Source: 1366 Tech
Why Solar Makes Sense!
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Daily Archives: March 28, 2008
Largest solar plants in the world
Eco wordly on the largest solar plants (planned and operational) in the world. Australia has one coming up in Mildura, Victoria.
By 2011, Deming, New Mexico, USA will be the home of the world’s largest solar power plant. This 300 Megawatt solar facility will be 15 times the size of the current largest solar plant on the planet. New Solar Ventures and Solar Torx are the companies behind the project. The solar energy plant will cover as many as 1,300 hectares and employ between 300 and 400 people. The project’s planners estimate that the plant will supply enough energy to power 240,000 homes. (Photo: Flickr. Source: Reuters.)
The Solana solar plant, 70 miles from Pheonix, near Gila Bend, Arizona, USA, will compliment the Deming plant when both begin operations in 2011. It will produce 280 megawatts of energy, provide 1,500 jobs, and cover an area of 769 hectares. The solar power facility will be the child of Abengoa Solar and Arizona Public Service Company. However, the project depends on the United States Congress to renew clean energy tax credits, which would otherwise expire at the end of 2008. (Photo: APS. Source: Newlaunches via EcoFuss.)
Australia may briefly capture the prize for biggest solar with a plant near Mildura, Victoria, Australia. It will go into operation in 2010 and continue to grow in size until its completion in 2013. A project of TRUenergy and Solar Systems, the plant will generate 154 Megawatts of solar energy. With the Mildura plant complete, Solar Systems will continue to expand in Australia with the goal of 270,000 megawatts of output from a number of plants. Australia’s renewable energy goal is 20% by 2020. (Photo: Wikimedia. Source: Herald Tribune.)
Petrol Taxes around the world
Source: The Economist
Stanford’s Sustainability Initiatives
With major corporations working on their Sustainability strategies, the top universities are not behind. Harvard has a dedicated program working for the last 7+ years where they have created one of the best university managed environmetal programs.
Stanford has now entered this in a big way. With their original program starting in 2001, they have recently launched the “Jerry Yang and Akiko Yamazaki Environment and Energy Building on March 4″. The new building is called Y2E2 and it “is projected to use roughly half the energy and 90 percent less potable water for fixtures than a typical building of its size.” The buildings uses “an array of sustainable features that fall under five categories: load reduction, passive systems, active systems, energy recovery and on-site generation. These five approaches are expected to slash the building’s power consumption by more than half.”
Interestingly, this initiative is part of ‘The Stanford Challenge” which is a 5 year $4.3 billion fund raising campaign to work on this century’s most pressing global challenges. The idea is to create a mulit-disciplinary environment for the academics to work together to create solutions to this complex issue. They have already raised $3.4 billion towards this.
Australian Clean Tech Index
John O’Brien, a friend of mine and the Managing Director of Australian Cleantech launched the Australian Clean Tech Index. This is the first time anybody has grouped together all the sectors which comprise clean technology and environmental services in Australia.
Mr John O’Brien, Managing Director of Australian CleanTech, said concerns about climate change and energy consumption have led to greater interest in the cleantech industry and an increase in the economic value of clean technologies.
“For the first time we will be able to provide a picture of the Australian cleantech industry’s growth in a single measure,” Mr O’Brien said.“In 2007 a trialled ACT Australian Cleantech Index outperformed both the ASX 200 as well as the ASX Small Ords,” he said.
“The growth of the renewable energy sector in Australia will be driven by the Federal Government’s commitment to achieve 20 per cent of energy generation from renewable sources by 2020.”
The ACT Australian Cleantech Index includes over 75 companies, large and small, from Sims Metal Group with a market capitalisation of over $3 billion to Skydome Holdings with a market capitalisation of $5 million – plus a few outstanding performers with CBD Energy posting a 147 per cent increase in returns over a six-month period to December 2007.
I am planning a new series of interviews with people working in the Green sector. In the coming weeks, John O’Brien will be interviewed.
