News

Nearly 50 years spent fishing from tiny sailboats have taught Manuel de Oliveira the power of the wind, but he was mystified when white windmills began springing up along the coast near his town.

Brazil's wind energy sector is expected to take off this year, boosted by the government's first auction for projects in the renewable energy source on November 25.

Following are some of the main investments, current and planned, in the sector.

Chinese solar company Suntech Power Holdings Co Ltd said it was starting a 1.5 megawatt rooftop solar system project in Jiangsu province in China and the project is expected to be eligible for subsidies by the Chinese government.

The photovoltaic module maker said it was building the system in HuaiAn City with state-owned Jiangsu Guoxin Asset Management Group.

The National Assembly Standing Committee on Science and Technology stressed the need for Alternative Energy Sources to overcome the energy crises. The Committee recommended that the Alternate Energy Development Board (AEDB) and Pakistan Council for Renewable Energy Technology (PCRET) be merged, as mandate of both the organisations were the same.

The government is likely to take initiative to make the installation of solar power system easier and cost effective in urban areas so people could cope with the mounting power crisis.

Sources said the government is eager to simplify solar power equipment import and offer special bank loan for its import and installation.

Canada's oil sands emit more carbon dioxide than average crude so developers need a clearer picture of where greenhouse gas regulations are headed to find the best way to tap the giant resource, experts said.

Thiruvananthapuram, May 18 Solar energy has the potential to improve the living conditions of poor rural households in India as well as contribute to the country

German solar companies that have not yet set up US and Chinese production plants are likely to lose out on significant subsidies and will struggle to bring down their production costs to the levels of their Asian peers.

Australia plans to build the world's largest solar power station with an output of 1000 megawatts in a A$1.4 billion (US$1.05 billion) investment, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said on Sunday.

The plant would have three times the generating capacity of the current biggest solar-powered electricity plant, which is in California, Rudd said during a tour of a power station.

China's drive into wind power has been a boon to the young industry, but foreign turbine makers say China has stacked the odds so firmly against them that its own clean energy goals could be in jeopardy.

China's wind power generation has doubled in the last year and is expected to surpass nuclear within a decade as China seeks to wean itself off cheap but dirty coal.