Donald Trump’s Wind Farm Fiasco

By Greenicles Admin

There is a very interesting public ”fight” over the construction of wind farms in Scotland’s capital, Aberdeen. Scotland is currently known as a world leader in oil and gas exploration and production. At the moment, the country is making conscious efforts in becoming a world leader in not just oil and gas but in renewables energy also.  In doing this, all green sources of energy including wind, solar, biomass and tidal energy are to be employed to meet its ambitious targets. Recent polls show that more than more than 70% of Aberdeen 's residents are happy with this but US billionaire, Donald Trump isn't. Do I hear you ask why? Well, he says the proposed plan to erect eleven wind turbines seven miles away from his £1billion golf course in Scotland will spell doom for the country’s tourism industry.

Wind power alone is projected to generate half of the city’s energy needs but Mr Trump feels this is insignificant. He described wind turbines as ‘Ugly monstrosities’ and ‘horrendous machines’. The outspoken American business tycoon made his views known at the Scottish paliarment yesterday. He said, “This is a very, very serious problem that we are addressing. In my opinion, it is one of the most serious problems that Scotland will have or has had… Wind turbines made in China are going to be the destruction – almost a total destruction- of your tourism industry.” Yesterday, VisitScotland (a leading tourism body) published its latest survey which revealed that four out of five people said wind farms do not influence their decisions over where to holiday in the UK .

Quote of the Week!

"The public has given a clear vote of confidence to clean British energy from our wind, sun and sea – it makes no sense for the government to pursue an unwanted, costly dash for gas that's causing our fuel bills to rocket"


 - Craig Bennett (Friends of the Earth's director of policy and campaigns), reacting to the new poll results showing overwhelming support for clean and renewable energy. 2,844 people across the UK were questioned and only 2% backed an increase in the use of energy from fossil fuels.

Africa: Five Renewable Sources of Energy for Farmers in Developing Countries

By Isaac Hopkins and Jenny Beth Dyess

According to the United Nations, access to reliable and sufficient sources of energy will be critical to meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of reducing poverty and hunger by 2015. Many of the world's poorest people are rural farmers with no connections to power grids or large-scale energy sources. Most of their day-to-day energy currently comes from the burning of wood and charcoal, practices that contribute to air pollution, deforestation, and the loss of precious time and energy collecting firewood.

Today, Nourishing the Planet introduces five sources of renewable energy that are meeting the demands of poor farmers and allowing them to improve their harvests and their lives.

1. Solar Energy: Solar energy is widely harvested in two basic ways. The first is the use of solar panels, which use photovoltaic cells to convert solar radiation directly into electrical current. Such installations are efficient and versatile but have high start-up costs. The second is solar heating, which harnesses the heat of direct sunlight to boil water and cook food, activities which often constitute more than 25 percent of a household's energy use.

Solar Energy in Action: The Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF) is a non-profit organization that is working in more than 20 countries to install solar energy systems in rural and poor areas. One of their projects is an innovative drip-irrigation system in Benin that is powered by photovoltaics. Farmers are able to grow crops throughout the long dry season, greatly improving their food security, and SELF hopes to provide solar-powered water and lighting for all 44 villages in the district. Solar Household Energy, Inc. (SHE) provides rural farmers, often women, with solar cookers, called HotPots, and the training to use them effectively. These cookers are less expensive than photovoltaic arrays, and can heat to 250 degrees Fahrenheit, enough to boil beans. Nearly all of Africa, and much of southern Asia and Latin America, are considered prime locations for using the ovens, with plenty of sunshine. One project in Chad decreased household wood usage by up to 40 percent in only two months.

Iceland's Volcanoes to Power UK

By Greenicles Admin

UK’s Energy minister, Charles Hendry, is to visit Iceland next month to discuss the prospects of connecting homes, businesses and industries in the UK to power produced from the vast geothermal energy resources in Iceland. He will also be signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to commence feasibility studies.

