Good News - Yes really!

Every now and then I get tired of reporting the endless stream of environmental bad news and the greed and stupidity that seems to be driving us into the climatic abyss. So, for once this post will  report GOOD NEWS.

Giles Parkinson at ReNew Economy reports that Zhengrong Shi, Head of the world's largest PV manufacturer Suntech, predicts: 

"…that 4 gigawatts – or even more – of solar PV could be deployed in (China) in 2012. Shi, the former UNSW researcher who now heads the biggest solar PV manufacturer in the world, Suntech Power, said more than 3GW of solar was deployed in China in 2011 (more than previous forecasts). This suggests that even the most recently updated prediction of 15GW of solar by 2015 (the year-ago forecast was for 5GW by 2015) in the world’s biggest consumer of energy could be beaten quite handsomely.

This is especially GOOD NEWS as:

The China market is emerging as the key for the global solar PV industry – and for Chinese manufacturers – as subsidies in Europe and elsewhere are gradually wound back."

Further GOOD NEWS is that, according to a report released by the Clean Energy Council, in line with the global trend for solar power which has seen enormous growth in the last 5 years, Australian PV capacity has increased 35-fold since 2008. Not so GOOD NEWS is that even with this rapid growth, Australia now has a total installed capacity of only 1031MW (1.031GW – about 0.04kW per capita). The approximately 1 million solar photovoltaics (PV) systems installed throughout the country produced 2.3% (680 gigawatt-hours (GWh)) of Australia’s renewable energy. Renewable energy generation across Australia in the 2010-2011 financial year stood at 9.64% of all generation. The world leader in installed solar PV, Germany, has more than 17GW (17,000MW – about 0.2kW per capita) of installed capacity. Either in terms of per capita capacity or total generating capacity Australia plainly has much ground to make up.

More not so GOOD NEWS from Giles Parkinson at Renew Economy who reports that:

"The Queensland state-owned generator CS Energy has quit the Solar Dawn consortium that is proposing to build a 250MW solar thermal power station as part of the federal government’s Solar Flagships project. The decision by CS Energy creates further uncertainty about the future of the project, which – along with the other Solar Flagships winner, the 150MW Moree solar PV project – failed to arrange finance by the mid-December deadline.

The flagships program has been criticized by many in the industry because of the grandiose nature of the projects, when it might have been wiser to fund a broader range of smaller projects using different technologies, and so spread the risk. (See Matthew Wright’s piece on why grants should be ditched in favour of feed-in-tariffs)."

Failure to achieve the necessary interim financial goals casts into doubt the future of the Solar Flagships projects with the possibility that Federally allocated funds not utilised will revert to ARENA - the Australian Renewable Energy Agency. As this fund (Currently $3.2 billion) is under the control of the Energy Minister that Time forgot, Fossil Fuel Ferguson, and as he is prepared to guarantee only that the ARENA Board, when appointed will contain at least one expert in CLEAN (not renewable) energy technology there is every chance that Solar Flagships money will eventually go to funding CCS research. This could not be described as GOOD NEWS.

 More GOOD NEWS. The estimable Giles Parkinson at Renew Economy reports:

"The US-based First Solar announced at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi that it had set a new record for thin film solar products, achieving a module efficiency of 14.4 per cent, up from its previous record of 13.4 per cent.

The record, which has been verified by the US Renewable Energy Laboratory, and was established in a commercial setting rather than just a test lab, takes First Solar closer to its interim goal of 15 per cent module efficiency, which it sees as key to taking its costs down to around 10c-14c/kWh by 2015, where it expects to be able to compete with other technologies without subsidies.

First Solar is building Australia’s first utility scale solar PV project near Geraldton, a 10MW facility featuring its cadmium telluride thin film panels that is expected to be completed mid-year."

More GOOD NEWS. The CSIRO have published a report titled "Exploring community acceptance of rural wind farms in Australia: a snapshot". Here are some highlights:

The study produced four high-level findings:
1. There is strong community support for the development of wind farms, including support from rural residents who do not seek media attention or political engagement to express their views.
2. The actual and perceived local costs and benefits of wind farms are strongly influenced by the design, implementation, and community engagement processes. Many of the benefits can be shared or communicated in ways that would enhance community support for the development of wind farms in a region. Many of the potential costs can be reduced by appropriate design, siting, and project implementation.
3. Existing regulatory approaches provide an appropriate framework for negotiating wind farm developments, but there is scope for improving outcomes.4. The emerging notion of a ‘Social Licence to Operate’ provides a useful framework for wind farm developers to engage local communities in ways that could enhance transparency and local support, and complement formal regulatory processes.

