[Top News] from [REUTERS]
[Green Business]
TOKYO
Tue Jan 5, 2010 9:40am EST
Sharp, Enel, STMicro to jointly make solar cells
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Sharp Corp said it will set up a joint venture with Enel and STMicroelectronics by March to make solar cells in Italy, in a bid to further tap the strong growth potential of renewable energy sources.
Consumer electronics maker Sharp and Italian utility company Enel in 2008 announced their intention to make thin-film solar cells with a European manufacturer, but they did not identify the third company.
The venture plans to start producing solar cells in early 2011 at STMicroelectronics' existing facility in Sicily at an initial output capacity of 160 megawatts a year, which will eventually be raised to 480 megawatts.
In addition to bank loans, each of the joint venture partners will invest up to 70 million euros in the project, Sharp said in a statement.
The venture will be owned a third each by Sharp, Franco-Italian chip maker STMicroelectronics and Enel Green Power, an Enel group company.
Sharp and Enel Green Power will also set up another joint venture to generate electricity using solar panels manufactured by the three-way, solar panel-producing joint venture.
The Sharp-Enel Green Power joint venture plans to set up power plants with a total capacity of more than 500 megawatts by the end of 2016, Sharp said.
(Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka; Editing by Joseph Radford)
[Green Business]
LONDON
Tue Jan 5, 2010 12:59pm EST
Iberian power prices remain firm on low wind
LONDON (Reuters) - Iberian spot power prices continued to climb on Tuesday, rising further above record lows seen last week, as wind power output remained relatively low.
The day-ahead price set on Tuesday for Wednesday was 31.91 euros per megawatt-hour, up from a previous pool price of 30.11 euros.
Last week's record low of just 3.40 euros/MWh set by the Spanish-based Omel exchange came as Spanish wind power output met over half of total electricity demand early on December 30.
With wind meeting less than 20 percent of Spain's needs on Monday and Tuesday, more gas and coal plants have been called upon this week and both types of plant have to pay for their fuel so they charge more for their output.
(Reporting by Daniel Fineren)
[Green Business]
Nao Nakanishi
LONDON
Tue Jan 5, 2010 2:22pm EST
UK offshore wind costs can fall 40 percent: Carbon Trust
LONDON (Reuters) - New technology and careful choice of sites could slash projected costs for Britain's next round of offshore wind farm project by as much as 40 percent, the Carbon Trust, which advises the government, said on Tuesday.
Capital investment required for Round 3 offshore wind projects could fall to 45 billion pounds ($72.5 billion) from current projections of 75 billion, said officials from the independent body, set up by the government to help Britain meet carbon reduction targets.
While the Round 3 project to build 29 gigawatts (GW) by 2020 is a challenge equivalent to building eight Channel Tunnels in 10 years and requires a step-change in technology, it is achievable, Benj Sykes, Senior Technology Acceleration Manager, told reporters.
He projected that offshore wind farms could supply about 90 terawatt hours of electricity by 2020, comprising the bulk of 151 terawatt hours required from renewable sources.
On Friday the Crown Estate, in charge of Britain's coastal seabed, is to announce winners in a tender for Round 3, the world's largest offshore wind project, which is divided into nine zones.
The programme is aimed at expanding the country's offshore wind farms, already the world's biggest at around 1 GW, to around 33-40 GW by 2020 to source a third of its power from renewable energy.
"It's easy not to grasp the scale of challenge," Sykes said. "There's huge step change required."
The Round 3 farms would be built in depths of up to 60 meters, compared with 25 meters for previous rounds. They would be also up to 205 km off the coast, compared with 25 km now.
It would require setting up every year about 500 turbines -- which are taller than the 180-meter "Gherkin" building in London -- by around 2013, compared with around 280 achieved last year, and accelerate the speed to about 1,000 by 2019.
However, Phil de Villiers, Offshore Wind Acceleration Manager, said it had identified four technological improvement areas, such as foundations, that would reduce capital expenditure and operational costs while improving yields.
