Electricity Policy

China raises renewable goals

China’s shooting for renewables to provide 9.5 percent of its energy by 2015, with higher targets for wind, hydro and solar.

Clean energy investment in China, which reached $35 billion in 2009, is already higher than in any other country in the world, and its installed renewable energy capacity surpassed that of the US in 2010

Now, with the publication of China’s 12th Five Year Plan for Renewable Energy Development, the country signaled its intention to dramatically ramp up its use of renewables.

China’s long-range goal is to catch up to the US, where clean energy accounted for 8 percent of consumption in 2010 and could reach 15 percent by 2015.

World Bank: End fossil fuel subsidies

Leaked World Bank documents propose that rich countries should eliminate the $50bn a year they give in fossil fuel subsidies, in order to financially help poor countries address climate change.

The documents, due to be presented to the G20 finance ministers in November, also suggest that countries redirect “climate aid” money already pledged, towards the propping up ailing carbon markets.

The Mobilizing Climate Finance paper, seen in draft form by the Guardian, has been prepared at the request of the world’s leading economies. It is likely to provide a template for action in the UN climate talks that resume in Panama next week,in preparation for a major meeting of 194 countries in Durban in November.

Ill. towns weigh aggregation, switch

Illinois deregulated the generation of electric power in the mid-1990s, letting residents and businesses move from ComEd to other suppliers. Last year, Gov. Pat Quinn signed into law HB 722, which enabled municipalities, acting alone, or in aggregation with others, to negotiate cheaper electric rates on behalf of its residents.

For communities to pursue this route, voters must pass a referendum allowing it. Even if aggregation is passed, individual residents can opt out of the negotiation and buy electricity on their own. . . .

The subject of electricity aggregation is nothing new to the south Chicago suburbs. . . . New Lenox – along with Crest Hill – is already doing it, having passed a referendum in April’s election.

Minister: Germany will do just fine

Before Fukushima, Germany’s 17 nuclear reactors’ share of overall electricity production was just over 20 percent, which is comparable to the figure in the United States. Our eight oldest reactors were taken off the grid in March 2011, and the remaining nine cover 15 percent of demand. With eight reactors now offline, our guaranteed capacity is still more than our highest ever domestic consumption.

Meanwhile, the share of renewables in our electricity production passed the 20 percent mark for the first time in the first half of 2011. New capacities, better systems management and improved efficiency will offset the loss in capacity caused by the gradual shutdown of our remaining reactors. Low-carbon fossil fuel power plants will bridge the gap until new capacities have been completed. But in the medium term, our dependency on external energy sources will decrease significantly. By 2020 we plan to produce 35 percent of Germany’s electricity from renewable, i.e. local, sources, and 50 percent of it by 2030.