Jan 25, 2012 – Siemens wants to use “snapshots” of the power grid to help make it more stable. Power snapshots from smart meters by Siemens provide synchronous grid information with maximum precision from the low-voltage grid, data that can serve as a basis for analyzing these grids in cities and communities. Analysis of the collected data makes it possible to use the grid infrastructure more efficiently and to better integrate electric vehicles or the feed-in of power from photovoltaic systems, for example. Siemens developed the power snapshot analyses (PSSA) in collaboration with the Austrian Institute of Technology and several grid operators in Austria. The project received financing from Austria’s Climate and Energy Fund.
In the coming years, the growing number of decentral and fluctuating renewables-based energy sources feeding into the grid, and electric vehicles and electric heating systems will pose an enormous challenge for the power transmission and distribution networks. To estimate how many feed-in sources and how many users a local grid can handle, model simulations are conducted. These models used to be very rudimentary, so big safety margins had to be planned in. For more accurate simulations, detailed data on the low-voltage grids is needed.
That’s why developers from Siemens Austria developed the PSSA, with which the smart meters in local grids were equipped. These meters don’t only record energy-use data; they also generate real-time and synchronous displays of voltages in the local grids at points in time that are critical for the grid technology. The accuracy of the data is unprecedented because the load variations of the phases and the ground return conductor are also recorded. This information on the actual conditions in the grid enables grid operators to more efficiently use the available infrastructure. To compensate for power consumption peaks, the operators can for example take load groups like electric heating systems or heat pumps offline without compromising end users’ convenience. The data also can be used to estimate investment costs for expansions of grid infrastructure.
PSSA will be launched on the market before the end of 2012. Siemens smart meters, which are already being used by many customers, can be equipped with this additional function by means of a firmware download without disturbing the validity of the meters’ calibration.

The neutral inspectors at the TÜV Süd technical inspection authority have confirmed the high environmental compatibility of the new Mercedes B-Class, awarding the compact sports tourer the Environmental Certificate in accordance with ISO standard TR 14062. This certification is based on a comprehensive ecological life cycle assessment of the B-Class, documenting every detail of ecological relevance.

Siemens Energy has been awarded three orders by different customers to supply a total of four steam turbine generator units for solar thermal power plants in the Indian state of Rajasthan. The steam turbines of type SST-700 are intended for the Godawari, Abhijeet and Diwakar & KVK parabolic trough power plants. With a total rating of 300 megawatts (MW), these plants will make a contribution to meeting India’s growing electricity demand from solar power when they go on line in the spring of 2013.

All four power plant projects in the state of Rajasthan are being constructed as part of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM), the Indian government’s ongoing program for promoting solar power. The program envisages installing up to 20 gigawatts of solar power capacity in India by the year 2022. The parabolic trough power plants Godawari owned by Godawari Green Energy Ltd. and Abhijeet owned by Corporate Ispat Alloys Ltd. are each rated 50 MW. Siemens has been awarded contracts for an SST-700 steam turbine generator unit and auxiliary systems for each of these units. The third customer, Lanco Solar Energy, has ordered a steam turbine and generator rated at 100 MW, complete with auxiliary systems for each of the two units of the Diwakar & KVK parabolic trough power plant.

“As a leading provider of steam turbines for solar thermal power plants with an excellent track record in Spain and the USA, we are now in the front running on the rapidly developing market in India, too,“ says Markus Tacke, CEO of the Industrial Power business unit at Siemens Energy.

Siemens offers type SST-700 steam turbines for solar thermal power plants with a rated output of up to 175 MW. This type of turbine is particularly suitable for use in solar thermal power plants, because it can be run up and down quickly to respond very rapidly to the fluctuating service conditions typical of these plants. In addition, superheating the steam improves the efficiency of the turbines and thus of the power plant as a whole.
Steam turbines for solar thermal power plants are part of Siemens’ Environmental Portfolio. In fiscal 2011, revenue from the Portfolio totaled about €30 billion, making Siemens one of the world’s largest suppliers of ecofriendly technologies. In the same period, our products and solutions enabled customers to reduce their carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by nearly 320 million tons, an amount equal to the total annual CO2 emissions of Berlin, Delhi, Hong Kong, Istanbul, London, New York, Singapore and Tokyo.

Jan 24, 2012 – Despite solid growth rate, solar energy and wind energy account for less than 5% of total energy use in the USA, whereas in Europe, specifically Germany, renewable energy already accounts for ~20%, with about 50% of that having been installed by private owners rather than utilities.  Please leave information concerning the figures for installed and projected usage in your country.

Not only is research and development pushing forward in so many different directions, certain technologies are evolving quickly, while others are just getting going.

For the first time, energy storage received the most venture capital funding ($514 million), displacing solar ($350 million). Solar also lost the No. 1 spot in deal volume. Energy efficiency was the most popular area, with 34 funding rounds.

Energy storage (e.g. batteries) — considered something of a silver bullet — still presents sizable technological hurdles, while efficiency is now clearly the low-cost, plain vanilla version of clean tech.

This rotation of sorts is commonplace in maturing industries.

By no coincidence energy efficiency and storage, specifically electric cars, along with the booming recycling business, are our three winners.

At the same time, the U.S. solar industry is clearly one of our three losers.

Nothing as fatal as those events struck the ethanol industry, our third loser, which is more a victim of conventional market forces and uncertainty over government incentives, a key element in the alternative  energy sector.

