Green Options » siemens

DESERTEC $555 Billion Renewable Energy Project Moving Forward

Zachary Shahan — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:53:31 +0000

The huge project to build a $555 billion renewable energy “belt” in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, funded largely by German companies, moved another step forward a few days ago.

The articles of association for the DESERTEC Industrial Initiative (DII) were signed by the joint venture group of 12 companies and the DESERTEC Foundation in Munich on October 30.

Additionally, a CEO for DII was appointed — Paul van Son.

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Biggest Wind Farm in World — in Texas

Zachary Shahan — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 12:15:42 +0000

European energy giant E.ON “turned on” what is reported to be the largest wind farm in the world this week, in Texas.

The farm contains 627 wind turbines on almost 100,000 acres of land near Roscoe, Texas.

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Oil Company Begins Wind Test of Off-Shore Floating Platform

Susan Kraemer — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 16:31:16 +0000

Europe’s Cap and Trade has reduced fossil energy use and grown renewable energy

Here’s an example of how fossil energy companies could switch to renewable energy. The Norwegian company StatoilHydro is celebrating the off-shore wind inauguation this month of their Hywind pilot in the North Sea. Off-shore oil drilling companies are in a good position to leverage their expertize to develop off-shore wind; (just as fossil companies on land could also switch from oil drilling to geothermal drilling.)

StatoilHydro’s $58 million Hywind project draws on the company’s long years of experience in offshore oil and gas drilling to easily make the switch to renewable energy. Because of the long previous experience with suppliers they were able to deliver the off-shore wind project on budget and on schedule.

Siemens built the turbine, while Technip built and installed the offshore floater. Nexans Norway laid the submarine power line to the receiving station operated by grid operator Haugaland Kraft who will deliver the power to the grid

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GE Acquires ScanWind Offshore Wind Turbines

Fred Etcheverry — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 04:57:42 +0000

By its acquisition of ScanWind, GE is incorporating combined European and American wind energy technology. In 2004 Finnish Arctic Wind Power contracted Norwegian ScanWind to supply gearless permanent magnet wind generators originally developed by German Siemens. It was imperative that these generators be highly reliable and require little maintenance in harsh environments.

Gearless generators were chosen since they offer high reliability especially in harsh environments. They also provide a higher efficiency converting rotational energy into electrical since the friction of a gear train is eliminated.

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$560 BILLION Solar Project — Biggest Ever

Zachary Shahan — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 09:20:22 +0000

The sun is coming out. And Europe isn’t waiting any longer. Some of the biggest businesses in Europe are ready to invest in the largest solar energy project in the world. They are looking to create a “solar energy belt” in the Middle East and North Africa.

How will the energy get to Europe? It will go through huge “super grids” under the Mediterranean Sea. Has this kind of thing happened before? Siemens CEO, Peter Löscher, says: “A few years ago we connected Tasmania with the Australian continent. And from 2011 there will be a 250-kilometer undersea cable supplying Majorca with electricity from the Spanish mainland. For us, this kind of thing is now part of our core business.”

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Half a Trillion Dollars to Build Huge Desertec Plan?

Susan Kraemer — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:32:39 +0000

Desertec has for years been just the pipe dream of an international network of scientists and engineers; an example of some seriously out-of-the-box thinking on climate change prevention. It is the ambitous plan to power Europe, the Middle East and Africa off renewable power strung along a giant new supergrid of High-Voltage Direct Current transmission lines connecting the two continents.

A key element of the concept has been to build a humungous 6,500 square mile concentrated solar power (CSP) hub in the Sahara and send the massive amounts of power generated to Europe. To cut long distance transmission losses to well under 15% across the incredible distances involved, Desertec proposed to use existing technology to build a supergid of High-Voltage Direct Current transmission lines.

“With HVDC, transmission losses are about 3% per 1000 km and there are small AC/DC conversion losses as well.” according to Desertec. ” Taking both of these into account, electricity may, for example, be transmitted from North Africa to the UK with less than 10% loss of power. It is feasible and economic to transmit solar electricity for 3000 km or more.”

This week Desertec is finally grabbing global headlines with an unprecedented colossal cash infusion for its project from a heavy hitter consortium of major European corporations. This would change the world solar industry. To say nothing of its impact on climate change!

Bringing Desertec to life would utterly change the face of solar energy generation for the whole planet.

It is truly a giant undertaking. Here, finally - is the serious action that we need to take to avert catastrophe.

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Siemens Aims to Lead Global Solar Power Market

Eva Pratesi — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 00:31:29 +0000

Siemens Energy, a subsidiary of global engineering company Siemens AG, is going to acquire a 28% stake in the Italian solar company Archimede Solar Energy SpA. Archimede is currently the only manufacturer of solar receiver tubes that use, under license from ENEA, molten salt as the heat-transfer fluid for application in parabolic-trough power plants.

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NREL Announces R&D Partnerships With Siemens and the University of Houston

Timothy B. Hurst — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 19:58:07 +0000

Houston, TX - The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Lab has just announced three research and development partnerships with Siemens and the University Houston.

NREL Director Dan Arvizu made the announcement at a press conference on Tuesday at the American Wind Energy Association’s annual conference in Houston. “We are very excited to be a part of this new movement,” said Mr. Arvizu. He added that wind power has come a long way in a relatively short period of time, and that things have changed quite dramatically.

The announcement came just one day after Vestas Wind Systems, and DOE’s Andy Karsner announced that it had chosen Houston, Texas as the location for its new research facility in the U.S.

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The “Unlimited” Potential of American Wind Power: AWEA

Michelle Bennett — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 14:52:32 +0000

The American Wind Energy Association held a press conference today (4/21/08) to discuss the present and future of their industry in the United States. Representatives from Siemens, Vestas, GE and Gamesa were there to share their perspectives and answer questions. What they revealed was an industry both optimistic and tenuous; their products are in high demand, but they are reliant on tax credits for large-scale expansion. Given the increasing popularity and regulatory necessity of sustainable power generation, both American and international turbine producers are eying the practically limitless growth potential in the United States. All they need is stability in policy to dramatically expand their manufacturing and R&D capabilities, simultaneously creating thousands of jobs and a competitive American industry.

The United States has a natural edge when it comes to wind energy. Unlike Europe, we have a lot of land with which to harness wind, including across sparsely populated areas. If NIMBY isn’t a problem, the potential for sustainable energy generation is even greater.

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