Commentary

Renewable energy attracted over $250 billion in global private sector investment in 2011 according to the United Nation’s REN21 report by the World Resources Institute as well as by a separate analysis by Bloomberg Energy.

In years past that referred to the difference between the thinking of the older generation and the younger generation. Today it can be used to describe the difference between how much electricity is being generated versus how much is needed.

Energy is one of the key contributors to sustainable development. Energy is an essential input to maintain and improve living standards of people, particularly the poor and the vulnerable and to develop to socioeconomic infrastructure required for sustainable growth. Over 2.7 billion people still rely on traditional use of biomass for cooking.

Under the Electricity Act (2003), the governing legislature for the Indian power sector, State Electricity Regulatory Commissions (SERCs) are mandated to promote renewable energy (RE) through the setting of Renewable Purchase Obligations (RPOs). Under these policies, certain parties (obligated entities) are obligated to purchase a minimum share of their electricity from renewable energy sources.

Fueled by rapid economic growth, a growing population with greater access to goods and services and higher electrification rates, Indian energy demand is projected to rise at over 5% a year over the next 25 years, based upon expectations of 8-10% growth in GDP#.

Rooftop solar projects are a known phenomenon nowadays. From governments to citizens everybody agrees that the combination of one infinite resource (solar energy) and a finite resource (land) can produce beneficial results. However what is socially desirable is not always economically achievable.

As Asian Power requirements increasing and many countries in the area are facing problems to accommodate balance between their requirements and resources, Transmission grid investment and operation efficiency can be improved through smart utilization of “Demand Side Management”(DSM).

Operating industrial installations is a constant reminder that a zero risk situation does not exist. Indeed, in our business lines, external and natural events represent a significant proportion of our operational risk.

In recent discussions with a scientist at China Guodian Corporation, one of China’s five biggest electricity power generation corporations, it was disclosed that State Grid is less likely to open new energy storage projects for renewable energies and its electricity grids in the near future.

Integrating renewables into the grid effectively, accommodating nuclear power safely, and interconnecting with other neighboring networks are some of the challenges that United Arab Emirates power sector is tackling at the current stage.

Over the years, the Indian power sector has had its own share of ups and downs. The Electricity Act 2003 was a watershed event, giving a much needed boost to the sector's economic viability.

Solar Energy is rather new and emergent in Asia and in many countries consumers and companies do not know exactly what it is or what it means and some myths have paved their way into the market place. Here are the top ten:

Power generation in the Asia Pacific region expanded by about 1/3 over the first decade of the new millennium. Some developing countries in the region experienced much higher growth rates than others, while generation barely increased in the developed countries of the region.

Polysilicon prices in December reached a low just above $26/kg, resulting in extremely low module costs for manufacturers.

Nearing the one year anniversary (March 11, 2011) of the historic Tohoku earthquake (M9.0), subsequent tsunami (~14-15m waves), and unfortunately, the ongoing consequences of the ‘Fukushima nuclear power plant (NPP) accident’, allow me to take this opportunity to reflect upon the significance and relevance of this tragic loss-of-life and the importance of energy for economic development and the human condition in Asia-Pacific (AP).

Recent trends within the PV industry have seen a massive increase in the number of module manufacturers within the Asian region. This will set the scene for the next few years where we can expect to see a move away from small roof-top PV systems to the deployment of large-scale commercial and industrial arrays. Historically, in most countries, such as Australia, the roll-out of PV has been dominated by domestic roof-top installations. For a country that has one of the greater levels of solar insolation, the deployment of solar as an energy source is small by world standards. Currently the largest PV flat-panel array is only 1.22MW located in Brisbane at The University of Queensland (UQ), which was designed primarily for research purposes. Whilst the Government has committed support for two large-scale projects and a number of other larger arrays are planned, most are still relatively small compared to those already established within Europe.