Sometimes we’re spot-on when we predict the future. Other times we blow it horribly. Take smart homes, the forerunner of today’s smart grid. Back in the 1980s, prognosticators thought we’d have millions of smart homes by now and that they would achieve remarkable feats. For example, a United Press International article from 1986 said that a child would be able to stick …
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Global Hydropower Market Continuing to Grow, with Asia-Pacific Keeping the Lead
The global cumulative hydropower installed capacity is expected to increase from 1,065 Gigawatts (GW) in 2012 to 1,407 GW in 2020, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 3.5%, with investments reaching $75 billion in the same period, forecasts research and consulting firm GlobalData. According to the company’s latest report*, the total for 2020 is expected to be comprised …
Read More »Solar Energy Installs To Continue Rise
Global Solar Installation Growth Set to Hit Three-Year High in 2014 Global photovoltaic (PV) installations are forecast to rise at the fastest pace in three years in 2014, exceeding 40 gigawatts (GW) for this first time and generating installation revenue of more than $86 billion, according to IHS Inc. (NYSE: IHS). Annual solar installations are predicted to expand at a …
Read More »Thermal Power Market to Heat Up with Adoption of Efficient Fossil Fuel Technologies
Efficient fossil fuel technologies will drive the ongoing growth of the global thermal power market, with generation expected to hit 19,869.1 TWh by 2020, as countries across the world work towards green, low-carbon and sustainable development, according to a new report from research and consulting firm GlobalData. The company’s latest report* states that recent years have seen heavier investment into …
Read More »European PV market’s low threshold weakens the impact of Chinese PV manufacturers
Setting a minimum price and a volume limit on EU imports of Chinese solar panels has become the final solution to solar trade dispute between China and Europe. According to EnergyTrend, a research division of TrendForce, the settlement is likely to increase entry barriers toward the European market and drive out destructive market price so first-tier manufacturers can focus on product and …
Read More »China to Remain Wind Power Market Leader in 2020
Despite demonstrating a slowed growth rate, China will continue to be the largest wind power market in 2020, as it attempts to reduce its carbon footprint while increasing electricity production in rural areas, says research and consulting firm GlobalData. According to the company’s latest report*, China has doubled its cumulative wind capacity every year between 2006 and 2011, growing at …
Read More »US Reaches Milestone of 10 Gigawatt Solar Photovoltaic Capacity
Santa Clara, Calif. (July 9, 2013)—Solar photovoltaic (PV) installations in the US have now broken through the 10 gigawatt (GW) barrier, following strong market deployment since the start of 2010. During the first half of 2013, more than 1.8 GW of new solar PV capacity was installed in the US, according to the NPD Solarbuzz North America PV Market Quarterly report. “The …
Read More »Growth of Global Solar and Wind Energy Continues to Outpace Other Technologies
New Worldwatch Institute study examines the global market for solar and wind energy production Global use of solar and wind energy continued to grow significantly in 2012. Solar power consumption increased by 58 percent, to 93 terrawatt-hours (TWh), and the use of wind power increased by 18 percent, to 521 TWh. Although hydropower remains the world’s leading renewable energy, solar …
Read More »The Era of Low-Cost Chinese Solar Modules in Europe Ends as Tariffs Drive Up Pricing
The European Union’s antidumping tariffs are spurring an increase in prices for Chinese solar modules, marking the end of a period when available inexpensive photovoltaic (PV) devices enabled fast growth of installations in the region. After declining for 48 months since the first quarter of 2009, with a seasonal uptick in February 2013) , average pricing for Chinese crystal polysilicon …
Read More »Solar In Japan Now Booming
Japan Set to Become World’s Largest Solar Revenue Market in 2013 as Installations Boom in Q1 Japan’s solar installations surged by a stunning 270 percent (in gigawatts (GW)) in the first quarter of 2013, positioning the country to surpass Germany to become the world’s largest photovoltaics (PV) market in terms of revenue this year. Although Japan is forecast …
Read More »Europe Imposes Heavy Tariff On China’s PV Products