• There is currently no evidence linking noise impacts with adverse health effects. However, proposed wind farms can create stress, leading to negative health outcomes.

• Property prices have not been found to increase or decrease, although the potential market of buyers may be decreased.

• The vocal minority are more often prominent in the media, and secure political attention. A group from the ‘Landscape Guardian’ movement of wind opposition contests half of all wind farm proposals. These groups often contact local residents early in the project and share concerns about wind farms.

This is good news because of the destructive influence the Landscape Guardians and other disingenuous industry funded astroturf groups like the Australian Energy Foundation, have exerted over the shockingly restrictive wind power policies of newly elected conservative governments in both Victoria and New South Wales. 

The Climate and Health Alliance have released a position statement titled Health and Wind Turbines. Plainly echoing what the literature has shown for ages this statement says:

The evidence
To date, there is no credible peer reviewed scientific evidence that demonstrates a direct causal link between wind turbines and adverse health impacts in people living in proximity to them. There is no evidence for any adverse health effects from wind turbine shadow flicker or electromagnetic frequency. There is no evidence in the peer reviewed published scientific literature that suggests that there are any adverse health effects from „infrasound‟ (a component of low frequency sound) at the low levels that may be emitted by wind turbines.

There is some evidence to suggest that audible noise from wind turbines at elevated sound pressure levels may be associated with disturbed sleep and negative emotions. Annoyance levels may be expressed more about wind turbines than for comparable industrial noise, in particular when people hold pre-existing negative attitudes towards turbines. Annoyance may also be related to visual cues.

Fear and anxious anticipation of potential negative impacts of wind farms can also contribute to stress responses, and result in physical and psychological stress symptoms.
In addition, some people experience distress when they perceive a threat to the place that they live in the form of changes to the landscape, like a wind farm, but also other industrial developments, such as new housing estates, coal mines, or supermarkets.

Local concerns about wind farms can be related to perceived threats from changes to their place and can be considered a form of “place-protection action”, recognised in psychological research about the importance of „place‟ and people‟s sense of identity. The literature has previously identified the upsetting nature of place change, leading to feelings of grief or loss. However it is important not to presume that energy projects specifically, and proposals for place change more generally, will necessarily disrupt place attachments. How changes to places are interpreted, rather than the form of change per se, is critical in determining whether the pattern of association between place attachment and acceptance is positive or negative.

Economic reward can also affect attitudes to wind turbines, with people economically involved with wind farms more likely to show a more positive attitude to wind power than those who are not.

Fiona Armstrong at Climate Spectator has picked up on the CAHA position statement as has Adam Morton in the Sydney Morning Herald  and the Fifth Estate.
Don't know about you but I think that any day the lying so and so's from the anti-wind movement get a bit of stick is a GOOD NEWS day.

Finally. Some good news of quite a different sort popped up on Larvatus Prodeo's Climate Clippings 64.

Zero-emissions engine that runs on liquid air 

A new zero-emissions engine capable of competing commercially with hydrogen fuel cells and battery electric systems appeared on the radar when respected British engineering consultancy Ricardo validated Dearman engine technology and its commercial potential.

The Dearman engine operates by injecting cryogenic (liquid) air into ambient heat inside the engine to produce high pressure gas that drives the engine – the exhaust emits cold air. It’s cheaper to build than battery electric or fuel cell technology, with excellent energy density, fast refuelling and no range anxiety. It just might be a third alternative.

Among the advantages are that it doesn’t catch fire or explode and doesn’t require rare materials. Given the pathetic performance and relatively high cost of currently available EVs it seems to me that this bright idea can't come quickly enough. Perhaps our stumbling government struggling to balance its love of the 'market' with the imminent loss of jobs in the automotive industry might tie its support to the development of ths genuinely promising green transport initiative. Now that would be really GOOD NEWS.