Ecotricity, a British alternative energy provider, announced on its website that it is financing a new technology called Searaser. The company says the new technology tackles two of the main obstacles faced by the renewable energy industry: cost and intermittency.

The Searaser was invented by Alvin Smith, an engineer from Devon (UK). It uses ocean power, which is constant, to create electricity on demand.

“It’s such a simple design and we believe it’ll produce electricity cheaper than any other wave-power technology, or indeed any other type of renewable energy,” Ecotricity said on its website.

The difference between Searaser and existing wave technologies to produce power is that the former does not generate electricity in the water. Instead, it uses the constant motion of the ocean swell to drive seawater through an onshore turbine.

It pumps the water using a vertical piston between two buoys. One stays on the surface of the water, while the other is suspended underwater and tethered to a weight on the seabed. As the ocean swell moves, the buoys move up-and-down and the piston pumps pressurized seawater through pipes to an onshore turbine. This produces electricity.

Ecotricity said Searaser units could also supply energy on-demand by pumping seawater into a coastal reservoir, with a hydropower turbine, solving renewable energy’s problem of fluctuating output. The company is pumping money into the project to drive the next phase of development. The hope is to have a product ready for market in 2014. What do you think? Promising or not?

Article by Antonio Pasolini, a Brazilian writer and video art curator based in London, UK. He holds a BA in journalism and an MA in film and television.

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The value of renewable energy deals worldwide increased 40 percent in 2011, as solar, wind, and energy efficiency investments surpassed hydropower for the first time, a new report says.

According to a report by PriceWaterHouse Coopers, deals for renewable energy reached $53.5 billion last year, compared with $38.2 billion in 2010, a rate of growth that reflects a maturing market. While hydropower projects have historically dominated deal flow in the renewable energy sector, wind, solar, biomass and energy efficiency outnumbered hydro seven to one in 2011, the report said.

“The trend is all the more noteworthy given the uncertainy in the market and in government policies on renewables,” Paul Nillesen. PwC’s renewables partner, told Reuters. “We believe that deal flow will continue to be significant in the medium term.” In the U.S., energy developers installed 6,810 megawatts of new wind capacity in 2011 — 31 percent more than in 2010 — as the industry sough to capitalize on an expiring federal tax grant, according to a separate report.

Article appearing courtesy Yale Environment 360.

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The Niagara Tunnel Project in Ontario, Canada has reached a significant milestone with half of the tunnel now fully lined with concrete.

When it is finished, the smooth concrete lining will ensure the efficient and uninterrupted flow of Niagara River water through this 10.2 km tunnel to the Sir Adam Beck generating stations for the next 100 years. Digging the tunnel using the largest hard-rock boring machine in the world, dubbed “Big Becky,” was completed last spring.

The Niagara Tunnel is one of the largest hydropower projects in the world and will supply enough clean, renewable electricity to power 160,000 homes when it goes online in 2013. It currently employs more than 400 people and it is estimated it will bring $1 billion in economic benefits to the region.

“The Niagara Tunnel Project is an example of how the province is transforming Ontario’s electricity system and investing in the clean energy economy. We are ensuring a clean, modern, reliable and affordable energy system that will power us today, and for generations to come,” said Chris Bentle, Minister of Energy.

Ontario has been investing heavily in hydropower. Since 2003, more than 100 megawatts of new and refurbished waterpower projects have come online in the region. That’s enough to power 50,000 homes.

Article by Antonio Pasolini, a Brazilian writer and video art curator based in London, UK. He holds a BA in journalism and an MA in film and television.

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Brazil, the South American powerhouse whose energy mix relies mostly on hydropower, has reached 1 GW in installed wind power. That is enough to power a city of 1.5 million people.

Most of the country’s wind power is installed in the northeast and south regions of the country. According to ABEEólica, the Brazilian wind power association, there are 51 wind farms in the country, distributed over nine states.

It said the potential for more wind power is huge if tower installation costs are brought down as well as the cost to distribute this type of power. The organization says it needs more official support to expand.

Despite that, the organization expects that by 2013 Brazil’s energy matrix will be receiving 5.3 GW of wind power. Investments should exceed US$15bn and will be made by the private sector through federal government incentives distributed through a program called Proinfa, dedicated to promoting alternative energy.

Currently there are 36 wind farms under construction with a capacity to generate another 1 GW. They are expected to go online before the end of the year.

