hello irena

IRENA: International Renewable Energy Agency:  the first multinational agency focused solely on spreading clean energy across the globe, officially launched this week, according to the Environmental News Network

The expectation of this group is that they will assist countries and private industries in the expansion of alternative energy installations.  “IRENA will help to remove the many obstacles which up to now have delayed the rapid expansion of renewables,” said Sigmar Gabriel, the German federal environment minister, in a conference address [PDF]. “The market is still distorted by subsidies for conventional energies, technological know-how is inadequate, information is not always correct.”

The initial conference was attended by 120 delegates from various nations, and the resulting treaty was signed by 75 countries, including Germany, Spain, United Arab Emirates and Kenya.  The United States, United Kingdom, Japan, China and Australia have yet to join, but have stated that they may still join in the future.

As was reported a month back, the United Arab Emirates is taking a stand for renewable energies and stated that it joined IRENA to provide energy expertise to the renewable energy sector and broaden support for its Masdar City project - a plan to create an entirely carbon-neutral, zero-waste city.

The increase in renewable energy installations is very positive.  In 2008 alone, about 12,000 megawatts of wind power capacity were installed, bringing the global total to 106,100 megawatts, according to the World Wind Energy Association. In addition, 9,740 megawatts of cumulative solar photovoltaic (PV) systems and at least 6,000 megawatts of geothermal energy projects have been installed, according to the Worldwatch Institute and U.N. Environment Programme, respectively.

As always, we are pleased with the increase of attention on taking action and fixing this problem, instead of arguing about is it real and where the responsibility lies.

* photo by Robert Scoble via Flickr

one part oil cartel = green

 

In a surprise move, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi announced it would move towards alternative energy sources by committing to a goal that 7% of its energy would be ‘green’ by 2020.  This greatly differs from the rest of the OPEC cartel that sees renewable energy as threat to its income.

The announcement was made at the World Future Energy Summit which is being held in Abu Dhabi this year.  It is felt, by the country’s leaders, that by doing so they would “provide a comprehensive solution to the world’s energy challenges and maintain Abu Dhabi’s position as a leading supplier of energy to the world.”

Who is to thank for this:  Prince Charles.  He has been soliciting many of the Gulf Royals and encouraging the move to alternative energies, behind the scenes.  He is also a patron to the Masdar City project which aims to build the world’s first carbon-neutral city in Abu Dhabi.

The country expects to achieve its goals through solar power, but will look at all alternative energies.  The country is also involved outside of itself by having contributed, financially, to the London Array wind farm that is being built in Kent, and is expected to be the largest of its kind.  Additionally it is in partnership with Germany, where they are building plants to meet the demand of solar energy.

Much of this is being done by the company, Masdar.  Per its wesbite it is “an expression of Abu Dhabi’s environmental and sustainability vision and aspiration. A private joint stock company, established and wholly-owned by Mubadala, Masdar is a multi-billion dollar, strategic initiative which is developing sustainable renewable energy solutions, diversifying Abu Dhabi’s economy and enhancing the Emirate’s human capital.”  It goes on to say that its intent is to ensure that Abu Dhabi maintains its global leadership position in the world energy market.

This is a bold move in a region that is dominated by fossil fuel.  It is probably met with disdain from other leaders, like those in Saudi Arabia, who are in the process of building the facility capable to drill the largest untapped oil field, spending billions to keep the American oil machine going.

plug it in, plug it in

The history of the electric car is vast. We had EV’s as early as the 1890′s, Ford and Edison were in a partnership for an expansion in the 20′s and then the 70′s oil embargoes really started getting people talking. It should be mentioned that there was an equal lack of movement over the last ten years. However, the EV is back and its seems to be in full gear.

The biggest limitation to the boom: where do we all plug in our new cars? Well, an Israeli born investor, Shai Agassi, seems to have the solution:

(he) and his company, Better Place, come in. They are promoting a vision of an electric transportation future that includes a widespread charging network, with battery exchange stations (where, for longer trips, depleted packs are exchanged for new ones in just a few minutes), and their auto-company partners are planning to produce the electric cars and trucks that will be plugged into those stations.

Agassi, a former software entrepreneur, has been traveling throughout the world, targeting what he calls “transportation islands,” either actual islands or densely packed urban areas with plentiful commuters in a small area. He’s signed up nations (Israel, Denmark, Japan, Australia), states (Hawaii) and even cities (San Francisco) as partners. In some, but not all of those locations, Better Place is cooperating with the Renault-Nissan Alliance.

The difference in his system is that he has modeled it off of the cell phone industry: “The first is that we build the network ahead of the cars. The second is that the battery is part of the infrastructure — you own the car, but we own the batteries. Down the road, when there’s a magic battery with twice the capacity of the one in your car, we can swap it at no cost to you. And the third idea is that drivers will buy miles and pay as they consume them.”

There are limitations, however. The first one being that the battery used in EV’s needs to be improved. Research needs people and money. Will either of this exist given that cheap oil is back. There is also the criticism that we need to collectively move away from oil. Under the proposal, it will cost the individual $600 per year to charge up to 18,000 miles. That may not seem like a lot, but with rising costs in every sector, this may be an unreachable goal, leaving the electric car, like the Prius to the elite and not the people that need cost savings. Also, would you want to buy something, and invest that money, in something that has not been proven to work?

Obviously, there are logistics that need to be worked out. This is not to diminish a good idea, but it is to highlight what is truly realistic. There is an immediate need to move to alternative energies. And, since we know there is resistance to change, the reasons for “why not” will be quicker on the tongue than “why”. The creators of these ideas and models need to be able to answer those questions with definitive answers, not claim that “research is being done” or “money is needed.”

The article is via Yale 360 and can be found HERE.