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MARCH-APRIL 2013
renewable energy world

voLuMe 16 nuMbeR 2
lead the field in risk
management
germanys new market
off-grid in ladakh
How solar thermal process heat is

shaping up as a promising new segment
of Germanys solar market
A wide-reaching off-grid initiative

brings renewable power to the remote
mountains in India
MARCH-APRIL 2013 voLuMe 16 nuMbeR 2
1303_REW_C1_FrontCOVER.indd 1
18/03/2013 11:17
VOLUME
16
ISSUE
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013
100 Percent
Renewable
Energy
Crazy, Idealistic
or Acheivable?
Solar-friendly
US States
The surprising
answer to which
states have the
most solar energy.
p. 68
Floating
Offshore Wind
Power Taking
Hold
Unlocking
Geothermal
Energy's Great
Potential
Signals that the

sector is maturing.
Our spotlight on
South America.
p. 86
p. 79
Show Preview:
Solar Power
International
The solar industry
prepares to light
up Chicago.
p. 66
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contents
PROJECT PROFILE
The Magnificent
London Array
54
features
36
COVER STORY
Going All In with

Renewable Energy
Can a region obtain 100
percent of its energy from
renewables? Elisa Wood
49
WIND TECHNOLOGY
68
SOLAR
The Air Up There
Solar-friendly US States
Wind farm developers

are using remote sensing
technology for assessments
and operations.
Which US states have the

most solar energy? The
answer may surprise you.
James Montgomery
James Montgomery
42
WIND
Floating Offshore
Wind Power Taking
Hold Signs are signalling
that the sector is maturing.
David Appleyard
56
WIND
The Promise of the

Ukrainian Wind Market
Wind power in Ukraine
increased 98 percent
between 2011 and 2012.
Galina Shmidt
36
ON THE COVER:
100 Percent Renewable
Energy: A Sneak Peak at
our 2014 Renewable Energy
World Conference and Expo
design. Don't miss the 2013
show this November!
75
SOLAR
PV Module Quality
Concerns Persist Even
though steps have been
made to curb the problem,
poor-quality PV modules
are still making their way
into the global marketplace.
Jennifer Runyon
RENEWABLE ENERGY WORLD MAGAZINE
features
F
79
departments & columns
Mt. Garibaldi
Mt. St. Helens
7 Editors Letter
GEOTHERMAL
Exploring the Untapped

Potential of South American
Geothermal Energy What
will it take to make use of the vast
geothermal energy resource?
Meg Cichon
8 Renewable Technology
Creating Best Practice
for Wind O&M
10 Renewable Policy
Will the UK's Energy Reform
Help Renewables?
12 Regional News
82
News from the Global

Renewable Energy Industry
BIOENERGY
A New Win-Win? Carboneating Microalgae as a

Biofuel Feedstock An Australian
company is using the carbon from
a coal plant to grow microalgae for
biofuel. Bruce Dorminey
86
62 Show Preview
Getting Smart About

Renewable Energy
31 Te Big Question
Can Countries Reach 100
Percent Renewable Energy?
Offshore Wind Explored at

EWEA's OFFSHORE 2013
64 Data Points
Sustainable Energy For All
66 Show Preview
Solar Power International
Lights Up Chicago
94 Calendar
94 Advertisers index
95 Training and
Educational Events
96 Last Word
54 Project Profle
Marine Renewables
and Energy Security
The World's Largest

Offshore Wind Farm
On RenewableEnergyWorld.com
HYDROPOWER
Ocean Energy Technologies

are Speeding To
Commercialization What many
RenewableEnergyWorld.com provides daily news and

information to help you stay on your toes.
thought would take decades may only

be a few years away. Meg Cichon
Visit us on the web to:

Comment on a hot news item.
Learn something new in our In-depth Technology Section.
Sign up for an educational webcast.
90
Check out some of our Total Access partners.

Listen to The Energy Show.
DISTRIBUTED ENERGY
The Virtual Power Plant

Promise A new model for renewable
Start blogging.
Register to receive our award-winning e-newsletters.
energy integration. Tildy Bayar
Since 1968
Earn your Bachelors degree in Alternative and

Renewable Energy Management
Everglades University
The University has enhanced my level of thinking and given me the ability to use what I have learned in the classroom to
display in the eld. Dwayne Simons, 2011 Graduate, Orlando Campus
WWW.EVERGLADESUNIVERSITY.EDU
Boca Raton Campus (Main Campus)
888.226.0902
Orlando Campus (Branch Campus)
Financial aid is available for those who qualify
100% online degree programs are available
through the Boca Raton Main Campus
Small classes with individualized attention
Everglades University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award
bachelors and masters degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call
404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Everglades University.
866.314.4540
Sarasota Campus (Branch Campus)
888.785.8689
Online Division
855.723.9087
From t he Editor
PUBLISHER James M. Callihan

CHIEF EDITOR Jennifer Runyon
SENIOR EDITOR David Appleyard
ASSOCIATE EDITOR Tildy Bayar
ASSOCIATE EDITOR Meg Cichon
ASSOCIATE EDITOR James Montgomery

EDITORIAL OFFICES
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MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS
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of the magazine, please contact:
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SUBSCRIPTIONS
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While every attempt is made to ensure the
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magazine, neither the Publishers nor the authors
accept any liability for errors or omissions.
Opinions expressed in this publication are not
necessarily those of the Publishers or Editor.
Getting Smart About Renewables

Renewable energy education and training opportunities are becoming
more widespread with each passing year. I am always amazed that a
story I wrote back in 2008 about universities offering master degree
programs in renewable energy is consistently, year-after-year, one of
the most read stories on RenewableEnergyWorld.com. This tells me
that every year more folks want to become educated about the evergrowing renewable energy industry.
There are so many opportunities to learn in this field. In October,
Ill be attending SPI and speaking with solar industry executives who
will bring me up to speed on the most pressing issues they are facing.
Then three weeks later, Ill attend our very own Renewable Energy
World Conference and Expo. There Ill learn from experts across all of
the renewable energy industries. These in-person events really cant
be beat for on-the-spot concentrated educational opportunities.
For hands-on training opportunities, there are institutions all
across the globe offering technical training programs for all of the
renewable energy technologies. Weve started highlighting upcoming
events in our new Training and Educational Events section (p. 95).
Finally, there are a plethora of universities and colleges that offer
degrees in renewable energy, sustainable energy, clean tech and
more. No matter where you are in your career, keeping up with the
latest trends in renewable energy is a necessity. While we hope that
Renewable Energy World gives you a healthy dose of knowledge when
you need it, when it comes to face-to-face education or hands-on experience, conferences, training institutes, colleges and universities really
are the places to be.
Jennifer Runyon, Chief Editor
Renewa ble Technolog y
Creating Best Practice

for Wind O&M
David Appleyard,
Senior Editor
A clear sign of market maturity is

the development of industry best
practice. Covering issues such as
health and safety, navigation, environmental impact and the like, in
the case of wind power a number of
significant best practices covering
operations and maintenance (O&M)
have recently been revealed.
The economic importance of
an effective O&M strategy cannot be understated. As Romax
Technologys Dr. John Coultate says,
typically up to 75 percent of the
operational expenditure for a large
wind farm is related to the sites
O&M.
And where thoughts turn to cutting costs, there are always market
opportunities. Launching A Guide
to Offshore Wind Operations and
Maintenance which explores the
relevant concepts and trends in the
sector GL Garrad Hassans Head
of Strategy and Policy, Joe Phillips,
affirms this, saying: Offshore wind
O&M is set to become a two billion
pound a year industry by 2025. The
opportunity this presents for new
entrants to the offshore wind space,
especially small- and medium-sized
enterprises, is huge.
Given the potential scale of the
O&M business, the thinking is that
the emergent nature of the offshore
wind market will allow small and
medium enterprises to exploit

opportunities based on their
local presence, commercial
and technical flexibility, or
specialized and innovative technological solutions.
But there are still opportunities onshore too. The American
Wind Energy Association (AWEA)
has released its Operation and
Maintenance Recommended
Practices 1.0, which, while explicitly not a guide to best practice,
does nonetheless offer suggestions
from experts in the field who have
refined their procedures over time.
AWEA believes that many new
companies and technicians are set
to join the wind sector, working to
operate and maintain the 45,000
or so individual U.S. machines. The
Recommended Practices is designed
to serve as a baseline for the provision of those services.
With O&M services becoming
an ever bigger and more important
business sector, best practice guides
and basic performance standards
are, likewise, becoming far more
desirable and documents such as
these are important bricks in that
road. But the best practices of the
future will undoubtedly change and
evolve as the industry adopts more
sophisticated technology, materials,
sensors and communications. That
means that the best practices of the
future wind industry will be shaped
by the companies that are getting
involved in O&M now.
W
Renewa ble Polic y
Will theUKs Energy Reform

Help Renewables?
Tildy Bayar,
Associate Editor
10
Currently wending its way through

Parliament, theUKgovernments
sweepingElectricity Market Reform
package aims to stimulate muchneeded investment in low-carbon
power generation by providing
stable and predictable incentives
for renewables, nuclear and carbon
capture and storage.
The package replaces the current
Renewables Obligation (RO) with
Contracts for Difference (CfDs),
which guarantee that power generators will earn a fixed amount, or
strike price, for their electricity.
If the wholesale electricity market
price is less than the strike price,
the generator will receive a topup sum; if the wholesale electricity
market price is more than the strike
price, the generator must pay back
the difference. This should enable
certainty for developers as revenues
will be based on a known price.
When draft strike prices were
published in June, theRenewable
Energy Association (REA) and
theSolar Trade Association took
issue with the biomass and PV
prices. Both groups say CfDs will
create additional risks for smaller
independent power producers
(IPPs), and that the strike prices are
not high enough to mitigate them.
Under CfDs, the REA says it will
be difficult forIPPs to make their
projects viable. Because IPPs

do not sell power directly, getting it to market involves costs
not incurred by utilities.
Wind, wave and tidal trade
bodyRenewableUK has noted that,
while the Renewables Obligation
guarantees a 20-year return,
CfDs will only be available for
15, thereafter reverting to market rates. This will certainly have
an impact on onshore and offshore
wind farms yet to be built, said
Maf Smith, RenewableUKs deputy
chief executive.
Juliet Davenport, CEO of renewable power supplier Good Energy,
believes CfDs risk skewing the market towards nuclear and the Big Six
[utilities], at the expense of renewable energy and smaller suppliers.
They will restrict competition rather
than attracting the new investment
the industry needs. AndutilitySSE
has said CfDs will benefit nuclear
generators more than renewables:
a wind farm, for example, could be
curtailed when the electricity market price is highest.
More than half ofUKrenewable
energy executives surveyed by the
REA believe that CfDs will encourage new renewable development.
The government says it is listening
but until we see the final Bill in early
2014, it is difficult to say whether its
mechanisms will encourage or stifle the uptake of renewable energy in
the UK. The devil, as always, will be
in the details.
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REGIONAL
news
ASIA
Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Project Planned in China

U.S. aerospace, defense, secu-
expense of transporting energy
rity and technology company
can drive up costs for other tradi-
Lockheed Martin announced that
tional power sources.
it will develop an ocean ther-
Like biomass and geothermal
mal energy conversion (OTEC)
power but unlike solar and wind,
pilot power plant off the coast of
OTEC can generate baseload
southern China. The plant will be
power, and the OTEC Foundation
built for the Reignwood Group, a
claims that a commercial-scale
Chinese resort developer.
OTEC power plant could be used
Rendering of Lockheed Martins
The 10-MW plant will be the

largest OTEC facility in existence
Proposed OTEC pilot plant. Credit
and will supply 100 percent of the
Lockheed Martin.
power used by a green resort
to support a small city.

In addition to several other
green-energy-related projects
across a number of industries,
planned by Reignwood, Lockheed
from the deeper ocean layers to
Reignwood Group says it is cur-
Martin said.
cool the vapor, condensing it back
rently developing two large-scale
into a liquid for re-use.
low-carbon resort communities
OTEC generates power using

the solar energy absorbed by the
The temperature differen-
and that it has others planned
ocean. While the sun warms the
tial between warm surface and
around China. OTEC technology
water at the surface the depths
cool depths determines how effi-
will help the company to develop
remain cold, creating a temper-
cient an OTEC installation can be
its first net-zero resort commu-
ature differential. In an OTEC
the greater the difference, the
nity, it says.
installation the warm surface
greater the efficiency so OTEC
Once the proposed plant is
water is used to vaporize a liq-
is primarily suitable for equato-
developed and operational, the
uid with a low boiling point (for
rial regions where the temper-
two companies say they plan
example, ammonia); when vapor-
ature differential is at least 20
to use the knowledge gained to
ized, the liquid expands, spinning
degrees C all year. OTEC can also
improve the design and build
a turbine coupled to a genera-
be advantageous in island and
additional commercial-scale
tor. Cooler water is then pumped
coastal regions where the added
plants over the next 10 years.
Indian Wind Power Now Cost-competitive with Coal

ASIA Wind power in India is
Indias wind development had
982.5 MW of wind power capacity,
now cost-competitive with new
stagnated in 2012 due to the can-
less than half the previous years
coal capacity, according to a
cellation of the Generation Based
amount, according to the Indian
recent report from HSBC Global
Incentive (GBI). Between April and
Wind Turbine Manufacturers
Research.
December 2012 India added only
Association. But HSBC expects
12
a recovery in 2013 and record
70 percent of Indias installed
cut its lending rate to renewable
installations in 2014 due to an
wind capacity offering a tar-
energy projects by 50 basis points,
improved policy and investment
iff that is lower than the lowest
or 0.5 percent (while cutting
climate. The report said that 5.6
tariff bids received for new coal
its rates to conventional power
GW of new wind capacity would
capacity in 2012.
plants by only 25 basis points).
be added before the end of 2014.

This year has seen positive
In addition, INR 8 billion (US
Indias government has fore-
$160 million) has been allocated
cast a wind potential of around
policy changes in India, with the
to the Ministry of New and
50 GW across the nation, but
GBI reinstated in March and an
Renewable Energy (MNRE) to sup-
new studies indicate a poten-
increase in wind feed-in tariffs
port the GBI for wind projects.
tial of over 100 GW. A National
(FiTs) across six of the seven key
And the government has com-
Wind Mission, similar to the
wind states. The report points to
mitted to providing low-interest
Jawaharlal Nehru National
tariff increases of 2-36 percent
funds for five years from the
Solar Mission, has been pro-
in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat,
National Clean Energy Fund to
posed to accelerate future wind
Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra,
the Indian Renewable Energy
development.
Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu. Wind
Development Agency (IREDA),
FiTs across these states range
which provides debt financing for
follow winds lead, the report pre-
from INR 3.51-5.92/kWh (around
renewable energy projects. HSBC
dicted, becoming cost-compet-
$6-11/kWh), the report said, with
reports that another lender, the
itive with new coal capacity as
four states which hold around
Power Finance Corporation, has
early as 2016.
Solar power in India will soon
Can Japan Sustain Its Solar Growth?

ASIA Despite forecasts pre-
However some have cited the
dicting phenomenal growth
high costs of installing solar pan-
for Japans solar energy sector,
els in Japan as a factor limiting
some analysts say the nations
growth. In a Bloomberg inter-
boom may be hampered by
view, Thomas Kaberger, exec-
significant problems.
utive board chair of the Japan
This year, driven by a gener-
Renewable Energy Foundation,
Photovoltaic Power Plant and
ous feed-in tariff scheme, Japans
said, Its difficult to explain why
Mountain in Japan via Shutterstock
total solar capacity 7.4 GW at
solar PV installation should cost
the end of 2012 will roughly
three times as much in Japan as
and a survey earlier this year
double, according to Bloomberg
in Germany. We must succeed in
by the Japan Renewable Energy
New Energy Finance, bringing
bringing down the costs.
Foundation found that, as
the nation to second place glob-
Others cite land procurement
opposed to the priority connec-
ally, behind only China, in solar
and grid problems. Permitting
tion system in place in other
market growth and to third
and approval for grid inter-
countries, because grid connec-
place, behind Germany and Italy,
connection are challenging in
tion approval in Japan has been
in total installed solar capacity.
Japan, according to analysts,
left to the discretion of
[ cont >]
13
REGIONAL
news
LATIN AMERICA
[Japan Solar cont. from p13]
the power company, solar compa-
utility due to limited grid capacity
Meeting
Me
M
e
Latin Americas
Electricity Needs with
Renewable Energy
and wariness about solar powers
Latin America and the Caribbean are expected to enjoy nearly 3
variability.
percent annual economic growth for the foreseeable future. The
nies are at a significant disadvantage. In 20 percent of cases, the

survey found, a grid connection
request had been rejected by the
The Asahi Shimbun reported
flip side: the region will have to strengthen its infrastructures to
that 34 of the 79 solar companies
support that growth. Installed power capacity will have to double
surveyed said they had abandoned
to 600 GW by 2030, and electricity demand is projected to double or
at least one planned solar power
nearly triple to 2.5-3.5 petawatt-hours (PWh) by 2050. But renewable
project, with around 45 percent cit-
energy could meet that surge in demand many times over, accord-
ing land procurement problems as
ing to a report from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
the reason and 25 percent blaming
Presented this summer at the Global Green Growth Forum
problems with grid connection.
Latin America and the Caribbean (3GFLAC) in Bogot, the report
In another potential problem,
Rethinking our Energy Future explores how lower prices and new
[ cont >]
analysts have speculated that

212 TWh
Japanese consumers, who overwhelmingly support renewable

energy, may change their minds
when they see their already high
electricity bills increase by up to
33 TWh
Solar Sonora Desert 625 km2
(Mexico)
64 TWh
Biomass from sustainable forestry
14 TWh
(Mexico)
11 TWh
81 TWh
92 TWh
Wind on-shore Oaxaca (Mexico)
5 percent as the 15 GW of solar
Geothermal (Central America)
projects that have already been
144 TWh
172 TWh
Wind on-shore (Caribbean on-shore)
approved come online.
22 TWh
Japans tariff for solar was cut in

April from 42 [US $0.42] per kWh
Wind on-shore Guajira (Colombia)

Small hydro <5MW (Venezuela)
to 37.8 [US $0.37] per kWh the previous year to account for falling
Geothermal (Peru)
32 TWh
26 TWh
Wind On-shore (Northeast Region Brazil)
costs of solar panels and compo-
50 TWh
Solar (Northeast Region Brazil)
nents. Analysts say this has not significantly affected the solar boom
to date, but some warn that the FiT
Solar PV Atacama 100 km2 (Chile)

Sugar cane co-generation So Paulo (Brazil)
358 TWh
Solid wastes (Brazil)
needs to be handled with care in

order to avoid the problems expe-
Marine energy (Chile)
70 TWh
OTEC (Argentina)
rienced in countries like Romania,

which was forced to scale back
Renewable energy-rich sites for electricity generation.
renewable energy subsidies in order
Credit: Inter-American Development Bank.
to avoid consumer price increases.