Compared to other emerging economies such as China and India, Brazil is lagging behind when it comes to wind power, mainly due to competition from cheaper hydropower. Wind power currently costs around US$86 per MWh while hydropower costs US$73. But this may start to change as regional governments start to assess local potential to tap the power of wind.

Article by Antonio Pasolini, a Brazilian writer and video art curator based in London, UK. He holds a BA in journalism and an MA in film and television.

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The latest issue of Monthly Energy Review, published by the Energy Information Administration, revealed that renewable energy production has been larger than nuclear energy production in the U.S.. It also showed that alternative energy types of energy has almost matched domestic oil production.

According to Domestic Fuel magazine, during the period analyzed (Q1 2011), “energy produced from renewable energy sources (biomass/biofuels, geothermal, solar, hydro, wind) generated 2.245 quadrillion Btus of energy equating to 11.73 percent of U.S. energy production. During this same time period, renewable energy production surpassed nuclear energy power by 5.65 percent. In total, energy produced from renewables is 77.15 percent of that from domestic crude oil production.”

Solar power has increased by 104.8 per cent while wind power increased by 40.3 per cent. Hydropower increased by 28.7 per cent while geothermal saw a rise of 5.8 per cent. Nuclear saw a slight increase in generation, but remained mostly stead, the article highlighted.

Overall, renewable energy increased just over 15 per cent compared with the same period in 2010 and 25 per cent when compared with the same period in 2009.

Article by Antonio Pasolini, a Brazilian writer and video art curator based in London, UK. He holds a BA in journalism and an MA in film and television.

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Germany responded swiftly to the Japanese nuclear crisis by announcing a decision to phase out its older nuclear stations. Japan followed a few weeks later saying that it intends to focus on renewable energy (although it won’t do away with nuclear power altogether). And now Switzerland is looking to hydropower to secure its energy future, also moving away from nuclear power.

Last Wednesday the Swiss government recommended to parliament that the land-locked nation’s five nuclear plants should not be replaced, according to an AFP report. This would mean they would be phased out by 2034.

As nuclear power exists the country’s energy mix stage, it would be replaced with renewable power such as hydro. “The federal council wishes to continue guaranteeing high security for energy supply in Switzerland, but without nuclear in the medium term,” the cabinet said in an official statement. It added that it was both technically and financially sustainable to do so.

Beznau I will be the first plant to be shut down in 2019 while Beznau II and Muehleberg will be shut down in 2022. Goesgen will be retired in 2029 and Leibstadt in 2034.

Parliament will begin debating draft legislation early in June and before the end of the month a final decision is expected to have been made.

The government did admit that if necessary it may have to import electricity and resort to fossil fuel generated power but it promised it will respect targets set out by the country’s climate change policy.

The Swiss government’s decision is a political one. It wants to signal that it is creating an environment that is favorable for green technology, which can generate new jobs and help the country to achieve energy independence. Swiss is also trying to protect itself against rising electricity prices as nuclear becomes more expensive in order to meet safety requirements.

Article by Antonio Pasolini, a Brazilian writer and video art curator based in London, UK. He holds a BA in journalism and an MA in film and television.

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As the second largest producer of hydropower in the United States, the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation has a key role to play in President Obama’s blueprint for a secure energy future. Reclamation’s staff of engineers, biologists, hydrologists and other professionals are working tirelessly to conserve water and improve energy efficiencies at our projects across 17 Western states.

Recently, Reclamation announced $24 million in WaterSMART Water and Energy Efficiency Grants for 54 projects. This federal funding, when combined with other non-federal resources, will total more than $76 million in projects that are expected to save more than 15 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, enough for more than 1,300 households.

The East Columbia Basin Irrigation Company in Washington, for example, will use its WaterSMART grant to help convert more than 85,000 feet of open ditch to pipelines to address seepage losses. The improvements are expected to result in a water savings of 7,850 acre-feet each year and 4.3 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year.

By working together on projects like these, we can find more effective ways to use the water available in the West to protect jobs, enhance the use of clean energy and promote the sustainable use of limited resources.

As drought, climate change, growing populations, energy demands and basic environmental needs stress our finite water and energy supplies, these WaterSMART grants will save energy and help America become less dependent on sources of energy that are costly, non-renewable and harm the environment.

Learn more about WaterSMART (Sustain and Manage America’s Resources for Tomorrow).

Article by Mike Connor, Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation

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Having arrived in Toronto on a rainy Saturday afternoon, slightly dazzled by the five hour jetlag, I woke up today to find an even rainier – and colder – day.

