WORLD ROUNDUP

Japan:370 m pounds sterling pa on Renewables

Japan recently set a target for developing non-oil alternatives, including renewable energy, and now aims to have 5.3% of its primary energy coming from such sources by 2010 - as opposed to 1.3% as at present. If geothermal is also added in, the figures rise to 6.2%, as against 1.4% in 1989. This figure comes from CADETT, the free IEA/OECD Newsletter, distributed in the UK by ETSU (Harwell, Didcot, OX11 0RA).

Issue 3 includes an article on the Japanese renewable programme, which describes the revamped 'New Sunshine' renewables programme, which now includes the 'Moonlight' energy conservation programme.

By 2030 the programme should cover one third of the country's total energy. The total budget for 1994 is 52.8 billion Yen, and it is expected to reach a cumulative total of 1.55 trillion Yen by 2030, representing some 370m pounds sterling pa, with Japanese carbon dioxide emissions being halved as a consequence.

As we noted in Renew 90, the Japanese Marine Science and Technology Centre has designed a giant (60x30x12m) wave powered generator. 'The Whale' contains three oscillating water column chambers that convert the energy to air flow and drive a turbine. They successfully tested a 1/3rd scale prototype and plan a full sized one off the coast of Japan in 1988. The Whale is now being proposed for Australian coastal and island communities, at an estimated cost of 50c/kW. An article in the Sydney Morning Herald (8/7/94) claims the running costs will be up to 75% less than solar thermal power.

PV breakthrough in Australia

A team from the University of New South Wales has announced a 'breakthrough' in photovoltaic power, with a new solar cell claimed to be 15-16% efficient, which should be cheap since it uses material that is "up to 1000 times lower in quality than the worst presently used in commercial silicon cells".

The result is that solar cell power generation costs ought to be cut by 80% within ten years, to around 2-3p/kwh, and to 'one fifth' the cost of coal generated power within 20 years. The project leader Professor Martin Green claimed it could "eventually meet all nations need for cheap and environmentally sound energy". The new cell evidently uses laser cut grooves to bury the electrical contacts, which allows for much thinner (20 micron) lower quality cell material to be used. These claims are based on a computer model of the proposed cell configuration: no actual device has yet been built it seems. But one is scheduled to emerge soon, and it sounds very exciting. For a more detailed report see Renew 92.

World Wind Update

USA Windpower is spreading well beyond California. Minnesota is planning to have at least 425 megawatts of wind farm capacity installed - and possibly a further 400 megawatts (MW) - while Ohio may follow suit. Major wind projects are also being considered in Wyoming.
Canada A 'peoples cooperative' providing finance for wind projects is being set up by the Canadian Agra Corporation, with a 5-10MW wind farm project being the first target.
Holland Has cut back its '1000MW by 2000' wind target to 450MW, due to problems with finding sites.
Denmark's 1000MW by 2005 target remains intact.

For up to date reports see Windpower Monthly, the excellent trade magazine of the wind community.

A 15% solar target for Europe?

A group of European renewable energy supporters recently launched an action plan, the Madrid Declaration, calling for renewables to supply 15% of Europe's primary energy by 2010 - that's well over the maximum estimated as likely even on the best scenarios by the recent TERES study (see Renew 90). A 'solar levy' on electricity bills was also proposed at the European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference in Amsterdam to support the development of photovoltaic solar, with pv seen as likely to supply 20% of Europe's electricity electricity by 2050. By 2005 there could be a 15GW pa production rate, creating 500,000 new jobs.

US R&D Expands

The US Renewable Energy R&D budget has been increased, with wind power doing particularly well with a $51.7m allocation, 70% up on the previous year. Photovoltaics got a 21% increase and solar thermal 10%. Nuclear R&D has been cut by 25%.

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