14
SAVE
THE DATES
Moscone Center, San Francisco
Stay informed!
Co-located with
REGIONAL
news
[Electricity Needs cont. from p14]
infrastructure upgrades, vastly
region; geothermal is strong
technologies such as solar, wind,
reduced energy demand, and
in Mexico and making inroads
geothermal, biomass, and wave
widespread adoption of renew-
into Colombia, Panama and
could produce up to 78 PWh
able energy. Such a shift would
Ecuador; and solar, biomass,
of electricity, and have nomi-
be expensive at a projected $66
and wind operations are being
nal peak capacity of 33 TW. One
billion, but not as expensive
ramped up in Brazil, Mexico,
PWh is equal to 1 trillion kWh,
as the $100 billion in projected
Guatemala, Argentina and Chile.
which is roughly three times the
economic damage from climate
Nevertheless, the region overall
electricity Mexico consumes in a
change that would hit Latin
represented just 5.4 percent of
year, IDB says.
America particularly hard.
the $244 billion invested world-
The results follow some of
Latin America is seen as
wide in renewable energies dur-
the themes from another IDB
one of the strongest adopters
ing 2012, a total which is seen
study released at the Rio+20
as well as a strong growth
exploding to a cumulative $6
conference this spring, describ-
market for renewable energy
trillion by 2035, with $16.9 tril-
ing how Latin America could
adoption. Renewable energy
lion invested in the regions total
achieve climate stabiliza-
made up roughly 59 percent
power system. Broadening its
tion with virtually no car-
of Latin Americas power sup-
adoption of renewable energy
bon footprint in its power
ply in 2010, almost all of that
will require much more invest-
generation by 2050, through
from hydro, according to the
ments, and further evolution
a regimen of aggressive land-
IDB. But wind energy usage is
of policy and regulatory frame-
use adjustments, transport
rapidly spreading across the
works, says the IDB.
Central America At a Crossroads

with Renewable Energy
LATIN AMERICA Central America
others in both small- and large-
used for transportation. Detailed
has many of the same chal-
scale. A rapid transition to 100
energy roadmaps will be neces-
lenges as Latin America over-
percent renewable electricity gen-
sary to assess all the challenges
all: electricity demand is rising
eration is both technically pos-
technical, socioeconomic,
rapidly, yet millions of people
sible and socio- economically
finance, and political and then
still have limited or no access to
beneficial in all Central American
identify policies and measures to
electricity, use of imported fos-
countries, according to the
address them.
sil fuels is rising, and thermal
WorldWatch Institute, in its study
As more renewable energy is
power plants are proliferating to
The Way Forward for Renewable
brought online, though, another
meet demand. And in step with
Energy in Central America. The
challenge is whether the infra-
the broader region it also seeks
firm calls for more distributed
structure is capable of han-
to expand its use of renewable
generation, less pursuit of fossil
dling the new output and getting
energy, of which hydro and geo-
fuel use, a rethinking of biomass
the electricity to customers.
thermal are already expansive.
use (mainly fuel wood for cook-
Enter the Central American
Central America plans to pursue
ing), and curtailment of energy
Electrical Interconnection System
16
(SIEPAC), a 230-kV transmission
Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica
from El Salvador, Honduras, and
line stretching 1,800 km from
and Panama; agreements are
Nicaragua, fending off an energy
Guatemala to Panama, which
being drawn up to consider and
crunch caused by droughts that
came online this spring after 25
plan integration with neighbors
drained reservoirs and weakened
years of planning and develop-
Mexico, Belize, the Dominican
its hydro generating capacity.
ment (and $500 million in invest-
Republic and Colombia.
To fully realize their poten-
ment) to connect 35+ million
Together these efforts will
tial, SIEPAC and MER still need
consumers. Initial capacity is 300
enable development of larger and
to account for the dynamics and
MW half of that earmarked
more efficient regional genera-
the heterogeneity of the electric-
for natural gas with plans to
tion projects, while also facilitat-
ity sectors of the various coun-
double it to 600 MW. Also now
ing the preparation of a larger of
tries of Central America, notes
formalized is the long-planned
renewable energy projects, states
the IDB. Nonetheless, this is an
Central American Regional
the Inter-American Development
historic moment for investment,
Electricity Market (MER) to reg-
Bank, which financed half
principally for the private sec-
ulate power transactions on
of SIEPAC and contributed
tor in energy projects that are
SIEPAC in a competitive frame-
millions of dollars in other aid.
regional in scope and that fea-
work. SIEPAC member countries
Panama, it notes, used SIEPAC
ture the use of renewables and
include Guatemala, Honduras, El
this spring to import electricity
natural gas as cleaner sources.
Chiles Renewable Energy

Applications Surge
LATIN AMERICA Chiles Minister
of the applications have passed
of installed capacity of renew-
of National Assets (Ministerio
regional approvals, represent-
able energy, and is on track to
de Bienes Nacionales) approved
ing more than 1,200 MW of
possibly achieve 1.3 GW by the
24 applications for land con-
installed capacity. In December
end of the year (largely from
cessions for non-conventional
2012 the government approved
biomass and hydro). In all, more
renewable energy (Energas
795 MW spanning 16 initia-
than 10 GW of renewable energy
Renovables No Convencionales
tives in the north of the country
projects are in the pipeline
aka solar and wind power)
on 7,800 hectares, including 12
or under assessment, accord-
projects through July of this
solar farms.
ing to the Centro de Energas
year, amounting to almost
Like many Latin American
Renovables (CER). The country is
1,500 MW on 12,707 hectares
countries, Chile has a grow-
also eager to tap into potential
spanning the Antofagasta,
ing appetite for renewables.
geothermal resources, hoping
Atacama, and Tarapaca regions.
Renewable energy currently
for 1-1.5 GW of capacity by 2025,
Chile has received 265 applica-
makes up 3 percent of Chile's
and the government is seek-
tions to date for the NCRE pro-
energy capacity with 34 percent
ing to pair up with the IDB and
gram totaling 10 GW, most of
from hydro and 63 percent from
World Bank to create an insur-
which are for Antofagasta and
thermal generation. In May of
ance program to mitigate risk of
Atacama. Fewer than 20 percent
this year Chile exceeded 1 GW
failed drilling efforts
17
REGIONAL
news
NORTH AMERICA
Transformer Provides All-in-one

Renewable Energy Solution for US Military
The U.S. Department of Defense
X3 inherited the name
The system boasts a 60-Amp,
set a goal to achieve 25 percent
Transformer from the popular
240-Volt, 14.4-kilowatt (kW)
renewable energy by 2025, and
fictional robots, since the entire
inverter, and is customizable.
has established several initiatives
system can travel anywhere in
Renewable energy options include
to reach that mark. Now, the mil-
one shipping container. A team of
16, 24 or 32 solar panels that total
itary may have a new option to
mechanical and electrical engi-
4-, 6-, or 8-kW capacity; a 3-, 5-,
neers worked on self-deploying
or 10-kW wind turbine. There are
hydraulic outriggers and a hydrau-
also various battery storage sys-
lically deployed turbine, a quick
tems available with an optional
change pallet system for the bat-
electricity generator.
teries and generator, and a Smart
Van Straten Brothers is also
Control system designed to auto-
working to apply X3 to disaster
matically start the diesel gener-
relief and international aid orga-
ator for continuous power, when
nizations, as well as commercial
renewables arent available.
applications that require power
On top of the astronomical
generation backup such as min-
costs to transport fuel, our troops
ing and construction. According
help on its quest for renewables.
are risking their lives every day to
to Van Straten, the success of
The X3 Energy Transformer
ensure that power gets to the front
X3 Energy will also have a huge
manufactured by Van Straten
lines, said George Van Straten in
impact on the local community
Brothers Inc. is a portable power
a statement. The X3 could elim-
in hard-hit Michigan, creating
station that consists of solar,
inate many of these operational
full-time manufacturing, engi-
wind, battery reserves, and a die-
risks and reduce our dependence
neering and business employ-
sel generator backup system.
on fossil fuels at the same time.
ment opportunities.
First Offshore Wind Lease Off US

Coast Goes to Deepwater Wind
NORTH AMERICA Deepwater
Department of Interior (DOI)
$3,838,288 bid for the two par-
Wind New England is the win-
and Bureau of Ocean Energy
cels. The area spans more than
ner of the first competitive lease
Management (BOEM).
164,000 acres off the eastern
sale of renewable energy in U.S.
Three companies were involved
state coasts of Rhode Island and
federal waters, pledging approxi-
in the bidding process: Deepwater,
Massachusetts, with combined
mately $3.8 million for two sites
Sea Breeze Energy, and U.S. Wind,
potential of nearly 3.4 GW of wind
in an auction July 31 by the U.S.
before Deepwater won with its
power generation.
18
This is the best site for offshore wind in the U.S.,said

Deepwater Wind CEO Jeffrey
Grybowski. This is an enormous
step forward for the industry.
The company now has both
federal and state approval for
itsproposed Deepwater Wind
Energy Center(DWEC), 150-200
turbineswith combined 1-GW
nameplate capacitylocated 20-25
miles from land (no closer than
13 miles to shore) and virtually invisible from shore, according to the company. DWEC plans
include a regional transmission
system linking Long Island to
southeastern New England.
After a 30-day antitrust review
of the auction, Deepwater will
have 10 days to sign and return
the leasing form, file for finan-
Maximize
your yield
cial assurance, and pay the balance of its bid (minus an up-front
$900,000 deposit), and then six
months to submit a site assessment plan to BOEM. Deepwater
will then have roughly four years
to submit a detailed plan to build
and operate the wind project with
a 25-year operational lifetime. The
firm projects construction could
begin as early as 2017, with commercial operations by 2018.
BOEM will host a second
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competitive lease sale for offshore wind in Sept., targetingabout 112,000 acres off the
Virginia coast. More auctions
for offshore parcels along the
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this year and into 2014. Visit
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REGIONAL
news
CanGEA Releases Best Practices for Geothermal

Development, Emphasizes Technology
NORTH AMERICA Canadian geo-
innovations as the necessary step
in need of R&D. The report neatly
thermal development is sig-
to move the industry forward. As
outlines all aspects of geothermal
nificantly lagging behind other
global resource exploitation has
development and best practices,
countries with similar resources,
taken place for over a century, the
including exploration, reservoir
according to the Canadian
remaining resources are further
modeling, drilling, well stimula-
Geothermal Energy Association
down the economic merit order,
tion and completion, power con-
(CanGEA). To address this issue,
it says. Technology has been
version, and the direct use of heat.
CanGEA is developing a detailed
called on to respond to and push
Technology Roadmap and
both the operating and economic
ers used information from
Implementation Plan (TRM&IP)
boundaries and move these lower-
various international technol-
to be released in 2015. In the
quality resources towards finan-
ogy roadmaps (Australia, the
meantime, it released a prelimi-
cial viability.
IEA Geothermal Implementing
nary study entitled Geothermal
The report informs develop-
To create the report, research-
Agreement, Spain) and reports
Technology Roadmap: Global Best
ers of the latest technologies in
from countries such as the
Practices Summary Exploration
use throughout the world and
U.S. and organizations such as
through Generation.
offers advice about how to imple-
the International Partnership
ment them in their own projects.
for Geothermal Technology
each step of geothermal devel-
While the report addresses
For technology developers, it also
(Iceland, U.S., Switzerland,
opment, it highlights technology
touches upon areas that are still
Australia, New Zealand).
Wave Energy Testing Center Program

Under Development in Hawaii
NORTH AMERICA The Hawaii Natural Energy
Garrad Hassan announced that it would support
Institute at the University of Hawaii (HNEI-UH) is
HINMREC in evaluating wave systems. Garrad
developing a wave-energy testing program at its
Hasan will provide an expert wave energy team,
Hawaii National Marine Renewable Energy Center
wave energy test protocols, support HNEI-UH with
(HINMREC). The U.S. DOE Wind and Water Power
processing performance data, and conduct inde-
Program, in collaboration with the U.S. Navy, has
pendent numerical model verification exercises
provided funding for the Wave Energy Test Site
over the next two years.
(WETS) at the Marine Corps Base Hawaii.

WETS currently hosts one 30-meter-deep water
We conducted a thorough search before choosing GL Garrad Hassan to provide us with what I
facility to test wave energy conversion (WEC)
like to call a reality check that can only be based
devices, and is working to expand the site with
on actual experience said Dr. Luis Vega, Program
facilities at 60- and 80-meter depths.
Manager for HINMREC in a statement.
HINMRECs role at the WETS facility includes

the evaluation of WEC system performance. GL
20
According to GL Garrad Hassan, it will be applying detailed international best practices during
REGIONAL
news
[ Wave Energy cont. from p20 ]
The development of such test
project manager for wave and
the testing and development of
sites in the United States, which
tidal energy at GL Garrad Hassan
marine technologies at the site,
reduce costs and risks of deploy-
America, is critical for growth
and ensure they are adhered to
ment and enable technology
of the wave energy sector from
in order to properly and competi-
developers to learn more rap-
its early stages into a fully real-
tively establish the emerging U.S.
idly in a highly monitored envi-
ized commercial industry in this
wave energy industry.
ronment, said Jarett Goldsmith,
country.
MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA
MENA Renewables Could Grow 450 Percent in Coming Years

The International Renewable
MENA Region to a Global Setting,
growing faster than wind, first
Energy Agency (IRENA) in coor-
provides an overview of renew-
through photovoltaic (PV), with
dination with the Ministry of
able energy markets, industry,
an annual average growth rate
Foreign Affairs of the United
policy and investment trends.
of 112 percent from 2008-2011,
Arab Emirates and the Renewable
Most noteworthy are the renew-
and more recently with the com-
Energy Policy Network for the
able energy plans for net oil-
missioning of large concentrat-
21st Century (REN21) released
exporting countries. These
ing solar power (CSP) plants in
a report indicating that mas-
oil-rich Middle Eastern countries
Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Morocco,
sive renewable energy growth is
account for more than 80 percent
and the UAE. This trend is
expected for the MENA region
of the 107 GW of planned projects.
expected to continue in the fore-
in the coming years. Renewable
On the policy front, all 21
seeable future. Solar Hot Water
energy investment in MENA
MENA countries have renew-
Heating accounts for about 9
topped US $2.9 billion in 2012,
able energy targets, up from five
million square meter (m) of col-
up 40 percent from 2011 and 650
in 2007 and at least 19 coun-
lector area, representing 6.3
percent from 2004. With more
tries have technology-specific
gigawatts-thermal (GWth) of
than 100 projects in development,
targets. To achieve these and
installed capacity, most of which
the region could see a 450 percent
attract investment, 18 MENA
is in net oil importing countries.
increase in non-hydro renewable
countries had enacted at least
Finally, there is growing
energy generating capacity in
one enabling policy such as a
interest in developing a supply
the next few years. MENA gov-
feed-in tariff (FIT), net meter-
chain for renewable energy in
ernments have announced addi-
ing, fiscal incentives, or public
the MENA countries, with sev-
tional non-hydro renewable
financing by the start of 2013.
eral countries enacting policies
Behind hydro, wind is the
to stimulate local manufactur-
and 107 GW by 2030. Today the
largest renewable power source
ing and innovation, especially
region has an installed renewable
in the region with a total capac-
for solar and wind. This inter-
energy capacity of 1.7 GW.
ity of 1.1 GW by the end of 2012
est is particularly strong in Saudi
across 8 countries. However,
Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Morocco,
solar power generation has been
and Tunisia.
energy capacity of 50 GW by 2020
The full report, Status and

Trends of Renewables: From the
22
Obama Sets Goal To Help Power

Africa With Clean Energy
MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA In July, U.S. President
Tanzania. The initiative has attracted more than
Obama announced a plan in which U.S. compa-
$9 billion from private-sector companies includ-
nies will work with African nations to double the
ing Aldwych International, which committed to
amount of power in the region. The initiative seeks
developing 400 MW of wind power in Kenya and
to develop clean geothermal, hydro, wind and solar
Tanzania; Harith General Partners, which commit-
energy. More than two-thirds of sub-Saharan Africa
ted $70 million to wind power investment in Kenya
does not have electricity and a greater percentage of
and set up a $500 million fund to be used across
those in rural areas in the region lack electricity.
the African power sector; and Husk Power Systems,
The U.S. will commit more than $7 billion in

financial support over the next five years through
initiatives with the Export-Import Bank, the
which is installing up to 200 decentralized biomass-based mini power plants in Tanzania.

Helping power Africa is an opportunity to
Millennium Challenge Corporation, OPIC, the U.S.
protect our planet and combat climate change,
Trade and Development Agency, the Agency for
Obama said at the University of Cape Town. So, a
International Development and the U.S. African
light where currently there is darkness; the energy
Development Foundation. Partner countries include
needed to lift people out of poverty thats what
Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, and
opportunity looks like, he said.
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The Measurable Difference
REGIONAL
news
Interactive Map Shows Renewable

Energy Projects At-a-Glance
MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA The Clean Energy Business
in the region. In its efforts to inform and educate the
Council (CEBC) represents companies involved in
wider community, last year the council in partner-
clean energy development and deployment in the
ship with Ambata, a clean technology investment
Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Created
and advisory firm, launched an interactive map that
to serve as a bridge between the private and pub-
showcases clean energy projects in MENA.
lic sectors to drive development of clean energy, the
The projects mapped by the Clean Energy
council seeks to develop regulation and policy sup-
Business Council and Ambata range from small,
port to enable the clean energy industry to flourish
off-grid projects of several kilowatts to utility-scale

plants like the 100 megawatt Shams 1 project. (The
Shams 1 project was profiled on pp. 46-47 in the
July/August 2013 issue of Renewable Energy World).
Sortable by region, project size, operation date,
status and technology, and based on Google technology, the map gives an overview of renewable energy
activity in MENA and allows users to drill down into
individual project to see specifics about it.
The map shows that renewables are just starting to make an impact on the region, according
to Daniel Zywietz, Managing Director of Ambata
Capital Middle East, Deputy Chair of the CEBC and
the projects director. The renewables industry is
in a similar position today to the oil industry 100
years ago it took a long time to gain marketshare from coal but today oil is one of the worlds
primary sources of energy. Renewables will follow
The Clean Energy Map by the CEBC. Credit CEBC.
a similar trajectory, he said.
400-MW Ethiopian Wind Farm Planning Underway

MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA
Developers, the first U.S. com-
SgurrEnergy announced that

it is providing wind monitoring and analysis services for
phase 1 of a 400-MW wind farm
development in Debre Birhan,
75 miles north of Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia. Terra Global Energy
24
Wind data is currently being
pany to enter into the Ethiopian
collected by Terra using two
wind market, is developing the
60mmet masts, located onsite.
project. SgurrEnergy will pro-
Based on measured site data,
vide analysis for a 12-month
SgurrEnergys team provides
wind measurement campaign
data management services, data
as part of the projects technical
recovery and monthly report-
and financial feasibility stage.
ing as well as site suitability and
site classification. The company

has also provided a preliminary
Gareth Brown, principal
six-monthenergy yield analysis,
consultant in SgurrEnergys
providing Terra with an Annual
Vancouver office, said, The
Energy Production (AEP) of the
Ethiopia Wind Project is a real
project and offering advice on
milestone for the expansion of
wind farm layout and WTG
renewable energy development,
model selection.
not only in Ethiopia, but in East
Once the 12-month

measurement campaign is fin-
Terra Global Energys met masts
according to SgurrEnergy.
Africa as a whole.
According to The World
ished, SgurrEnergy will provide
Bank, Ethiopia has one of
a full, bank-grade site suit-
the fastest growing econo-
ability report and energy yield
mies in Africa. With abundant
analysis that will allow Terra to
wind, solar, and geothermal
obtain the necessary lenders
resources, the country has
funding approval to progress
great potential for renewable
the project into construction,
energy development.
collect data for the proposed 400MW Ethiopian Wind Farm. Credit
Editors note: For an in-depth look at Wind Resource Planning, check out our
SgurrEnergy.
feature The Air Up There: Remote Sensing Gains Ground on page 49.
EUROPE
EU PV GRID Project Proposes Solar Stability Plan

