China is already outpacing its own wind energy goals.

Officially, China’s latest renewable energy plan sets a goal of 10 GW by 2010. That’s double the previous target. However, according to industry analysts at China Strategies LLC, China’s current pace of wind development will bring 10 GW by the end of this year, two years ahead of schedule. According to China Strategies, 20 GW is possible in China by 2010. What’s more, they foresee a total of 100 GW by 2020, an increase in wind energy of 1667%. And, they add, this may be a conservative estimate.

These figures should make critics of China’s energy policies think twice. On the one hand, China still relies heavily on polluting coal to power its factories and make the inexpensive goods that many people have come to expect. On the other hand, China is making significant strides to adopt renewable energy technologies.

The China Economic Review quotes Richard Spencer of the World Bank, who worked on one $13 million wind project as saying, “China is working very hard to reduce its dependence on coal, and it looks to nuclear, hydro and wind, particularly, to replace coal. Wind is very important.”

How will China make the switch to clean energy? One answer was the 2005 Renewable Energy Law, which required utilities to buy renewable energy. Such legislation is an important part of the answer. Similar legislation in California has encouraged major investment in wind and solar. But an underlying question remains: can China continue its recent rate of growth in the renewable energy field?

If so, the Middle Kingdom is poised to increase its percentage of wind energy from less than one percent to about 20% by 2020 says Steve Sawyer, secretary general of the Global Wind Energy Council, in the China Economic Review. For those keeping track of the economic competition between the US and China, that would set China dramatically ahead of the US goal of 5-6% by 2020.

Further reading:

China’s Wind Power Industry: Blowing Past Expectations

Wind energy: Out of thin air

Chinese Cleaning up with Wind Power

China Goes Big on Wind

China Poised to Become Clean-Energy Leader?

U.N. report: Clean energy booming globally

Photo Credit

George Lu via Flickr

Today begins a week-long panel event I am participating in sponsored by grist.org and UN Dispatch. One new environmentally-themed idea will be covered each day with the panelists weighing-in with their thoughts to kick things off. Readers are then invited to engage and discuss the topic, with the goal being to help shape the environmental agenda of the incoming president. I strongly encourage and invite your participation in this important event because it should definitely spark some quality political discussion.

From grist.org and UN Dispatch:

More posts about setting the environmental agenda:

“Want to Help Set the Agenda for the Next President?”
“Help Set the Environmental Agenda for the 44th President”

Photo: dougww via flickr under a Creative Commons License

For the second time this week, the Senate has voted to block progress on a bill designed to extend Renewable Energy Tax Credits. Although the Bill, that enjoys broad cross-party support, gained a majority of 52-44, Republican opposition meant that it fell just short of the 60 votes needed to proceed.

News that progress on the $17.7 billion package of tax breaks could now be delayed until after the presidential elections in November has been greeted with dismay by the renewables industry. Rhone Resch, President of the Solar Energy Industries Association warned that if the tax credits were allowed to expire at the end of this year it will “result in the loss of billions of dollars in new investments in solar.”

In more cheering news, San Francisco mayor Gavin Newson will later today approve the largest city-wide solar promotion scheme in the U.S. The program, set to run for ten years, will allow individuals to apply for rebates of between $3000 and $6000, rising to $10,000 for businesses, to install photovoltaic systems.

Other posts on the U.S. Senate and Renewable Energy Policy:

“Senator Attacks Solar Energy Industry”

“Senate to Vote on Renewables as Early as Today”

“Senate Passes Renewable Energy Tax Credits. Shouldn’t I be More Excited?”

Why Wind Power Might be a Perfect Fit for Many Communities in Peru

Last year, a collaborative project was undertaken by several organizations to bring wind power to a small village in Peru. It was designed as a practical experiment to understand whether or not using small wind turbines might provide for an efficient, cost-efficient means to provide electricity to communities without electricity in rural areas of Peru. Approximately 70% of Peru’s rural communities lack electricity, according to Green Empowerment, an American non-profit organization that worked with Soluciones Prácticas (Practical Action) to implement the project. Many of these places are inaccessible to traditional means of obtaining electricity, and for this reason — wind — a free natural resource, might provide an excellent solution for helping to power some of these communities.

