiss model runs at a mere 10 kilowatts. But both hope to improve reliability and yield.
Creating usable fuel from solar energy is a promising way of keeping the world's energy demands satisfied while minimising carbon emissions, Ken Caldeira of the Carnegie Institution of Washington at Stanford University, California told New Scientist. "This area holds out the promise for technologies that can produce large amounts of carbon-neutral power at affordable prices, which can be used where and when that power is needed," he says.
"It is one of the few technology areas that could truly revolutionise our energy future."
Story via New Scientist.
By Tom Chivers
Published: 1:13PM BST 02 Jul 2010
The two can then be reacted together with a catalyst to form hydrocarbon fuels, in a technique known as the Fischer-Tropsch process.
Electric cars: the pick of the next generationFuels made in this way are sufficiently similar to those currently used in cars that major redesigns of engines and refuelling stations should not be necessary. If fuels can be made entirely from atmospheric carbon, running a car on that fuel would be carbon neutral.
One such machine, the Counter Rotating Ring Receiver Reactor Recuperator (CR5), created by a team of scientists at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, captures carbon dioxide from power plant exhaust fumes. In the future, however, they hope to extract it directly from the air.
The system uses a giant parabolic mirror, which concentrates sunlight on to two chambers separated by spinning rings of cerium oxide. As the rings turn, the cerium oxide is heated to 1500C and releases oxygen into one of the chambers. The oxygen is then pumped away.
As the ring spins, the now de-oxidised cerium moves into the other chamber. Carbon dioxide is pumped in, and the deoxidised cerium steals one of the oxygen molecules, creating carbon monoxide and cerium oxide.
Another team, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, uses a similar system, but with calcium oxide, zinc oxide and steam, which can create a stream of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. Their system can already use atmospheric carbon dioxide.
At the moment the two reactors have problems. The New Mexico team's system currently only works for a few seconds at a time, while the Swiss model runs at a mere 10 kilowatts. But both hope to improve reliability and yield.
Creating usable fuel from solar energy is a promising way of keeping the world's energy demands satisfied while minimising carbon emissions, Ken Caldeira of the Carnegie Institution of Washington at Stanford University, California told New Scientist. "This area holds out the promise for technologies that can produce large amounts of carbon-neutral power at affordable prices, which can be used where and when that power is needed," he says.
"It is one of the few technology areas that could truly revolutionise our energy future."
Story via New Scientist.
Obama commits nearly $2 billion to solar companies
By Steve Holland, Reuters
Saturday, 3 July 2010
Solar Manufacturers
Profit From Your Energy Bills WithSolar P.V. Get your Brochure Today!
www.Green-Sun.co.uk
Upto 75% Off Solar Panels
Expert Advice, Supply & FittingEarn Upto £1500 Yearly - Contact Us
www.SolarEurope.co.uk
75% Off Solar Panels
3 Free Quotes. Compare Local PricesSolar PV Panels. Earn Money Now
www.getsolarpanels.co.uk
Residential Solar Panels
UK's Leading Solar Comparison Site.Compare Solar Quotes, Save upto 75%
www.SolarEnergyQuotes.co.uk
President Barack Obama, under pressure to spur job growth, said today that two solar energy companies will get nearly $2 billion in US loan guarantees to create as many as 5,000 green jobs.
In his weekly radio and Web address, Obama coupled his announcement with an acknowledgment that efforts to recover from the recession are slow a day after the Labor Department reported that private hiring in June rose by 83,000.
"It's going to take months, even years, to dig our way out and it's going to require an all-hands-on-deck effort," he said.
All told, 5,000 jobs are expected to be created through use of $1.85 billion (£1.2bn) in money taken from the $787 billion (£517bn) economic stimulus that Obama pushed through the U.S. Congress in early 2009 over the strenuous objections of Republicans.
Obama announced the Energy Department will award $1.45 billion (£950m) in loan guarantees to Abengoa Solar Inc to help it build Solona, one of the largest solar generation plants in the world near Gila Bend, Arizona.
Abengoa Solar, headquartered in Lakewood, Colorado, is a unite of Spanish renewable energy and engineering company Abengoa SA (ABG.MC). In the short term, construction will create some 1,600 jobs in Arizona.
"After years of watching companies build things and create jobs overseas, it's good news that we've attracted a company to our shores to build a plant and create jobs right here in America," Obama said.
