SBI Energy: Market Insights, Opportunities &Trends

Energy Storage Technologies in Utility Markets Worldwide from leading energy industry market research publisher SBI Energy gives you the tools to:

• Assess the state of your industry and the trends that are impacting it
• Identify exciting new opportunities and evaluate growth potential
• Review potential partners or acquisition targets

Utilities grapple with excess energy lost in off-peak times and energy shortages during peak times.

Solution: Smart grid energy storage

As utilities strategize the integration of renewable energies into the electric grid, energy storage technologies ante-up.

• $34 million in start up funding for an energy storage research hub is proposed in Obama’s 2011 budget planning.
• Companies are launching new energy storage products aimed at tapping into the growing market
• The global utility sector energy storage market is expected to grow by 15.8% per year to over $10 billion in 2015.

Energy Storage Technologies in Utility Markets Worldwide from leading energy industry market research publisher SBI Energy covers:

• Applications in which energy storage solutions can be leveraged within the utility sectors

• The electric grid and its operations, identification of opportunities for energy storage solutions

• Technologies including: pumped hydro storage, CAES, electrochemical capacitors, flywheels, and batteries

• Battery technologies including lead-acid, lithium-ion, molten salt, and vanadium redox and zinc bromide flow batteries

• SMES, or Superconducting magnetic energy storage, thermal storage and vehicle-to-grid

• Global market sizing for energy storage technologies to 2015 are provided.

(Source: sbienergy.com)

Wednesday, February 2, 2011 |The Green Market Blog

The evidence indicates that government investments have significantly helped the US renewable energy market. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 provided $94.8 billion for clean energy. The program was established under section 1603 of ARRA, and provided cash grants covering 10% or 30% of the total cost of developing new renewable energy facilities.

ARRA investments also funded research projects to develop next generation renewable energy technologies. These types of innovations create a cost competitive alternative to dirty sources of electricity while simultaneously creating long-term economic growth.

Due in large part to ARRA, the renewable energy industry survived the worst financial crisis in decades and is making significant progress toward attaining its goal of doubling renewable generation capacity over two years.

According to Gisela Kroess, a director at UniCredit SpA (UCG.MI), “[ARRA incentives have] spurred a lot of the growth we’ve seen,” she said at a renewable-energy finance conference.

Despite Republican opposition, the US Department of the Treasury’s 1603 cash grant program for the solar and wind industries was extended through 2011 as an add-on to the 2010 Tax Relief bill. The extension provides incentives so that developers of new solar and wind farms will continue investing in new projects beyond those already slated for construction.

ARRA Report Card: Two Years Later, is the latest industry study from market research publisher SBI Energy, it examines the ARRA clean energy investments and their impact on the various clean energy markets within the power, transportation, and building sectors.

Solar Energy

The report card indicates that according to forecasts from the Council of Economic Advisors (CEA), ARRA investments will help the domestic manufacturing capacity for solar photovoltaic (PV) modules to grow from less than 1 GW per year in 2008 to nearly 4 GW per year in 2012. Solar EnergyARRA investments are also accelerating the rate of innovation in solar photovoltaics and will drive down the costs of solar panels over the next five years by as much as 50 percent. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, ARRA has supported more than 1,100 solar projects in 42 states, creating enough new solar capacity to power 200,000 homes. ARRA has resulted in nearly 40 percent growth in the solar power market in 2009 and nearly double in 2010.

Wind Energy

Despite weak economic and investment conditions, US wind power capacity grew 40 percent in 2009 compared to 2008. In July 2010, the CEA reported that ARRA was responsible for approximately 6 GW of wind capacity installation that might not otherwise have occurred in 2009.

Geothermal Energy

An April 2010 U.S. Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) survey indicated a 26% increase in new projects under development in 2009 and concludes that the stimulus funding played an important role in propelling geothermal growth amidst recessionary economic conditions.

Combined Renewable Energy

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that US renewable generation capacity will increase 32 percent more than without ARRA, reaching 155 GW in 2015.

The results of this report card clearly indicate that government investment has significantly increased America’s renewable generation capacity. Richard Matthews is a consultant, eco-entrepreneur, sustainable investor and writer. He is the owner of THE GREEN MARKET, one of the Web’s most comprehensive resources on the business of the environment. He is also the author of numerous articles on sustainable positioning, green investing, enviro-politics and eco-economics.

(Source: solarfeeds.com)