Alumbre, Peru with a population of around 132 people presented itself as an excellent place to test out the idea that wind power could help bring electricity to many new places in Peru. Anna Garwood, who is the Latin America Project Manager for Green Empowerment, explains that “Alumbre is located at about 3800 meters above sea level (~ 12500 feet). It’s above the tree line, and so there’s really little vegetation and a lot of wind.”

The Wind Turbines in Alumbre Provide Electricity for Homes, a School, Cell Phone Charging, and Even a Radio Station

To say that this experimental project has been a success so far would be an understatement. Last year 21 homes in Alumbre were equipped with 100-watt wind turbines that power their homes, and the village’s school was powered with a 500-watt turbine. The wind turbines store energy into what are known as “deep cycle” batteries, and the batteries when fully charged can potentially provide energy to homes for up to three days. The batteries need to be replaced every 3-4 years, and for this reason each family with a turbine must contribute to a battery replacement fund on a monthly basis. They pay about 10 nuevo soles each (~ $3 American), a sum that’s less than what most families were previously spending each month on candles and kerosene for lamps.

In addition to school age children being able to do their homework more reliably at night, people are finding activities like sewing, carpentry, and traditional weaving to be easier at night with electricity as well. One more additional benefit is that there is less smoke in their houses from candles and kerosene lamps, which is associated with eye and respiratory health issues.

The town’s school also now has lights, and can power two computers, as well as a television and DVD player for educational videos on everything from algebra to history. The wind systems also charge cellular phones. “One exciting and unexpected result is that now people from nearby communities are walking to Alumbre, and paying a small fee to charge their cellular phones. So the wind turbines have really improved peoples’ ability to communicate with the outside world,” says Garwood.

In fact, one very creative family decided to use some of their wind energy to set up a small radio station. The station has a range of about 50 kilometers (~ 30 miles) and broadcasts music and announcements. It is another way that by harnessing the power of the wind, the ability to communicate over long distances has become easier in this remote area of Peru.

So What Happens If the Wind Turbines Break? Who Fixes Them?

One important aspect of Green Empowerment’s mission is not only to help provide clean, alternative energy to communities in need, but to also provide those communities with the capacity to solve problems and partner with other organizations so that they are empowered in the future. In Alumbre, this empowerment and capacity building was facilitated in three key ways.

As the wind turbines were installed, a group of 8 interested individuals in the community were provided with training to repair and maintain the wind turbines. They also received training in the business and technical aspects of operating the community’s new electrical system. Once the wind power system was functional, the individuals all took a written test to assess their knowledge of the operation. In combination with this test, the community leaders selected who they thought had shown the most interest and effort in helping with the project, and had good standing in the community in general. Once an individual was selected to serve as the principal facilitator of the wind operation, he was given a uniform and helmet. In the words of Anna Garwood, this helps “to put forth a professional image and show that this venture is on par with any other electrical company.” The previously mentioned monthly tariffs feed a fund for maintenance and battery replacement as well as financial support for the micro-business operator for his ongoing work on the project.

The second way that the project team ensured that Alumbre was empowered, was by selecting locally-made appropriate technology. Soluciones Prácticas-ITDG, who had been working since 1998 to build locally-made small wind turbines, designed the technology for the Alumbre wind power system. They then taught a small Peruvian company how to fabricate the turbines. All of the materials they use can be found locally with ease, making it much easier to replace and repair the turbines if necessary at a low cost. Soluciones Prácticas eventually discovered that the best material to use for the blades of wind turbine was fiberglass. Garwood expains that “the weight, durability, and ability to form a material at the right angles all make a difference in how efficiently the blades will work on a wind turbine.”