Europes solar photovoltaic (PV)
key role for regional stakehold-
In the first phase of the proj-
industry has presented propos-
ers in the Energiewende, said
ect, the most appropriate techni-
als for improved grid integration
Jrg Mayer, Managing Director
cal solutions were identified. In
of photovoltaic power plants as
of the German Solar Industry
a second phase, based on these
part of its EU PV GRID project,
Association (BSW), coordinator
results, the 21-member consor-
which is developing both tech-
of the EU PV GRID project.
tium will investigate actions that
nical solutions for grid integra-
Introducing a package of mea-
will allow a swifter and more
tion for 17 European countries
sures the document offers a pri-
economical implementation
and cost-efficient alternatives to
oritized review of all technical
those technical solutions.
grid expansion.
solutions available on the net-
State-of-the-art PV systems
Phase one addressed the two
work, consumer and PV system
main distribution grid con-
are small power plants that pro-
sides in order to enhance the dis-
straints: voltage fluctuation
vide valuable system services for
tribution grids hosting capacity
and congestion management.
the networks, thus fulfilling a
and operational efficiency.
Among the solutions
[ cont >]
25
REGIONAL
news
[ EU PV Grid cont. from p25 ]
identified for Distribution System

Operators (DSOs) are network
reinforcement, but also the use
EIB Support for

Renewables Investment
EUROPE Following a 10-month
and energy RDI projects will
of On Load Tap Changers for MV/
review of its energy sector
help EU to meet its energy
LV transformers devices that
lending policies, the European
and climate objectives and
are able to adjust the lower volt-
Investment Bank (EIB) has
create local employment across
age value of an energized trans-
adopted new guidelines to sup-
Europe. The new Emissions
former and Static VAR Control
port investment in renewables.
Performance Standard will
to provide instantaneous reac-
EIB said it will now focus on
ensure that outside these sec-
tive power under various net-
financing energy efficiency,
tors the Banks energy lending
work conditions.
renewable energy and energy
makes a sustainable and posi-
On the consumer side, solu-
networks as well as related
tive contribution to economic
tions include storing electric-
research and innovation, and it
growth.
ity at the homeowner level and
will no longer support fossil-fired
Over the last five years EIB
incentivising self-consumption
power developments that do not
lending to power generation proj-
through tariffs. Other solutions
meet strict carbon emissions cri-
ects using fossil fuels declined,
include curtailment of power
teria. This essentially removes
with coal and lignite power sta-
feed-in or active power control
EIB support for coal-fired plants.
tions representing less than 1.5
Mihai Tanasescu, EIB Vice
percent of its overall portfolio.
by the PV inverter.
Hans-Joachim Reck,
President responsible for energy
The new energy lending cri-
Managing Director of the
lending, explained the new pol-
teria include streamlined guide-
Executive Board of the
icy, saying: Adoption of the
lines for lending for energy
Association for Local Public
new lending criteria reflects
efficiency projects designed
Utilities (VKU), commented
the urgent investment chal-
to enhance co-financing of
that Municipal utility compa-
lenges currently facing the
national energy efficiency pro-
nies, as local network opera-
energy sector. Prioritizing lend-
grams and enable increased
tors, are the natural partners of
ing to energy efficiency, renew-
financial support for near-zero
the solar industry and also pro-
able energy, energy networks
energy buildings.
vide support in the direct marketing of solar power. Increasing

numbers of communal com-
Renewable Transport Fuels Could be

Competitive with Fossil Fuels by 2020
panies are already offering

their customers environmentally friendly solar power within
EUROPE Advanced biofuels, bio-
the framework of their energy
IRENA said the signs are
mix. Municipal utility compa-
methane and electric vehicles
encouraging, but continued
nies are thus contributing to an
could out-compete conventional
research and development,
economic transformation of the
transport options like gasoline
funded by both public and pri-
energy system.
by the end of the decade, the
vate sources, remains essential,
International Renewable Energy
as are continued investments in
Agency (IRENA) concluded in a
recharging stations for electric
new study.
cars and refueling stations for
You can download the document here.

26
biomethane vehicles.
However, the analysis Road
competition to prove the effi-
While renewable energy use
ciency, reliability and up-
is generally considered to be low
Transport: The Cost of Renewable
scalability of innovative new
in the transport sector, account-
Solutions finds this will only
renewable transport fuels.
ing for 3.3 percent of energy con-
be achieved if support policies are
Electric vehicles, using renew-
sumption for road transport,
enhanced and expanded to get
able electricity, are also part of
according to IRENA, conventional
these options rolling. The Agency
the intensifying competition,
biofuels have suffered due to feed-
warns that policy changes, and
with mass-produced plug-in
stock price volatility. Advanced
short-sighted reactions to budget-
hybrids and pure electric vehi-
biofuels are just starting to be
ary constraints, could undermine
cles appearing from a range of
produced at commercial scale and
important achievements to ready
manufacturers, and costs will
need further support for research,
the transport sector for a sustain-
keep coming down with wider
development and deployment to
able energy future.
deployment. He cautioned that
find the least-cost technologies.
delaying support and investment
While the road just ahead is
Adnan Z. Amin, explained
IRENAs Director-General,
for these renewable technologies
challenging, we can now see the
that the signs are promising:
now would endanger the prog-
beginnings of widely available,
a range of technology path-
ress made towards aspirational
competitive renewable options
ways are being explored, amid
targets for future years.
for transport, Amin said.

27
REGIONAL
news
Growth Flat for European

Solar Thermal Markets
EUROPE A newly published
report, Solar Thermal Markets

in Europe - Trends and Market
Statistics 2012, reveals the
growth of Europes solar thermal sector over the past year,
with some 2.4 GWth installed
during 2012. This volume, some
3.4 million square meters, is a
decrease of 6.4 percent in com-
Solar thermal market in EU27 and Switzerland

Glazed collectors
m2 (millions)
MWth
3,500
5
3,000
4
2,500
Germany 3
2,000
1,500
Next top 6 countries 2
1,000
(AT, ES, FR, GR, IT, PL) 1
500
Other 20 EU countries and Switzerland 0
0
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Source: ESTIF 2013
parison with the previous year,

according to the study from
Shares of the European

Solar Thermal Market
Newly installed capacity
the European Solar Thermal

Industry Association (ESTIF).
According to the document,
capacity, the total installed
UK 2%
BE 2%
PT 3%
DK 3%
CH 4%
capacity registered a net
AT 6%
while in 2012 the European market experienced a reduction

in the overall newly installed
increase of 2 GWth, now reach-
In spite of the
decrease recorded
over the last four
Others 8%
years, ESTIF said

that over the past
DE 34%
market size has

doubled with an
average annual
ES 7%
ing 28.3 GWth, equivalent to 40.5
growth rate of
GR 7%
million m. Overall, this rep-
FR 7%
resents an increase of 7.7 per-
decade the annual
IT 10%
PL 9%
cent compared with 2011s total

installed capacity.
Source:
ESTIF 2013
10 percent.
Residential
applications still
represent the bulk
ESTIF concludes that the
2012 are well above the 2007
of the market, but larger instal-
European market continues
sales (2 GWth /2.88 million m)
lations are increasing too. While
to suffer from the constraints
but are a far cry from the 3.36
large systems above 35 kWth for
imposed by the financial and
GWth (4.8 million m) reached
commercial heating and cooling
economic crises affecting most
in 2008, the report states.
applications have shown pos-
Over the past ten years,
itive development, ESTIF said
of the continent, resulting in

a sluggish construction sec-
ESTIFs analysis showed a con-
it is mainly in very large sys-
tor and reduction of public sup-
tinuous steep uptrend in the
tems above 350 kWth (or 500
port schemes for solar thermal.
growth rate up to 2008; followed
m of collector area) that the
The annual market has been
by a decline, steeper in the rst
market has been moving rap-
contracting since the peak year
two years (2009, 2010) and then
idly. Denmark, for example,
of 2008. The 2.41 GWth sold in
attening out (2011, 2012).
was conrmed as the land of
28
kWth
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
Solar thermal capacity in operation

Per 1000 capita
large solar district heating last
m2
800
year, with a total of 71.4 MWth

(102,000 m) installed, bringing total installed capacity to
600
196 MWth (280 000 m), solely
400
in large solar thermal plants.
200
0
CY AT GR DE CH MT DK SI PT EU LU IE ES IT CZ SE BE
27+
Source: ESTIF 2013
According to ESTIF, Denmark

accounts for 65 percent of the
European total installed capacity in large systems.
Siemens Completes HelWin1

HVDC Offshore Platform Install
EUROPE A key development
connection projects for TenneT:
in linking the two offshore
HelWin1 and 2 off of Helgoland,
wind farms Nordsee Ost and
BorWin2 off Borkum and
Meerwind to the German main-
SylWin1 off of Sylt. Installation
land has been completed accord-
of the platform for HelWin1 con-
The HelWin1 HVDC station. Credit
ing to Siemens, which says it
stitutes reaching a key milestone
Siemens.
has installed the HelWin1 off-
in our series of grid connec-
shore platform in the North Sea.
tion projects. The transmission
Yards at Wismar under con-
Using Siemens HVDC technol-
capacity of our projects involves
tract by Siemens, at 12,000 tons
ogy, the HelWin1 will transform
a total of 6.2 GW of electric
the HelWin1 platform has seven
the alternating current gener-
power from renewable sources,
decks with a total of 24 berths.
ated by the wind turbines into
remarked Lex Hartman, mem-
Up to 100 employees will be
direct current for transmission
ber of TenneT management
active on the platform for the
onto land. The link is due to be
board. The HelWin1 platform
subsequent project phase in the
energised in 2014 and will enable
was anchored at its final posi-
North Sea, for example connect-
the power to be transferred to
tion northwest of the island of
ing the two Prysmian subsea
the land-based station located
Helgoland in 23-metre-deep
cables, each with a length of 130
northwest of Hamburg in Bttel,
waters. Ten steel pilings up to
km. The cable route covers 85
where electricity will be con-
3.2 meters in diameter and up to
km at sea and 45 km over land.
verted back into AC for the grid.
100 meters long were anchored
Transmission will take place
Network operator TenneT con-
in the seabed for attachment of
at 250 kV DC and the HelWin1
tracted a consortium consist-
the structure. The platform is
HVDC platform has a capacity
ing of Siemens and the Italian
installed 22 meters above sea
of 576 MW. Total transmission
cable specialist Prysmian for
level to protect it against wave
losses are less than 4 percent,
the HelWin1 connection in 2010.
impacts, having been designed
Siemens says.Final commission-
The consortium is implement-
for decades of operation in the
ing of HelWin1 is scheduled for
ing a total of four North Sea grid
North Sea.Fabricated by Nordic
the second half of 2014.
29
2 4 October 2013
IMPACT Exhibition & Convention Centre
Bangkok, Thailand
www.renewableenergyworld-asia.com
ADVANCING ASIAS ENERGY FUTURE

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R
EGISTER N
NOW
OW A
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DISCOVER
ISCOVER M
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ORE A
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nowhere else gives you the opportunity to reach and meet senior executives and industry professionals in one
place at the same time, providing key networking and business opportunities. The Renewable Energy World
Asia conference has become the major annual platform for the renewable and alternative energy industry to
discuss the topics and issues of today.
JOINT OPENING KEYNOTE SESSION WEDNESDAY 2 OCTOBER 2013 9AM
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and Effciency, Thailand
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Dr. Piyasvasti Amranand, Chairman, Energy for Environment Foundation, Thailand
Mr. Markus Lorenzini, Head of Energy Sector, ASEAN Pacifc Cluster, Siemens, Indonesia
TOPICS DISCUSSED AT THE CONFERENCE INCLUDE:

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Department of Alternative
Energy Development and Effciency
The Big Question
Key executives weigh in on worldwide renewable energy issues
Can Countries Reach 100

Percent Renewable Energy?
Several countries, including Scotland and the Philippines,
have recently announced impressive plans to obtain all of their
power from renewable energy. With many countries setting
their sights on much lower, incremental goals, these lofty
aspirations have jarred the industry and sparked a debate.
Renewable Energy World asked industry executives to
share their thoughts and insights on this controversial
question: What are the major barriers that countries
face in order to reach 100 percent renewable energy
is this goal always achievable or desirable?
GOALS SERVE AN IMPORTANT PURPOSE to ensure

effort achieves a larger objective. Yet theres
a difference between ambition and goals.
Ambition provides inspiration, a rationale for
why we want to achieve an objective. Ambition
is a stretch, transformational. Goals are practiKevin Smith
cal, measureable actions necessary to achieve
Global Director,
the ambition.
Renewable
Powering a country entirely with renewables
Energy,
can be inspirational, and may be achievable where
DNV KEMA
the environment is blessed with abundant renewables that can be utilized safely, reliably and cost
effectively such as Iceland. But we should examine why we want to achieve a 100 percent renewables goal. Is this the
best goal to achieve a larger ambition? Iceland isnt renewable-powered due to a specifc goal. Its their best option given local conditions.
Ambition should focus on countries doing their utmost to address
global warming for current and future generations with one (of
many) goals being the lowest carbon emission system possible while
ensuring reliability, safety, and cost effciency. Power supply diversity
that takes advantage of local resources and regional/cross-border
Wind turbine with plug via

Shutterstock
For an in-depth
look at countries
going 100 percent
renewable, check
out our cover
story on page 36.
31
The Big Question
transmission grids is a proven method for ensuring system objectives are

met. 100 percent supply solutions fail to adequately acknowledge the technical, societal, and costs risks associated with an absolute goal regardless of
the generating technology.
Achieving the fnal incremental percentages of any goal (speed records,
altitude records) is usually diffcult, high risk, and impractical given alternatives. Plus, 100 percent renewable goals can quickly become politicized,
resulting in delays, distractions or fawed policy that impedes progress
toward our ultimate ambition.
As a dedicated, renewable energy professional, Id like as much zero carbon emitting, renewable generation brought online as possible while ensuring a robust, secure, reliable, and cost effective system for society and our
economies. Thus, 100 percent renewable goals will not be the best solution.
But we should accept various goals that support the higher ambition.
As global segment director for renewable energy services, Mr. Smith develops and
implements the global renewable energy business strategy for DNV KEMA Energy &
Sustainability. He is a veteran of the wind industry with 14 years of service performing a
wide range of engineering, advisory and project management activities.
FOSSIL FUELS ARE EXHAUSTIBLE. Therefore, a transition to

an economy that runs on sustainable energy sources is
both necessary and inevitable. However, a near-term focus
on 100 percent renewables runs the risk of attracting
more criticism than support. An approach that focuses
on high penetration (greater than 50 percent) of renewDr. Geoffrey
ables will provide a more effective path to a sustainable
Kinsey
energy future.
Director of
Thanks to the technological progress and cost reducPhotovoltaic
tion that has occurred over the last decade, renewables are
Technologies,
now reaching grid parity in more and more areas around
Fraunhofer Center the world. In tandem, on-going technology developments
in energy effciency pay for themselves and reduce the load
for Sustainable
that must be carried by renewables.
Energy Systems
Managing energy usage and large swings in sup(CSE)
ply through automated demand response will be essential particularly in buildings, which drive peak electric
demand. The advent of low-cost smart electronics in the last decade offers a
means of enabling the necessary energy management.
High penetration of renewables will also require investments in both grid
storage and transmission to re-distribute power across time zones and to
smooth out supply intermittency. Pumped-storage hydroelectricity remains the
32
The Big Question
most cost-effective storage method, though the arrival of low-cost electric vehicles adds the potential for substantial storage via vehicle-to-grid architectures.
The remaining challenge is to create the regulatory framework, standards,
and incentives to enable economies to make dramatic shifts in their energy
mix and invest the capital that is required. While the necessary investment is
substantial, the benefts include economic development and job creation.
Dr. Geoffrey Kinsey is the director of photovoltaic technologies at the Boston-based
Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable Energy Systems (CSE), a leading provider of contract
research and development services to the U.S. renewable energy industry.
WITHIN THE PETROLEUM INDUSTRY, energy sources such as

oil, gas, coal and nuclear are still the main players, and
while I doubt it would be feasible to replace these entirely
with renewable energy, there is certainly a place for this
type of natural resource.
The industrial-scale wind farms that are being installed
off the UK coast clearly indicate that renewables can be a
John Deasey
major power source. However, it is unlikely that they would
Renewables
be able to replace the current enormous capacity coming
Sales Manager,
Trelleborg Offshore from fossil sources. Although wind farms particularly
and Construction offshore have their place as part of a healthy energy mix
and are a signifcant new development in the energy sector
(even after years of challenges, installation issues, insurance claims and legal wrangling).
The wave and tidal sector, however, is lagging behind offshore wind. Many
projects are delayed as companies re-structure, re-design and struggle to fnd
the balance between design ideas and commercial reality. This sector is facing a tough time with just one or two serious designs coming to market that
offer decent potential. This issue, plus the associated power output costs, suggests that we are many years from commercial wave-tidal plants that can
operate and produce sizeable power.
The main barriers to renewable energy are really cost and commercial scalability, notwithstanding the legal ramifcations of objectors both political
and environmental. Wind power is advancing, but when you consider the EU
targets of 20 percent renewables by 2020, the 100 percent targets of countries
such as Scotland and the Philippines tend to look like well-meant pipedreams.
John has 23 years of sales experience, six of them specializing in renewable energy. During
his ten months at Trelleborg, John has grown and developed the companys renewables
offering in line with wind, wave and tidal opportunities in this growing sector.
33
The Big Question
A DECADE AGO I doubt if any national leaders would have

considered it even a remote possibility that their country
could be powered 100 percent by renewables. The fact that
some countries have now publicly set near-term goals to do
just that is nothing short of amazing. It is truly an indication of how quickly solar, wind and other renewables have
Tony Clifford
advanced in the past several years.
CEO, Standard
Many countries have the renewable resources to meet
Solar
100 percent of their energy needs. Scotland has abundant
sources of hydro, wind and wave power. The Philippines
have excellent solar, geothermal, hydro and biomass potential. However, the barriers to attaining such large-scale utilization of renewables remain daunting.
Getting to 100 percent renewables faces technical, economic and political challenges. Technically the development of a truly smart grid and the
integration of storage and micro-grids into that smart grid are substantial
challenges. On the policy side, one must ask if getting to 100 percent renewables quickly is the best use of the fnancial resources of a country like the
Philippines or Scotland. Also, the political will to accomplish such a challenging goal must exist.
Getting to 100 percent renewables is certainly a laudable goal, but political
leaders should plot a course that makes economic sense. Go for the low-hanging fruit frst effciency and hydropower are great initial steps.
Target renewables into the most cost-effective locations frst, such as
those without an extensive grid, create micro-grids and utilize energy storage. Build towards 100 percent renewables gradually, allowing for technical
advancements and cost reductions that will be driven by global markets.
Actually reaching 100 percent renewables is not really the point.
Renewables are a domestic energy source. Getting to 60 or 70 percent renewables would have a dramatic economic effect not to mention signifcant
positive impact on the environment and global warming.
Since 2007 Tony Clifford has led Standard Solars rapid growth into a nationally known PV
developer/ EPC. He is an elected board member of the Solar Energy Industries Association
(SEIA), serves on SEIAs Executive Committee and also served asthe president of the
regional chapter of SEIA, MDV-SEIA, from 2009 to 2012.
34
To lend your voice to future discussions, email megc@pennwell.com for more details.
September 2426, 2013

