KW17 | IHS: Solar PV energy storage market to grow to USD 19 billion in 2017 – SolarServer

See on Scoop.itGreen Energy Technologies & Development

IHS Inc. (Englewood, Colorado, US) has released a new report which predicts that the market for energy storage to accompany solar photovoltaic (PV) generation will grow more than 100% annually to 7 GW in 2017, representing USD 19 billion in value.

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

Due to the energy storage subsidy, IHS expects Germany to play a leading role, as it did in the larger PV industry. The company predicts that 70% of installed storage in 2013 will be located in Germany.

IHS expects that if the program proves successful, other nations will pass similar subsidies. …

Market for storage with utility-scale PV as well

IHS also expects that storage will be used in larger PV systems, as connection requirements for PV become increasingly demanding. The company forecasts that utility-scale PV with storage will grow to more than 2 GW annually by 2017, led by Asia and the Americas.

See on www.solarserver.com

International Battery and Energy Storage Alliance Founded – Solar Novus Today

See on Scoop.itGreen Energy Technologies & Development

IPVEA and EuPD Research form International Battery and Energy Storage Alliance

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

The newly founded alliance plans to support and enable cooperation between companies from the fields of solar energy production, electrical energy storage and smart grid technologies. Together, the members of the International Battery and Energy Storage Alliance (IBESA) will create access to professional resources, market intelligence, new networks, and emerging markets. Over 70 members of the International PV Equipment Association (IPVEA) will immediately benefit from this strong partnership.

Alongside companies in the photovoltaic, battery and solar storage sectors, IBESA is also a valuable partner for energy providers, municipal utilities, installers, consulting firms and banks. …

Interested companies can contact the International Battery and Energy Storage Alliance directly in order to become members.

See on www.solarnovus.com

China Eastern tests flight using biofuel – Xinhua | English.news.cn

See on Scoop.itGreen & Sustainable News

Sinopec is the first company in China to master the technology of turning palm oil and waste cooking oil into jet biofuel l.

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

The jet, which used a palm oil biofuel made by China Petroleum and Chemical Corp, or Sinopec, Asia’s largest oil refiner, flew for 85 minutes after taking off from Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport.

Liu said he performed several extreme maneuvers, including diving above 12,000 meters, but found no significant difference between the Sinopec biofuel and gasoline. The plane’s left fuel tank was filled with gasoline to allow him to compare.

“The performance of the biofuel during the takeoff was powerful,” the pilot added.

Sinopec is the first company in China to master the technology of turning palm oil and waste cooking oil into jet biofuel.

 

See on news.xinhuanet.com

Lawmakers float renewable energy finance bill – The Hill’s E2-Wire

See on Scoop.itGreen Energy Technologies & Development

A bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers revived legislation Wednesday that aims to spur renewable energy investment through federal tax code tweak. Lawmakers unveiled the Master Limited Partnerships Parity Act — spearheaded in the Senate by Sens.

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

The bill would extend master limited partnerships to renewable energy projects ranging from wind power to energy efficiency. Currently, only oil-and-gas projects can use the financing mechanism.

“This market-driven solution supports the all-of-the-above energy strategy we need to power our country for generations to come. Our legislation will unleash private capital, create jobs and modernize our tax code,” Coons said in a statement.

See on thehill.com

Lithium-polysulfide “Flow” battery helps solar and wind power the grid

See on Scoop.itGreen Energy Technologies & Development

Researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University have managed to design a low-cost, long-life battery that could enable solar …

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

The new Stanford/SLAC battery design uses only one stream of molecules and does not need a membrane at all. Its molecules mostly consist of the relatively inexpensive elements lithium and sulfur, which interact with a piece of lithium metal coated with a barrier that permits electrons to pass without degrading the metal.

When discharging, the molecules, called lithium polysulfides, absorb lithium ions; when charging, they lose them back into the liquid. The entire molecular stream is dissolved in an organic solvent, which doesn’t have the corrosion issues of water-based flow batteries.

“In initial lab tests, the new battery also retained excellent energy-storage performance through more than 2,000 charges and discharges, equivalent to more than 5.5 years of daily cycles,” Cui explained.

