Table of ContentsPower ReportCan Russian reforms boost investor confidence?
Russia’s unbundling of its monopolistic power sector and the deregulation of power prices have been without doubt impressive feats. However, will the market mechanisms, such as the long-term capacity market and financial derivatives market, due to be introduced this year have the desired effect of building much-needed investor confidence? Q_and_AEnergy in the UK: an alternative plan to ‘keep the lights on’ by 2017
Greg Clark is the UK’s shadow secretary of state for Energy and Climate Change. He entered Parliament as MP for Tunbridge Wells in 2005, having previously worked for the Boston Consulting Group. With opinion polls pointing to a Conservative Party victory in the upcoming general election, widely expected to be held on 6 May, Deputy Editor Tim Probert caught up with Clark at Westminster.
FeaturesGreece: Going Green - Cleaning up its act: the changing face of Greece’s power sector
Greece, with its pivotal position in southeast Europe, is emerging as a strategic energy hub in the region. Historically heavily reliant on lignite for its electricity, natural gas from the Caspian and wind power are transforming Greece’s power sector. How to achieve carbon-neutral power in Europe by 2050A new study shows it is feasible to attain carbon-neutral electricity in Europe by 2050. However, if it is to decarbonize its economy, policymakers must work to ensure all low-carbon generation options are available and also help to engender a paradigm shift on the demand-side towards energy efficient electric systems.
Offshore Wind - The London Array: An offshore wind farm of Olympic ambition
Last December, London Array Limited signed contracts worth almost €2 billion with seven European suppliers for the supply and installation of the first, 630 MW phase of what will be the world’s biggest wind farm. The Olympic Games will not be the only thing that Londoners will be celebrating when the wind farm becomes operational in 2012.
Opinion: Energy Storage - Energy storage: Renewable energy's missing link
Jonathan Howes of UK.based energy storage solutions provider Isentropic weighs up seasonal versus short-term storage, looking at the annual cycle of power generation from typical renewable sources like wind power. Superconducting generator:One small step?Converteam is set to install a newly designed high temperature superconducting generator at E.ON Wasserkraft’s hydropower station in the German town of Hischaid in Bavaria. The generator will replace and uprate an existing conventional generator, offering higher efficiency with the same footprint.
Gas Fired Back-up Power - Back-up power for wind: Striking the right balance
Balancing power in a grid that has a significant amount of wind capacity is a challenge for any utility. Some utilities in the USA are finding that installing reciprocating gas engines for ‘wind firming’ can be a good solution. RegularsUpfrontWhat do the ‘twenty tens’ hold in store?The beginning of a brand new decade is always an opportune moment to look back at the preceding ten years. In relation to the global power industry, what categorized the first decade of the 21st century and what is its legacy for the next ten years? AnalysisHave markets failed government or has government failed markets?
After the credit crunch comes the power crunch. Most of Britain’s aged coal and nuclear plants are scheduled to be decommissioned over the next decade and the lost capacity is not being replaced fast enough. Earlier this month, the country’s statutory energy markets regulator Ofgem released a report calling for fundamental market reforms to mitigate the pending ‘energy gap’. World NewsINTERNATIONALDubai’s government-owned Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) is to establish an independent regulator, charged with establishing a framework for private investment in future power projects. EUROPERenewable energy technologies accounted for 61 per cent of power generating capacity installed in the European Union (EU) in 2009, according to the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA). ASIA-PACIFICThe Central Electrical Authority (CEA) of India wants the federal government to reduce the size of its ultra mega power projects (UMPPs) from 4000 MW, which currently qualifies projects for this special status, to 2000 MW. AMERICASUS President Barack Obama has announced the award of $2.3bn in Recovery Act Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credits for renewables manufacturing projects. COMPANIESUtilities including RWE and E.ON could be forced to sell coal fired power plants in exchange for extended operations at their nuclear power plants, under proposals by the German Federal Antitrust Office. Genset RoundupCummins has the X factor with low-range gensetsCummins Power Generation has launched a line of low-range generator sets designed to maximise performance and minimise environmental impact. Equipment RoundupFAG online condition monitoring system prevents costly failure of a power generation turbine at a Corus steel plantAn FAG DTECT X1 online vibration monitoring system has prevented the failure of a steam turbine, which could have cost the Corus plant in Scunthorpe, UK many thousands of pounds in lost power generation. |
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