Transamerica Expo Center | So Paulo, Brasil | www.power-genbrasil.com
WORLD-CLASS CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION

With Brasil facing a need for massive expansion of its energy and power sectors to keep pace with huge demand and
econonic growth, POWER-GEN Brasil, HydroVision Brasil and DistribuTECH Brasil provide the industry with an unprecedented
platform for showcasing whats new, now, next in the Latin American market.
HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:
Opening Keynote featuring dynamic presentations from a group of highly respected industry leaders
World-Class Conference Program with as many as 32 topics over 9 sessions delivered by eminent local and international speakers
Dynamic Exhibition Floor showcasing the latest technologies and solutions by leading international companies
Great Value Exhibit and Sponsorship Packages offering prominent visibility of your products and services in a high-level
networkingenvironment
High-Level Networking with the industrys key decision makers and infuencers
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Stay ahead of the competition and be part of the rapid investment in the Latin America region.
To register and for exhibitor and sponsorship enquiries

enquiries, visit www
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powerbrasilevents com
To submit a nomination for the Project of the Year Awards, please contact Amy Nash at amyn@pennwell.com
Host Utility:
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COV E R S TO RY
Going All In
with Renewable Energy

BY ELISA WOOD, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
After a monster tornado wiped out Greensburg, Kansas

in 2007, killing 11 people, the community decided to
rebuild with meaning. It set out to become one of the
worlds greenest communities.
Today the town is among a growing number of jurisdictions that generates all of its electricity from renewable energy.
Is the goal of using 100 percent renewable

energy crazy, idealistic or achievable?
Greensburg achieved a goal that many see as piein-the-sky. Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore several
years ago drew jeers from his political critics when he
proposed that the U.S. go all green within a decade.
The jury remains out about the plausibility of a U.S.size economy functioning with all renewables anytime soon. But Greensburg, with a population of less
than 1,000 people, has demonstrated that it can work
on a small scale. Others have done the same, among
them Gssing, Austria; King Island, Australia; and
Naturstrom, Germany.
Its not just cities with the ambition. Eight nations
are 100 percent renewable or moving in that direction: Denmark, Iceland, Scotland, Costa Rica, Maldive
Islands, Cook Islands, Tuvalu, and Tokelau. Add 42 cities, 49 regions, 8 utilities and 21 organizations, and
going all green looks like a bona fde trend.
36
Scotlands Fallago Rig Wind

Farm. Credit: EDF Energy.
37
Cov e r S to ry
Times have changed

since the mid-2000s when a
group that included the late
Hermann Scheer, TIME magazines Hero for the Green
Century, frst explored the
idea. The group formed
the Renewables 100 Policy
Institute, but in the early
years found that the concept
was too bleeding edge for
established non-profts, which
declined to sign on.
Now that is starting to
change, said Diane Moss, the
institutes founding director.
The Renewables 100 Policy
Institute held its frst international conference in April,
drawing a crowd of more
than 200 people. The presenters were not from the fringe
of the green world, but were
representatives of established
advocacy organizations,
elected offcials, corporate
executives and the head of the
California Independent System Operator Corp.

If we want to fll our goal on a global scale it is important
that regions like California, like Germany or other regions unify
together in a movement to 100 renewable, said Harry Lehmann,
Director of the German Federal Environment Agency at the conference. We have to share our experience.
Today, the Renewables 100 Policy Institute is actively supporting the trend and reports on global progress via the Go 100 percent Renewable Energy project it created. An interactive map on
the site tracks those pursuing and achieving the all-renewables
goal. (The site is the source of the numbers above on how many
jurisdictions the movement encompasses.)
Early Achievers
No doubt, it is easier for certain regions over others to generate
all of their electricity from green energy. Early achievers often
have the advantage of signifcant natural renewable resources.
Iceland, which produces all stationery energy from renewables, relies on its vast hydropower and geothermal resources.
Costa Rica already has achieved 95 percent to 98 percent
renewables, mostly from indigenous hydro. Similarly, New
Zealand, which is moving toward a 90 percent goal, gets 75
percent of its power from renewables, mostly hydro and geothermal, and is now working on developing its wind power.
Scotland also relies on its strong winds and hydro, which produce the bulk of its 5.8 GW of renewable energy installed capacity. The country hopes to reach the 100 percent target by 2020.
Aerial view of Greenberg before (left) and and after the tornado (right.) Credit: City of Greensburg.
38
Cov e r S to ry
Top: A look at the newly rebuilt Greensburg, the first U.S. city with all-LED street lights and the first with a LEEDcertified town hall. Bottom left: Greensburg after the devastating tornado struck. Bottom right: The 12.5 MW
Greensburg wind farm developed and operated by NativeEnergy. Credit: City of Greensburg.
A Scottish parliament report found that to stay on track Scotland

had to be generating about 31 percent of its electricity from
renewables by 2011. It beat the target with 35 percent in 2011 and
about 39 percent in 2012, according to Scottish Renewables, an
industry organization.
While Scotland is ahead of its goal, its not necessarily clear
sailing from here.
There are three major challenges that we face in realizing
our ambitious targets; access to fnance, strengthening our grid
infrastructure and ensuring we have a good planning system
in place, said Rachelle Money, director of communications for
Scottish Renewables.
Then there are those

places with unusual circumstances that make renewables almost the only real
choice. Rural villagers in
Bangladesh have achieved
all renewable electricity. But
they have no connection to a
power grid, leaving distributed solar energy as a logical
choice and their sole source
of power.
39
Cov e r S to ry
State of Mind
Bountiful hydro, wind and geothermal helps, but so does
the right attitude. Consider Germany, which Moss says
belies the oft-repeated phrase that renewables are great,
but will always be a small part of the mix.
Germany has 30 GW of solar, yet no more sun than
Juneau, Alaska. It is installing solar at this point for
half the installation cost of California which last time
I checked was very sunny, Moss said. Germany doesnt
have a lot of wind [or] sun or hydropower, and yet they
Credit: City of Greensburg.
are on track to be at least 80 percent renewable in the
power sector by the middle of the century. And there are
plenty of people who think they will get to 100 percent.
farm, Greensburg has seen
Places like Germany succeed in part because of good govno increase in electric rates
ernment policy. But they also think a little bit more long term,
in six years, Dixson said.
according to Moss. They recognize the local added value brought
But most of all, Greensburg
by renewables not sending money elsewhere for fuel, creating
found a way to move forjobs, boosting the tax base, even attracting tourists, she said.
ward by pursuing 100 perGreensburg, Kansas at frst glance seemed an unlikely candicent renewables. Eleven lives
date to go 100 percent renewable. Many of its citizens, those not
were lost in tornado. All of
in farming, earn their living in the oil and gas industry. But the
us lost everything, no mattowns mayor, Bob Dixson, says look deeper and the towns green
ter what your social ecoroots show.
nomic status was. The only
Lets go clear back to my ancestors, he said. Before rural
thing we had left was each
electrifcation came to western Kansas, the frst electricity on
other, Dixson said. We did
farms were what we called wind chargers. You can still drive
not just want to be a survivaround western Kansas and see remnants of towers from 60, 70,
ing community. We wanted
80 years ago.
to be a thriving community.
The townspeople believe if you take care of the land, it takes
As our ancestors built a comcare of you. So that environmental stewardship has been one of
munity for us we needed to
our base values through the decades and centuries, he said.
build a community for future
The core value showed itself quickly after the tornado. Amidst
generations.
the rubble, community members and offcials met in a tent to
As goes Greensburg, so
brainstorm. Within the frst 24 hours the idea emerged that a
goes the rest of the world?
place called Greensburg should be 100 percent green.
That may be a big leap. But
It became a community-wide effort Greensburg compares
whats clear is that 100 perits reconstruction to an old-fashion barn-raising. Out of it came
cent green is no longer an
a model town: highly effcient, using geothermal and solar, the
outliers pursuit, but a serifrst U.S. city with all LED street lights and the frst with a LEEDous goal in many places, one
certifed town hall.
that could become a new ralBut credit for its all-green status goes mostly to a 12.5-MW
lying cry for renewables in
wind farm developed by NativeEnergy. Because of the wind
the years to come.
40
www.PowerGenerationWeek.com
POWER GENERATION WEEK

4 Events. 5 Days. 1 Roof.
NOVEMBER 1214, 2013 | ORANGE COUNTY CONVENTION CENTER | ORLANDO, FL, USA
Covering every aspect of the power generation industry, POWER-GEN International, NUCLEAR POWER International,
Renewable Energy World Conference & Expo North America and POWER-GEN Financial Forum converge in 2013 to
form POWER GENERATION WEEK. Beneft from fve days packed with pre-conference workshops, technical tours,
over 70 conference sessions, panel discussions, three exhibition days and multiple networking events. Like never
before, youll have access to nearly every facet of the market all under one roof.
Owned & Produced by
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OFFSHORE WIND
Floating Offshore
Wind Power
Taking Hold
A series of developments supporting foating ofshore
wind power signals not just a maturing industrial sector.
It also, perhaps, suggests a deeper transformation.
DAVID APPLEYARD, Senior Editor
Acknowledged as the leading nation in terms of offshore wind

development, while it has failed to capitalize on opportunities
for leadership in turbines, the UK has made efforts to avoid the
same mistake when it comes to other aspects of offshore wind
power. One area attracting considerable attention is foating
offshore technology.
On 18 July, the Crown Estate, the body which controls seabed licensing in UK territorial waters, called for expressions
of interest in offshore wind off-grid projects as part of an offshore wind test and demonstration leasing program launched
in June, including a leasing round for foating offshore wind.
Furthermore, the Estate also invited submissions for project variations. It specifcally notes: Floating wind projects
embedded within, or adjacent to, an existing project may be
submitted as project variations.
In inviting industry to propose sites for the development
of foating wind farms, a process expected take to up nine
months, the Crown Estate said it hopes to facilitate early
deployment of projects, which may allow some projects to
commence construction as soon as 2017.
Successful projects will include arrays of up to ffteen
machines, utilizing foating foundations and with less than
100 MW of installed capacity. The technologies involved must
not have been previously deployed commercially and the projects must be used solely for test and demonstration purposes.
42
Commenting on the proposals, Martin Simpson, Head of New

Energy and Technology at the Crown Estate said: To unlock sustained growth in offshore wind we have to demonstrate that
technological advancements can drive down costs.
He added: Floating wind is included for the frst time because
of its future potential.
Of course, its not just the UK that views the deep-water offshore sector as a notional gold mine of energy. While current
commercial substructures are economically limited to maximum
water depths of 40-50 meters, the European potential from relatively near-shore deep-water sites in the Atlantic, Mediterranean
and deep North Sea waters is vast.
Indeed, a new report based on the work of the Deep offshore
and new foundation concepts Task Force, part of the European
Wind Energy Associations (EWEA) Offshore Wind Industry
Group, claims the energy produced from turbines in deep waters
in the North Sea alone could meet the EUs electricity consumption four times over.
The document notes that deep offshore designs are competitive in terms of the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) with fxed
foundations in more than 5O meters of water depth. And, though
the technology is still at a very early stage of development if a
number of technical, economic and political challenges are overcome; the frst deep offshore wind farms could be installed and
connected to the grid by 2017.
Floating Technology Development
Hywind on location.
Photo by Trude Refsahl.
Credit Statoil.
According to EWEA, at the end of 2012 there were two full-scale

grid-connected offshore wind turbines on foating substructures,
Hywind and Windfoat, both in Europe. Hywind, developed by
Statoil and installed in the North Sea off Norway in 2009, features a 2.3-MW Siemens turbine. Developed by Principle Power
and EDP, Windfoat was installed in the Atlantic off Portugal in
2011 and uses a 2-MW machine from Vestas.
In addition, the report continues, seven experimental foating substructures have been or are under test. Those include
SWAY, Blue H and Poseidon in Europe, Kabashima Island concept and WindLens in Japan and DeepCwind foating turbine
in the U.S.
So far, deep-water offshore foundations have focused on
three main types, adapted from the offshore oil and gas industry. The Spar Buoy, a cylindrical ballast-stabilized structure,
43
OffshOre Wind
as featured on Hywind
concept; the Tension Leg
Platform, in which a semi
submerged buoyant structure is anchored to the
seabed with tensioned
mooring lines; and the Semisubmersible used on the
Wind-Float concept which
combines a semi-submerged
structure with tension legtype moorings.
One recent development in
this area came from Glosten
Associates, which completed
scale-model testing of the
PelaStar tension-leg platform
(TLP) in June 2013. The next
phase of the project will see
the building and installation
of a full-scale 6-MW foating
turbine, explained William
Hurley, PelaStar Director and
Glosten program lead.
Overall, EWEA notes that
in addition to the two fullscale deep offshore turbines,
there are three grid-connected experimental foating
substructures and thirty-fve
deep-water designs under
development worldwide.
Of these 40 deep water
wind projects identifed by
EWEA, more than 60 percent
are located in Europe, in nine
countries: Denmark, France,
Germany, the Netherlands,
Norway, Portugal, Spain,
Sweden and the UK. A further
four are in the U.S. and nine
are in Japan.
44
Beyond European Seas

Despite the apparent disparity between Europe and those playing catch-up, there are encouraging signs from both the United
States and Japan.
A consortium led by Marubeni Corporation, and including the
University of Tokyo, Mitsubishi Corporation, Mitsubishi Heavy
Industries, Japan Marine United Corporation and Hitachi, have
been participating in an experimental offshore foating wind
farm project sponsored by Japans Ministry of Economy, Trade
and Industry since March 2012.
Consisting of a 2-MW Hitachi-manufactured turbine and a
four column Semi-submersible support structure, delivery to
the Fukushima installation site located about 12 miles (20
km) offshore in 400 feet (120 meters) of water is underway,
along with the worlds frst 66 kV foating sub-station and associated undersea cable.
The group is planning to install two more 7-MW turbines with
the trade ministry earmarking some of Y22 billion ($232 million)
for the fve-year project.
Scheduled to begin operation from October 2013, delivery of
the facility and its mooring operation in the testing area is due
any day, as is the laying and burying of the riser cable at the
testing area.
Further support for foating wind turbines seems likely in
Japan, in Januarys Budget Request some Y9.5 billion ($95 million) of new money was requested to establish the technology
with a full-fedged demonstration project.
Meanwhile, in the U.S, mid-June saw the deployment of the
countrys frst ever grid-connected foating wind turbine off the
coast of Maine.
The VolturnUS 1:8 machine is the product of the DeepCwind
Consortium, led by the University of Maine and backed through
a research initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Energy,
the National Science Foundation, and others. The group responsible for foating turbine design, material selection, and lab testing includes organizations such as the Maine Maritime Academy,
Technic, National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Sandia
National Labs, among others.
Christopher Long, Manager of Offshore and Siting Policy for
the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) described the
development as another signal of steady progress toward development of an American offshore wind industry.
OffshOre Wind
With the support of a $12

million Energy Department
investment over fve years,
at 65 feet (20 meters) the
VolturnUS prototype is a 1:8th
scale of the planned 6-MW
commercial version.
It features a semi-submersible platform using a
concrete foundation, claiming lower costs, in addition
to a composite tower. As part
of the fve-year project, the
Maine Maritime Academy
helped test and conduct
analysis on the design while
Cianbro Corp. constructed
the system.
Late last year, the
Universitys Advanced
Structures and Composites
Center was also awarded $4
million by the DoE to support another deep-water foating offshore wind research
project. The program, known
as Aqua Ventus I, will be
a 12-MW demonstration
wind park using VolturnUS
machines.
The $4 million will cover
the frst phase of a potential
$93.2 million of DoE support
and the Composites Center
was one of seven projects
selected to complete the engineering, design and permitting phase.
Up to three of these
projects are expected to be
selected in 2014 for follow-on
phases that focus on siting,
46
construction and installation, with the aim of achieving commercial operation by 2017. The projects will receive up to $47 million
each over four years, subject to Congressional appropriations.
Several foating turbine concepts are among the seven projects chosen for the frst phase of this six-year initiative. These
include a project from Statoil North America, which plans to
deploy four 3-MW wind turbines on foating spar buoy structures in the Gulf of Maine off Boothbay Harbor at a water depth
of approximately 460 feet (140 meters), although that project
was recently put on hold. On the Pacifc Coast, Principle Power
plans to install fve semi-submersible foating foundations outftted with 6-MW direct-drive offshore wind turbines in deep
water 10 to 15 miles (16-23 km) from Coos Bay, Oregon. These
projects join DeepCWinds plans to install a pilot project with
two 6-MW direct-drive turbines on concrete semi-submersible
foundations near Monhegan Island in the 2015-2017 timeframe.
Setting the Standard

If any clearer indication were required that foating wind turbine
technology is rapidly maturing, DNV KEMA recently released its
new standard for such structures.
This follows the September 2011 launch of a Joint Industry
Project (JIP) focused on foater-specifc design issues, such as
station keeping, site conditions in relation to low frequency
motion, simulation periods, higher order responses and design
of structural components. DNV KEMA has been joined on
the project by the likes of Statoil, Nippon Steel & Sumitomo
Metal Corporation, Gamesa, Iberdrola, Alstom Wind, Glosten
Associates and Principle Power.
Commenting on the new standard and effectively summarizing the evolution of deep water wind, Johan Sandberg, head
of renewable energy at DNV KEMA in Norway, remarked:
As demand for wind energy increases, we predict offshore
deployments will continue to move into deeper waters and,
consequently, theres a need to establish design standards that
will help ensure safety, reliability, and confdence in future
wind turbines.
Recent successful deployments of full-scale prototype confgurations have demonstrated that foating wind turbines can be a
viable alternative and the market is taking notice.
It is now time to take the next step: standardization, he
concluded.
A New Revolution
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U.S. Offshore wind energy is
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AWEA Wind Resource & Project Energy

Assessment Seminar
December 10 11, 2013 Las Vegas, NV
Join the wind industrys leading owners, project developers, and wind assessors
as they share latest challenges facing the wind resource assessment community.
Youll appreciate the technical nature of this critical event, have the opportunity to
discuss many scientic methodologies with other attendees. This important seminar
will explore the industrys needs, focus on state-of-the-art techniques and technologies,
and provide critical insight into key matters by which we make our energy predictions.
www.awea.org/events
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W I N D T E C H N O LO G Y
The Air Up There:

Remote Sensing Gains Ground
Wind energy
developers
are increasingly
adopting remote
sensing technologies
for site assessments
and operations.
JAMES MONTGOMERY,
Associate Editor
Five years ago, First Winds

in-house meteorological team
zeroed in on a couple of new
potential wind farm areas in
Maine that were different: moderate-elevation plateaus instead

of the traditionally preferred high-elevation ridgetop locations.
At the time, those sites looked like a little bit of a gamble,
recalled Dave Fowler, First Winds director of development for
the New England region. But the company put up a few meteorological (MET) test towers at those sites, and after a couple
of years added newer remote-sensing technologies to broaden
the wind data collection and found there was really impressive wind resource at those locations, added Matt Kearns, First
Winds VP of development for the Northeast region. One of those
sites became the companys 34-MW Bull Hill operation, which
came online in the fall of 2012. The other, offcially pitched to
Maine state offcials this summer, is the proposed 186-MW
Bingham Wind project in southern Aroostook County, which
will be the largest wind farm in New England upon completion.
Without the data provided by newer remote-sensing technologies, First Wind likely wouldnt have pursued projects on these new lower-height locations, which are
opening up whole new areas in Maine for potential
development, according to Fowler.
Becoming Bankable
A lattice wind meterological tower. Credit: DNV

