Riyadh stakes step toward solar power

2010 Feb 12

WASHINGTON, Feb. 12 (UPI) -- Saudi Arabia announced plans to expand its use of solar energy by building the kingdom's first solar-powered water desalination plant.
The program launched by the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology aims to couple green-energy technology with a stable water supply for the future of Saudi Arabia.
Turki bin Saud bin Mohammad, vice president of research at KACST, said the program will save the kingdom money while moving forward with a plan to advance solar energy projects in the country.
"The solar energy program will reduce the cost of producing desalinated water and of generating power for use in the kingdom, an oil-dependent nation, which has launched a national energy efficiency program," he said.

Read more:  http://www.upi.com/Science_News/Resource-Wars/2010/02/12/Riyadh-stakes-step-toward-solar-power/UPI-87821265988097/

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China harnesses mountain wind power

2009 Nov 21

DALI, China — In the mountains above the southwestern Chinese town of Dali, dozens of new wind turbines dot the landscape -- a symbol of the country's sky-high ambitions for clean, green energy.

At an altitude of 3,000 metres (9,800 feet), Dali Zhemoshan is the highest wind farm in China, where renewable energy has become a priority for a government keen to reduce its carbon emissions and which has taken full advantage of the global trade in carbon credits.

"Wind resources in Yunnan province are not the best in the country," says Zhai Cheng, a project manager at the farm for the Chinese group Sinohydro.

"But at altitude, it becomes more interesting," he adds, gesturing at the line of 48 metre-high turbines.

China, which relies on coal for more than 70 percent of its energy, is the world's largest emitter of the greenhouse gases blamed for global warming.

But it has set a target of generating 15 percent of its energy from renewable sources -- mainly wind and water -- by 2020.

In Yunnan, the wind turbines -- which operate at full tilt between October and April -- are there to boost the region's enormous hydroelectric power resources when productivity falls during the winter months.

"China is redoubling its efforts, with the 2020 target for wind power generation rising from 30 to 100 gigawatts," said Zhai.

The rapid boom in wind farming in China -- where installed capacity doubled in 2008 for the fourth year running to sit at 12.2 gigawatts -- places it behind only the United States, Germany and Spain.

Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gXfqmEFPDztUFBaRUFU0nxmNZkjQ

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Obama visits America's largest solar power field

2009 Nov 6

President Barack Obama recently visited the town of Arcadia, Florida for a press conference at the opening of the largest solar power facility in the United States. At the opening conference, President Obama announced a plan for $3.4 billion in spending for the nation's power transmission system to pave the way for new technologies such as Florida Power & Light's DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center.

"It's an example of a company that's doing well by doing good," the President said.

Obama also compared the effort of renewing our country's energy supply to the development of the national highway system nearly 50 years ago, and he said upgrading the nation’s power grid would lead to a "smarter, stronger and more secure electric grid."

The DeSoto solar field, which produces over 25 megawatts of electricity and powers the entire city of Arcadia, is one of the first steps in a series of projects to boost innovation and job creation in the green energy sector. The projects include installing so-called "smart" electric meters in homes, automating utility substations, and installing thousands of new digital transformers and grid sensors. This, Obama says, will result in improved energy efficiency and savings.

Read more: http://www.examiner.com/x-29137-Tallahassee-Environmental-News-Examiner~y2009m11d6-Obama-visits-Americas-largest-solar-power-field

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