The final way that Green Empowerment and Soluciones Prácticas attempt to ensure success in Alumbre is by understanding how the community is responding to their newly acquired wind power, and by attempting to understand the changes it will create in the fabric of the community over time. Soluciones Prácticas’ sociologists and engineers spent months working closely with the community from project conception to installation, management, and follow-up. By having this information, it will allow the project team to better understand if people in Alumbre are supporting the project appropriately and contributing to its success. It might also help determine which factors are important for ensuring a community’s support– a key element for making the decision to implement similar wind power system projects in other Peruvian communities. This social science aspect of the project is ongoing, as is the installation of more wind turbines in Alumbre.

What the Future Holds for Alumbre and Peru, and How You Can Get Involved

Next month, 14 additional 100-watt turbines will be installed in Alumbre. The houses with children in Alumbre were prioritized, and were those that were provided with wind power last year. An additional 500-watt turbine will also be installed later this year to power lights for the town’s medical clinic. It also will provide enough energy so that a refrigerator can be used to store important medical supplies like vaccines.

Green Empowerment and Soluciones Prácticas have implemented many other projects in Peru. These projects have involved installing solar power and micro hydro systems in others communities, as these forms of alternative energy seemed more feasible and practical in those places. More projects will undoubtedly occur if success levels are high with these projects, and also the wind power project in Alumbre.

What is perhaps the most impressive thing of all about the wind power project in Alumbre is that it only cost $47647 to buy all of the equipment for the project. In the grand scheme of things, that really does not seem like a whole lot of money. To raise the money, Green Empowerment, Soluciones Prácticas, la Universidad de Cataluya, and Ingeneria Sin Fronteras worked together to fund the project and raise money from other organizations like Wisions. Green Empowerment also held a fundraiser at a Peruvian restaurant called Andina in Portland, Oregon, in addition to receiving donations from private individuals.

If you think that the work of Green Empowerment is something that you would like to be involved with, they do have some volunteer opportunities available (usually a three month commitment is required). You can also donate money to support their efforts and projects, which are happening in many other countries around the world in addition to Peru. For more information, please click here to visit their website.

It’s rare to come across a conservation project that is as inspirational as this one. Perhaps the next time you feel a bone-chilling, winter gust of wind piercing through your coat as you walk outside, you can take comfort in your knowledge that somewhere in Peru, up at 12,500 feet, there are people enjoying and benefiting from the clean electricity that strong winds provide. Maybe if you have kids, you’ll even choose to tell them about it. Who knows, they might even appreciate it some day.

Related Stories on the Green Options Network:

Africa Cell Phone Provider’s Ingenuity Turns to Wind and Solar by Sam Aola Ooko

T. Boone Pickens Says Peak Oil Reached, Plans World’s Largest Wind Farm by Carol Guylas

Texas Tops in Wind Power by Shirley Siluk Gregory

Could Wind Help Save Water? by Michelle Bennett

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All Photos Provided Courtesy of Green Empowerment

Breaking ranks with the the state’s increasingly important solar industry, Ensign said that efforts by the Solar Energy Industry Association to force his hand on tax breaks had in fact had the opposite effect of “personally alienating” him and other senators.

In a scathing letter, later released to the press, Ensign accused the lobby group of squandering goodwill by accusing him of favouring “billionaire hedge fund managers” over job creation in Nevada. Indicating the depth of his feelings on the issue, he went on to say “It is rare to have such overwhelming bipartisan support in today’s political climate but the solar industry had it and your association’s leadership squandered it.”

Nevada solar executives had privately become increasingly unhappy with the Senator’s record of voting against bills containing the tax credits. Ensign said that he opposed the bills because the funds for tax breaks would have been raised by increasing the burden on the oil and gas industry. Earlier this spring, he co-sponsored an alternative approach, calling for tax credits without the corresponding offsets. It made it through the Senate by a vote of 88-8, but has become bogged down in the House.

Last Tuesday, the senate voted to block progress on the Consumer First Energy Act and the Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act. However, with a new vote expected this week, the rift is likely to dismay observers hopeful of progress on the hotly disputed tax credits bill. A block would be particularly damaging to the renewables industry, which wants to make investment decisions against a background of long-term stability in renewable energy policy.