Kema.
MET towers and anemometers have been the workhorse wind assessment technology for decades,
gathering wind data at relatively minor expense.
The MET tower approach is still highly reliable
and most stakeholders will accept a well-executed
MET tower-based campaign, according to Matthew
Filippelli, lead engineer at AWS Truepower. Now,
though, remote sensing technologies such as sodar
(SOnic Detection And Ranging) and lidar (laser
light plus radar) are expanding the scope of the
wind assessment data, and thus the confdence in a
sites wind energy resources.
Much of the increased adoption of remote sensing is driven by the industrys shift toward bigger
49
W i n d T e c h n o lo g y
wind turbines, with taller hubs and longer rotors. By the end of
this decade, a third of wind turbine installations in Europe will
be IEC Class III lower-wind-speed turbines in the 80-100 meter
range, calculates Feng Zhao, managing consultant with Navigant
Research. In the U.S., developers including First Wind are moving into regions like New England that have untapped areas with
lower wind regimes, and deploying taller turbines to tap the
higher and more reliable winds that make these sites feasible.
At only 60-80 meters in height, traditional MET towers require
extrapolation to calculate wind resource data up at these new
wind turbine heights. More extrapolation means less certainty
about the sites potential production, and uncertainty means
increased risk and diffculty getting a project fnanced. Now, all
wind evaluation methods are being applied to bankable energy
investments, added Katy Briggs, head of DNV Kemas energy
analysis section: Some come with measuring campaigns and
accuracy of data, some maybe have more uncertainty in measuring wind speed data, but the industry is accepting the data.
Comparing MET Options
devices also are in a similar

cost range as MET towers,
according to Briggs. Sodar
isnt as accurate or as scalable as lidar, though, with
capabilities generally deteriorating above 120 meters,
Feng points out. And its data
capture and delivery can be
eroded by various environmental conditions: obstructions (trees, buildings, steep
hillsides), precipitation, and
even high wind speeds that
generate their own acoustics.
Lidar was developed in
the early 1960s by combining lasers and radar to generate much higher-quality data
between long distances. Its
initial application was mapping the moons surface for
exploration, then quickly
adopted in aviation and
As developers become savvier about wind resource mapping

beyond standard MET towers, here are their choices:
Taller MET towers have the advantage of being based on the
longstanding reliable low-cost technology, but they quickly lose
that edge, with a decked-out 100-meter MET tower
costing up to 10 times more than the standard
MET tower, Zhao points out. Extra-tall MET towers also run the risk of running into permitting
and approval problems from local authorities to
the FAA. However, taller MET towers are built for
a longer lifetime of on-site data collection, so they
can be cost-effective for a long-term wind resource
monitoring strategy, Briggs noted.
Tinkered with since the 1980s to characterize
wake effects behind wind turbines, sodar gradually has become part of up-front wind site assessment campaigns. Relatively small, low-power
(usually provided by a solar PV panel), and portable, these units can be quickly installed for
early site assessment even before deploying a
A sodar unit in the field, with protective cattle
MET tower and moved around to expand data
collection and the wind resource profle. Sodar
50
fencing. Credit: DNV Kema.
meteorology, though wind energy assessment wasnt investigated

until the early 2000s. Lidar generally provides data with better
accuracy, especially at greater heights (up to 200 meters), and is
less susceptible to adverse site conditions. Advanced lidar devices
can obtain data from several kilometers away, vertically or horizontally. However, lidar is signifcantly more expensive than sodar
and traditional MET towers. It also tends to require more power
(exceeding 100 W), which is problematic for sites that arent gridconnected or in case of an outage; these units generally require
backup which adds even more cost.
Both sodar and lidar have faster setup and mobility vs. fxed
MET towers, but this needs to be used in moderation. Industry
consensus is that a one-year duration of measurements taken
in a fxed location provides the best reduction of uncertainty,
according to Robert Poore, senior advisor for renewable energy
services at DNV KEMA. That assumes synchronous use with
multiple onsite MET towers providing longer-term (2-4 years)
data, providing the fullest picture of a sites wind resource.
YOUR GATEWAY
A lidar unit in the field. Credit:

Renewable NRG Systems.
All MET options have some

degree of susceptibility to
environmental conditions, so

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the choice between them is very site-dependent. Sodar has trouble with nearby tall structures or objects that can interfere with
sound signals. Lidar, being based on light, cant penetrate fog.
Cup anemometers on towers are susceptible to icing.
Operations and Beyond

The decision about what MET technology to deploy doesnt end
with site assessment and selection; its not as well-known that the
technology has value throughout a wind farms lifespan for power
forecasting and modeling, Filippelli points out. Sodar and lidar
get attention at construction, but MET towers provide a good, useful data source throughout the entire project lifespan.
Remote sensing technologies, though, are getting a lot more
experience in operation now, Briggs offered. The kinks are getting worked out. Side-scanning lidar, for example, likely will
gain favor in forecasting at operational wind plants, for early
identifcation and preparation of changes in approaching winds
that could change power output.
And investors are getting

on board as well. Poore indicated that there are examples
where some smaller projects,
or portions of larger ones,
have been partially fnanced
based solely on remote sensing measurements. The time
is coming, he predicted,
when entire larger utilityscale projects will pursue and
obtain a fnancing decision
based solely on remote sensing measurement technology. In most cases, though, he
admits that there will always
be a MET tower involved in a
wind project.
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the
the
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Profling Stand-out Renewable

Energy Projects Worldwide
London Array Debuts to Great Fanfare

July 4, 2013 marked the inauguration of the worlds largest
1.
offshore wind farm The London Array. With 175 Siemens

3.6-MW turbines and a total installed capacity of 630 MW,
the offshore wind farm is a historic milestone for the
United Kingdom and the development of renewable energy,
according to Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, CEO of Masdar, one of
developers of the project.
The offshore wind farm is located about 20 km off the coasts
of Kent and Essex in the U.K. and the project covers an area of
100 square kilometers. Development partners of the project
include DONG energy with a 50 percent stake, E.ON with a 30
percent stake and Masdar with a 20 percent stake. In all, the
project took four years to construct.
2.
54
6.
3.
1. One of the two

offshore substations
for The London
Array.
By the
2. The London Array

offshore wind farm
includes 175 Siemens
wind turbines.
Kilometers
of Cabling
(about 280 miles)
100km
3. About 450 km
of export cables
transport the wind
energy from the
offshore wind farm
to the substations.
4. The Cleve Hill
Onshore Substation
was constructed first.
Numbers
450
4.
Area
(about 1.1 the size of Manhattan)
630mw
5.
5. One of the 175

foundations on
which Siemens wind
turbines a built.
Rated Capacity, enough

power for nearly 500,000
UK homes
Number of
Turbines
6. Close-up of one of
the 3.6 MW turbines.
Photos Courtesy
London Array Limited.
175
55
W I N D T E C H N O LO G Y
The Promise
of the Ukrainian
Wind Market
For the last 20 years Ukraine has led the republics of
the former USSR in wind energy development. It is the
only country in the CIS community with an established wind
industry and a functioning green tarif mechanism.
GALINA SHMIDT, Ukranian Wind Energy Association
Last year (2012) was another successful year for wind power
in Ukraine, bringing the total installed capacity to around 300
MW, an impressive 98 percent increase in cumulative national
installations, which were just 151.1 MW at the end of 2011.
The frst phase of modern industrial wind development in
Ukraine dates back to 1997 when the Programme for Wind
Farm Construction was adopted in order to stimulate wind
sector development. The program was mainly focused on
converting military-industrial enterprises for into wind power
manufacturing sites. A rather ambitious goal of reaching
1,990 MW by 2010 was set at that time, but unfortunately the
goal was not met due to a severe lack of funding.
Although Ukraine is one of Europes leading coalproducing countries and possesses some uranium, oil and
natural gas reserves, the nation relies heavily on imported
energy, primarily from Russia, leaving the economy vulnerable to bilateral disputes and external shocks. To reduce
its dependence on imported energy, and recognizing the
need for diversifcation of its energy supply, in April 2009
the Ukrainian government introduced attractive green tariff rates for renewable energy sources that are fxed until
2030. The current rate for a 2+ MW wind turbine is 11.31
cents per kWh. In the future the tariff will be reduced by
56
10, 20 and 30 percent from

2013 levels for power plants
that generate electricity from
renewable energy sources
that are commissioned
from 2015, 2020 and 2025,
respectively.
Ukraine currently has
three main mechanisms for
stimulating renewable power
Ochakovskaya Wind Park.

Credit UWEA.
generation: the green tariff, tax benefts and preferential conditions for connecting to the grid.
Mr. Nikolay Pashkevich, head of the State Agency on Energy
Effciency and Energy Saving of Ukraine (SAEE), which is
responsible for renewable energy development in the country,
considers the adoption of the green tariff law on April 1, 2009
to be the major impetus for the development of renewable energies in Ukraine. It is this law that has allowed our country to
get such increase in renewable energies only for a few years,
he said. According to SAEE, 153 renewable energy projects are
currently operational in
Ukraine, totaling 874 MW of
installed capacity. In the last
six months 733 GWh of green
electricity have been generated. For comparison, in 2012
the total capacity of Ukraines
renewable energy industry amounted to 146 MW
with an annual output of 242
GWh. This is vivid evidence
of the effciency of the law,
Pashkevich said. In fact, this
law is a guarantor of investments in renewable energies.
Domestically manufactured small and MW-class
wind turbines represent
Ukraines current wind
energy market. Of the 84.75
MW of operating wind power
plants, 17 were constructed
under the State Programme
for Wind Farm Construction.
Since 2011, nearly all of the
new wind capacity has been
brought online through private investment.
According to the Ukrainian
Wind Energy Association
(UWEA), 18.32 MW of new
wind capacity were added
during the frst six months of
2013, with total wind capacity
reaching 315.76 MW by June
30 out of which 290.76 MW
were fully grid-connected and
selling electricity at the green
tariff rate. In addition, construction work has begun on
a number of sites located in
57
w i n d T e c h n o lo g y
Construction at the Novoazovskaya Wind Park. Credit UWEA.
the Lugansk, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions as well as in the

Crimea. Total investment amounted to around 84 million.
UWEA expects a total installed capacity of about 500 MW by
the frst half of 2014 and believes that a national wind capacity of
1 GW by the end of 2015 is feasible.
Wind Parks of Ukraine is one of the leading companies in the
nations wind energy industry. By July 2013 the company had
installed and was operating 130 MW of wind power in several
Ukrainian regions. Approximately 70 MW of additional capacity
are scheduled to be completed this year. The company expects its
project portfolio to comprise 1,350 MW by 2020.
Development of an entire wind power supply chain has been
a priority for Ukraine. In September 2012, Ukrainian company Fuhrlaender Windtechnology inaugurated a factory in
Kramatorsk to produce licensed wind turbines. Fuhrlaender is
the frst company in Ukraine to produce MW-class turbines, and
its factory can be considered the start of Ukraines domestic production of modern wind equipment.
58
A recent tender victory by

Fuhrlaender Windtechnology
for the supply of 22 2-MW
wind turbines for a 45-MW
wind farm in the town of
Yereimentau in Kazakhstans
Akmola region is an indicator of Ukrainian wind
turbines competitiveness
within the former Soviet
Union. This project is not
only the frst modern wind
farm to be constructed in
Kazakhstan, but also the frst
non-Ukrainian wind project where modern MW-class
wind turbines of Ukrainian
origin are to be installed.
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w i n d T e c h n o lo g y
The Fuhrlaender Windtechnology Factory. Credit UWEA.
The main barrier to the continued successful development

of renewable energy in Ukraine is grid connection. The
Ministry of Energy and Coal Industrys position is refected
in the draft Revised Energy Strategy of Ukraine till 2030,
a nuclear and coal power-oriented document. The main
arguments from those who are holding back renewable energy
development include the dependence of renewables on weather
conditions and the necessity of creating additional backup
capacity to ensure grid stability. Initially, the National Power
Company Ukrenergo [a national grid operator] claimed that
Ukraines technically achievable renewable energy potential
amounted to 7-8 MW. Nowadays, three years after the
introduction of the green tariff, the fgure of 1.5 MW has been
introduced into the draft Revised Energy Strategy, criticized
Andrey Konechenkov, UWEA chairman.
According to Vladislav Eremenko, general director of wind
farm developer, Wind Parks of Ukraine, the country has all of
the necessary ingredients to support a successful wind power
60
industry. Ukraine can

provide all the supply chain
from [the] production of
wind turbines to wind farm
construction, maintenance
and operation, Eremenko
said. The opening of the
plant in Ukraine to produce
licensed wind turbines,
trained installation and
maintenance personnel,
designers and builders
all of these are the
components of one big
process the process of
Ukraines transition to clean
and reliable electricity, he
concluded.
Proven high speed drivetrain provides easy route

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Almost all offshore turbines use high speed (HS) drivetrains both induction and
doubly-fed and the majority rely on ABB generators. With the expansion of ABBs
HS permanent magnet generator (PMG) range up to 7 MW, turbine OEMs now have
an easy route to upgrade from doubly-fed to full converter solutions. The benets
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Visit us at EWEA Offshore

Nov 19 21, in Frankfurt
Hall 3.1, ABB stand 31E90
S H OW P R E V I E W A S P E C I A L A DV E RT I S I N G S E C T I O N
Offshore Wind Explored

News that plans for a huge new dockside development
on the UKs east coast designed to support
ofshore wind development have moved forward is
characteristic of the times. Ofshore wind is becoming
a big business and major investments in related
infrastructure are being brought to the table as a result.
The announcement that the government was minded to grant
approval places Able UK the company behind the 450 million (US $675 million) Marine Energy Park on the South Bank
of the River Humber one step closer to realizing the 906
acre (366 ha) development. When completed, the Park will provide 1279 metres of quayside facilities purpose-built for the
manufacture, assembly and installation of offshore renewable
technologies, notably wind.
In 2012, some 290 offshore turbines across nine projects with a combined capacity of 1166 MW were commissioned, bringing the total installed offshore capacity to 5 GW.
Installations were up a third on the previous year with the
trend towards larger projects expected to continue into the
62
future. But with recent forecasts from the European

Wind Energy Association
(EWEA) indicating that by
2020 Europes installed offshore wind capacity could be
as much as 40 GW, the sector is seen as a major growth
market. By 2030, EWEA
believes, offshore wind capacity could total 150 GW, meeting 14 percent of the EUs
total electricity consumption.
Growing evidence that offshore development is gathering pace

and scale suggests that there are enormous opportunities for the
maritime sector in areas such as laying foundations and cables
and the installation and maintenance of turbines and transformer stations. The shipbuilding and oil and gas marine equipment industries in particular are well placed to beneft from this
additional business, given their existing offshore expertise.
This close connection between these two sectors and the
development of related infrastructure as seen on the Humber
and elsewhere is one area that will be addressed in the forthcoming EWEA OFFSHORE 2013 conference, which is scheduled
to take place in Frankfurt in November.
Indeed, one whole track of the conference is dedicated to this
theme, under the title: Industrializing the supply chain.
This track highlights the notion that learning from, and integrating, maritime experience presents both opportunities and
challenges. With a panel of industry researchers exploring and
identifying the possible synergies and risks of integrating various technologies, they will reveal how experiences from other
maritime industries can help overcome bottlenecks in the
offshore wind industry.
Among the many anticipated highlights is a presentation by Stefan Frber of Germanys Bremenports
GmbH & Co. KG in the Synergies with other maritime
technologies session.
This organization is currently implementing plans
for a new offshore terminal at the River Weser, close
to both production sites and

with access to deep water,
and Frber is set to answer
key questions about this project, known as the OffshoreTerminal in Bremerhaven
(OTB). His insights will shed
light on another great example of investment in port
infrastructure.
Indeed, despite the diffculties the offshore industry may be experiencing in
Europe two areas also
extensively addressed by
the conference program are
issues such as fnancing and
policy stability industry
leaders are feeling positive
about the future. Conference
Chair Henrik Poulsen, the
CEO of Dong Energy, says
the best years are still
ahead of us. That said, there
is obviously no room for complacency. Its crucial that we
as an industry pick up the
challenge and join forces to
meet our common goal.
For more on the conference program and all of the
theme tracks and conference sessions, visit the EWEA
OFFSHORE 2013 website.
www.ewea.org/offshore2013/
63
dat
a
poi
nt s
FFOR ALL
RACKING FRAMEWOR
THE FIRST GLOBAL TRACKING
FRAMEWORK LAYS OUT THE CHALLENGE AHEAD
WHILE THE WORLD IS MAKING PROGRESS, IT ISNT MOVING FAST ENOUGH.

BUSINESS AS USUAL WONT GET US THERE.
WHAT WILL IT TAKE?

The sustainable energy for all initiative sets 3 global goals for 2030:
1. Energy access
2. Energy efficiency
3. Renewable energy
Objective 1
ENERGY ACCESS Providing universal access to modern energy

2030 goal:
100% global
access to
electricity
& modern fuels
for cooking
Global access to electricity

Pace needs to increase by 38% to reach goal by 2030
100
80
60
40
20
Business as usual would leave

12-16% of the worlds population
without electricity
1.2 billion people have no access
to electricity today
2010
2030
1990
During the last 20 years 1.7 billion
people gained access to electricity
64
Objective 2
Doubling the rate of improvement in global ENERGY
EFFICIENCY
Primary world energy consumption

1990
Consumption Energy intensity
367
exajoules
10.2
megajoules $/PPP
Primary
world energy
2010
consumption is
Consumption Energy intensity 36% lower than
it would have
been without the
exajoules megajoules $/PPP improvements
534
7.9
2030
Energy intensity
4.7
megajoules $/PPP
Countries with a high level of energy intensity use more energy to create a unit of GDP than countries with lower levels of energy
intensity. The World Bank measures energy intensity in primary energy terms and GDP at PPP [purchasing power parity].
(Courtesy World Bank Global Tracking Framework)
Objective 3
Doubling the share of worlds mix of RENEWABLE ENERGY
Pace needs to increase by 2.5 times historical growth rate to reach goal by 2030
Renewable
energy
1990
2010
16%
2030
18%
36%
WHAT CAN GOVERNMENTS DO?

Increase financing
Take bold policy steps, such as:

Phasing out untargeted fossil fuel subsidies
$11.2 trillion
annual spending
needed to achieve
the goals
Using targeted subsidies to promote access

Establishing a price for carbon
Adopting strict standards for energy efficiency
Introducing policy incentives for renewable energy
Promoting a good investment climate for energy
$400 billion
annual spending
currently
Meeting the renewable energy

and energy efficiency goals can
help slow climate change.
SOURCE: WorldBank.org WorldBank.org/se4all
65
Show Preview
A S P ECI A L A DV ER T I S I N G S EC T I O N
October 2124
McCormick Place
Chicago, Illinois USA
Powered by:
Solar Power International (SPI) is where solar professionals convene each year
to stay up to date on solar trends, innovations, and the state of the industry. With nearly
600 exhibiting companies, 15,000+ attendees, the industrys most comprehensive
conference program, and daily networking events, you cant beat the return on
investment delivered by attending SPI.
And, this isnt your typical trade show! SPI takes attendees out of the ordinary with
engaging discussions, applicable best practices, exciting innovations, and idea-sharing
with business leaders. You will see the people and products and access the information
and ideas that prepare you and your company for the future of solar.
Overall Schedule-at-a-Glance
Preliminary schedule, subject to change. All events are located at McCormick Center unless otherwise specified.
Pre- and Post-Conference Workshops
Concurrent Sessions and Solar Idea Swaps
Sunday, 10/20 ............... 8:00 a.m. 5:30 p.m.

