Global Lessons in Green Development
The U.S.: Going out on a Limb for Solar, Wind and Bio Energy
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| Global Lessons in Green Development The U.S.: Going out on a Limb for Solar, Wind and Bio Energy Nevada Solar One, the world's second largest concentrated solar power plant, began operation in 2007, followed by several smaller facilities. In August 2009 the Department of Defense started on its large solar energy project – a 500-megawatt installation at the Fort Irwin military base in the Mojave Desert in California, which is claimed to be the first step in what the army calls a far-reaching strategy to secure energy supplies to military installations. In 2008 the U.S. added 8.38 GW (one GW is 1 billion watts) to its wind generation capacity, increasing the amount to 25.1 GW, one fifth of the world's total, topping all other nations. Last February the Department of Energy earmarked US $93 million from the American Japan: Bright with Solar Energy The Japanese government has long been subsidizing the installation of solar-power generators in homes and funding the development of solar technologies. In 2008 it commenced construction of the nation's largest solar generator in Hokkaido, which, with a hefty investment of US $756 million, will reach a capacity of 5,000 kW upon completion in 2010, the third largest in the world. Japan has vowed by the year 2020 it will see its current solar power generation capacity bumped by 20 fold. Then it will take the reins as the world's largest producer of solar energy. The United Kingdom built its first offshore wind farm in 2000. Now it is the world's largest producer of offshore wind power, in terms of both the number of such projects and their installed capacities. Electricity generated from turbines powers as many as 1.5 million British homes. And that from offshore wind accounts for 20 percent of all electricity generated in the country. The U.K. plans to launch additional offshore wind projects upping its capacity to 25 billion watts in the coming decade. This means the total amount of electricity from offshore wind in the country is expected to reach 33 billion watts by the year 2020, half of the global aggregate. Iceland: Forging a Future Beyond Fossil Fuels Iceland has the world's largest geothermal resource, and is tapping into merely one to two percent of its potential. Thermal energy can produce hydrogen gas, which is easier to store. Icelandic New Energy Company, a strong promoter of hydrogen fuels, recently submitted the goal of total conversion to hydrogen for the nation's transportation sector by 2050. Iceland is expected to be the first nation on earth to be completely free from dependency on fossil fuels. Brazil: Most Advanced in Ethanol Fuel Application Brazil is at the forefront of the world's production and application of ethanol fuel. Government incentives for automobiles running on E85 fuel, an alcohol fuel mixture that typically contains up to 85 percent denatured ethanol and gasoline or other hydrocarbons by volume, are a strong impetus for the ethanol industry. At present the country has 320 ethanol plants, with 50 more being built over the next five years. In response to surging demand, Brazil plans to invest another US $6 billion over this and the next four years, to set up new sugarcane plantations and ethanol plants. Given the magnitude of its grain output and the abundance of unused lands, escalation of ethanol production poses no threat to the country's food security, and instead, will create more jobs and increase the income of farmers. |
| VOL.59 NO.12 December 2010 | Advertise on Site | Contact Us |