It seems to suit the motive of the trip which is the Ontario Global Water Leadership Summit taking place on Tuesday and Wednesday and bringing together some of the leading talent in water technology.

Ontario has a plan to become a major renewable energy hub and it also harbors water technology companies, which makes the region a cutting-edge center of cleantech innovation. In February the government of Ontario entered an R&D partnership with PUB, Singapore’s national water agency, to leverage both region’s resources.

Water is the very essence of the region. The area is blessed with tens of lakes, the most famous being the homonymous lake Ontario. Lake Ontario is fed by Niagara River, home to the world-famous Niagara Falls. And it was there we headed today, in order to get a sense of the grandeur of Niagara and its symbolic and practical place in the region’s water wealth.

It’s impossible not to be humbled by the sheer power of Niagara Falls. Its massive flow of water and electrifying beauty is a vivid reminder of the force of nature. They look like a spectacle carefully orchestrated to strike us with a sense of awe and utter wonder.

Many of the tourists wandering there today under their plastic capes to get protection from the intense spray and the cold drizzle probably were not aware of a massive hydropower project currently being undertaken to increase the generation of electricity.

For the last five years a team of engineers has been working in a tunnel below Niagara Falls, said to be the biggest hard-rock tunnel boring machine, which on Friday finally broke through the other side.

The tunnel is called Big Becky, a 6.5 mile passageway built by the Ontario Power Generation company. The project will provide hydropower to 160,000 homes in the region, generating 1.6bn kWh through the power of 500 cubic meters of water per second that will be diverted from the Niagara River to the Sir Adam Beck generating station. It is estimated that it will be in operation for 100 years from the year 2013, when it will be inaugurated after concrete lining has been laid down and careful testing carried out.

Initiatives like this are part of Ontario’s plan to phase out coal completely from its energy mix. Ontario has been attracting solar technology companies to the region as well and it’s home to the world’s largest solar farm. In fact, my first impression of the region is that the size of Ontario’s ambition for renewable energy matches the size of one its biggest natural icons.

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Aside from the hydroelectric dams throughout the country, Canada is not known for having a large amount of renewable energy generation. However, over the last few years, the government in Canada has expressed an increasing desire to increase the overall percentage of Canadian electricity that is produced using sources of renewable energy.

1) Ontario Legislature Sings Green Energy Act. In 2009, the legislature in the province of Ontario passed the Green Energy Act. The act is said to increase new investment into the area for renewable energy, create a number of jobs within the green economy sector, and increase sustainability throughout the environment. This act, as well as a number of complimentary regulations and policies, will supply the government with ample tools that will guarantee a place for Ontario as a leader within the North American renewable energy sector, as well as create a society where government, schools, industries, and homeowners embrace the concept of energy efficiency. Some of the elements include mandatory home energy audits prior to sale, the development of a feed-in tariff system, and new programs to assist with diverting costs on renewable energy projects.

2) Canadian Renewable Energy Alliance. The Canadian Renewable Energy Alliance, or CanREA as it is more commonly known as, is a civil society organization that seeks to promote a worldwide transition to the use of low-impact renewable energy sources as well as energy conservation and efficiency. Items CanREA explores include global climate change, pollution, human security, global energy supply, and economic sustainability. CanREA’s world vision includes ones where “energy needs are minimized through energy conservation and energy efficiency, and in which low-impact renewable energy is consistently the first choice to meet energy needs.” CanREA works alongside the government to make necessary transitions.

3) CanmetENERGY. CanmetENERGY, part of National Resources Canada is the leader in research and development of clean energy technologies. The group consists of more than 450 scientists, technicians, and engineers and has become the center for expertise in clean energy technologies. They are the largest energy science and technology organization around. The aim is to guarantee that Canada stands as a leader in clean energy technologies, as well as decrease greenhouse gas emissions around the country and improve the overall health of Canada’s citizens. CanmetENERGY’s job is to “manage science and technology programs and services, support the development energy policy, codes and regulations, act as a window to federal financing and work with our partners to develop more energy efficient and cleaner technologies in [a number of areas]” which includes bio energy, renewable, transportation, and clean fossil fuels.