Monday, 10/21 .............. 8:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m.
Friday, 10/25 ................. 8:00 a.m. 5:30 p.m.
Tuesday, 10/22 ............. 10:30 a.m. 4:00 p.m.

Wednesday, 10/23 ........ 11:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m.
Thursday, 10/24 ............ 9:00 a.m. 3:00 p.m.
Exhibit Hall and Posters Open
General Sessions
Tuesday, 10/22 ............. 10:00 a.m. 6:00 p.m.

Wednesday, 10/23 ........ 10:00 a.m. 6:00 p.m.
Thursday, 10/24 ............ 10:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m.
Monday, 10/21 .............. 5:00 p.m. 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday, 10/23 ........ 9:00 a.m. 10:30 a.m.
66
Tackling Issues, Solving Problems,

Delivering Solutions
SPI Concurrent Sessions and Solar Idea Swaps invite
attendees to be more engaged. Thought-provoking
learning formats will enable you to apply content to your
company, your project and your career. Tracks include:
Business Growth and Development
Finance Solutions
Integration with Utilities
Policy and Regulations
Markets and Marketing Strategies
Operations, Performance, and Maintenance
Resources at your
fingertips at Solar
Power International:
Exhibitors and product displays in
more than 30 product categories
offering solutions with residential,
commercial, and utility applications.
Six conference tracks, workshops,
and Solar Idea Swaps.
NEW
New educational formats and

opportunities, including QuickTalks
and Educational Posters.
Four featured show floor areas,
including two new offerings
Start-Up Alley and Industry Trends
that deliver cutting-edge training and
access to up-and-coming companies.
Your colleagues! Whether youre
seeking policy information,
connections with project developers,
education on integrating with utilities,
or access to financing and funding,
SPI has it all.
Bring Timely Topics into Focus

with SPIs New Quicktalks
25-minute sessions that pack a powerful
punch with quick content on timely topics
from recognized industry experts.
NEW
Educational Posters Bring a New Presentation

and Format for Educational Content to SPI
Poster presentations, featured on the Expo floor, will
give attendees a unique look at industry research
results, innovations, an analysis of a practical problemsolving effort, or recommended best practices.
Special Events Schedule

Opening Reception
Monday, 10/21 .............. 6:30 p.m. 8:30 p.m.
Included in Full Conference Registration.
Professional Women in Solar Breakfast

Tuesday, 10/22 ............. 8:30 a.m. 10:00 a.m.
Exhibit Hall Happy Hour

Tuesday, 10/22 ............. 5:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m.
SPI Block Party at the Museum

of Science and Industry
Tuesday, 10/22 ............. 7:00 p.m. 10:00 p.m.
Included in Full Conference Registration.
Poster Reception
Wednesday, 10/23 ........ 4:30 p.m. 6 p.m.
Full Expo, Education, Registration,

and Housing details available at
Special Performance by The Second City

Wednesday, 10/23 ........ 5:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m.
www.solarpowerinternational.com
67
SOLAR
The Sunniest States

for Solar Energy
in the US
Solar PV panels sparkle in the sun from coast
to coast in the US but as a new report shows,
the top 12 best US states for solar energy are not
necessarily those with the best solar resource.
JAMES MONTGOMERY, Associate Editor
This summer the Environment America Research & Policy

Center released a report that highlighted the top 12 U.S.
states for solar energy ranked by several criteria: from
new and cumulative installed capacity to actual electrical
generation to a variety of solar-friendly political support.
Most are unsurprising, but there are some worthy comparisons and criticisms to be made.
Nearly all of them share the same characteristics: clear
renewable electricity standards with carve-outs for solar,
strong statewide interconnection policies, strong net
metering policies, and accommodation for creative fnancing options including third-party ownership and property
assessed clean energy (PACE) fnancing.
These 12 states account for barely a quarter of the
nations population (28 percent), but almost all of its
installed solar energy (85 percent). The progress of these
states should give us the confdence that we can do much
more, stated Rob Sargent, energy program director with
Environment America. More than half of U.S. states have
the technical potential to generate at least 20 percent of
their electricity from rooftop solar PV, and that jumps to
30 percent for sun-drenched California, Arizona, Nevada
and Colorado.
68
Groups contributing to the

report included the Solar Energy
Industries Association (SEIA),
Institute for Local Self-Reliance,
Vote Solar, Clean Energy
States Alliance, Massachusetts
Department of Energy Resources,
Environment California Research
and Policy Center, Frontier Group,
the Tilia Fund, the John Merck
Fund and the Energy Foundation.
12. Maryland
Residential and commercial
solar PV system prices
in Maryland fell by twice
the national rate in 2012,
according to SEIA. Building our states solar
market is a top priority, stated Governor
Martin OMalley. Today, we have more than
1,410 times more solar on our states grid
and 2,000 more solar installation jobs than
in 2007. Andthe states goals for its RPS(20
2013 Cumulative Solar Watts Per Person
19
2013 Cumulative Solar Electricity Installations (MW)
109
13
74
percent by 2022) and reduction in energy

consumption (15 percent per-capita reduced
electricity consumption by 2015) are among
the most aggressive in the country, he added.
69
Solar
11. North
Carolina
North Carolina owes its

presence on the list to
several large-scale solar
energy installations. Apple made a splash
bybuilding out a 20-MW solar project at its
data center in Maiden. Google, which has a
data center in Lenoir, has called for the state
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14
135
toestablish a renewable energy tariff for large

business. Because much of its solar energy
adoption has been in larger projects, North
Carolina ranks well below the other states
on the top 12 list in adoption of net metering. North Carolina alsowas prominently
targetedby abroad effort to roll back RPS
levelsin two dozen states.
10. Massachusetts
Solar installations in
Massachusetts have been
among the highest in
the country, and residential solar installationshave quad rupled
30
198
19
129
70
over the past two years in a state better known for long New England winters
than strong solar resources. Massachusetts
is already approaching a goal of 250 MW
installed solar capacity by 2016; the state
has since proposed a new target of 1.6 GW of
cumulative installed solar capacity by 2020.
Massachusetts also has a 400-MW carve-out
in its RPS which also will likely max out well
ahead of its target (2014), so the state is trying to fast-track an expansion of that.
9. Vermont
Vermont has won recognition for its
groundbreakingstreamlined solar
permitting rules, emphasizing residential and small solar installations, whichwere further expanded
in 2012. Vermont is also at the forefront of the
net metering debate; a report earlier this year
found that solar net meteringis a net-positive
for the state.
34
21
26
16
Unlike the other top 12 states, Vermont

does not have a formal RPS it has goals
of 20 percent of electricity retail sales from
renewable energy and combined heat/power
by 2017. There also are targets for providers
annual electricity of 55 percent of retail sales
in 2017, increasing to 75 percent by 2032.
SAVE TH E D AT E
ENERGIZING
INNOVATION
WOR LDS
L A RG E S T
H Y DRO E V E N
T
20
YEE A RS
Y
RS
ST RO NG
JULY 22 -25, 2014

Music City Center, Nashville, TN, USA
www.hydroevent.com
Owned & Produced by:
Presented by:
Media Partners:
Solar
8. Colorado
Colorado is one state (California
another) that limits permitting
fees that local governments can
charge for solar installations. The state has targeted1 million solar rooftops by 2030, roughly
3 GW of output from a calculated potential of 16
GW across every available rooftop in the state.
52
270
40
Public Service Company of Colorado

isexpanding program capacity for its
Solar*Rewards program, which had been fully
subscribed for the year and was in danger of
being suspended. It needs to source 30 percent of electricity generation and 3 percent
of retail sales from distributed generation by
2020. Meanwhile, the federal Bureau of Land
Management is seeking RFPs for3,700 acres
for solar energy developmenton its lands.
7. Delaware
Delaware is one of several smaller eastern U.S. states where a comparative lack
of solar resource is offset by higher electricity prices and demand for local clean
energy sources. Delaware is aggressively working toward a clean energy future
and demonstrating that we can have both a
strong economy and a healthy environment,
stated Governor Jack Markell.
Delaware has beenreevaluating its SREC
72
69
44
28
18
programafter a 2012 pilot program, switching

to a competitive bidding process. Thats caused
several newer projects entering the program to
start with far lower prices than they would have.
6. California
California is the granddaddy
of solar energy in the U.S.,
with more than a third of the
nations cumulative capacity (2.9 GW). Two other states
have added 1 GW of cumulative capacity California did it in 2012 alone.
Third-party-owned residential PV installations are surging, now surpassing non-residential solar PV. California also owns one of
the more robust RPS in the country, and studies indicateits RPS efforts havent broken the
bank. In fact California is set to achieving its
33 percent RPS well before its 2020 deadline,
and efforts are already underway to determine what should come next.
Some major utility territories in California
have achieved retail rate parity where a residential solar PV system can compete with
retail electricity rates using just the 30 percent
76
2,901
27
1,033
Solar
investment tax credits. And the communities

of Lancaster and Sebastopol require new or
renovated homes to incorporate solar energy.
But the proliferation of distributed solar PV
is causing concern among utilities and grid
operators who struggle tounderstand and
manage so much behind the meter power
generation if it cant be calculated, it cant be
applied to the states RPS goals. Smart inverters and smart metering would help, which also
opens the door to the net-metering debate.
5. New
Mexico
New Mexico is among the sunniest states, but its the only one that
does not compensate consumers, at
full retail rates, for excess solar electricity fed back into the grid. But that hasnt
stopped New Mexico from being at the forefront of the grid parity discussion with solar.
Earlier this year the state approved a long-term
power purchase agreement between First Solar
and El Paso Electric Power for a 50-MW proj2013 Cumulative Solar Watts Per Person
91
190
11
24
ect witha rock-bottom rate of 5.79/kWh, far

below standard pricing for either other solar
projects and even new coal plants. (First Solar
also isbuilding 23 MW of solar capacityfor the
Public Service Co. of New Mexico.) Conergy,
meanwhile, is claiming it caninstall solar in
New Mexico at parity with the grid.
Another noteworthy solar milestone
in New Mexico: earlier this year the U.S.
Armydedicated its largest solar PV system, a

4.1-MW ground-mount plus 375-kW carport, at
the White Sands Missile Range.
4. New
Jersey
New Jersey is a rising star in U.S.

adoption of solar energy and its
doing it not with a high solar resource,
but with impressive legislative support
and customer demand. The state was an
early adopter of policies to support solar energy,
including an RPS with a solar carve-out that
was recently doubled to 4.1 percent by 2028.
110
971
47
415
More than 15,000 homes, 3,000 businesses, 300

schools, and 200 government facilities in New
Jersey now get at least part of their electricity
from the sun, says Environment America.
Public Service Electric and Gas (PSE&G)
recently got the green-light fora $447 million expansion of solar energy projects, split
between smaller distributed generation ones
and larger-scale ones on landflls and brownfeld sites. PSE&G also got approval foranother
97 MW of loansfor residential and non-residential solar projects, with an option topay them
off in SRECs.
3: Hawaii
Ultimately solar energy has to compete on a
level playing feld with conventional energy
73
Solar
sources, without help from subsidies. (Though

defning level playing feld sparks plenty of
debate over what benefts other energy production sources enjoy.) Part of that equation means gaining early adoption in areas
where energy prices are already steep. Few
places have higher energy prices than Hawaii,
and solar energy here is already proven to be
cheaper than electricity from the grid, without
incentives.
137
191
78
109
Hawaii does have an incentive program for

small-scale residential solar projects ($0.21/
kWh), and the states legislature has voted to
enact a Green Energy Market Securitization
(GEMS) program to support fnancing for clean
energy technologies including solar. Hawaii
also has perhaps the most robust renewable
portfolio standard of any state: 40 percent by
2030, anda greater target of 70 percentincluding energy effciency measures.
2. Nevada
Nevada is another sun-soaked state
in the U.S. Southwest where solar
energys share of electricity generation could exceed 30 percent.
Earlier this spring Nevadas major
public utility, NV Energy,committed to replacing 553 MW worth of coal plants with a mix of
renewable energy and natural gas, including
solar, wind, and geothermal. More recently,
the Moapa Band of Paiute Indians proposed to
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403
72
198
build out 1.5-GW of renewable energy projects

on its land in Nevada, starting with a 250-MW
solar farm.
1. Arizona
Arizonas 167 W of solar electricity
capacity per resident is nearly seven
times the national average, demonstrating the states early and solid
commitment to solar energy.
Being at the forefront of solar energy
deployment has put Arizona at the head of
several key debates about the future of solar
167
1097
108
710
energy. The Arizona Corporation Commission

(ACC) has voted to eliminate incentives for
both residents and businesses, and Arizona
is one of a number of states that has begun to
considerchallenges to its renewable portfolio standard. Furthermore, Arizona is groundzero in one of the most contentious debates in
all of energy: what to do about net metering.
The fght against net metering and to what
extent the ACC is orchestrating it has even
drawncomparisons to the John Kerry/Swift
Boat controversy.
SOLAR
PV Module Quality Concerns

Still Exist for Developing Word
According to some experts, lower quality PV
modules are entering emerging solar markets.
JENNIFER RUNYON, Chief Editor
For the global solar photovoltaic industry, it is not a

question of whether poorquality or lesser-quality PV
modules are making their
way into the marketplace. They are. The more relevant question
is when will the industry begin to see the effects of these lesser
quality modules, and where will the impacts will be felt?
Conversations with solar industry executives from across the
value chain reveal concerns about low-quality materials being
used in the manufacturing of solar modules, and indicate which
global solar markets are likely to be affected.
Materials Are the Issue
Solar panel against a blue
Unlike pretty much

any other industry, PV
manufacturers have
to make a product that
is expected to last for
25 years or more in
harsh environments.
And the technology is
proven, according to
Jenya Meydbray, CEO
of PV Evolution Labs.
Next year is the 60th
anniversary of crystalline silicon PV. The
frst PV panel is kept
in an AT&T museum
and it still works.
Fundamentally the
technology is quite
mature, he said. What
it comes down to today
is quality control and
materials.
Built correctly, a
sky via Shutterstock.
75
solar
module can easily last for 25 years, said Meydbray. Built

incorrectly or with unproven materials and they can last 5
years, 2 years, or less than that, he said.
For a long time, that build quality was the great unknown.
Ian Gregory, Managing Partner of SolarBuyer, explained that it
was only recently that people realized that due to severe shrinking margins manufacturers had started using cheaper materials
and were trying to fgure out how to use them quickly. EPCs and
developers then started asking to get a look inside the factory,

and once inside they discovered uncertifed and unproven materials were being used in modules.
DuPont is a material supplier to the solar industry with a
proven track record. It has been supplying materials to PV
manufacturers ever since the frst module was made. But new
companies are cropping up trying to deliver similar materials
at a lower price. DuPonts Conrad Burke explained that these
new entrants have really unproven durability data and test
grounds. He wonders how a company that has only existed for two
years can offer a 25-year warranty.
This article
Durability and reliability are
the keys to long-term module perspeaks!
formance, said Dr. Govindasamy
Play the videos to
TamizhMani, (Mani), President
of TUV Rheinlands Photovoltaic
hear executives
Testing Lab (PTL). He suggested
discuss this issue.
that the industry is going to continue introducing new materials.
76
We have no choice, he said,

speaking of the race to bring
down the cost per watt of the
panel, which the industry
must do. Mani said that the
accelerated testing offered
by TUVs PTL weeds out poor
performing modules. With
accelerated testing, modules are put into chambers
and subjected to very high
heat and humidity for up to
4 months. This test, said
Mani, helps identify if and
when modules will fail.
But the problem with
accelerated testing, according to solar consultant K.V.
Ravi, always has been how
well they represent real life.
Assumptions and projections are possible but since
you cant test every single module, how can you be
sure that accelerated testing
will really show failures in
fve, 10, 15 years down the
line, he asks.
With a PhD in Materials
Science, Ravi has been
involved in the manufacturing world for decades, having worked for major players
including Intel and Applied
Materials and most recently
as Chief Technology Offcer of
start-up Crystal Solar. The
fear is a lot of product is getting out there which looks
pretty, looks beautiful, and
works great when you put
them up, he said. Then over
solar
time you dont know whats going to happen.

