Articles by
Craig Morris
Renewables International: Spain sets record for wind power production
By
Craig Morris
Since the beginning of November, wind power has been the largest source of electricity within Spain – ahead of even nuclear and coal power – according to the Spanish wind power association's blog. While the country got around a sixth of its electricity from wind turbines in 2011, the figure now regularly reaches 25 percent, putting wind power production in Spain close to the Danish average of 30 percent for 2012.
Renewables International: German wind sector strong again in 2012
By
Craig Morris
On Wednesday, the official figures for new wind turbine installations in Germany were published, and the sector grew by around 20 percent. German wind energy association BWE emphasizes how reliable the German market is year after year. If anything, Germany needs to focus on ramping up wind now that photovoltaics has caught up in terms of total installed capacity. . .
Renewables International: US to have 100 percent renewable power by 2180
By
Craig Morris
Yes, you read that right. At the current rate the US will meet 100% of its electricity demand within 170 years--give or take a few decades. . .
Renewables International: LA’s new feed-in tariffs in context
By
Craig Morris
Los Angeles adopted a relatively large feed-in tariff scheme this month that has drawn a lot of praise. Seen from Europe, the program certainly has an interesting design, but one wonders at a number of restrictions. Conflicting reports also show that Americans still don't quite understand the concept. Local solar installers also have mixed feelings but remain hopeful. . .
Renewables International: A lot of common ground despite criticism
By
Craig Morris
Germany likes to sell itself as a leader in environmental protection, but not everyone is convinced. In particular, the Anglo world remains devoted to nuclear power and criticizes Germany for not lowering emissions faster. Yet, Anglo carbon counters have almost everything in common with the German proponents of renewables except their stance on nuclear, so why the invective? . .
Renewable Internatioinal: FITs on National US Television
By
Craig Morris
Journalist David Roberts of Grist.org managed to get a news talk show on MSNBC to focus on feed-in tariffs in Germany. And Kathleen McGinty points out that FITs only provide renewables with the kind of guarantees conventional energy has always had. . .
Renewables International: German energy coops hold first national meeting
By
Craig Morris
Perhaps the biggest difference between the way Germany is switching to renewables and the way many other countries are doing so (China, the US, the UK, France, etc.) is the focus on citizen involvement. Not only does the German solar market consists of a large number of small roof arrays, but the biogas market also consists of a large number of relatively small facilities on individual farms, and small investors are even the driving force behind large wind turbines in "energy cooperatives." . .
Renewables International: German power exports reach record level
By
Craig Morris
According to preliminary figures not yet published by the BDEW, an association representing power and water providers, Germany exported 12.3 terawatt-hours of electricity in the first 9 months of 2012, compared to minus 0.2 terawatt-hours in the first 3 quarters of 2011 (effectively meaning that Germany was a net importer in the first 3 quarters of last year). . .
Renewables International: Grid parity still the goal?
By
Craig Morris
That quote comes from a presentation given by an IEA representative at the 27th PV-SEC in September, where the keynote address was "What is a fair price for PV electricity?" and a number of presentations focused on the “post-FIT” era. None of the presentations explains why feed-in tariffs for solar should disappear when they fall below the retail rate even though the ones for small biomass and wind have long been below the retail rate. . .
Renewables International: Time to celebrate the Energiewende
By
Craig Morris
Poor Energiewende – no one seems to love it. The current governing coalition consists of the two parties that have traditionally opposed the switch to renewables over the past two decades, and lots of these politicians still have a hard time wholeheartedly embracing their new policy. Nor is there much praise from the traditional supporters of renewables. These days, the opposition Social Democrats and Greens – the parties that really got the ball rolling with the Renewable Energy Act in 2000 – also now find themselves mainly criticizing details about what Merkel's coalition is doing with their political baby. . .
Renewables International: Warnings about possible power outages in Germany overstated
By
Craig Morris
An article today in German weekly Die Zeit reveals how completely overblown the likelihood is of power outages resulting from the country's Energiewende. . .
