By Dave Harcourt •
April 13, 2009
For the first time the South African government has put in place realistic support that will begin the investment needed to reach our goal of sourcing 2% of our energy needs from renewable energy by 2013.
What Is the Challenge
In 2003 the
Government set a target of 10,000 GWh of energy to be produced from renewable energy sources by 2013. At that time the strategy expected the energies to be biomass, wind, solar and small-scale hydro.
Very little progress has been made on reaching this goal although six of the 10 years have already passed.
By Mridul Chadha •
March 1, 2009
Ignoring the billions of dollars of investments made in renewable energy projects by the developed countries, the Indian government has demanded them to do more and not use economic recession as an ‘excuse’ to stop investments.
By Mridul Chadha •
January 8, 2009
Global leaders are looking to beat economic recession and rising carbon emissions by a unified approach of developing a low-carbon economies and investing in clean energy projects aimed at ensuring energy security and economic growth.
By Mridul Chadha •
January 4, 2009
Due to the economic slowdown the world has seen a slump in renewable energy investment but United States has been the hardest hit while European countries did better. It is now critical that lawmakers in the US take serious actions to encourage use of renewable energy.
By Carol Gulyas •
July 6, 2008
Representative Jay Inslee (D-WA) has introduced legislation to establish a feed-in tariff (FIT) for renewable energy. Feed-in tariffs have made Germany a solar powerhouse that employs 40,000 people in the solar industry alone, and an estimated 140,000 jobs in renewable energy. FITs have not been a topic of discussion in this country, but now that is sure to change, as the conversation shifts to ways to finance the growth of renewable energy. Renewable Energy World reports that:
“Inslee’s legislation would require utilities — at the request of any new renewable energy facility owner — to enter into a 20-year fixed-rate power purchase agreement. Uniform national “renewable energy payment” rates would be set by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission at levels that would provide a 10% internal rate of return on investment for available commercialized technologies in regions constituting the top 30th percentile of renewable energy resource potential in the U.S..”
In plain English, this means that if you install solar PV panels on your home, the utility has to buy the electricity you generate at a higher rate than retail, guaranteeing you a return on your investment. Extending this power purchase agreement for 20 years gives everyone — especially those who want to invest in renewables or start a small business installing solar panels — assurance of return on their investment.