Ravi fears that within the next fve years regions that
dont focus on PV module quality will begin to experience major module failures in some of the solar farms
that have been built.
When you are making millions of modules, there
is no way you can test these modules for reliability.
You can test them for instantaneous performance
which they all do and then its up to the customer
to worry about whether the thing will last a long
time, he said.
Ravi surmised that certain regions are better
off than others in terms of procuring quality PV
modules. He pointed to Japan as an example of
a country that puts quality frst, because it is
in their nature to be conscious of quality.
On the other hand, if you are going to
get large amounts of deployment in places
like Africa or India or even China, he said, there
you have real concerns because there the customers are not as
knowledgeable, not as exposed to this kind of thing, he said.
Of-spec Technology in Developing Regions
Many experts pointed out that there are no manufacturing

standards. None, said SolarBuyers Gregory. So it is pretty
much up to each individual manufacturer to defne quality standards, he said. However, when it comes to PV modules themselves, there are lots of material and product
Trina Solars
new dual glass
panel. Courtesy
Trina Solar.
certifcations and
standards. UL,
TUV, ISO, MCS and
others all exist to
ensure that a product meets a certain
quality and performance specifcation
right from the start.
Yet, said TUVs
Mani, customers dont
always know about the
standards, and unless
they ask for certifed modules manufacturers may
not deliver them. He said
that if manufactures dont
have to spend, they will not
spend. So it is up to the buyers to be sure that they are
getting what they are supposed to get. Mani explained
that sometimes a certifcation gets updated or modifed
and unless the module buyer
knows about it and specifcally asks if the module is
certifed for the updated
standard, they may not be
getting it.
Nevertheless, off-spec
technology is making it into
the marketplace. PVELs
Meydbray said that manufacturers have communicated
77
solar
to him that they ship highergrade modules to the U.S.

and Europe and lower-grade
modules to Southeast Asia,
Latin America and parts of
Africa, and that worries him.
Thailand is a very big solar
market, China is a much bigger solar market. India is a
big solar market, he said.
If those investors do not get
the returns they are expecting, thats not good for the
overall industry, he said.
Those institutional investors have IRR expectations
and return expectations, and
if the underlying asset generating the cash fow doesnt
perform, then the cash fow
is adversely impacted and
the investment is adversely
impacted.
Customers, Its up to You

The theme replayed again
and again during these conversations about quality was that it is up to the
78
marketplace to demand it. Know what materials are going into

your modules. Remain educated on the latest PV module standards. If you can afford it, enlist the services of a third-party
verifcation company.
Maybe, just maybe, dont put such a premium on getting the

lowest price. Thats the advice of Ian Miller, VP and General
Manager for project developer Mainstream. Price is only one
factor, he said. Whether you are talking about the total system at the end of the day or the module at the end of the day, we
would be remiss to only focus on price, he explained.
Miller, who works on residential up through utility-scale projects, said there are many other factors that industry developers
should think about. Whether it be the customer experience on
the residential spacethe quality, the workmanship, the O&M,
the longevity of that system, he said. So if I [were to] chose,
pricing actually would not be
number one on my list, but it
would be up there closely tied.
Finally, pay very little attention to your warranty. According
to Solarbuyers Gregory: The
best thing that a buyer or developer should do today is to look at
a warranty and say I shouldnt
have to rely on this. I shouldnt
need this. This shouldnt be my
sole main means of protecting
quality.
G E OT H E R M A L
An Open Frontier:
The Untapped Potential of
South American Geothermal
South America holds great potential for
geothermal energy, but barriers to development
leaves it largely underdeveloped. However some
private investors and development banks are on the
cusp of unlocking the abundant energy source.
MEG CICHON, Associate Editor
burns, which also means its a

geothermal dream zone.
Some areas on the ring have
taken advantage of the immense
resources; New Zealand, for
example, has developed more
than 800 megawatts (MW)
The ring of fre is a geologic region that extends in a horseshoe shape from the bottom tip of South America, up along the
Pacifc coast through North America, and looping back through
Asia and down to New Zealand. Its lined with more than 400
volcanoes, and as the Johnny Cash song goes, it burns, burns,
O F
R
Philippine trench
Mt. Pinatubo
Mt. Mayon
Krakatoa
Java (Sunda)
trench
Aleutian trench
F
Mt. Garibaldi
Mt. St. Helens
Kurile trench
Japan trench
Fire, an area of high
volcanic activity. Credit:

CIA World DataBank.
Ryuku trench
A map of the Ring of
Izu Ogasawara trench
Puerto Rico trench

Marianas trench
Middle America trench
Bougainville trench
Tonga trench
Equator
Peru-Chile trench
Kermadec trench
South Sandwich
trench
79
g e ot h e r m a l
of geothermal capacity that accounts for about 19 percent of

its energy supply, according to the New Zealand Ministry of
Economic Development. But on the other end of the horseshoe in
South America, geothermal energy remains largely untapped,
leaving what Pierre Audinet, clean energy program team leader
ofthe World BanksEnergy Sector Management Assistance
Program (ESMAP), calls an open frontier.
South America has an enormous perceived potential. And
there is a nascent desire of many governments to actually get that
potential to become a reality, explained Audinet. But it is still
not completely straightforward for a variety of reasons.
Barriers to Development
While many countries to the north, such as Mexico, are slowly
putting geothermal projects online, South American regions are
lagging behind for a variety of reasons some easily recognizeable, some not.
It is widely known that a major barrier to geothermal development, no matter the location, is the cost of test drilling. This
is by far the most expensive step in the development process,
and many projects struggle to secure fnancing due to its high
risk. Approximately 50 percent of test drilling produces negative
results zero geothermal activity so many commercial banks
are very unlikely to fnance these projects. Therefore, much of
the development in Latin America, and even countries in eastern
Africa where development is blossoming, has been led by the private sector, according to Audinet.
While governments have already handed over geothermal
concessions to those private developers to move ahead, its not
as if you have a million private sectors with deep pockets able to
shell out initial important capital expenditure to do the test drilling, said Audinet. There are very few developers that are able to
take on these costs, so many are now simply sitting on concessions, bringing the industry to a stand-still. And in some cases,
explained Audient, the cost of test drilling is even more expensive because the equipment mobilization costs, such as bringing
drilling rigs to those areas, are very high.
You end up having hefty capital expenditure just to drill a
couple of wells and verify your geothermal source, he said. It is
a tough world nowadays for fnancing. There are talks, appetite,
desire, and competent players, but it will take time.
Slowly governments are increasingly realizing that they need
80
to step in, but so far they

havent been able to fgure
out how. It is still very much
in the open, said Audinet.
There are countries where it
is still a blank slate.
In Chile, for example, the
government is trying to fgure out how to channel some
type of subsidy or support to
private developers. It recently
announced a new renewable
energy target of 20 percent
by 2025 (excluding hydropower), up from the previous
5 percent goal. However there
are legal and budgetary constraints in the way of achieving the target. Everything
South America has

enormous perceived
potential...and desire
of many governments
to get that potential to
become a reality.
Pierre Audinet,
World Bank
is left to the private sector,

from generation to transmission, which makes it diffcult
for the government to step
in, said Audinet. They have
straightjacketed themselves
into private sector development, which can be very
good, but in other ways can
be a limitation when dealing
with a massive fnancial hurdle, he explained.
g e ot h e r m a l
Unfortunately, there is no silver bullet policy for geothermal development. We wish you could put in a FIT [feed-in tariff] and everything would move along, but unfortunately it
doesnt work like that for this technology, said Audinet.
Adding to the fnancial pressure, there are also some
environmental concerns for geothermal development. Some of
the projects that are being planned, and even some existing
plants planned for expansion, are located in national parks. Other
viable areas for development may exist on lands where there are
indigenous people. This creates additional developmental hurdles
and longer lead-times. According to Audinet, these constraints
could change as regulations evolve, but it is more work now.
Project Front-runners
In 2012, Alterra Power Corp., a geothermal developer based in
Canada, announced a partnership with Energy Development
Corporation (EDC), a Philippines-based geothermal developer, to
pursue six of Alterras geothermal concessions in South America.
One of which, its Mariposa project in Chile, is moving along and
could be online by 2017.
This transaction represents a signifcant step forward for our
geothermal assets inChileand Peru, said John Carson, Alterras
CEO. EDC is a strong partner with deep expertise, and were
pleased to be making this next step together. Indeed, EDC has
signifcant geothermal development experience on the other side
of the ring of fre, with several plants online in the Philippines.
The Alterra-EDC partnership will provide the necessary cashfow
for test drilling at the Mariposa site. EDC will contribute $58.3
million for a 70 percent stake in the project. Alterra has already
identifed geothermal potential of more than 300 MW at the site,
but further drilling is required to test for plant permeability.
Enel Green Power Latin America also has its sights set on
Chile, and formed a partnership with Empresa Nacional de
Petrleo(ENAP), the National Petroleum Corporation in Chile, to
develop its geothermal assets. In August, it signed a $100 million
loan with Chiles Banco de Credito e Inversiones to be disbursed
before 2014 in order to develop its renewable energy investments
in the area.
Broadening Financial Reach

In early 2013, the World Bank announced that it would establish a $500 million fund to help develop geothermal concessions
around the world. According

to Audinet, the program has
started to allocate money
to help identify test-drilling
projects, and is zeroing in on
Latin America more than
other regions, he said.
We are helping to identify a pipeline of test drilling
projects and helping to lobby
and call upon all development
banks and donors interested
in geothermal to prioritize
more money towards test
drilling, said Audinet. That
is where the money needs to
go if we want to unleash that
geothermal potential.
Since geothermal projects
have long lead times and can
take up to a decade to complete, Audinet doesnt expect
many megawatts to come
online in the next few years.
However, he does expect a
spike in activity.
All I can say is that you
have a gradual positioning
of players, including fnancial institutions like the
World Bank, InterAmerican
Development Bank, and CAF
(a Latin American development bank), that are conversing on ways to approach
projects and move forward,
explained Audinet. These
are conversations that started
in the past 10 months so from
that I would imagine that
some things would eventually
emerge.
81
B I O E N E RG Y
A New Win-Win? CO2-eating

Microalgae As A Biofuel Feedstock
While researchers remain skeptical about turning any form of microalgae
into proftable biomass, an Australian company thinks it can do just that.
BRUCE DORMINEY, Contributor
Successful microalgae-to-biodiesel conversion has been the

goal of some renewable energy
researchers for more than two
decades. But after years of
research on how to best grow
these Carbon Dioxide (CO2)loving plants in open ponds, a
commercially viable solution has remained elusive.

Now, Algae.Tec Ltd., a six year-old Australian-based
advanced renewable oil from algae start up, claims to
have a potentially revolutionary solution. That is, growing
and harvesting the microalgae in enclosed used sea-land
shipping containers which often seem almost as plentiful as microalgae itself.
These enclosed microalgae farms would in part feed off
The 2640-MW Bayswater Power

Station will feed waste CO2
into an enclosed algae growth
system. Credit Algae.Tec.
82
the serendipitous production of carbon dioxide from coal-fred

power plants and eventually waste CO2 from other manufacturing facilities.
To that end, Algae.Tec has signed a deal withMacquarie
Generation, Australias largest electricity generator, to put
analgaecarbon capture and biofuelsproductionfacility
next to a coal-fred power station in Australias Hunter Valley.
Macquarie Generation, which operates the Sydney-area 2640
MW Bayswater Power Station, will feed waste CO2 into an
enclosed algae growth system.
Algae converts CO2 into triacylglycerol (tags) oils that can
then be chemically converted into biodiesel.
The company says it will use enclosed sea containers to grow
freshwater microalgae; importing light, CO2, and phosphorousand nitrogen-rich fertilizers, into the containers themselves in
order to maximize the algaes growth.
Algaes are made up of oils that are not dissimilar to those
found in soybeans or canola, said Algae.Tec executive chairman
Roger Stroud.
That oil can be separated out and converted into biodiesel,
said Stroud. By getting rid of the oxygen, you can hydrogenate
that oil and turn it into Grade A biojet fuel.
Even though Stroud said the company has yet to choose the
species of algae it will cultivate, the plan is to start algae production by the end of 2014.
Projections are for the frst year of production to hit 100,000
tons of algae biomass; half of which would be converted to an
estimated 60 million liters of biodiesel. One sea-land container
would generate 250 tons of biomass per annum, said the company, which would be harvested on a continuous basis.
Stroud said the other 50 percent will be pelletized stock feed
either for Australias dairy industry or for export to Asia.
Stroud projects that some 75 percent of his companys income
will come from biodiesel. The remaining 25 percent of Algae.Tecs
income will hinge on the sale of the microalgaes leftover biomass
for animal feed.
What do power providers like Macquarie Generation get out of
the deal?
In Australia, Stroud said theres a carbon tax of $24 a ton
which is real money as far as power plant emitters are concerned. The Bayswater plant emits 20 million tons of CO2 a
year, so any reduction in emissions would be welcomed by
Aerial view of the Bayswater

Power Station, which will feed
its waste CO2 into an enclosed
algae growth system. Credit
Algae.Tec.
Macquarie Generation.
However, as Stroud pointed
out, the costs and profts will
all be Algae.Tecs; noting that
his company will technically be one of the Bayswater
plants customers since the
enclosed system will need
electricity to run their pumping systems.
Reducing our carbon
emissions and carbon liability combined with additional
revenue from a new customer
makes this project good
business sense, Macquarie
Generation CEO and managing director Russell Skelton
commented to Renewable
Energy World.
Understanding the Process

Stroud wouldnt give many
details about how the
83
Bioenergy
algae-to-biofuel conversion takes place due to proprietary concerns, but he did say that a piping
system will redirect the power plants stack gas
through water to reduce the hot gas from temperatures well over 100C down to some 25C. He said
that saturated CO2 water would then be fed into
the enclosed algae system.
Algae.Tec sees a future in using other potential stack gas sources with high CO2 concentrations to enhance algae production. This would
include power plants and energy-intensive
manufacturing facilities.
But many in the research community still
remain dubious about microalgae as a viable
pathway to plentiful biofuel whether the algae
is grown outside in open ponds or in an enclosed
container system.
Microalgae is a crop and if youre not a
farmer, you just dont get it, said Michael Cooney,
a chemical engineer at the Hawaii Natural
Energy Institute. Ive equated this microalgae
craze to the [California] Gold Rush, where there
was a sense of easy money. But the only people
who made money off the gold rush were people
selling supplies.
Despite such skepticism, Algae.Tec said it has proven its technology via hundreds of laboratory, pilot-scale and product tests.
Although Stroud refused to divulge the technical details of
how an enclosed system would be able to recover enough outside
light to actually grow algae inside a shipping container, he said
in part the process involves reaping photons from solar collecting disks located not far from the enclosed containers. This collected light would then be fed via an undisclosed form of optical
fber into the containers themselves.
We also have an innovative and low-cost way of periodically
getting light into the system via electrical means, said Stroud.
Suffce it to say, it works.
Why A Closed System?

In contrast to Algae.Tecs closed containers to grow algae, open
pond microalgae systems have inherent challenges.
As Cooney noted, microalgae operations are subject to the
84
Rendering of Algae.Tecs
proposed microalgae-to-biodiesel
conversion facility, which will
grow algae in enclosed shipping
containers. Credit Algae.Tec.
vagaries of the elements and

tend to grow strains of microalgae not intended for cultivation. They are also subject
to contamination by predator micro-organisms and
macro-organisms that feed
on the algae.
With an enclosed system,
said Stroud, we can keep the
bacteria diminished, control
the temperature, and avoid

weather. As a result, our
yields should be a lot higher.
As for Algae.Tecs expansion beyond Australia, Stroud
noted that the company has
an unannounced open joint
venture agreement with a
Chinese oil and gas equipment manufacturer in Chinas
Yellow River basin. He said
Algae.Tec has also been in
discussions with a major
Japanese waste management company about potential biodiesel production in
Japan, with possible related
operations in South Korea
and Thailand.
Stroud also said recent
signals from the Obama
Administration concerning the need to reduce U.S.
power companys CO2 emissions were encouraging for
Algae.Tecs potential future
growth in the U.S.
He noted Algae.Tec has a
fve-year target goal for its
Bayswater facility to produce
300 million liters of biodiesel
a year. The company has
already invested $20 million
into the project with the aim
of bringing the company to
proftability by mid 2015.
In the 20th century, said
Stroud, any interest in
microalgae [for energy]
tended to be academic. But
were in the business of making a proft.
H Y D RO P OW E R
Ocean Energy
Technologies
Speeding Towards
Commercialization
What many thought would take decades
may only be a few years away ocean
energy technologies are fnally turning some
heads on their way to large-scale development.
MEG CICHON, Associate Editor
The ocean energy sector has been steadily creeping towards

commercial reality year after year, with technology test deployments taking place worldwide. After all, the ocean energy
market is not an easy place to do business, just building a technology prototype can cost up to $30 million. This year, however, some major project announcements indicate that the
industry could be moving to the next level much faster than
anyone had previously predicted.
People are interested in [ocean energy] and they are in
[the energy] industry, said Greg Leatherman of Environment
Coastal & Offshore during the opening session at Energy
Ocean International. You have Lockheed Martin in China
building the biggest OTEC [ocean thermal energy conversion]
facility. In Scotland, you have the biggest wave project offshore
farm [Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon] in history. You have construction beginning at Cape Wind. All happening right now,
this summer.
At the Energy Ocean International Conference 2013 that
took place in Providence, R.I., several technologies that made it
86
to the coveted prototype stage

were highlighted during the
keynote. These gentleman
are here because the technology is more viable, said
Leatherman.
Small Turbine, Big Potential

The tidal team at Schottel
is on a mission to produce
Flumill is a twinhelical tidal device.

Credit: Flumill.
a turbine that uses the least amount of material with an ideal

ratio of power. To achieve this goal, Schottel invested in a
UK-based company called Tidal Supreme to have the most
energy produced in one installation, according to Martin
Baldus, product manager of renewable energy at Schottel Tidal.
A lot of devices have 1 megawatt (MW) of installed power.
We were wondering if this was the right direction to go into,
said Baldus. Is the scale of the turbine itself important, or
should we focus on more installed turbines with less mass and
less cost per turbine?
According to Baldus, if a
turbine is scaled down to
somewhere in the range of
50 kilowatts (kW), which is
about four meters in diameter, and 20 are lined up in
one installation, then there
would be about 16 tons of
material used per MW. Other
turbine systems typically use
87
h y d r o p ow e r
about 100 tons. Our approach is to simplify as much as possible, he explained.

The turbines can be arranged according to different site
resources, said Baldus, such as jetty installations in a river or
channel and up to different installations offshore a series of
turbines can be merged on foating platforms connected to seabed. According to Baldus, the turbines are easy to maintain
because the platform allows for swift access to them, even when
in operating position. Each turbine has a separate control system, which is collected and then taken from the inverter to be fed
into the grid.
Schottel has put the technology through a long series of testing
that started with a basic turbine design in its factory. Engineers
developed back-to-back confgurations with simulated tidal
waves where they could test all main components such as bearings, motors, etc. The team then moved on to a full-scale sea
Effciency-optimized
rotor blades
Asynchronous
generator
cooled by
ambient water
Smart sealing system

Robust drive train
with two-stage
planetary
gearbox
No pitch mechanism
The Schottel Tidal Generator focuses on high efficiency and low-cost

design. Credit: Schottel.
88
trial, where a series of turbines were mounted on a

tugboat that could raise
the structure in and out of
the water.
The technology will now
move to the UK, where
Marine Energy will deploy
two turbines later this year.
This will achieve more working hours for the turbine, and
will be our next step to move
forward with the technology,
said Baldus.
Strange Shape,
Practical Design
In Norway, a company that
had focused on building
composite materials for the
fossil fuel industry came
to realize that it needed to
switch gears. A few years
ago, we decided we have to
do something after oil when
it is not around, and wed
also like to do something
for the environment, said
John Inge Brattekas, CTO of
Flumill. So how can we use
our technology in the renewable environment?
Brattekas and partners
went on to develop Flumill,
twin helical devices that use
a design based on fow valves
in gas distribution systems
from the companys fossil
fuel expertise. The device is
made of glass-reinforced plastic, making it buoyant. Two
30- to 40-meter turbines are
h y d r o p ow e r
Resolute Marine Energys SurgeWEC wave energy paddle device.