Other posts on the U.S. Senate and Renewable Energy Policy:

“Senate to Vote on Renewables as Early as Today”

“Senate Passes Renewable Energy Tax Credits. Shouldn’t I Be More Excited?”

“Consumer-First Energy Act of 2008 Lacks Support”

[UPDATE 1: The Consumer First Energy Act which would impose a 'windfall profits tax' on big oil companies, and the Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act both failed to move on. The second of those two contained a one year extension of the Production Tax Credit. The votes were largely along party lines. Kate Shepard at Grist provides a good review of the two bills in this report.]

The PTC has been the single biggest policy driver of renewable energy development in the U.S., and the short one and two year extensions (as well as the absence of those extensions) have produced a ‘feast-or-famine‘ cycle of renewable energy growth in the United States, where all new development is virtually frozen in place, awaiting a tax incentive. As it currently stands, the PTC will expire at the end of 2008.

According to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), studies show that 116,000 jobs and more than $19 billion in clean energy investment are at risk from a failure to extend the PTC and other renewable energy tax credits.

Thus far, the biggest hangup for extending the renewable energy tax credits has been the question of funding. Ironically, the Democrats have become the party of fiscal responsibility in Congress, and do not want to pass the bill without a way to pay for it.

Last week at WINDPOWER 2008, I had the opportunity to sit down with Greg Wetstone, Senior Director of Government and Public Affairs for AWEA, and Tom Gray, the Deputy Executive Director. The pair told me that the tax credit issue was really one of fiscal ideology. And that unfortunately, many in Congress had been using the renewable energy tax credits as a “political football.”

Both Gray and Wetstone expressed concern that a lapse in the PTC would have a detrimental effect on the installation of new wind energy projects, especially considering wind developers are currently in the planning stages for projects that would not go online until 2009 or 2010. According to Wetstone:

“This really has to happen by the August recess…If it drags out beyond that and gets done in some kind of lame duck [action] - or doesn’t get done - I think it’s a major problem for the industry, and a major embarrassment for the Congress.”

Considering the popular support for policies that promote renewable energy development, it seems odd that Congress continues to drag their collective feet on passing the PTC. The results of a recent poll show that a vast majority of Americans, across all political parties, overwhelmingly support development and funding of solar energy. Ninety-one percent of Republicans, 97 percent of Democrats and 98 percent of Independents agree that developing solar power is vital to the U.S.

The tenuous position of the PTC was a hot topic at last week’s WINDPOWER 2008 in Houston. At the event, virtually all of the industry leaders, advocates, and public officials I spoke with strongly voiced support for passage of the tax credits. And nearly all of them were maintained that we need the stability of a long term renewable energy policy, as opposed to the one and two year extensions the Congress has favored more recently.

If you want to continue to see sustained growth in renewable energy in this country, I suggest you contact your Senator to urge passage of the PTC today!

Other Posts on the U.S. Senate and Renewable Energy Policy:

“Senate Passes Renewable Energy Tax Credits. Shouldn’t I Be More Excited?“

“Consumer-First Energy Act of 2008 Lacks Support“

“74 Percent of GOP Senators Doubt Human Causes of Global Warming“

Photo © Stephen Meese | Dreamstime.com

When one of Texas’s richest oil men bets big on wind energy, it gets attention. Yesterday NPR’s Living on Earth broadcast an interview with Mr. Pickens, who shared the salient facts about his planned wind project:

• It will be the largest in the world, he reckons, at 4,000 megawatts
• It will provide enough power for 1,300,000 homes
• It’s a $10 billion dollar project from which he plans a 15%-25% profit

Asked why he is investing in wind now, Pickens replied:

“For a number of years I’ve watched the wind turbines develop — and I feel like it’s time for it. I think that oil has peaked at 85 million barrels in the world. We’ve got to develop other forms of energy — wind, I think solar will be next, and I hope I’m still around to be in the solar deal.” (Pickens is 80 years old.

