Sunday, February 27, 2011

Energy security key to power progress

Financial year 2011-12 is important for the power sector in India – it is the last year of the Eleventh Five-Year Plan and the last year to achieve the target of “electricity for all” planned under the National Electricity Policy. The allocation for power in the coming budget will be focusing on two issues — furthering distribution reforms and taking measures for energy security.

The Restructured-Accelerated Power Development and Reforms Programme (RAPDRP) is expected to get a lion’s share of the plan outlay in the budget. Part A of the plan, which involves putting in IT system for preparation of baseline in urban towns, will require over Rs 3,000 crore in 2011-12. The Part B, which will largely focus on strengthening the distribution network, will require over Rs 25,000 crore and shall be spread over next 2-3 years.

Friday, February 25, 2011

Delabole wind farm opened after redevelopment

Energy and climate change secretary Chris Huhne is set to reopen Britain's first commercial wind farm following the addition of four advanced wind turbines.

Run by Good Energy, the Delabole wind farm originally opened in 1991 with ten turbines, the Press Association reported.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Centrica profits rise by 24 per cent.

The energy giant Centrica sees its profits rise by 24 per cent to £742million on the back of the coldest British winter in 100 years.

The company - which owns British Gas - raised prices by seven per cent for eight million customers just two months ago, taking the average dual fuel bill from £1,157 to £1,239.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Oil briefly hits $100 - highest since 2008

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- U.S. oil prices briefly hit the $100-a-barrel for the first time in over two years Wednesday, as reports of Libyan oil production shutdowns swirled.

Italian oil giant Eni said Wednesday that it had partially shut down its 150,000-barrel-per-day production in the North African country.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Rethinking America's energy security

Last month, amid fears the Suez Canal might be closed by the political turmoil in Egypt, the price of oil briefly topped $100 per barrel. As a result of ongoing clashes in Bahrain and Libya, oil prices are again approaching the century mark.

The revolutions in North Africa, along with other evidence of political instability across the Middle East, should remind us that America’s lack of a coherent domestic energy policy is putting our economy and our national security at risk.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Commodities Buzz: Integrated Food And Energy Crops Work For Poor Farmers-FAO

Producing food and energy side-by-side may offer one of the best formulas for boosting countries' food and energy security while simultaneously reducing poverty, according to a new FAO report published recently.

The study, Making Integrated Food-Energy Systems (IFES) Work for People and Climate - An Overview, draws on specific examples from Africa, Asia and Latin America as well as from some developed countries to show how constraints to successfully integrating production of food and energy crops can be overcome.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

The Age of Energy: Boosting business by cutting carbon

As climate change and security of supply concerns drive the carbon reduction agenda, the attention of businesses naturally focuses on the compliance and risk management requirements.

Yet the Age of Energy will also be a huge engine for growth and, while serious capital will be required to lay much of the new low-carbon infrastructure, there’s still lots of room for small and medium-sized companies to prosper.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Government launches Green Economy Council

A new body advising government on how to best work with industry on green growth policies and de-carbonising the economy kicked off its inaugural meeting today.

The Green Economy Council brings 23 representatives from across the green industry sector together with ministers from the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS), the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

German chancellor in Bratislava to meet premiers from central Europe over energy security

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is travelling to the Slovak capital to meet her counterparts from Central and Eastern Europe in talks expected to focus on energy security and regional co-operation.

The future of the eurozone and other EU-related issues are also high on the agenda of the annual meeting of prime ministers of Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland whose countries form an informal grouping known as the V4.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Political stability vital for energy security

Energy protection and stability would not be possible without a sustainable political situation in the region says expert.

“Political instability makes negative impact on energy protection, stability in energy is crucial as political stability,” said Salman Sheikh, Director, Brooking Doha Centre, at a symposium held at the Georgetown University –Qatar yesterday.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

E.U. Climate Chief Has Work Cut Out for Her

Connie Hedegaard embodies the way the European Commission would like to be perceived in the 21st century.