It was looking into technology such as floating foundations or better electricity transmission systems that could cut costs by 14 billion pounds. Picking sites in shallower water would bring additional savings of 16 billion pounds.
"If offshore wind is going to be the real success that it needs to be and can be, we've got to do things faster, we've got to get things installed faster, we've got to do it cheaply and more safely," said Sykes.
He said the industry could also deliver about 250,000 jobs by 2050 and 65 billion pounds in net benefit, while abating carbon emissions by around 35 megatonnes by 2020.
(Reporting by Nao Nakanishi, editing by Anthony Barker)
[Green Business]
MEXICO CITY
Tue Jan 5, 2010 3:39pm EST
Mexico vows to set new efficiency rules for autos
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico will limit imports of inefficient used cars and encourage low-carbon technology to reduce its overall volume of tailpipe exhaust, the energy ministry said on Tuesday.
The ministry said it was also mulling regulations that would for the first time set a national standard for auto emissions. Such standards would be at the "vanguard" of international best standards, the agency said.
Officials hope to slowly purge heavy, inefficient autos from among the roughly 21 million cars now on the road in Mexico. The nation's auto fleet is expected to rise by more than 14 million vehicles by 2017.
Only 1 percent of Mexican automobiles currently use alternative fuel, the ministry said.
The new importation rules will aim to "avoid the accelerated aging of the Mexican car fleet," the agency said in a statement.
A senior Mexican environmental policymaker said in August the country would likely adopt fuel efficiency standards compatible with those in place in the United States.
Mexico is one of the world's largest car builders and most global auto companies have at least one factory in the country.
Stakeholders in the domestic auto market have long lobbied for limits to be placed on the import of older used cars from the United States to help support the domestic market.
The new goals were developed as part of a multi-year national plan to create a sustainable energy policy.
In a separate move, the ministry promised to outline new standards for energy efficiency in newly-built government offices.
(Reporting by Patrick Rucker; Editing by Christian Wiessner)
[Green Business]
TOKYO
Tue Jan 5, 2010 9:40am EST
Sharp, Enel, STMicro to jointly make solar cells
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Sharp Corp said it will set up a joint venture with Enel and STMicroelectronics by March to make solar cells in Italy, in a bid to further tap the strong growth potential of renewable energy sources.
Consumer electronics maker Sharp and Italian utility company Enel in 2008 announced their intention to make thin-film solar cells with a European manufacturer, but they did not identify the third company.
The venture plans to start producing solar cells in early 2011 at STMicroelectronics' existing facility in Sicily at an initial output capacity of 160 megawatts a year, which will eventually be raised to 480 megawatts.
In addition to bank loans, each of the joint venture partners will invest up to 70 million euros in the project, Sharp said in a statement.
The venture will be owned a third each by Sharp, Franco-Italian chip maker STMicroelectronics and Enel Green Power, an Enel group company.
Sharp and Enel Green Power will also set up another joint venture to generate electricity using solar panels manufactured by the three-way, solar panel-producing joint venture.
The Sharp-Enel Green Power joint venture plans to set up power plants with a total capacity of more than 500 megawatts by the end of 2016, Sharp said.
(Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka; Editing by Joseph Radford)
[Green Business]
LONDON
Tue Jan 5, 2010 12:59pm EST
Iberian power prices remain firm on low wind
LONDON (Reuters) - Iberian spot power prices continued to climb on Tuesday, rising further above record lows seen last week, as wind power output remained relatively low.
The day-ahead price set on Tuesday for Wednesday was 31.91 euros per megawatt-hour, up from a previous pool price of 30.11 euros.
Last week's record low of just 3.40 euros/MWh set by the Spanish-based Omel exchange came as Spanish wind power output met over half of total electricity demand early on December 30.
With wind meeting less than 20 percent of Spain's needs on Monday and Tuesday, more gas and coal plants have been called upon this week and both types of plant have to pay for their fuel so they charge more for their output.