Due to its peculiar geographical location and the abundance of volcanoes, Iceland has the most abundant underground heat resources in the world. Geothermal energy and hydropower provides over 80% of the country’s energy. All of the geothermal heat is obtained from meters beneath the earth’s surface. It is this same resource that politicians and engineers in the UK are hoping to import to their shores. Iceland has five major geothermal plants that produce heat for about 87% of its buildings. In 2004, the total amount of geothermal energy in Iceland was approximately 79.7 petajoules (PJ), about 54% of the total national energy consumption. Only 0.1% of the country’s electricity is produced from fossil fuels. It is argued that UK electricity bills are among the highest in Europe and its government says it is making a conscious effort to reverse this.

Morocco: Gradually Getting the Energy Supply Mix

By Greenicles Admin

Morocco is making proactive moves in ensuring energy security for its people. The country is one of many countries in the world that are very dependent on energy imports. In its new ambition, Morocco is capitalizing on its vast wind resources and sunlight. Morocco has the second highest wind capacity in Africa after Egypt. The government there is looking to exploit plausible renewable energy options to power parts of the country.

Details of a sealed deal with EDF Energy confirm that 50 wind turbines will be constructed in the Northern region to generate 150MW. The long term plan is to be able to produce 4000MW of electricity by 2020. This will meet nearly half of the nation's total energy consumption. It has also been agreed that 30% of the construction work will be subcontracted to indigenous companies. The next phase will commence later in the year with the commissioning of another set of wind turbines to generate 850MW of power.

Also on the radar are 5 phases of a mega-solar energy project in Morocco's southern province of Ouartzazate which will cost about $9 billon to be commissioned by 2020. 

The Best pro-Solar Energy Billboard you've Ever Seen!

I just saw this wonderful giant bill board on facebook and thought I should share. Apparently, it's been around for sometime now courtesy of Vote Solar. It's a simple, yet important point expressed in an ingenious way. I found it hilarious but the message is very much on point.

But seriously, what happens when there's a solar energy spill?

In Case you Missed Them- Some stories that made the news...

By Greenicles Admin

UK Government Loses Bid to Cut Solar Subsidies

The last week in March was a very good one for businesses and home owners in the UK who generate power from solar panels as the government lost its third and final legal battle at the courts regarding the feed-in-tariff (FiT) incentives scheme. The Supreme Court rejected the government’s bid to cut the pay outs by half. This means that many thousands of people will receive higher payments for generating their energy using solar panels. The FiT scheme pays out 43p per kWh generated by home owners and businesses for 25 years. The government’s botched plan was to reduce this to 21p per kWh. This landmark ruling has been welcomed by top industry players who hold the government accountable for the chaos the sector has been in recent months.
The government has since accepted the verdict and is committed to restore confidence in the rich solar energy sector. It has also announced its ambition to provide enough electricity for 4 million homes using solar energy by 2020.


Nigeria Signs New pro-Renewable Energy Regulations

After decades of ineffective policies and large-scale neglect, the power sector in Africa’s second largest economy has received a major boost. A few weeks ago, the Nigerian Electricity Regulation Commission signed 2 landmark regulations; the Independent Electricity Distribution Network (IEDN) and Embedded Generation 2012. This, according to a government whitepaper, is to encourage investment and efficiency in the country’s starving power sector. These new policies will now enable local and state governments as well as private investors to generate and distribute electricity without recourse to the national grid. This definitely opens up Nigeria’s electricity market to small, medium and large scale renewable energy technology options.




Denmark Targets 100% Renewable Energy by 2050

The legislative arm of Denmark’s government has passed the most ambitious renewable energy plan ever; a legally binding commitment to generate 100% of the country’s energy needs from renewable energy sources by 2050. The plan is to realise 50% by 2020 and all of its total energy needs, including electricity, heating, transport and industry, by 2050. The predicted rise in fossil fuel prices and unstable and wobbly crude oil market is the main reason for this. With this, the Danish government believes its people will be insulated from the adverse effects of being dependent on expensive, imported and highly polluting fossil oil and gas.




Chile’s Steaming up with Geothermal

Presently, Chile is one of the most booming countries in electricity generation from geothermal resources. Its position in the Pacific Ring of Fire makes it a hot cake for development of underground heat resources. In the past few weeks, three new exploration concessions have been awarded to Enel Green Power; the pioneering company in geothermal exploration in Chile. The project includes a geothermal power plant of 50MW capacity to generate 375GWh electricity per annum.