Ms. Hedegaard, 50, leads the commission’s efforts on climate change, an issue with global resonance, and she is a confident and telegenic communicator, helping dislodge the commission’s image as a haven for graying politicians who settle fights over fish quotas.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Local incentives proposed for wind farms

Communities that approve new wind farms could get a financial reward from the government under a new scheme promised by Charles Hendry, energy minister.

Mr Hendry will say on Thursday afternoon that wind is part of the solution to “massive energy-security and low-carbon challenges” faced by the country but that he intends to give the policy greater “democratic legitimacy”. “At present too often a community can see what it will lose by having a wind farm in its midst but it cannot see what it gains,” he will tell an audience at Westminster Hall.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Terrorism: Natural Gas Explosion Highlights Egypt’s Energy Security Risks

A pipeline explosion cutting off natural gas supplies from Egypt to Israel and Jordan is believed to be terror-related

Mounting tensions in Egypt have escalated to frightful rioting as protestors and supporters of President Mubarek clash in the streets of Cairo and other major Egyptian cities. This has left a looming question mark as to the energy security in the region. Egypt is a major exporter of natural gas in North Africa and to the Middle East, with pipelines connecting various neighboring countries.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

EU puts energy at top of agenda

BRUSSELS, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- Nothing is more important to European energy security than power and natural gas transports, the European energy commissioner said from Brussels.

The European community is looking for ways to break the Russian grip on the energy sector. Market vulnerabilities were exposed most recently in 2009 when disputes between Kiev and Moscow over gas contracts prompted Russian gas company Gazprom to cut supplies through Ukraine's gas transmission network.

Monday, February 7, 2011

ISRAEL: A controversial shale project and energy security

The suspension of Egyptian gas supply to Israel has lighted a fire under the feet of Israeli officials, businessmen and shareholders trying to assess how events in Egypt will affect Israel's energy economy.

Initial assessments that it is in Egypt's interests to keep the lucrative gas deals with Israel may prove right when the dust settles. But the shake-up in Egypt is a wake-up call for Israel, too.

Friday, February 4, 2011

E.U. Leaders Seek Common Energy Negotiations

BRUSSELS — Leaders of the European Union agreed on Friday to give unprecedented leeway to the bloc’s executive agency to take part in negotiating contracts with energy exporters like Russia in an effort to improve security of supplies and safeguard investment.

There is “a need for better coordination” among E.U. countries and for more coherence in “relations with key producer, transit and consumer countries,” the leaders said in a statement at the close of a one-day summit meeting in Brussels.

The meeting was originally dedicated entirely to energy issues and to bolstering innovation. But that focus was overshadowed by the continuing sovereign debt crisis in the euro zone and developments in Egypt.

Negotiations over energy supply and prices are now left to individual member states. But energy deals are a concern for the entire European Union, which has 27 members and imports more than half of its energy, with about 40 percent of its natural gas coming from Russia.

Dealing more effectively with Russia became a priority after a dispute between Ukraine and Russia blocked gas supplies to a number of E.U. countries during the depths of winter two years ago.

Last year, the E.U. authorities struggled to ensure that an agreement between Poland and Russia on a natural gas pipeline between Siberia and Germany that is partly owned by the Russian state-controlled company Gazprom would give other gas operators access to the Polish section of the pipeline.

There are also tensions between the European Union and Russia over an E.U.-backed pipeline called Nabucco that would start delivering gas by around 2015 from the Caspian Sea region, bypassing Russia and Ukraine.

Russia has backed a separate project called South Stream, which would take Russian natural gas under the Black Sea to Europe.

Under the agreement reached Friday, the E.U. energy commissioner, Günther Oettinger, is expected to present a formal proposal in June giving the European Commission, the E.U.’s executive arm, the power to help member states reach contracts with Russia and other governments if the deals are significant enough to affect the bloc’s energy security.