4) Canada is a Place for Renewable Energy Investment. Canada is seen as a great location for renewable energy investment. It has a great infrastructure, long term “green policies,” a number of tax incentives, and the fact the sector is in line to grow exponentially. Canada has a lot to offer investors, such as the country is the largest producer of hydropower, has the most access to resources for biomass in the world, a fast growing wind sector, and is the leader in solar air collector manufacturing and commercialization.

5) Canadian Renewable Energy Academy. The Canadian Renewable Energy Academy is located in the province of Ontario assists with the growing clean energy sector by establishing a nationally accepted training standard for Canadian workers in the sector of renewable energy. The standards include “an academic accreditation system that monitors, assesses and evaluates the quality of education delivery and a national certification system for graduates.” The goals of the academy include offering top quality education, assisting in responsible growth of the renewable energy sector, and assisting businesses advance within the renewable energy industry.

6) Renewable Energy and Distributed Generation Task Force. The Canadian Renewable Energy and Distributed Generation Task Force focuses on technologies and applications that would allow renewable energy applications to be cost competitive through three main areas – deployment, market enabling, and research development and demonstration projects. These will assist in making renewable energy and distributed generation more affordable across the country. Some of the objectives include facilitating the deployment and demonstration of renewable energy technologies, identify the needs of the province, collaboration promotion, and support cooperative projects.

7) MaRs. Located in Toronto, Ontario is MaRs. MaRs is a cleantech cluster, and was listed as one of the top global cleantech clusters of 2010. It is a mission-driven center for innovation. The focus of the cluster is to continue building up Canada’s cleantech sector. MaRs has worked with more than 250 cleantech companies across the country and provided them with business advice, mentorship, entrepreneurship education, market intelligence, seed capital, and access to a network of partners. MaRs has three strategic goals – to create great companies, to develop a working innovation hub, and to increase the strength of Canada’s global brand of innovation.

8 ) Advancements in Bioenergy. One of the most targeted areas in Canada’s renewable energy scheme has been bioenergy. There has been much in the way of research and development in the manufacturing of economic and clean bioenergy and bioproducts from the large amount of biomass resources at Canada’s fingertips. As such, there have been a number of advancements, including converting wastes, including used restaurant grease into top-quality diesel fuels and a set of guidelines to assist with the overall improvement of industrial boiler efficiency as well as emissions reduction.

9) Wind Energy Institute of Canada. The Wind Energy Institute of Canada, or WEICan, looks to increase the development and deployment of wind energy as a viable renewable energy source across the Canadian country via research, testing, training, as well as collaboration. WEICan has been in operation for more than 25 years and plays a key role in the advancement of wind energy. They deal with testing and demonstration and research and innovation. They also supply technical consultation and public education and training. WEICam has their own testing facility in order to advance their mission.

10) National Solar Test Facility. Located in Mississauga, Ontario is the National Solar test Facility in Canada. The facility offers not only testing for solar equipment but also certification programs. It is the leading North American center for the testing and rating of solar technologies using controlled sunlight, wind, and temperature. The facility has one of the largest indoor solar simulators around the world.

Article by Shawn Lesser, Co-founder & Managing Partner of Atlanta-based Watershed Capital Group – an investment bank assisting sustainable fund and companies raise capital, perform acquisitions, and in other strategic financial decisions. He is also a Co-founder of the GCCA Global Cleantech Cluster Association ”The Global Voice of Cleantech”. He writes for various cleantech publications and is known as the David Letterman of Cleantech for his “Top 10″ series. He can be reached at shawn@watershedcapital.com

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Austria, the country of classical music has lit the way to leading green technologies since the 1970’s and it’s cleantech sector is still growing rapidly. Currently, renewable energies provide a quarter of the energy consumed in the country and two third of the electricity demand. More than 600 international cleantech companies form a world-class cleantech orchestra that is worth enjoying.

1) Upcoming Technologies from the clean energy labs. Austria has been increasingly investing into energy labs. Aside from private funding, many public research institutions have been offering funding to Austria energy labs. Popular locations for these labs include Graz and Vienna, as they house numerous technical universities. Styria is an innovation champion within Europe as its research and development quota has reached more than four percent of its GDP. Some of the energy lab highlights include BDI Bioenergy International, a company creating new “biocrack technology” which combines waste from oil refiners with biomass to produce inexpensive biodiesel. Another highlight stems from Joanneum Research Institute of Sustainable Techniques and Systems. They are responsible for “Green Biorefinery Austria,” a project using Austria’s abundance of grasslands as raw materials for biobased products.