Manufacturers caught in the solar industry shuffle According to EnergyTrend, a research division of TrendForce, Europe’s anti-dumping and countervailing investigation on China suggested that the government has subsidized their domestic solar manufacturers, and Europe may impose a punitive tariff (more than 30%) on China’s PV products. In addition, the wide range of products that may be affected by the punitive …
Read More »SEAD Study Finds Super-Efficient Air Conditioners Could Avoid More Than 100 Power Plants
A new assessment commissioned by the Clean Energy Ministerial’s Super-efficient Equipment and Appliance Deployment (SEAD) initiative finds that deploying super-efficient air conditioners could significantly reduce energy use by 2020 in selected countries, avoiding the need for more than 100 medium-sized (500-megawatt) power plants. Conducted by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Navigant Consulting, the Cooling the Planet: Opportunities for Deployment …
Read More »UPS Adds To Natural Gas Fleet
Plans to operate 700 new LNG vehicles across 10 states UPS today announced the accelerated growth of its alternative vehicle fleet with plans to purchase approximately 700 liquefied natural gas (LNG) vehicles and to build four refueling stations by the end of 2014. Once completed, the LNG private fleet will be one of the most extensive in the U.S. “LNG …
Read More »European Solar Module Prices Rise for the First Time in Four Years
Reflecting a major shift in the global solar market after four years of severe erosion, prices for photovoltaic (PV) modules in the key European market are rising due to number of factors—including the newly restored balance between supply and demand. The average selling price (ASP) for Chinese crystalline silicon (c-Si) PV modules shipped to the European Union increased by 4 …
Read More »The Rise of Solar’s Secondary Market
The solar industry has suffered recent blows as manufacturing plants have closed and capacity has been reduced. The European crisis and the trade war between China and EU have also added themselves to the changing market. Continually falling feed-in-tariffs (FITs) have also caused some conflict. Short-term market uncertainty has made some investors wary of solar, yet, long-term predictions for the …
Read More »Solar and Wind to Push Global Renewable Energy Share to 36% by 2020
Initiatives aimed at cutting carbon emissions and establishing long term energy security will see renewable energy claim a 36% share of global cumulative installed capacity by the end of the decade, states the latest report from business intelligence firm GBI Research. The new report* explains that solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind energy will be the primary technologies forecast to drive …
Read More »First Solar Ranked Largest Photovoltaic EPC in 2012 as European Companies Falter
For the first time First Solar became the world’s largest photovoltaic (PV) EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) contractor in 2012, with more than 500 megawatts (MW) of projects completed – an increase of 50 percent over 2011, according to a new report from IMS Research, now part of IHS Inc. (NYSE: IHS). The report also revealed that a major shift …
Read More »Breaking Down Suntech Power’s Solar Melt Down
The Rise and Fall of Suntech: How a Trailblazing Solar Company Went from Dominance to Insolvency in Two Years Suntech Power’s epic plunge from solar module dominance to bankruptcy comes as the result of misplaced investments, a misguided pricing strategy, antidumping action in the United States and a potential new willingness by the Chinese government and banking system to cast …
Read More »Pew Report Finds That U.S. Companies Held $1.6 Billion Trade Surplus in Clean Energy Trade with China in 2011
The United States and China traded more than $8.5 billion worth of clean energy goods and services in 2011, the latest year for which data are available. According to a report released today by The Pew Charitable Trusts, U.S. companies enjoyed a $1.63 billion sales advantage over their Chinese counterparts. The report, Advantage America: The U.S.-China Clean Energy Trade Relationship …
Read More »An Overview Of Hydro Power Generation Around The World
Although hydro power technology had been developed quite a long time ago, it took years to get something that is efficient and cost-effective. Energy By Water is one of the innovations. Hydro power generation has come a long way since its inception. Modern researches have shaped giant, mountain-like hydro power systems into small portable solutions. Today, the system has become …
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