See on www.tgdaily.com

USDA Renews Dairy Energy Pact – Domestic Fuel

See on Scoop.itGreen & Sustainable News

Agriculture Secretary Vilsack today renewed a historic agreement with U.S. dairy producers to accelerate the adoption of innovative waste-to-energy projects and energy efficiency improvements on U.S. dairy farms…

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

USDA support for agricultural and waste-to-energy research has played a key role in the agreement’s success to date. Since signing the MOU, USDA has made nearly 180 awards that helped finance the development, construction, and biogas production of anaerobic digester systems with Rural Development programs, such as the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), Bioenergy Program for Advanced Biofuels, Business and Industry Guaranteed Loan Program, Value Added Producer Grants, amongst others. These systems capture methane and produce renewable energy for on-farm use and sale onto the electric grid. Additionally, during this period, USDA awarded approximately 140 REAP loans and grants to help dairy farmers develop other types of renewable energy and energy efficiency systems at their operations.

See on domesticfuel.com

More Major Companies Embrace New Recycling Label | Ethical Consumption

See on Scoop.itGreen & Sustainable News

A dozen major U.S. companies, including General Mills (NYSE:GIS), Kellogg’s (NYSE:K), Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) and REI, have already joined the labeling scheme. Since launching last January, How2Recycle has established itself as the only labeling system that convey recyclability across all material types and provides explicit directions to consumers to influence their recycling behavior.

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

“Consumers are faced with a confusing landscape of material and recycling messages that are often inconsistent or misleading. We believe this label will help consumers and companies more effectively communicate recyclability and contribute to more successful resource recovery,” said Anne Bedarf, who led the development of the label, at a launch ceremony for How2Recycle last year.

“As we enable consumers to recycle correctly, we ensure more quality recycled material is available for us to use, our consumers send less waste to landfill, and we can reduce the energy needed to create new packages,” added Lorio, whose company was recently named one of the “Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World” by Corporate Knights.

See on www.justmeans.com

And now, for printed energy storage – with solar : Renew Economy

See on Scoop.itGreen Building Design – Architecture & Engineering

Australia’s Dyesol teams up with a developer of printed energy storage technology to create self-powering indoor devices.

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

Australian solar dye technology develop DyeSol and created a new venture with Singapore based Printed Power to develop combined energy generation and printed energy storage devices designed for the commercial building market.

See on reneweconomy.com.au

Biofuel Used to Make Stronger Building Materials

See on Scoop.itGreen Building Design – Architecture & Engineering

Biodiesel Fuel. Image Source: Tomorrow Is Greener Civil engineers have developed a tougher and more resilient form of concrete by using waste material created during the manufacture of biofuel as a proxy for cement.

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

Biofuel manufactured from cellulose materials such as wood and straw creates a residue called lignin, which is generally deemed a waste product and disposed of via burning or burial.

Engineers at the University of Kansas have found that the lignin has immense potential as a green building ingredient. When 20 per cent lignin waste was added to a concrete mix as a replacement for cement, the ensuing chemical reaction created a building material endowed with 30 per cent more strength.

The findings could have tremendous implications for both the biofuel and concrete industries, as well as the carbon footprint of the construction sector, which generates immense CO2 emissions due to cement production.

See on designbuildsource.com.au

Zero Carbon Building Wins Hong Kong’s Inaugural Engineering Innovation Award

See on Scoop.itGreen Building Design – Architecture & Engineering

Image Source: Arup Hong Kong’s Zero Carbon Building (ZCB) has won the inaugural “Champion of the Innovation Award for the Engineering Industry” from the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE). The ZCB employed a swath of integrated innovatio …

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

The ZCB employed a swath of integrated innovations to best meet the unique conditions of Hong Kong’ sub-tropical location and frenetic urban setting, incorporating a total of over 80 sustainability features to heighten its efficiency and diminish its environmental impact.

The roof of the three-storey building is almost completely covered in photovoltaic panels to take advantage of Hong Kong’s torrid climate for power generation purposes. In addition to solar power, the ZCB is also capable of producing energy using biodiesel derived from waste cooking oil, which is widely used in the city’s thriving culinary culture.

See on designbuildsource.com.au