But what if Congress doesn’t vote to extend the wind Production Tax Credit?

“Well, I think they’ll vote on it. They’ll either do that or they’ll give some kind of carbon credit because, the wind has to be developed in the United States. We’re now importing 72 percent of the oil we use every day. I think everybody can see that we’re gonna break the country if we pay 700 billion dollars a year for, uh, imported oil……I’ve got a good team of people that are knowledgeable in wind energy, and I don’t worry about it. I think it’s a good project, and it’ll do well and we’ll make money. And it’ll help the country.”

I took a look at Pickens’s bio on Wikipedia. He grew up poor but worked hard. He became a geologist in the 50’s, which “were difficult times for the oil industry and petroleum geologists.” He stuck at it and obviously his bet on oil paid off; Pickens is worth $3 billion now. But he’s moving on — to wind. Find out more about this story in the current issue of Fast Company.

Image credit: www.boonepickens.com

While the use of air-friction isn’t new in the world of clocks (since the 18th century, it has been used in chiming clocks), the Urwerk design duo refined the systems to include dual turbines in their 202 model to automatically wind and prevent over-winding the classic timepiece.

The first series of watches out from this team ran around $150,000 USD. So, there is no doubt that these pretty pieces will be pricey. While the price point may not be realistic for the masses, the UR 202 creates an interesting intersection between technology and design while bringing time and space a little closer together.

Much of the push for cleaner environmental standards over the past decade have come out of Europe; the German Chancellor Angela Merkel being a prime example. So it comes as no surprise to see that the European Parliament has set a target of having 25% of their energy come from renewable energy by 2020. Of that 25%, half is planned to come from wind energy.

Europe is already well on their way to making this happen as well, with 5 countries (Denmark, Spain, Portugal, Ireland and Germany) having more than 5% of their energy provided by wind farms. Currently there exists 80 GW of installed wind capacity in the EU, though only 3.5 GW of that is derived from wind farms built off-shore.

Off-shore installations are especially significant in Europe, due to the large amount of shallow waters. Deeper waters incur further expenses for wind farms, which necessitate additional engineering challenges in the deeper and subsequently rougher waters.

If the 2020 goal is met, wind energy could total 38% of the EU-15’s Kyoto Protocol obligations, and avoid 133 mega-tons of CO2 in the process. Regardless of any plans though, if these plans are to be met, continued government and business involvement is a must, as the will power is there, the money simply isn’t.

Image Courtesy of phault via Flickr

Source via ENN

More from the GO Network

World’s Largest Wind Farm Growing Up in South Dakota

Cape Wind Opponent to Step Down

When you think about New Jersey, wind power probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. However, a growing number of communities are working to change the image of the state as a factory and freeway-filled wasteland into one of a sustainable energy empire.

As The Star Ledger reports, the township of Montclair recently installed two wind turbines that will generate 2,000 watts of energy—enough to power one of the town’s water supply tanks. While that may not seem like a huge achievement, consider this: The tank holds 2.5 million gallons of water.

And Montclair’s wind power effort isn’t even close to the only one in the state. In fact, New Jersey is plotting one of the most ambitious wind energy projects in the country.

According to an article in The Asbury Park Press, New Jersey is aiming to be the first state to build enough offshore wind farms to power 450,000 homes per year. If the energy initiative goes forward, an astounding 20 percent of the state’s power would come from wind by 2020.

Let’s hope that other states follow New Jersey’s example.

“The battery enables large amounts of energy from wind or solar power to be stored, managed, controlled and sent into the electricity grid when it is needed. It doesn’t matter whether the wind is blowing or not; the battery makes the electricity output predictable and reliable,” said Tim Hennessy, CEO of VRB Power Systems, the battery manufacturer based in Vancouver, Canada.

Analysts say the potential market is huge for technology that can improve the reliability of large amounts of energy from wind and solar power. Wind power is not generally considered dispatchable or “firm” because wind is intermittent and fluctuates greatly on all scales (e.g., minute by minute, day, season). Furthermore, the wind does not always blow when electricity is most needed and therefore valuable.

