Renewable Energy World: The #1 global magazine covering renewable energy technology.

Renewable Energy World is the only international magazine that promotes all aspects of the renewable energy technology. Each issue covers industry, technology, policy, finance and news important to the renewables sectors.

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Features

Land of giants: PV players and prospects
Whatever the weather, it’s a sunny outlook and not a cloud on the horizon for the PV industry if this round-up of the world’s biggest players is anything to go. Here we present the first part of our review of the major players and events of 2007, and take a peek into what 2008 may hold.
By David Appleyard

Time for stability: An update on international wood pellet markets
Despite some price volatility, in part as a result of its decade-long success, the use of wood pellets as fuel for domestic stoves and boilers and for co-firing in thermal power plants is looking toward its next boom.
By Christian Rakos

Silicon trip: Search engines seeking a renewable revolution
Google and IBM are leading the charge among major IT players focusing on improving the environmental performance of both their manufacturing processes and their products. It seems that the internet generation is now wide awake to the world-changing potential of renewable energy.
By Elisa Wood

Ambitions for offshore: Britannia to rule the waves?
As the windiest country in Europe and possessing one the longest coastlines, the UK is ideally placed to exploit its abundant natural resources through a massive expansion of offshore wind. But staking a claim to become one of the world’s leading offshore developers is a far cry from actually achieving that goal.
By Crispin Aubrey

Get connected: PV on the grid
The latest research gathered from a residential and business area with a high saturation level of roof top PV bolsters the claim that the increasing popularity of small, grid-connected systems does not present a significant potential impact on the local distribution system.
By Hermann Laukamp

Management of growth: Concentrating photovoltaics
Concentrating photovoltaics are one of the most promising technologies to deliver utility-scale, and sustainable, renewable energy supplies. With an efficiency potentially exceeding 50%, in the right locations CPV will compete with conventional generation.
By Ralf Leutz

By the power of Oz: Osmotic generation technology
A novel form of renewable power generation has taken a step closer to reality with the news that Statkraft is to build the world’s first osmotic power plant. As with many other types of renewable energy, the potential rewards are huge if the technology can be developed commercially.
By David Appleyard

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FROM THE EDITOR

‘This could possibly become the most important piece of legislation for renewable energy – ever,’ Arthouros Zervos, President of the European Council on Renewable Energy (EREC), told an audience in Brussels during January’s EU Sustainable Energy Week.

It was last March that leaders from all the EU Member States agreed that Europe should produce 20% of its energy (electric power, heat and transport) from renewable sources by 2020 – compared with 8.5% today. Less than a year later, the European Commission put forward its proposed package on how this could be achieved, along with a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by at least 20% by 2020. The draft ‘Directive on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources’ was published on 23 January, but now needs to be accepted by both the European Parliament and by the European Council.

Starting with numbers from 2005, the Commission has cleverly calculated the target percentage contribution of renewables to each country’s energy supply by 2020 – and there is a lot of variation. Sweden, for instance, with a 2005 contribution of 39.8%, is charged with bringing that up to 49% by 2020. Germany – a market leader in virtually all renewables – had a 2005 contribution of 17%, which must reach 30% by 2020. The UK, with a 1.3% contribution in 2005, faces a challenge of 15% by 2020. These are binding targets, meaning that countries face penalties if they fail to achieve the targets. (The draft Directive includes interim targets too, with no penalty attached – more on page 10.)

Assuming that the countries of Europe step up to the challenge – as they must – and the Directive is adopted, then there will be a lot of work to be done. By early 2010 each country needs to have developed its own national action plan, plotting out exactly how it will reach its targets. Countries are free to adopt whatever support schemes they believe will achieve the best results – not only in rapid adoption of large-scale renewables, such as wind, but in promoting and developing markets for the whole gamut of renewables technologies. No single technology can achieve the targets – it’s a matter of silver buckshot, not a silver bullet.

Can the industry face up the challenge? Certainly, say EREC and the other industry associations – in fact, four years ago EREC prepared a blueprint on how to achieve this 20% supply of renewable energy.

Upscaling Europe’s renewables will provide immediate climate benefits, employment, and both experience and technology that can be transferred around the globe. The 2020 targets won’t be the end of the story, but rather just a stepping stone.

Tremendous opportunities beckon.

Jackie Jones
Chief Editor

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