In Focus

The installations will range in size from one megawatt (MW) to 50MW, with a final total capacity of approximately 520MW.

Czech companies have expressed interest to participate in the fast-growing Indian power sector.

China Guangdong has reopened talks with Kalahari over a 270 pence-a-share bid, according to a Bloomberg report.

The best power companies were recognised at this year's awards held in Malaysia.

Vietnam has become the attractive destination for foreign clean energy investors with shortage in energy and willingness to develop clean energy sources.

“I plan to take measures to lift the Emergency Evacuation Preparation Zone this week if possible,” said Goshi Hosono, the minister in charge of responding to the nuclear crisis.

Lacking energy and wishing to develop clean energy sources, Vietnam has become the attractive destination for foreign clean energy investors. When announcing the project to build a solar panel factory in HCM City in March, the US First Solar group aims to make more profits with the low-cost solar cell technology, about 78 cent per watt. The project by First Solar to increase the capacity from 1.4GW to 2.7GW, which is expected to create 600 jobs in Vietnam, has the total investment capital of one billion dollars. IC Energy has also set up a solar panel factory in the Chu Lai Open Economic Zone with the investment capital of more than 390 million dollars. Meanwhile, German Roth&Rau has also invested 275 billion dong in a factory in the Hoa Lac High-Tech Park. A lot of other large-scaled wind power projects in Vietnam have also been kicked off. The 99MW wind power plant in Bac Lieu province has the total investment capital of 4500 billion dong. One of the biggest equipment suppliers of the project is the US-based GE Group. A project on wind power plant in Tra Vinh province has been developed by German EAB, which is expected to have the capacity of 30MW. Meanwhile, a project in Soc Trang is expected to have the capacity of 300MW when becoming operational. Meanwhile, sources say that the US Cenergy Power is moving ahead with the solar energy projects in the two islands of Cat Hai and Bach Long Vi. Investment funds jump into clean energy sector Of the 150 million euro worth of ODA (official development assistance) capital granted by the German government to Vietnam in 2010-2011, 33 percent of the capital will be poured into the energy sector and climate change. This has helped catch more attention from foreign investors when considering investment plans in Vietnam. Besides this, the market now has favorable conditions to develop, because a lot of investment funds which plan to funnel capital into the recycle energy sector have been established. A World Bank’s survey on the energy for Asia conducted in 2010, shows that Vietnam has great advantages to make wind power with the total potential capacity of 500,000 MW, which is 200 times higher than the capacity of Son La hydropower plant and 10 times higher than the forecast total electricity capacity to be reached by 2020. Vietnam has 8.6 percent of its area which is believed to have “good” and “very good” potentials to set up big-scaled wind power stations, and more than 40 percent of land in rural areas for small-scaled stations. Meanwhile, scientists have warned that Vietnam may meet big problems in the future, when the electricity consumption is forecast to increase by 20 percent, while the electricity output increases by 13 percent only. Indochina Capital has set up MRRF with the capital of 50 million dollars, a fund which plans to pour money into recycle energy and environment projects. The fund also plans to mobilize 150 million dollar worth of capital from other sources which will then be injected in wind, solar power plants, small hydropower plants and energy saving projects. Prior to that, Dragon Capital announced the establishment of the regional Mekong Brahmaputra fund which specializes in making investment in recycle energy, clean water production and waste treatment. To date, 45 million dollars worth of capital has been mobilized from financial institutions such as FMO, ADB, Finnfund and BIO, while the capital is expected to increase to 100 million dollars this year. IFC and Norwegian SN Power have also agreed on the establishment of InfraVentures which specializes in seeking investment opportunities in recycle energy projects. For the last many years, IFC has been well known as a big investor in energy saving and clean production sectors.  

To make up for the decline in nuclear power generation, the country will boost power conservation and the use of renewable energy in its new electricity portfolio.

If the World Bank and an Indian power utility have their way, the Rampur hydropower project in Northern India will increase global CO2 emissions by 15 million tons, at a cost of $164 million to unsuspecting energy consumers in Sweden. The project is a textbook example of how hydropower companies and other investors, with support from the World Bank, are gaming the system of climate finance. Rampur is a 412-megawatts hydropower project on the Satluj River in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (SJVN), an Indian hydropower company originally created by the World Bank, signed an agreement with the local government to implement the project back in 2004. The Indian Prime Minister laid the foundation stone in 2005. The World Bank approved a loan of $400 million for Rampur in 2007. Throughout this process, the hydropower company SJVN assured the public and its lenders that the scheme was a "least cost" project and would remain financially viable even under adverse hydrological conditions. At no time did it indicate that the project depended on carbon credits to go forward. Several years into project construction, t

The International Atomic Energy Agency feels that the global atomic sector would largely be driven by countries like India and China.

China’s demand for natural gas alone is projected to grow more than five times from the current 20billion cubic metres to 110billion cubic metres by 2015.

Myanmar will go ahead with construction of a major dam along its main river despite opposition from ethnic minorities and environmentalists.