Obama said $400 million in loan guarantees will be awarded to Colorado-based Abound Solar Manufacturing to manufacture advanced solar panels at two new plants, creating more than 2,000 construction jobs and 1,500 permanent jobs.
A Colorado plant is already being constructed and an Indiana plant will be built in what is now an empty Chrysler factory.
The announcement addresses Obama's desire to create jobs related to green technologies.
Obama, whose Democrats are anticipating losses in Nov. 2 congressional elections because of the weak jobs picture, said the steps he is taking "won't replace all the jobs we've lost overnight" and that "I know folks are struggling."
He accused Republicans of blocking a $33 billion (£21bn) extension of unemployment benefits that failed to pass the House of Representatives on Tuesday.
"At a time when millions of Americans feel a deep sense of urgency in their own lives, Republican leaders in Washington just don't get it," Obama said.
Republicans say the problem is Democrats want to pass legislation that would add to the country's debt.
In the Republican response to Obama's address, Senator Saxby Chambliss called the country's $13 trillion debt "one of the most dangerous threats confronting America today."
"At a time when many Americans are clipping coupons and pinching pennies, President Obama and the Democrats in Congress continue to spend money that they - we - do not have," Chambliss said.
Saturday, 3 July 2010
Solar Manufacturers
Profit From Your Energy Bills WithSolar P.V. Get your Brochure Today!
www.Green-Sun.co.uk
Upto 75% Off Solar Panels
Expert Advice, Supply & FittingEarn Upto £1500 Yearly - Contact Us
www.SolarEurope.co.uk
75% Off Solar Panels
3 Free Quotes. Compare Local PricesSolar PV Panels. Earn Money Now
www.getsolarpanels.co.uk
Residential Solar Panels
UK's Leading Solar Comparison Site.Compare Solar Quotes, Save upto 75%
www.SolarEnergyQuotes.co.uk
President Barack Obama, under pressure to spur job growth, said today that two solar energy companies will get nearly $2 billion in US loan guarantees to create as many as 5,000 green jobs.
In his weekly radio and Web address, Obama coupled his announcement with an acknowledgment that efforts to recover from the recession are slow a day after the Labor Department reported that private hiring in June rose by 83,000.
"It's going to take months, even years, to dig our way out and it's going to require an all-hands-on-deck effort," he said.
All told, 5,000 jobs are expected to be created through use of $1.85 billion (£1.2bn) in money taken from the $787 billion (£517bn) economic stimulus that Obama pushed through the U.S. Congress in early 2009 over the strenuous objections of Republicans.
Obama announced the Energy Department will award $1.45 billion (£950m) in loan guarantees to Abengoa Solar Inc to help it build Solona, one of the largest solar generation plants in the world near Gila Bend, Arizona.
Abengoa Solar, headquartered in Lakewood, Colorado, is a unite of Spanish renewable energy and engineering company Abengoa SA (ABG.MC). In the short term, construction will create some 1,600 jobs in Arizona.
"After years of watching companies build things and create jobs overseas, it's good news that we've attracted a company to our shores to build a plant and create jobs right here in America," Obama said.
Obama said $400 million in loan guarantees will be awarded to Colorado-based Abound Solar Manufacturing to manufacture advanced solar panels at two new plants, creating more than 2,000 construction jobs and 1,500 permanent jobs.
A Colorado plant is already being constructed and an Indiana plant will be built in what is now an empty Chrysler factory.
The announcement addresses Obama's desire to create jobs related to green technologies.
Obama, whose Democrats are anticipating losses in Nov. 2 congressional elections because of the weak jobs picture, said the steps he is taking "won't replace all the jobs we've lost overnight" and that "I know folks are struggling."
He accused Republicans of blocking a $33 billion (£21bn) extension of unemployment benefits that failed to pass the House of Representatives on Tuesday.
"At a time when millions of Americans feel a deep sense of urgency in their own lives, Republican leaders in Washington just don't get it," Obama said.
Republicans say the problem is Democrats want to pass legislation that would add to the country's debt.
In the Republican response to Obama's address, Senator Saxby Chambliss called the country's $13 trillion debt "one of the most dangerous threats confronting America today."
"At a time when many Americans are clipping coupons and pinching pennies, President Obama and the Democrats in Congress continue to spend money that they - we - do not have," Chambliss said.