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Global Investment in Renewable Energy: India

India is next on our list of countries with the largest reported investments in renewable energy in 2010.

India has a vast supply of renewable energy resources, and it has one of the largest programs in the world for deploying renewable energy products and systems. It is the only country in the world to have an exclusive ministry for renewable energy development, the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources (MNES). Since its formation, the Ministry has launched one of the world’s largest and most ambitious programs on renewable energy.

Policies

Here are a few of India’s renewable energy policy plans (click for more information):

Foreign Investment Policy – Foreign investors can enter into a joint venture with an Indian partner for financial and/or technical collaboration and for setting up of RE-based power generation projects.

Industrial Policy – A five-year tax holiday is allowed for renewable energy power generation projects.

Soft loans are available through Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency for renewable energy equipment manufacturing.

Private sector companies can set up enterprises to operate as licensee or generating companies.

 

Motives

 

India’s energy consumption has been increasing at one of the fastest rates in the world due to population growth and economic development.

Primary commercial energy demand grew at the rate of 6% between 1981 and 2001.

Renewable Energy Availability

India is surpassed only by Germany as one of the world's fastest growing markets for wind energy.

India has an average annual temperature that ranges from 25°C – 27.5 °C. This means that India has huge solar potential.

In India, small hydro (less than 25 megawatts) is the most utilized renewable energy source for energy production. 

Click here for more details.

Stay tuned for more countries coming up!

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about renewable energy - Knowledge Is Power! For more information go to www.endeavorscorp.com or write to us at info@endeavorscorp.com if you have questions or want to get involved. Have a green day!

Sources: GENI, NRI, India Energy Portal, Asian Correspondent,Bloomberg New Energy Finance and United Nations Environment Programme (2011)

Global Investment in Renewable Energy: Spain

Spain is the next country on our list after China, USA, Italy, Brazil, Germany, and Canada.

The Spanish economy is characterized by a slightly higher energy intensity than the rest of Europe, by a high dependence on energy imports and rapid changes of the energy system in the last few years.  Security & diversity of energy sources remain the major driving forces for the growth of Spain renewable energy industry. A stable legal framework based on feed-in tariffs with premium price recognising the environmental benefits promotes the development of renewable energy.

 

Policies

Here are a couple of Spain’s renewable energy policy plans (click for more details):

Feed in Tariff– Electricity generation in Spain has two different regimes, the ordinary regime to which all the conventional generation belong to, and the special regime to which renewable energy generation belongs.
A feed-in tariff promotion mechanism is implemented and incorporates both fixed total prices and price premiums added to the electricity market Price.

Grid Access – All systems that generate electricity as specified by the special regulation (renewable energy) and whose capacity exceeds 10 megawatts shall be connected to a central control system.

Motives

Spain strongly depends on energy imports, while domestic production is mainly related to nuclear energy.  Energy demand has increased significantly since 1990.

Transportation and industry are the most significant energy-consuming sectors. In the electricity sector, coal is still the main fuel, but the contribution of gas, nuclear and renewable sources is remarkably high. 

Renewable Energy Availability

The production of green electricity increased from 36,609 gigawatt-hours to 53,750 gigawatt-hours between 1997 and 2004.

In 2005, Spain produced the largest amount of bioethanol in the EU-25.

In 2004, hydropower accounted for almost 60% of all renewable energy production.

Stay tuned for more countries coming up!

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about renewable energy - Knowledge Is Power! For more information go to www.endeavorscorp.com or write to us at info@endeavorscorp.com if you have questions or want to get involved. Have a green day!

Sources: EREC, GENI, Europa, Green Tech Media, Bloomberg New Energy Finance and United Nations Environment Programme (2011)

Global Investment in Renewable Energy: Canada

Next on our list of countries with the largest reported investments in renewable energy in 2010 is Canada

                               

Canada benefits from a wealth of renewable energy sources. The country possesses vast and varied natural resources including massive supplies of water, solar, wind and biomass – the raw materials to produce green energy. Canada has one-fifth of the world's fresh water and is surrounded by three oceans, providing nearly endless water resources.

Policies

Canada's energy policy is guided by a series of principles, agreements and accords. Some principles of energy policy are:

A market orientation – Markets are the most efficient means of determining supply, demand, prices and trade while ensuring an efficient, competitive and innovative energy system that is responsive to Canada's energy needs.

Respect for jurisdictional authority and the role of the provinces – Provincial governments are the direct managers of most of Canada's resources and have responsibilities for resource management within their borders.

(More info available at Natural Resources Canada)

Motives

Click for more details.

Low-impact renewable energy sources can diversify Canada’s energy supplies in a decentralized and distributed manner that would provide enhanced energy security.

History has shown that diversified energy supply speeds recovery from such catastrophic events as the Montreal Ice Storm and the blackout of August 14, 2003.

Renewable Energy Availability

One of the world’s biggest producer of hydropower, generating 353 terawatt-hours per year, and exports 60% of its electricity.

Access to more biomass resources, per capita, than any other country in the world.

Canada’s wind energy sector grew at an unprecedented rate of 51% between 2000 and 2006.