Battery storage is particularly useful when wind power feeds a grid belonging to a so-called “island” such as in the UK and Ireland. Spain, on the Iberian Peninsula, is also effectively an electrical island because it has limited interconnections with France in the north and Morocco in North Africa.

By contrast, the electricity grids of Germany and Denmark are interconnected with those of their neighbors. Their excess wind power goes all over Europe; the extensive and varied demands of the grid negate the need for a huge storage system. In addition, Germany uses hydropower and biomass to back up wind and compresses air into salt mines to store excess energy.

With few dams for hydropower and few salt mines, the “electrical islands” of Ireland and Great Britain have fewer options. As a result, they will probably need large amounts of battery storage as they expand their use of wind power.

Both the UK and Ireland are planning wind parks on a massive scale. The UK plans for 33 GW of capacity of offshore wind power by 2020. Ireland already has 1,000 MW of wind power and plans to install 2,400 MW more by 2016 and 4,300 MW by 2020 to reduce their dependence on imported fossil fuels and cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Thus, the 2 MW battery in Sorne Hill, slated to begin operation in 2009, could be the start of something big. Hugh Sharman, a contractor with VRB, estimates that Ireland may need as much as 1,000 MW of battery storage capacity by 2016.

As oil and gas prices continue to rise, battery storage systems become even more cost effective. A MW of wind electricity generated in Ireland costs 70€ ($106), which Sharman says is much cheaper than generating the equivalent electricity using natural gas. The lower cost of wind generation helps offsets the high initial investment costs of the battery, and the battery would enable wind power to be delivered when it is most valuable: electricity could be stored during off-peak hours when the price is low and fed into the grid in peak hours when the price is higher.

If the UK proceeds with its plan to install 33 GW of wind capacity by 2020, it could use as much as 12,000 MW of battery storage to balance out the system, Sharman said. Under the plan, nuclear and clean coal will supply a base load of 20 GW augmented by 33 GW of wind power. Without batteries, the base load would be difficult to supply with a fluctuating wind power supply.

The flow battery was developed in the early 1980s at the University of New South Wales in Australia, and further refined and brought to market by VRB Power Systems. It generates current by moving oppositely charged electrolytes in a vanadium sulphate solution between positively and negatively charged half-cells.

The battery charges when the wind turbines produce more power than is needed. When the wind speed drops, the battery almost instantaneously feeds the electricity into the system. In this manner, it can make wind power up to 95 percent constant.

VRB’s battery can be charged and discharged more than 10,000 times without significant deterioration, compared to only 2000 times for conventional lead-acid batteries. It also emits less key environmental pollutants such as CO2 and Nitrogen Oxide through its life cycle and is made without toxic metals (lead, cadmium, zinc, and nickel).

In places like Europe and California, which have relatively aggressive CO2 reduction laws, wind power augmented with battery storage is likely to become a key electricity source over the next several decades. Further, as cities and counties take control of their energy procurement through California’s Community Choice Energy law to boost the renewable content of their power mix, large scale battery systems are one of few viable options for realizing the ultimate goal of a reliable and stable, 100% renewable electricity grid.

Conversely, a day later, Greenpeace published a piece on their website eviscerating nuclear power.

Oh let the fun begin!

As I mentioned, this is not a new argument, as Moore has recently taken up the reigns for causes Greenpeace opposes. Old-growth logging, keeping polyvinyl chlorides and now nuclear energy have definitely not endeared him towards his former environmental group.

However we don’t get to see so vividly the argument unfold like it has this week. Moore’s comments were reported on by Thursday of last week, and Greenpeace’s statement came out the day after. There is definitely some damage control happening; especially if the language and rhetoric from Greenpeace has anything to say about it.

Greenpeace banked their piece on the 22^nd anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, which our own Max Lindberg touched on in the latest edition of The Lindberg Report. Their impassioned plea to stop similar disasters from happening was nothing but a major scare tactic. The opening paragraphs would have even the most conservative thinker fleeing from a nuclear reactor, if there was no previous knowledge at hand.