Mr. Oettinger’s mandate would also extend to other sources of energy, like electricity from renewable sources. That would give European companies investing in solar projects in countries like Morocco and Tunisia added security because the commission could impose trade sanctions on those countries if there were any attempt to confiscate facilities in the event of political instability.

Giving the commission a role in such negotiations would also allow it to make sure such agreements mandate common standards for technologies of the future, so that electricity from solar farms outside the bloc can easily be integrated into a European grid.

That could increase the willingness of banks and utilities to invest in a project called Desertec, which would harvest the sun’s energy using a method known as concentrating solar power, or C.S.P., from the vast North African desert and deliver it as electricity, via high-voltage transmission lines, to markets in Europe.

But Mr. Oettinger’s proposal will probably face tough scrutiny by E.U. governments that are wary of giving more power to the bloc’s central authority. The British government was already concerned about “competence creep,” said a British diplomat who spoke on the condition of anonymity, as is customary at E.U. summit meetings.

European leaders also agreed to back an earlier appeal by Mr. Oettinger to direct E.U. funds to Europe’s electricity grids and pipelines, in part to encourage private investment in the sector. The moves are part of an effort to enhance energy security and help integrate renewable sources of power into the bloc’s future energy mix.

Last year, Mr. Oettinger called on E.U. nations and industry to spend up to €1 trillion, or $1.36 trillion, over the next 10 years on energy, with around €200 billion of that dedicated to infrastructure for transmission systems.

Marlene Holzner, a spokeswoman for Mr. Oettinger, said he was likely to offer a list of infrastructure projects and suggestions to pay for them in June. Those could include E.U.-backed loan guarantees, to make it less expensive for companies to raise capital, and E.U.-backed bonds.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Is innovation the key driver for businesses

DUBAIBusiness leaders in the UAE believe in the importance of innovation as the main lever for a greener national economy and to improve citizens’ lives, according to the new ‘Global Innovation Barometer’ report by GE.

The first ‘Global Innovation Barometer’ also ranks the UAE high in the Innovation Optimism Index — an evaluation of how new thinking and applications can improve the quality of life.

The report comes as a befitting endorsement by the nation’s business community on the UAE’s policies, resources and budgetary allocations to improve education, create jobs, sustain healthcare and improve energy security.

The first-of-its-kind report outlines a new landscape for innovation in the 21st century, placing an increased premium on addressing local needs, marshaling the creativity of individuals and smaller organisations, and forging strategic partnerships.

The independent survey of 1,000 business executives in 12 countries, including the UAE, was commissioned by GE and conducted by research and consulting firm StrategyOne. “This study illustrates the new face of innovation and shows that as a global community, our priorities have shifted from innovations that just make money to innovations that also have the power to create good in people’s lives,” said Nabil Habayeb, GE’s President & CEO for the Middle East and Africa region.

Saudi Arabia ranks highest in the Innovation Optimism Index at 88, followed by UAE at 86 while the average of the 12 countries is 75, underscoring the increasing appreciation in the Arab world on the value of innovation for its positive impact on the society. Some 90 per cent of the UAE respondents said the nation was very or quite successful in allocating its policies to improve education and in creating jobs, while 92 per cent said the policies are in the right direction to sustain healthcare, and 84 per cent said the policies can improve energy security.

In the Innovation Context Index, which ranks the satisfaction level on the innovation environment in their countries, Saudi Arabia and the UAE rank at 72 and 70, respectively - much higher than the 12-country average of 59. An overwhelming 76 per cent of the respondents in the UAE, followed by Saudi Arabia (62per cent), say public private partnerships are essential in developing innovation.

The research also focused, specifically, on healthcare and energy — two key growth sectors for the Middle East region. The majority of respondents in Saudi Arabia (90 per cent) and the UAE (94 per cent) said innovation will improve energy independence; the country’s carbon footprint (Saudi Arabia – 88 per cent; UAE – 84 per cent); and energy distribution quality (92 per cent for both the countries).