Rocketing demands for power across the Asia-Pacific has fuelled a growing market for smart grid technology. Energy providers in countries like China, Japan and India have raised the need to introduce efficient ways to generate electricity, but a cautious approach left the region lagging behind the US and Europe. The smart grid market in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region has emerged slowly over the past few years; increased consumption of electricity in countries like China, Japan and India has raised the need to introduce alternative measures to generate or to save electricity. The development of smart grids has therefore picked up steam in several countries such as Australia, New Zealand, China, Singapore, South Korea and India. The smart grid market and its enabling technologies are emerging slowly in the APAC region. The initiative to roll out smart meters was first undertaken by the Australian market, and New Zealand is currently in the growth stage of rolling out smart metering on its grid infrastructure. China also initiated the process of smart grid development from 2007 under the guidance of the Joint US China Cooperation for Clean Energy (JUCCCE). Although, the smart grid market has began to take shape in Asia Pacific region it still does not compare with smart grid markets in North America and Europe. The slow growth of the activities in APAC related to smart grids can be attributed to the cautious approach taken by governments to incorporate smart grid technologies into their systems. Leading the pumped hydro market "The smart grid market in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region has emerged slowly over the past few years." The pumped hydro market and super capacitor market constitutes the APAC energy storage market for the smart grid. The APAC region is the global market leader in the pumped hydro market. The deployment of smart grids will boost the market for advanced energy storage systems in the APAC region. The market for broadband over power lines (BPL) is yet to take off in a big way in the Asian mainland. However, the outcome of a number of projects initiated in India, South Korea and Indonesia will determine the viability of rolling out the technology on a larger scale. There is huge potential for high voltage direct current (HVDC) in APAC. A number of HVDC projects have already been undertaken during the period from 1965 to 2008 and there are more upcoming projects that will be implemented in the near future. The APAC market for renewable power generation systems related to smart grids is mainly composed of solar and wind energy markets. Renewable incentives for smart rollout The APAC wind energy market was the third largest in the world until 2008 and was concentrated in the markets of New Zealand, Australia, Japan and China. Signs of growth in the solar photo voltaic (PV) sector can also be seen in the region. Therefore, renewable power generation markets in the APAC region provide significant growth potential to the main players in this sector. Key driving factors for implementing smart grid technologies in the current grid infrastructure could be integrating low carbon technologies, reducing power transmission and distribution (T&D) loss, reducing risk of outages, optimising consumption of electricity, incorporating renewables and so on. "The deployment of smart grids will boost the market for advanced energy storage systems in the APAC region." There has also been a significant increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the APAC region in the recent years. Apart from transportation, the GHG emitted from the traditional coal fired power plants can be a serious threat to the environment in the long run. Therefore, reducing carbon emissions is a major factor for smart grid deployments in the APAC region. The use of HVDC in the present grid will help reduce the loss of power in T&D significantly. The smart grid will employ a mix of renewable and non-renewable resources, thus decreasing consumption and dependence on fossil fuels imported from oil-producing nations to meet their energy needs. Smart grid projects in Asia Pacific A number of smart grid pilot projects have been witnessed in APAC region in the recent years. These projects are aimed to improve energy efficiency and reduce global warming. The smart grid technology will help to modernise and improve the efficiency of the legacy power grid infrastructure in APAC nations. The use of renewable sources in the smart grid will be much higher with the deployment of advanced storage systems. Two way communication between consumers and utilities will form the backbone of smart grids, enabling reduction in peak demand an reducing consumption of electricity overall. Optimising operation of the current grid assets and active participation of customers are some of the characteristics of the smart grid that are unavailable in the traditional grid infrastructure. Apart from this, smart grids bring numerous other benefits to both the utility provider as well as the end user, like effective management of power consumption, reduction in operation and maintenance cost, cost saving from reducing peak loads etc. However, challenges such as high cost of capital, policy and regulation barriers and consumer unawareness are some of the deterring factors acting as barriers against the growth of smart grid technology in APAC countries. Policies and standards for smart grids in the APAC region are yet to be developed but they do have policies related to increasing the efficiency of the power grid. The smart grid related policies and programmes have been undertaken by some of the APAC nations such as Australia, China and India. Settling on smart grid standards "A number of smart grid pilot projects have been witnessed in APAC region in the recent years." Standards are required for ensuring the interoperability between the different elements of the grid and between the same products from different manufacturers. A few of the smart grid related standards are ANSI C12.19, C12.22, IEEE1547, ZigBee and IEC 61850. The standards for smart grid technology in the APAC region are yet to be established. In terms of competitive landscape, APAC smart grid industry is marked by the presence of global players with prior expertise in smart grids and its related technologies. Major players in APAC smart grid market include ABB LTD, ALSTOM, American Superconductors, Itron, Siemens AG, Telvent and Landis+Gyr. Smart metering in the smart grid industry consists of global players like Itron Inc. and Landis+Gyr, while the HVDC industry consists of players such as ABB Ltd and Siemens AG. The financial activities related to this sector are limited to major players. The lack of local companies has reduced the degree of competition for smart grid segments. However, there have been proposed smart grid investments in some of the regions of the APAC, such as South Korea, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, China and Australia. It has been noticed that the cautious approach taken by the smart grid companies in the Asia-Pacific region is due to the absence of an immediate market, thus limiting growth of smart infrastructure in the region.  

Yoshio Hachiro stepped down as head of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry after calling the evacuation zone around the Fukushima nuclear plant “towns of death”.

The capacity of Pipeline “C” will rise to 25 billion cubic meters a year by December 2015.

A total of 18,405 megawatts of wind power were installed in the first half of this year around the world, up from 16,000 MW in 2010.