Clean energy investment reaches $263 billion in 2011

Global clean energy finance and investment (i.e. for renewables) grew to $263 billion in 2011, a 6.5% increase over the previous year, according to new research released by The Pew Charitable Trusts. Among G-20) nations, the United States reclaimed the top spot from China, which led the global clean energy race since 2009. Germany, Italy, … Continue reading Clean energy investment reaches $263 billion in 2011 →

Does building turbines use more energy than they produce?

This is an excellent article from February 29th in the Guardian by Leo Hickman on life cycle analysis of wind turbines. The average windfarm produces 20-25 times more energy during its operational life than was used to construct and install its turbines Critics of wind energy often claim that the energy used to construct a … Continue reading Does building turbines use more energy than they produce? →

IEA Energy Policy Review of Denmark

The International Energy Agency recently published a report on Danish energy policies. The IEA in-depth review opens: “Denmark is a leader among OECD member countries in terms of renewable energy, energy efficiency and climate change policies.” This is obviously a winning combination. The report sets the scene by stating that Denmark has a long history … Continue reading IEA Energy Policy Review of Denmark →

Focus on industrial energy efficiency

After slumbering for many years, it is back, moving up the policy agenda. Improvement of energy efficiency in industry was a focus of attention after the oil crises of the 1970s because it could be done quickly. There was a lot of progress, with a combination of monitoring (actually counting energy consumption in a factory), … Continue reading Focus on industrial energy efficiency →

Quote of the week

You will be surprised who wrote this: “It turns out that the Americans make washers and dryers all wrong. The Europeans make them much better – but they take twice as long to do the clothes! It turns out that they wash them with about a quarter as much water and your clothes end up … Continue reading Quote of the week →

Renewables news

The European Wind Energy Association has just published 2011 data on wind energy. Wind power capacity of 9616 MW was installed in the EU in 2011, at a value of €12.6 billion. This was down only slightly from 2010, when 9648 MW was installed. Wind power represented 21.4 % of total power capacity installations in … Continue reading Renewables news →