All three losers, however, have one thing in common — momentum has temporarily shifted against them and that’s rarely good for keeping and attracting investors.

Source cnbc.com.

Upcoming Trainings in January, February and March

Have you put your New Year’s resolutions to train in renewable energy technologies in place? If not, start here today! This winter, enroll in Solar Energy International’s solar and renewable energy trainings, online and in-person, and start a new career or take your career to the next level. If you are registering for an in-person workshop of five days or more, that starts 30 days out or longer from today, please call (970) 963-8855 to register and receive $50 off the tuition of the course or workshop. Be sure to mention you are calling in for the Early Bird Incentive!

These upcoming courses are offered in January, February and March:

Jan 20, 2012 – Now is the time when we receive tax data forms from our banks, brokerage companies, 401(k)s, etc.  Make sure that you also have information on hand about the energy conservation & renewable energy installations you made in 2011.  You can claim your federal credits with your tax filing.  Also, make sure you check with your state and utility to see if you are due any rebates or tax credits.  Remember, these rebates and credits were implemented to encourage renewable energy and energy conservation.  If you  have made the investments, you should take advantage of the credits and rebates.  Please leave your comments here describing state and utility programs. Future posts will describe federal credits in more detail.

Asia Solar Stocks Surge on Strong Demand Hopes

Asian solar stocks on Thursday echoed a rally by their U.S. peers, with some surging as much as 20 percent on signs that prices for solar energy components are stabilizing.

Most solar stocks retreated by more than 60 percent last year as prices for panels that convert sunlight into electricity fell sharply, erasing profit margins for manufacturers.

The global rally came as investors cheered figures showing a dramatic rise in new solar installations in Germany in the fourth quarter and higher prices for polysilicon, a key raw material.

For more information please visit CNBC’s website at http://www.cnbc.com/id/45967909 to read the article and see stock quotes on specific solar energy companies.

January 10, 2012 09:42 ET

VANCOUVER, BC–(Marketwire – Jan 10, 2012) – Green Energy Solution Industries, Inc., a project developer for renewable energy projects in Canada, currently trading as (PINKSHEETS: SATM), has recently entered into contracts and agreements with resource providers, land owners, waste sources, technology providers, and government entities for the placement of renewable energy projects. A GESI representative was the featured guest in an exclusive live interview January 9, 2012 at 8pm EST on StockTradersTalk Radio.

The interview was held on January 09, 2012 at 8:00 pm EST, and can be heard at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/stocktraderstalk. Our interactive question and answer session can be accessed from the main chat room at http://stocktraderstalk.com. An archived recorded version can be found on the homepage of Stock Traders Talk at www.stocktraderstalk.com, following the live interview.

In addition to the exciting interview a recent article was published on EarthTechling.com which features GESI’s waste-to-energy technology and the new plant location as a key element to improve Canada’s energy policies and increase the country’s environmental efficiency. On Beacon News, a second article details the amount of waste rail ties available for burning, the facility, and the funding for GESI’s future endeavors.

Article 1: http://www.earthtechling.com/2012/01/rail-ties-keep-alberta-biomass-plant-on-track/

Article 2: http://beaconnews.ca/calgary/2012/01/company-gives-green-light-to-edmonton-railway-ties-to-electricity-plant/

About StockTradersTalk:

StockTradersTalk is a web resource portal for stock investors. We provide an open source chat room that allows traders to converse freely in an open forum. Members can create and maintain their own tickers and companies to provide up to date information for potential shareholders. Message boards are provided for each ticker that has real time updates and allow live conversations about the company. This is a unique feature that only we provide. Our goal is to provide an open forum for investors to freely express opinions, ideas, and investment opportunities with other members of stocktraderstalk.com.

About GESI

Green Energy Solution Industries, Inc. is a project developer for renewable energy projects in Canada. Utilizing in-depth due diligence, GESI has developed business plans, contracts and agreements with resource providers, land owners, waste sources, technology providers, and government entities for the placement of renewable energy projects. GESI is now a public company with offices in Houston, Texas and Alberta, Canada. For More Information on GESI see the web site at www.gestechnologies.com

According to Fareed Zakaria on CNN, oil prices are higher than normal for the current demand.  Political instability in the middle east has as inflated oil prices. Speculators have helped drive up prices.  As a result, there  may be increased interest in alternative energy.  Oil prices may fall when fear of political instability eases, unless demand increases.

Jan 13, 2012 – You have to be careful how you read the news.  The Sun-Sentinel published today an article stating that the new natural gas-fueled FPL plant in Palm Beach County is tops in the nation for emission of greenhouse gases.  But FPL calls the figures misleading, saying the plant is a clean, efficient natural-gas fired facility that ranks high on the EPA’s list simply because it is one of the largest power plants in the nation.  That is a good point.  Shouldn’t the figures show a ratio of the amount of pollution emitted per kw/h?  That makes sense.  It doesn’t make sense to compare emissions from a plant that is ten times larger than another.  The figures are part of the EPA’s first searchable database of the largest industrial sources of greenhouse gases. It is searchable to the county level, and can be found at http://epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ghgdata/.

You ma;y have noticed more and more houses use LED solar landscape lighting to light a walkway.  It is very convenient because you do not have to run any wires. At Home Depot, I have seen solar landscape lights for as little as $2.38 with a rechargeable AA battery included.  I purchased a different one which was $2.88.  The photosensor is very sensitive. With other lights nearby, it did not illuminate. I covered the photosensor and then the lamp illuminated.