Some 76 per cent of UAE respondents said innovation will help manage energy costs while 66 per cent from Saudi Arabia endorsed the view. In driving the efficiency of energy consumption too, innovation has a strong role, observed most respondents (Saudi Arabia – 82 per cent, UAE – 74 per cent). The figures were higher than the international average, highlighting the confidence of the region in innovation-powered energy use efficiency.

In a similar trend, the Saudi Arabian and UAE response to innovation to improve healthcare efficiency was also recorded as higher than the international averages. Some 92 per cent of Saudi and 82 per cent of UAE respondents said innovation by companies operating in their countries could improve overall health of the population.

Source: http://www.khaleejtimes.com

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Report gives Keystone pipe a lift

Allowing the Keystone XL pipeline to proceed would go a long way toward reducing U.S. dependence on Middle Eastern oil, says a report commissioned by the U.S. Department of Energy.

And that report was read with great interest in downtown Calgary, seat of TransCanada, the company behind the project that would connect the oilsands with the refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast.

“This study supports what we have been saying for some time — that Keystone XL will improve U.S. energy security and reduce dependence on foreign oil from the Middle East and Venezuela,” said TransCanada CEO Russ Girling, reiterating that construction of the pipe would create 20,000 well paying jobs south of the border.

But the report didn’t just refer to Keystone. It also singled out the oilsands as a source of energy that’s increasingly important to the U.S.

“Together, growing Canadian oilsands imports and U.S. demand reduction have the potential to very substantially reduce U.S. dependency on non-Canadian foreign oil, including from the Middle East,” the study says.

It’s an argument that’s largely congruent with what Canadian oil executives and industry lobbyists have been saying for some time.

Keystone, however, is still facing stiff resistance among landowners in states along the proposed path of the pipe.

Concerns vary from potential environmental impacts, especially on groundwater in the event of a leak, to property-rights issues dealing with rights-of-way.

Source: http://www.calgarysun.com

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Home security packaged with energy and solar

Vivint is a home security company looking for growth in home energy and solar installations.

The company, formerly called APX Alarms, today is scheduled to announce its new name and strategy to expand into home automation. It now has about 16,000 homes using a combined home alarm and energy management system, which it expects to grow to about 100,000 customers this year, according to CEO Todd Pederson.

Many utility-run smart-grid programs give consumers the ability to monitor their electricity usage and program appliances to run at off-peak times to save money. But similar energy management functions are being offered as part of home entertainment or security systems.

At this year's Consumer Electronics Show, a number of companies showed off home automation systems featuring home energy management as one application. Broadband providers, including Verizon, are also packaging energy management with other services.

Vivint's system works with a touch-screen panel that does both security and home control. Right now, it lets people remotely control a thermostat from the panel, a smartphone, or Web page.

The latest version expands the home automation with wireless light switches and wireless plugs for small appliances. Those devices use the Z-Wave protocol to communicate with the main control panel, which uses the cell phone network to connect to Vivint.

In the coming months, the company plans to offer solar panel installation services as well, said Pederson. "We think solar is just a natural fit from a service perspective," he said.

Vivint says that consumers can expect about $25 savings a month on electricity bills by turning off equipment from a central point. For example, there are pre-set programs so that a person can hit an "away" button on the control panel and the thermostat adjusts and other connected appliances turn off.

The cost for the service is either $44.99 or $49.99 per month after a $99 fee. Energy management is $6.99 per month and a security camera is another $9.99 per month.

The company is also looking to work with utilities' smart meters so consumers can participate in demand response programs where they get a rebate for moving power-hungry jobs to off-peak times.

Home security company ADT is also offering a home energy management service that lets people program and control thermostats and other connected devices remotely.

Source: http://news.cnet.com