Credit: FERC.
mounted to the seabed and turn in opposite directions, which

stabilizes the entire system. As the current moves through the
system, it turns the screws, which turn a gearless permanent
magnet generator.
Because it is small in diameter, the entire system moves very
slowly at about 5-10 rotations per minute (rpm), which is good
for the marine environment, said Brattekas. This also allows
for many devices to be placed fairly closely, without sacrifcing
energy output.
Flumill deployed its 600-kW device at the European Marine
Energy Centre (EMEC) test site off the coast of Eday, an Orkney
Island off of Scotland. After several months of successful testing,
Flumill is ready to scale up its technology. In late 2012, Flumill
was awarded NOK 57.5 million (US $9.8 million) to partially fund
a full-scale testing project on Rystraumen, Norway. According to
a release, this will be the next step towards a fully commercial
tidal park, which is to be installed in the UK in 2014 or 2015.
Paddling the Waves

Based in Boston, Mass. Resolute Marine Energy (RME) has developed a technology, called SurgeWEC, which can not only create
energy from waves, but also transport seawater to a desalination
plant. The 2- to 3-meter device itself is like a paddle with a buoyancy tube that is mounted to the seabed. It moves back in forth
with the waves, which creates energy or can pressurize seawater, and then electricity and/or seawater moves to shore. Since
the system is deployed close

to shore, it can also lower
energy transmission costs.
The technology has been
tested at a simulation center and in the ocean where it
scored 30 percent effciencies
and Resolute Marine Energy
is now ready to deploy a 750kW commercial-scale project at a Yakutat, Alaska site.
It received permitting earlier
this year.
With this FERC approval
we can begin the studies and
the planning that are necessary to design the project and
to prepare the needed application for a FERC license to
operate, said RME Senior
Engineer and project manager Clifford Goudey. We
need to characterize the
wave resource in detail and
engineer a system that will
provide the most beneft to
the community by alleviating its current dependence
upon its diesel-powered
generating plant.
These are just three technologies currently approaching commercialization,
and industry advocates are
excited about the possibilities.
These companies are putting
in the time to make the technical investment to commercial application in the near
term, no longer talking about
decades down the road, said
Leatherman.
89
D I S T R I B U T E D E N E RG Y
Virtual Power Plants:

A New Model for
Renewables Integration
With distributed
energy generation
growing and increasing
amounts of renewable power
coming onto the grid, new
technologies and business
models are helping to balance
loads, smooth variability and
integrate diverse resources.
TILDY BAYAR, Associate Editor
A VPP relies
on software
systems and a
single, secure
web-connected
system to
operate.
Credit Siemens.
90
Todays global energy market is in the midst of a

paradigm shift, from a model dominated by large centralized power plants owned by big utilities to a mixed
bag of so-called distributed energy generation facilities smaller residential, commercial and industrial power generation systems many of which use
renewable resources.
The boom in smaller installations, which are
beneftting from new technological developments
and business models, is undermining the traditional
advantages associated with building large centralized power generation, such as economies of scale.
For example, self-consumption, where
consumers become producers of their own
power (or prosumers), has caused major
utilities to respond with new business
models designed to keep those consumers
as customers.
Virtual Power Plants

One distributed generation technology
with signifcant growth potential is
the virtual power plant (VPP). In the
VPP model an energy aggregator gathers a portfolio of smaller generators and
operates them as a unifed and fexible
resource on the energy market or sells
their power as system reserve.
VPPs are designed to maximize asset
owners profts while also balancing the
grid. They can match load fuctuations
through forecasting, advance metering and
computerized control, and can perform real-time optimization of

energy resources.
Virtual power plants essentially represent an Internet of
Energy, tapping existing grid networks to tailor electricity supply
and demand services for a customer, said Navigant senior analyst Peter Asmus in a market report. The VPP market will grow
from less than US $1 billion per year in 2013 to $3.6 billion per
year by 2020, according to Navigants research and one reason is that with more variable renewables on the grid fexibility
and demand response are becoming more crucial.
Asmus called VPPs an ideal optimization platform for the
coming transformation of the power grid, adding that both supply and demand fexibility will be increasingly necessary to
accommodate fast ramping periods and address corresponding
supply forecast errors.
German utility RWE began a VPP in 2012 that now has
around 80 MW of capacity. According to Jon-Erik Mantz, commercial director of RWE Energy Services in Germany, in the
near future fexibility will become a commodity. Virtual power
plants generate additional value from the fexibility they can
offer the grid, he saidso, for RWE, this is why we concentrate on building VPPs. As large utilities market share falls in
response to growing self-consumption, he said, utilities can still
be part of a VPP and proft.
Dr. Thomas Werner, senior key expert in product lifecycle
management at Siemens, said that in order to integrate diverse
smaller energy sources, You need an energy management system with good data models which represents energy resources
on the one hand and, on the other, the energy market environment. Werner believes VPPs fulfll these conditions and are the
best way to integrate a growing number of power sources into
the grid and the market.
VPPs can be handled like other conventional generation, he
said. They can target different energy markets and regulatory
environments. They can play as important a role as conventional
concentrated generation.
No Real Competition
From my point of view, there is no real competition for the VPP
concept, Werner said, pointing to VPPs use of cheap and ubiquitous information and communication technologies, while other
technology trends like building energy storage systems incur
comparatively heavy costs.

VPPs can also avoid expensive installation costs in, for
example, a home system,
he notes. Self-consumption
for home or industrial use is
hampered by having to produce the right amount of
power at the right time.
VPPs can deliver needed
energy at peak usage times,
and can store any surplus
power, giving the energy
aggregator more options
than would exist in a single
power plant. Other advantages include improved power
network effciency and security, cost and risk savings
in transmission systems,
increased value from existing infrastructure assets
and reduced emissions from
peaking power plants. And,
importantly, VPPs can also
enable more effcient integration of renewable energy
sources into the grid by balancing their variability.
For example, explains
Werner, if one wind power
source generates a bit more
energy than predicted and
another generates a bit less,
they will compensate for each
other, resulting in a more
accurate forecast and making
it easier to sell the capacity
in the market or to use it in
power systems operation.
A VPP can also combine
variable renewable power
91
DistributeD energy
sources with stable, controllable sources such as biomass plants,

using the fexibility of the biomass source to smooth out any discrepancy between planned and actual production.
How a VPP Works

A VPP relies on software systems to remotely and automatically dispatch and optimize generation, demand-side or storage
resources (including plug-in electric vehicles and bi-directional inverters) in a single, secure web-connected system,
explains Werner.
In order to bring diverse, independent resources into a unifed
network, complex planning and scheduling are required. The
key ingredient that makes it all work, said Werner, is software.
There is a server system installed in a control room, with communication channels like mobile phone or DSL connections to
connect to the energy management system, he explained.
You have several advanced applications in the energy management system like forecasting applications, scheduling applications and an automatic generation control, he continues.
The VPP uses weather forecasts for calculating the electrical and
thermal loads which have to be supplied, as well as for forecasting the generation of renewable units. These forecasts are used
in the scheduling application, which is similar to a short-term
unit commitment and economic dispatch in large power systems.
It calculates the schedule for the entire VPP and all the distributed energy resources. The operator of the VPP uses the schedule
DEMS
Decentralized energy
management system
Weather forecasting
Energy trading
to market the energy and

the power on the energy
exchange, or as tertiary or
secondary control reserve.
Looking to the Future

There is currently no standard interface for the communication between the VPP
control systems and the distributed energy resources,
Werner said. Today you
need to know what the different communication interfaces can provide which
makes the connection a bit
more complicated. Sometimes
the cost for the interface is
big. If you have a new energy
resource, you need to fgure
out the best way to make the
connection between the unit
and the VPP. In the future,
with a standard interface, you
will not have this problem.
A standard interface is in
Effectivity
Modeling
Billing
Forecasting
Contract management
Current
Scheduling
Real-time
Network operations
optimization
Optimized
Connected external processes
Wind / PV
CHP / Backup
diesel
Biomass
Storage
Load and generation

Dems-Graphic: Schematic of a sample virtual power plant. Credit Siemens.
92
Industry
Commercial
DistributeD energy
Virtual
power plant
A Virtual Power Plant aggregates different types of energy generation

and controls it as if it was one source. Credit Siemens.
the works, he said, with an initial version in development. Some

of these interfaces are already up and running, Werner said,
but the majority of the distributed energy resources which are
already installed do not support this communication protocol.
The lack of a standard interface is the only technical problem
with VPPs, according to Werner. But there is the non-technical
problem of differing market conditions, and different regulatory
conditions in different energy markets. There is not a general
concept of operating a VPP Germany is different from the UK,
which is different from the U.S., he explained.
You have to defne a VPP solution for each energy market.
In the European grids you will see similar market conditions
and similar regulation conditions, but you may have to adapt a
German system if you want to use it in Canada or the U.S.
And energy markets are often moving targets, he continued.
We had a project started, a VPP for a particular energy exchange
with renewable energy. The regulatory authority in Germany
told us that there were some aspects which did not ft with the
regulation conditions, so we
changed the model to participate in the market for control reserve. Two years later
the regulations changed, and
we could integrate renewable
energy into the energy market for direct marketing. We
adapted the business concept
within a running project, he
said, something VPPs are particularly suited for due to their
low costs.
In Germany a VPP can
participate in the market for
control reserve and secondary control reserve, but there
are other energy markets in
the world where thats not
allowed: you need concentrated conventional units for
those markets. I think this
has to be changed as we see
more and more distributed
renewable energy sources in
energy systems, Werner said.
But this change is happening. The VPP concept
will be increasingly typical
in energy markets, Werner
believes. What we see is
that, in countries such as the
UK and France, the concept
is discussed more and more.
New operational concepts are
needed for renewable energy
to participate in the market, Werner said: Otherwise
the restrictions of the electrical grids will limit the further increase of renewable
generation.
93
Renewa ble Energ y Wor ld C a lenda r S eptemb er a nd O c tob er 2013

Selected multi-day conferences, expos and events for the Renewable Energy Industry
GulfSol 2013
Dubai, UAE
3-5 September 2013
E. des@gattacaltd.com
W: www.gulfsol.com
RETECH 2013
Washington, DC, US
9-11 September 2013
E: cfox@accessintel.com
W: www.retech2013.com
Asia Pacific Clean Energy
Summit and Expo
Honalulu, Hawaii
9-11 September 2013
E: wenning@techconnect.org
W: http://www.ct-si.org/
events/APCE2013/
The Renewables Event
Birmingham, UK
10-11 September 2013
W: www.
therenewablesevent.com
Renewable Energy India Expo
Greater Noida, India
UBM India Pvt. Ltd
W: www.
renewableenergyindiaexpo.com
SR Marine Conference,
Exhibition & Dinner 2013
Inverness, Scotland
E. info@scottishrenewables.com
W: www.scottishrenewables.com
Renewable Energy World Asia

Bangkok, Thailand
2-4 October 2013
T: +44 1992 656 647
E:leec@pennwell.com
W: www.powergenasia.com
Renex Eurasia
Ankara, Turkey
15-18 October 2013
T: +90 (0)212 3346900
E:info@sodex.com.tr
W: www.renex.com.tr
Powering MENA
Ministerial Summit
Jordan
E. oliver.reed@estratevents.com
W: www.ese-poweringafrica.com
28th European Photovoltaic

Solar Energy Conference
and Exhibition
Paris, France
1-3 October 2013
T: +49-89-720 12 735
E:wip@wip-munich.de
W: www.photovoltaicconference.com
Solar Power International

Chicago, Il, USA
21-24 October 2013
E: info@solarpowerinternational.
com
W: www.
solarpowerinternational.com
Solar Asia Expo

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
T: +(603) 2176 8788
E: adzli.ariff@ubm.com
W: www.solarasiaexpo.com
Intersolar South America
So Paulo, Brasil
T: +49 7231 58598-0
W: www.intersolar.net.br
The Caribbean Renewable

Energy Forum (CREF)
Aruba, Caribbean
9-11 October 2013
T: +1 845 440 7800
E: mperks@
caribbeanenergyforum.com
W: http://www.
caribbeanenergyforum.com
HydroVision Brasil
Sao Paulo, Brasil
T: +1 918-831-9704
E: tchambers@pennwell.com
W: www.hydrovisionbrasil.com
22nd World Energy Congress

Daegu, Korea
13-17 October 2013
T: +82-2-3489-4400
E: info@daegu2013.kr
W: www.daegu2013.kr
Adver t iser s Index
Turkey-MENA Renewable
Energy Congress
Istanbul, Turkey
24-25 October 2013
E:info@szwgroup.com
W:http://www.szwgroup.
com/renewable2013/
Renewable Energy World
Conference and Expo,
North America
Orlando, Florida
11-14 November 2013
T: +1 918-831-9704
E: cchitty@pennwell.com
W: www.renewableenergyworldevents.com/
Scan the QR code for information on the products and services found in this issue.
ABB OY61
Ingeteam SA53
PVSYST SA95
American Wind Energy

Association47
MTS Sensor Technologie

GmbH & Co. KG23
Renewable World21
Bechtel Advertising1
Multi-Contact AG85
Siemens AG48
CG Power Systems Belgium NV59
Nexans9
Solar Energy Trade Shows, LLC66-67
Dresser Rand11
Power Generation Week41
Everglades University6
Hydrovision International 201471
Solar Promotion International

GmbH15
Exxon Mobil45
Hydrovision Russia 2014CV3
Sputnik Engineering19
Hamburg Messe51
Hydrovision Brasil 201335
UniracCV2
Hempel A/S52
REW Asia 201330
Wind Parks of Ukraine27
Hytorc, Division of Unex Corp5
REWNA 2013CV4
Schneider Electric2
The Adveritsers Index is published as a service. The publisher does not assume any liability for errors or omissions.
94
Renewa ble Energ y Tra ining Event s

Here we offer a sampling of short renewable energy educational events and certificate programs throughout the world.
The Green Power Mini-MBA

Green Power Academy
Dubai, UAE
MREA PV 205.02
Intermediate Photovoltaics
Midwest Renewable
Energy Association
Custer, Wisconsin, USA
GRC Pre-Annual
Meeting Workshop Geothermal Exploration
in the 21st Century
Geothermal Resources Council
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Geothermal Energy
3-Day MBA
Green Power Academy
Santiago, Chile
7-9 October 2013
Solar Training - Solar Electric
Lab Week (Grid-Direct)
Solar Energy International
Paonia, Colorado, USA
7-11 October 2013
Commercial Solar:
Commissioning from A to Z
Heatspring Learning Institute
21 Oct-15 Nov 2013
Online
Biomass One-Day Course

The European Energy Centre
Coventry University, UK and
Edinburgh Napier University,
Scotland and Online
Offered Year Round
Wind Power Finance School
Green Power Academy
London, UK
28 Oct-1 Nov 2013
Solar PV Installer Boot
Camp Training + NABCEP
Entry Level Exam Prep
Heatspring Learning Institute
Various Locations,
USA and Online
October and November 2013
Renewable Energy for

the Developing World
Solar Energy International
4 Nov-15 De 2013
Online
Hydro Plant Maintenance
and Reliability
Marcus Evans
Denver, Colorado, USA
5-7 November 2013
Deep-cycle Battery
Manufacturing Webcast
Trojan Battery Company
6 Nov 2013
Online
If you would like your training event to considered for inclusion in this listing, please email REWNews@Pennwell.com subject line: Education and Training.
available
a
vaila
able o
on
n www
w
www.pvsyst.com
w vsy
w.pv
yst..co
om
Designed for engineers, architects, researchers, education

PVSYST SA | 107 route du Bois-de-Bay - 1242 Satigny - Switzerland | admin@pvsyst.com
Last
the
WORD
Marine Renewables Deliver Security
Anders Jansson
is co-founder and
CEO of Minesto, an
energy technology
company in the field
of marine energy,
with a patented and
proven technology
(Deep Green) to
harvest energy from
low-velocity tidal
and ocean currents.
He has eight years of
experience developing
and commercializing
marine energy
technology, both as
an entrepreneur and
business leader. He has
a background from
Chalmers University of
Technology.
96
Those who remember the oil crises in the 70s, when OPEC strangled oil supply to the West drastically
raising the price of oil, do so with a
shiver. Price controls, rationing, long
petrol queues, cold buildings, and
dark streetlights are some mementos. Many economists blame the oil
embargo for the near decade-long
recession in the 70s.
Most countries in the world are
still net importers of energy. The U.S.,
Japan and Europe are hugely dependent on imported energy. Out of the
27 EU countries, 26 are net importers. And the dependency is increasing
in many countries. The EUs import
dependency was 54 percent in 2010
compared to 40percent in the 1980s.
A disturbingly large number of
nations are almost completely dependent on energy imports. In this motley
group we find Luxemburg, Cyprus,
Malta, Morocco, Singapore, Taiwan,
Hong Kong, Puerto Rico, the Maldives,
Ireland, South Korea, and many
Pacific Islands. Many of these nations
are isolated (e.g. island nations) and
also poor, adding insult to injury.
The good news is that renewables
have the potential to partially or completely replace imports. Access to
inexpensive and secure local energy
can be a growth enabler in developing countries, creating local jobs.
Some nations are well positioned
to use multiple energy sources

like solar, wind, biogas and marine
energy to achieve a clean, safe and
reliable power supply. Some tropical
island nations have an abundance of
sun as well as tidal and ocean currents from which energy can be harvested. Tidal and ocean currents are
highly rich in energy; a water current
of 1.5m/s contains as much kinetic
energy as a wind blowing 40m/s.
For example South Korea has
a vulnerable energy system and
imports 85 percent of its energy.
Events this summer resulted in electricity shortages during a period of
extreme heat. But South Korea has a
long coastline with energy-rich ocean
and tidal currents. Estimates show
that it could potentially but realistically harvest half of the energy it
needs from the surrounding oceans.
South Korea has a strong political
will to increase the local renewable
energy supply, and programs are in
place to support this development.
Opponents of renewable energy
often state that it isnt reliable since it
is dependent on weather. This is not
true for tidal and ocean energy, which
has higly predictable, stable currents.
Many nations can move away from
unsustainable energy import dependency to a healthy and secure supply
of clean energy good not only for
them but for the entire planet.
Conference & Exhibition

4 - 6 March 2014 | Expocentre, Moscow, Russia
Promoting Modernization Effciency and Innovation
RESERVE YOUR SPACE AT RUSSIAS LEADING

INTERNATIONAL HYDRO EVENT
HydroVision Russia, co-located with Russia Power, provides an ideal setting to explore business
opportunities, meet new partners, suppliers and the industrys most infuential decision-makers.
The 2013 event combined with Russia Power attracted over 5,500 attendees from 64 countries.
The three day event, comprises a busy exhibition foor featuring major Russian and international
hydropower companies accompanied by a thought provoking conference programme.
Why should you be at HydroVision Russia 2014
Be part of the largest hydro event in Russia

Discover new products and the latest technology
Learn about helpful services and new solutions
Connect with leading decision makers and luminaries in the hydro power market
Interact with hydro experts from Europe, Latin America, North America,
and the Middle East
Network and meet high profle professionals and peers gathered in one place
Gain knowledge, market updates and insight from speakers throughout the world, including
Austria, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Georgia, Pakistan, Russia,
Spain, Switzerland, and USA
Gain insight and key updates about potential hydro resources that can be developed
Gain the knowledge and tools needed for designing, operating, controlling, and
refurbishing power plants
Find ways to save money and work better
Join us at HydroVision Russia and be part of an established event that

continues to infuence the hydropower industry.
Owned and Produced by:
Presented by:
Supported by:
For queries relating to the

conference, please contact:
Mathilde Sueur
Conference Manager
T: +44 1992 656 634
F: +44 1992 656 700
E: Mathildes@pennwell.com
For information on exhibiting
and sponsorship at HydroVision
Russia, please visit
www.hydrovision-russia.com
or contact:
Worldwide:
Amanda Kevan
T: +44 (0) 1992 656 645
F: +44 (0) 1992 656 700
E: amandak@pennwell.com
Tom Marler
T: +44 (0) 1992 656 608
F: +44 (0) 1992 656 700
E: tomm@pennwell.com
Russia and CIS:
Natalia Gaisenok
T: +7 495 258 31 36
F: +7 495 258 31 36
E: nataliag@pennwell.com
Svetlana Strukova
T: +7 495 258 31 36
F: +7 495 258 31 36
E: svetlanas@pennwell.com
www.hydrovision-russia.com
Co-located with:
Progressive
Changes
for the future
Nov. 12-14, 2013

Orange County
Convention Center
Orlando, FL
Focusing on the latest

technologies and policies in
wind, solar, biomass, hydro,
geothermal and more, you simply cant afford to miss
this unique opportunity.
REGISTER
TODAY!
And now co-located with POWER-GEN International,

Renewable Energy World Conference & Expo North America
is THE platform for renewables to grow into the mainstream!
Visit RenewableEnergyWorld-events.com to view the full conference program.
Owned & Produced By:
Co-located With:
Presented By:
Supported By:
Media Sponsor:

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