2) Increase in Hydropower. In Austria, more than 60 percent of the electricity is produced by renewable energy, namely hydropower. There is approximately 3,000 hydro power plants around the country and numerous Austrian-based companies providing the capabilities to utilize this form of energy. For example, Andritz Hydro, a large international corporation, created “water to wire” technology with a staff of 6,000 employees. Aqua Libre, another hydro company, created the Strom-Boje, a small hydro electric power plant.

3) Biomass Solutions – Austrian innovation grows on trees. Money may not literally grow on trees, but financial opportunities do, and that includes biomass solutions. With more than half of the country covered in vast woodland areas, Austria has realized its potential as a source of renewable energy. Numerous companies have now shifted their focus to this previously untapped source of energy. KWB, located in Austria, operates the largest private center for research and innovation in biomass solutions.It has produced a number of technologies, including Clean Staged Gasification, which produces tar free gas from wood.

4) Pioneers and Market Leaders in Solar Solutions. Not many are aware but over 30 percent of all solar thermal collectors produced in Europe come from Austria. The small amount of sunshine Austria received has enabled it to produce effective products. One of the largest solar thermal collector specialists, GREENone Tec is located in Austria and has designed thermal siphon systems and façade collectors. Austrian company S.O.L.I.D. received Singapore’s “Solar Pioneer Award” for their solar cooling technologies at the United World College. Once completed, it will be the largest solar cooling project in the world.

5) Recycling Technologies are cutting the edge. Many European countries have designed their waste separation and recycling regulations on the Austrian method. Binder+Co has recently developed a highly progressive sensor-supported sporting plants used for waste glass and are now being implemented worldwide. For biological waste, Thoeni developed recycling plants that are able to turn biological waste into quality compost and electricity. One last example is KOMPTECH, an expert mechanical biological waste treatment company that has been dedicated to user-centered innovations.

6) Pioneering Regions live the future. Austria has a number of energy-model regions. Mureck is an Energy Globe Award winning region. In Graz, a company has been producing biodiesel from waste cooking oil that is collected throughout the city and used to fuel the city’s public transportation. As well, the town of Gussing is known as the first town in the country to produce 100 percent of its electricity needs from renewable sources of energy throughout the region. This was done when the town realized it was no longer able to afford the rising cost of fossil fuels and opted to become more self-sufficient through the use of renewable energy sources. Aside from the obvious environmental benefits it provided for the more than 4,000 residents of Gussing, it also created 1,000 new jobs in their renewable energy sector.

7) Civil society fostering cleantech solutions. Everyone knows that cleantech can only survive if the citizens of the countries will it to be so. The Austrian society has been extremely eco-sensitive and has grounded strong roots into creating a viable clean technologies industry. A popular example comes from the 1970s. Austria built a fully-functional nuclear power station but it has never been used due to increased protests from the country’s citizens. There has also been increased resistance from the citizens to the creation of new landfills, and instead, it has increased the number of new recycling technologies.

8 ) Availability of highly skilled and top motivated people. One of the biggest advantages of the clean technologies industry in Austria is the number of individuals who are skilled and motivated. With five universities throughout Vienna, Graz, and Leoben, a number of private universities, plus a handful of training centers are educating numerous people engineering studies programs, including process engineering, material sciences, disposal engineering, electrical engineering, and environmental engineering. Because of the motivation of Austrian employees, they have been ranked as the third most motivated country with employees.

9) Cooperation within clusters. In the 1990s, the cluster model created by Michael Porter was applied in Austria. The result was ECO WORLD STYRIA, one of the top cleantech clusters around the globe. Considered “Europe’s Green Tech Valley,” it is home to over 150 cleantech companies, a majority of which are global leaders in their respective cleantech sector. The cluster is home to a number of specialized research centers, strong engineering tradition, and a leading research quota.

10) New Markets within reach. The geographic location of Austria as the centre of Europe has designated it as a link between western countries and rising cleantech markets in eastern countries. As such, a number of international companies from around the world has made one of their destinations for investment Austria.

Article by Shawn Lesser, Co-founder & Managing Partner of Atlanta-based Watershed Capital Group – an investment bank assisting sustainable fund and companies raise capital, perform acquisitions, and in other strategic financial decisions. . He is also a Co-founder of the GCCA Global Cleantech Cluster Association ”The Global Voice of Cleantech”. He writes for various cleantech publications and is known as the David Letterman of Cleantech for his “Top 10″ series. He can be reached at shawn@watershedcapital.com

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