In fact, it seems that if it wasn’t for Greenpeace, nuclear reactors with bad regulatory conditions and poor safety measures would be springing up all over the place.

As for what Moore had to say, he was somewhat more circumspect. Noting that there wasn’t enough potential for wind, solar, hydroelectric or geothermal to replace coal – which he described as having “…the worst health impacts of anything we are doing today,” – Moore pointed to Nuclear as the only clean path for us to take.

And as much as it would be nice to see fields of wind turbines or solar panels, and oceans worth of hydroelectric turbines, the incentive is not there; not to mention the sheer number of constructions that would need to be implemented.

Make sure you check out both articles. The Greenpeace one can be found here and Moore’s story can be found at the Idaho Statesmen here. And make sure to check out Max’s interview with Kenneth Bossong, co-director of UAEA, about the anniversary of Chernobyl.

Asia

Two “Extinct” Species Discovered

First there was Swinshoe’s softshell turtle, and then the Javan Elephant. Is this more commonplace than we might believe?

Frankly, no. Despite the occasional hubbub over an animal science has lost track of– say, the Coelacanth– we’ve witnessed something extraordinary. Swinshoe’s turtle was previously believed to be extinct in the wild, with only three remaining in captivity, and therefore every one of these 300-pound turtles is a critical find.

Continue reading: Environmental Graffiti. Hot in media: Stumble Upon.

Building Ban for Beijing Olympics

All building sites in Beijing will be shut three weeks before the start of the Olympic Games, as the city tries to clear its skies of pollution.

Digging, pouring of concrete and outdoor spray-painting will also be banned under plans announced by the Environmental Protection Bureau.

The move follows mounting concern that athletes may suffer from Beijing’s noxious atmosphere.

Continue reading: BBC. Hot in media: Care2 News Network.

China ‘Now Top Carbon Polluter’

China has already overtaken the US as the world’s “biggest polluter”, a report to be published next month says.

The research suggests the country’s greenhouse gas emissions have been underestimated, and probably passed those of the US in 2006-2007.

The University of California team will report their work in the Journal of Environment Economics and Management.

Continue reading: BBC. Hot in media: Digg.

South America

Amazon Tribe Enlists Google in Battle with Illegal Loggers

You may know it as Google, but in bamboo-and-thatch roundhouses deep in the Amazon rainforest the iconic brand goes by another name. The Surui people, one of the most remote on Earth, call it ragogmakan – “messenger” – and they’re banking on the search engine to save them and their ancestral lands from extinction.

The tribe – whose first contact with the modern world was less than 40 years ago – are replacing their bows and arrows with hi-tech gadgets in their battle for survival. They have already begun using satnav on their traditional trails through the trees. And Google Earth has just agreed to provide high-resolution satellite images of their forest home.

Continue Reading: The Independent. Hot in media: Digg.

GOING, GOING, GONE? New Satellite Images Reveal a Shrinking Amazon Rainforest

Deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon may be on the rise, according to high-resolution images released by an agency of the Brazilian government. The images suggest an end to a widely hailed three-year decline in the rate of deforestation and have spurred a public controversy among high-level Brazilian officials, writes Tim Hirsch, author of “The Incredible Shrinking Amazon Rainforest” in the May/June 2008 issue of World Watch magazine.

Deforestation accounts for approximately one-fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions and is responsible for significant species loss worldwide. Recent anti-deforestation measures under the administration of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva have led to a marked drop in the rate of forest loss over the past three years.

Continue reading: ENN. Take action: Petition to save the Amazon.

Africa

Dockers Refuse to Unload China Arms Shipment for Zimbabwe

South African dockers are refusing to unload a Chinese cargo ship carrying 77 tonnes of small arms destined for Zimbabwe.

The arms, including three million rounds of ammunition suitable for AK47s and 1,500 rocket-propelled grenades, were ordered by the Zimbabwean military at the time of the March 29 election – which Britain and other Western powers have accused Robert Mugabe of trying to rig.