(Reporting by Daniel Fineren)
[Green Business]
Nao Nakanishi
LONDON
Tue Jan 5, 2010 2:22pm EST
UK offshore wind costs can fall 40 percent: Carbon Trust
LONDON (Reuters) - New technology and careful choice of sites could slash projected costs for Britain's next round of offshore wind farm project by as much as 40 percent, the Carbon Trust, which advises the government, said on Tuesday.
Capital investment required for Round 3 offshore wind projects could fall to 45 billion pounds ($72.5 billion) from current projections of 75 billion, said officials from the independent body, set up by the government to help Britain meet carbon reduction targets.
While the Round 3 project to build 29 gigawatts (GW) by 2020 is a challenge equivalent to building eight Channel Tunnels in 10 years and requires a step-change in technology, it is achievable, Benj Sykes, Senior Technology Acceleration Manager, told reporters.
He projected that offshore wind farms could supply about 90 terawatt hours of electricity by 2020, comprising the bulk of 151 terawatt hours required from renewable sources.
On Friday the Crown Estate, in charge of Britain's coastal seabed, is to announce winners in a tender for Round 3, the world's largest offshore wind project, which is divided into nine zones.
The programme is aimed at expanding the country's offshore wind farms, already the world's biggest at around 1 GW, to around 33-40 GW by 2020 to source a third of its power from renewable energy.
"It's easy not to grasp the scale of challenge," Sykes said. "There's huge step change required."
The Round 3 farms would be built in depths of up to 60 meters, compared with 25 meters for previous rounds. They would be also up to 205 km off the coast, compared with 25 km now.
It would require setting up every year about 500 turbines -- which are taller than the 180-meter "Gherkin" building in London -- by around 2013, compared with around 280 achieved last year, and accelerate the speed to about 1,000 by 2019.
However, Phil de Villiers, Offshore Wind Acceleration Manager, said it had identified four technological improvement areas, such as foundations, that would reduce capital expenditure and operational costs while improving yields.
It was looking into technology such as floating foundations or better electricity transmission systems that could cut costs by 14 billion pounds. Picking sites in shallower water would bring additional savings of 16 billion pounds.
"If offshore wind is going to be the real success that it needs to be and can be, we've got to do things faster, we've got to get things installed faster, we've got to do it cheaply and more safely," said Sykes.
He said the industry could also deliver about 250,000 jobs by 2050 and 65 billion pounds in net benefit, while abating carbon emissions by around 35 megatonnes by 2020.
(Reporting by Nao Nakanishi, editing by Anthony Barker)
[Green Business]
MEXICO CITY
Tue Jan 5, 2010 3:39pm EST
Mexico vows to set new efficiency rules for autos
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico will limit imports of inefficient used cars and encourage low-carbon technology to reduce its overall volume of tailpipe exhaust, the energy ministry said on Tuesday.
The ministry said it was also mulling regulations that would for the first time set a national standard for auto emissions. Such standards would be at the "vanguard" of international best standards, the agency said.
Officials hope to slowly purge heavy, inefficient autos from among the roughly 21 million cars now on the road in Mexico. The nation's auto fleet is expected to rise by more than 14 million vehicles by 2017.
Only 1 percent of Mexican automobiles currently use alternative fuel, the ministry said.
The new importation rules will aim to "avoid the accelerated aging of the Mexican car fleet," the agency said in a statement.
A senior Mexican environmental policymaker said in August the country would likely adopt fuel efficiency standards compatible with those in place in the United States.
Mexico is one of the world's largest car builders and most global auto companies have at least one factory in the country.
Stakeholders in the domestic auto market have long lobbied for limits to be placed on the import of older used cars from the United States to help support the domestic market.
The new goals were developed as part of a multi-year national plan to create a sustainable energy policy.
In a separate move, the ministry promised to outline new standards for energy efficiency in newly-built government offices.
(Reporting by Patrick Rucker; Editing by Christian Wiessner)
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