See our Blog Archive for the other countries on our list.

Stay tuned for more countries coming up!

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about renewable energy - Knowledge Is Power! For more information go to www.endeavorscorp.com or write to us at info@endeavorscorp.com if you have questions or want to get involved. Have a green day!

Sources: Invest In Canada, NRCan, Clean Air, Invest In Canada, Bloomberg New Energy Finance and United Nations Environment Programme (2011)

Global Investment in Renewable Energy: Germany

Fifth on our list is a country well known for its technological ingenuity and becoming increasingly popular for its renewable energy initiatives, Germany

Renewable energy technologies have deployed rapidly in Germany since 1990 largely as a result of energy policies adopted by the German government and the European Union.  The growth of renewable energy in Germany has often been cited as a model success story.  The German government launched a comprehensive series of promotions for renewable energy in the early 1990s, which has since been augmented with additional legislation and policy actions to increase renewable energy use.

 

Policies

Here are some of Germany’s energy plans:

The Electricity Feed Act came into force on 1 January 1991. In April 2000, it was replaced by the Renewable Energy Sources Act, which was amended a first time in July 2004 and again in 2008. The Renewable Energy Act is based on the following principles:

Obligation of grid operators to purchase the electricity produced from renewable energy .

Fixed price (“tariff”) for every kilowatt-hour produced from renewable energy for 20 years.

Tariffs are differentiated by source and size of the plant.

Equalisation of additional costs between all grid operators and electricity suppliers.

Motives

The first issue is the phase out of nuclear power. An early energy policy action of the Red-Green government was an initiative for the complete phase out of nuclear power in Germany by 2020.

The second issue is greenhouse gas control. The future challenges incumbent in nuclear phase-out are compounded by the ambitious greenhouse gas emissions reductions targets adopted by the German government.

(See larger image)

Renewable Energy Availability

Germany’s onshore wind generation in totalled 25,509 gigawatt-hours in 2004. Together with hydro power (21,076 gigawatt-hours), it dominates the market.

Biomass electricity is also contributing significantly (9,326 gigawatt-hours), with strong growth in the solid biomass sector (average annual growth of 34% between 1997 and 2004).

Solar energy has increased on average by 53% per year.

Stay tuned for more countries coming up!

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about renewable energy - Knowledge Is Power! For more information go to www.endeavorscorp.com or write to us at info@endeavorscorp.com if you have questions or want to get involved. Have a green day!

Global Change, EREC, Global Change, Europa, Bloomberg New Energy Finance and United Nations Environment Programme (2011)

Global Investment in Renewable Energy: Brazil

Brazil is next on our list our list after China, USA, and Italy.

Brazil has received acclaim in recent decades as a country of clean energy, with sources like hydroelectric power and biomass playing a major role in the country’s energy sector. The addition of these sources of alternative energy have been made possible thanks to research conducted by various social players and to the government’s adoption of the systems proposed. 

According to data from the Energy Research Company  [Empresa de Pesquisa Energética] (EPE), 90% of the electrical energy generated in Brazil in 2009 came from renewable sources, primarily water (83.7%), biomass (5.9%) and wind (0.3%).

Policies

Here are some of Brazil’s energy plans:

Brazil’s diverse energy sector
(Click  to see a larger image)

National Climate Change Plan (PNMC) – Focuses on reducing forestation and also increasing energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy sources.

National Energy Efficiency Plan (PNEf) – focuses on improving the sustainability of the energy sector, introducing more renewable energy into the national grid, reducing grid losses and improving energy efficiency criteria.

The National Electricity Conservation Program (PROCEL) – Saved nearly 70TWh in 2010 and a total of 100TWh in energy savings are expected in 2011.

Motives

Approximately twenty million Brazilians living in remote communities do not have access to reliable electrical power.

The Government of Brazil considers universal access to safe, affordable energy a central component in its fight against inequality and rural poverty.

Renewable Energy Availability

·         Brazil is the world’s second largest hydroelectricity producer after China, with a production of 390 terawatt-hours in 2009.

·         In 2009, Brazil had 660 megawatts of installed wind capacity. Brazil has a potential for wind power of 143 gigawatts.

Brazil is the world's second largest ethanol producer.

Stay tuned for more countries coming up!


Thank you for taking the time to learn more about renewable energy - Knowledge Is Power! For more information go to www.endeavorscorp.com or write to us at info@endeavorscorp.com if you have questions or want to get involved. Have a green day!

Sources: Reegle, Geni, Sugarcane, Reegle,Global Voices Online, Bloomberg New Energy Finance and United Nations Environment Programme (2011)

Global Investment in Renewable Energy: Italy

Next up on our list of countries with the largest reported investments in renewable energy in 2010 is Italy

The most important renewable energy source in Italy is hydropower which contributes to roughly 16.6% of total gross electricity production of the country. Italy also has large geothermal resources, both high and low temperature.  Italy is considered the most important producer of geothermal electricity in Europe.

Policies

Here are some ways that Italy is trying to increase development in regards to renewable energy:

Italy plans on moving towards a feed-in tariff-based renewable energy rebate scheme, similar to successful models implemented in Germany and Spain.