Continue reading: Times Online. Hot in media: Digg.

Middle East

Bahrain World Trade Center Activates Wind Turbines

You may remember that about a year ago we brought you news of the Bahrain World Trade Center, which was designed to have three giant turbines provide power to the building. Well, this past Tuesday, the project was finally completed, with the final testing and installation of the enormous wind turbines which power the building. This week, Bahrain WTC has, for the first time, activated all three 29m-diameter turbines at the same time!

Continue Reading: Inhabitat. Hot in media: Digg.

North America

Canada Leads Way with Ban on Baby Bottles Containing Bisphenol A

The government announced Friday that Canada will be the first country to ban plastic baby bottles with bisphenol A after concluding the chemical is toxic.

Health Minister Tony Clement unveiled the “precautionary and prudent” move while trying to calm fears with a limited ban of the widely used chemical, also found in hard plastic sports bottles and tin cans of food and infant formula. Most Canadians “need not be concerned” about the health effects of bisphenol A, but Clement said “this is not the case for newborns and infants.”

Continue reading: The Gazette.

Europe

Biofuel Rule Will Do More Harm Than Good, Oxfam Says

U.K. fuels for cars and trucks must contain biofuels starting today, a move that may do more harm than good to the environment and drive food prices higher, charities including Oxfam and Greenpeace said.

Under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation, suppliers must ensure that 2.5 percent of fuel sold at U.K. pumps consists of biofuels, which are made from crops and grasses. The requirement will rise to 5 percent by 2010. The Department for Transport says the plan will cut carbon-dioxide emissions by 2.5 million metric tons a year.

Continue reading: Bloomberg. Hot in media: Digg.

Global

Millions Of Pounds Of Trash Found On Ocean Beaches

Ocean Conservancy released its annual report on trash in the ocean with new data from the 2007 International Coastal Cleanup the most comprehensive snapshot of the harmful impacts of marine debris. The mission of Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup is to engage people to remove trash from the world’s beaches and waterways, to identify the sources of debris and to change the behaviors that cause pollution.

This year, more than 378,000 volunteers participated in cleanups around every major body of water around the globe. Volunteers record the trash found on land and underwater allowing Ocean Conservancy a global snapshot of the problem.

Continue reading: Science Daily. Hot in media: Care2 News Network.

Wind speeds of 100 mph were recorded across Europe and topped 135 mph at the Czech Republic’s highest mountain, Snezka. The surplus electricity on the grid, produced mostly by German and Danish wind farms pushed prices down by 12% on the spot market.

Traders buying and selling round-the-clock power reported that the ‘day ahead’ price in central Europe’s power market dropped to €49.5 ($76) per megawatt hour compared with €56 at the end of the previous week, according to a piece at Planet Ark. Unfortunately, the article also suggests that sudden drops in electricity prices on the spot market have little effect on end-use rates.

This story points out one of the most persistent ‘problems’ of large-scale wind energy development- how do we address the peaks and valleys on the grid presented by wind power, and how do we reconcile those with power plants which cannot be easily adjusted to deal with those peaks?

Several options of dealing with the storage issue have emerged including compressed air, hydro pump-backs, and more efficient flywheel designs. These are all good steps, and more will undoubtedly emerge. That is why it is important that the ‘problem’ of storing wind energy be framed as an opportunity for technological innovation, and not as a justification for more coal-fired power plants.

According to Kenneth Westrick, fonder and CEO of 3TIER, “India has the elements needed to prove that it is possible to leapfrog fossil fuels and fully integrate renewable energy projects into a country’s energy portfolio. He further elaborated on his statement by informing that India has good wind resources in its southern and western states, tremendous potential to tap into solar and hydropower, a government commitment to explore renewable energy sources and a market of more than 1 billion people – including 420 million people with no access to electricity.

Of the total number of villages in India with no access to electricity, it can said with absolute certainty that close to 40% of these cann