The government is developing a national building law that will ensure that solar thermal installations are installed in new and refurbished buildings.

Introduced new provisions for renewable power generators. Small generators (up to 1 megawatts) will have the choice between selling their green certificates on the market and receiving a feed-in tariff.

Italy’s Targets for Renewable Energy by 2020 - MW totally installed

Learn more!

Motives 

Italy relies on others to provide 86% of its energy needs, leaving it very dependent on imports and causing a shift towards using more renewable sources.

Italy’s own supplies of natural gas have fallen sharply over the past decade and covered only around 12% of consumption in 2008.

Renewable Energy Availability

 

Italy has long been Europe’s leader in geothermal power, using steam produced by hot rocks several kilometers below the ground.

Larderello’s turbines produced 5.5 terawatt hours last year.

Enel, Italy’s state-controlled power company, will construct a five-megawatt solar-thermal plant that uses innovative technology.

Take a look at how the USA and China compare to Italy!

Stay tuned for more countries coming up!

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about renewable energy - Knowledge Is Power! For more information go to www.endeavorscorp.com or write to us at info@endeavorscorp.com if you have questions or want to get involved. Have a green day!

Sources: EREC, EREC, Economist, Economist, Invitalia, Bloomberg New Energy Finance and United Nations Environment Programme (2011)

Global Investment in Renewable Energy: USA

Next on our list is the United States of America

The United States, like most other nations, uses a variety of renewable energy sources — water (hydroelectric), wood, biofuels, wind, organic waste, geothermal, and solar — which accounted for 8% of its total energy needs in 2009.  Renewable energy consumption increased by roughly 8% between 2008 and 2009, and contributed to nearly 10% of the total electricity generation in 2009.

US Renewable Energy Sources (see full image here)

Policies

The United States renewable energy policies aim to increase the use of renewable energy by:

Tax credits:  The Renewable Electricity Production Tax Credit has encouraged an eight-fold increase of wind energy capacity since 2001.

Targets:  Many States have Renewable Portfolio Standards which require electricity providers to generate a percentage of energy from renewable sources.

Markets: Renewable Energy Certificates allow electricity providers to sell them and use their proceeds for renewable projects.

Motives

 

The United States are interested in ensuring that renewable energy development creates green jobs and stimulates the economy.

The United States used significantly less coal and petroleum in 2009 than in 2008, and significantly more wind power.

Renewable Energy Availability

Since 2000, global wind energy generation has more than tripled, solar cell production has increased six-fold, and biodiesel production has expanded nearly four-fold.

A quarter of the U.S. land area has winds strong enough to generate electricity at the same price as natural gas and coal.

California gets 31% of its electricity from renewable sources.

Stay tuned for more countries coming up!

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about renewable energy - Knowledge Is Power! For more information go to www.endeavorscorp.com or write to us at info@endeavorscorp.com if you have questions or want to get involved. Have a green day!

EIA, EIA, Sustainability and Law, Renewable Energy World, World Watch, Bloomberg New Energy Finance and United Nations Environment Programme (2011)

Global Investment in Renewable Energy: China

In a recent report, Bloomberg New Energy Finance and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) state that the countries with the largest reported investments in renewable energy in 2010 were China, the United States, Italy, Brazil, Germany, Canada, Spain, India, France, and the Czech Republic. 

53% of the $211 billion in new renewable energy investments can be linked back to these ten countries. To gain a better understanding of why these countries are at the top of the list in regards to renewable energy investments, we will take an in-depth look at each countries policies, renewable energy availabilities, and motives.

First up... China

China’s renewable energy development plan is part of the state government’s long-term domestic diversification and self-sufficiency strategy. The country’s renewable energy market grew by 15.5% year-on-year in 2010 to US$20.5 billion.  The wide range of alternative power generation systems under the heading “non fossil fuel energy” include hydropower, wind power, solar power, and biogas.

Policies 

China’s renewable energy policy structure falls into the following three categories:

First level policies:  Provide general direction and guidance.  Places an emphasis on speeches from state leaders about the development of renewable energy.

Second level policies:  Focus on providing specific goals and developmental plans.

Third level policies:  Comprised of specific incentives and managerial guidelines provided by provincial, munici­pal, and county governments. 

Motives 

Large demand for energy.

Limited supply of traditional energy resources.

Social pressure to reduce environmentally harmful emissions.

Government plans to reduce environmentally harmful emissions by 17% by 2015. 

Renewable Energy Availability

China is a major player in the international solar power market, both in terms of production and consumption. In fact, the country manufactured the most solar panels in the world in 2010.

In 2010, every second newly-installed wind turbine, in the world, was installed in China.

China leads the world in total installed hydropower capacity with 213 gigawatts at the end of 2010.

Stay tuned for more countries coming up!

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about renewable energy - Knowledge Is Power! For more information go to www.endeavorscorp.com or write to us at info@endeavorscorp.com if you have questions or want to get involved. Have a green day!

Sources: NREL, China Briefing, China Briefing, China Briefing, Bloomberg New Energy Finance and United Nations Environment Programme (2011)