New additions of renewable energy systems in 2007 outstripped new nuclear additions (again)

[jpak]

More than 20,000 MW of new wind generating capacity was added world-wide in 2007

Global Wind Energy Council Confirms Over 20,000 MW of Wind Power Was Installed in 2007

Global Wind Energy Council Confirms Over 20,000 MW of Wind Power Was Installed in 2007
Brussels, Belgium -- The Global Wind Energy Council confirmed Feb. 6 its earlier estimate that over 20,000 MW of wind power was installed in 2007, led by the US, China and Spain, bringing world-wide installed capacity to 94,112 MW.

This is an increase of 31% compared with the 2006 market, and represents an overall increase in global installed capacity of about 27%.

"The growth rates we are experiencing in wind energy continue to exceed our most optimistic expectations," said GWEC Secretary General Steve Sawyer.

Globally, wind energy has become a mainstream energy source and an important player in the world’s energy markets, and it now contributes to the energy mix in more than 70 countries across the globe.

The US reported a record 5,244 MW installed in 2007, more than double the 2006 figure, accounting for about 30% of the country’s new power-producing capacity in 2007.

<snip>

Global additions of new PV capacity were 2300+ MW(p)

Global Solar Photovoltaic market estimated 2.3 GWp in 2007

The European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA) reported that the photovoltaic world market (all types of PV systems, i.e. big power plants, private net connected systems and off grid PV) in 2007 grew by over 40 %, with approximately 2.3 gigawatt (GW) of newly installed capacity. Four countries mainly contributed to the global photovoltaic market growth: established countries such as Germany, Japan and the US; but also Spain, which made a large contribution by tripling its annual installations. Germany remains clearly in first position with a 50 % global market share.

Japan’s market is estimated to have stagnated 2007, while Spain’s market approached 300 MW. The US may have registered a 260 MW market by the end of 2007. Other new European markets have confirmed the effectiveness of their feed-in tariff schemes: Italy registered about 50 MW of installed capacity, while France is following with an estimated 40 MW. South Korea is also becoming a significant market player with 50 MW of newly installed systems in 2007.

Due to first data collected by the German Solar Industry Federation (BSW-Solar) PV systems with a nominal capacity of approximate 1.100 MW have been installed in Germany 2007 - as many as never before. The total installed capacity due to BSW-Solar reached roughly 3,8 gigawatt and the solar electricity produced by this systems is sufficient to supply the households of a metropolis like Hamburg. After additional installations of 850 MWp in 2005 as well as in 2006 last year for the first time 1.1 GW were connected to the German grid, BSW-Solar emphasizes.

<snip>

European additions of solar thermal capacity for hot water were ~2100 MWt in 2006 and China is installed more than 20 million square meters of new solar hot water capacity in 2006...new additions will be more in 2007 (when the final figures come in). This doesn't include new global additions of solar thermal electric or geothermal capacity.

www.estif.org/fileadmin/downloads/ press/ESTIF_pr_070619_Markets.doc

http://www.worldwatch.org/node/5497

In contrast, new global nuclear additions were only 1857 MW in 2007...

http://www.iaea.org/programmes/a2/

Now.

Accounting for capacity factors (a conservative 25% for wind and solar and a generous 90% for nuclear)...

...new additions of wind and solar in 2007 were 5588 MW

...new additions of nuclear in 2007 were 1671 MW

New solar and wind capacity installed in 2007 will produce more than three times as much electrical *energy* as new nuclear capacity installed in 2007.

Renewable energy kicked nuclear's ass...again...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=115&topic_id=88105

Let the whining begin...

:popcorn:

[NNadir]

1. Kicked Ass?

I see that as usual, the anti-nuke cult is unable to tell the difference between peak power and energy.

Actually, what the anti-nuke cult is trying to do, is to lie, but that's nothing new.

Typically and consistently, with complete indifference to the rather distorted use of the word peak, the issue of capacity utilization is swept under the rug.

As has been the case for 30 years, nuclear energy is, by far, the world's largest source of climate change gas free energy.

The unit of energy is still the exajoule, just like it was 8 years ago when we began hearing here how solar, wind, blah, blah, blah will save us.

Actually, the "solar will save us" rhetoric, and "wind will save us" rhetoric is now going on half a century in blather, and still these forms of energy have yet to produce a single exajoule in a year in primary energy.

No one, of course, would object if they did, but many people - all of them rational - recognize that in 2008, opposing the world's largest, by far, form of energy is reserved entirely for people who don't understand either physics or math.

The real question is whether renewable energy can even keep up with the increase in the use of dangerous fossil fuels. Thus far it has proved incapable of doing so.

[losthills]

2. I'm sorry for your loss.....

[jpak]

4. PV and wind power produced an ex-o-jewel of electrical energy last year alone

12,300 MWp of PV capacity

94,000 MWp of wind turbine capacity

270 GW of total global renewable capacity (solar, wind, geothermal, tidal, biomass, small hydro) collectively produced ex-o-jewels (plural) of energy last year - and that doesn't include large hydro...

Do the math...

(((((((renewable ex-o-jewels)))))))))

(((((((reality))))))))

Keep on posting the same ol' lame made-up shit!!!!111

[NNadir]

5. Eight years of mocking scientific units still apparently has not made you able to discuss energy.

In fact, like the 832,040 previous references to the difference between energy and peak power has not given the anti-nuke cult a whiff of scientific credibility.

You see the little "p" in these remarks?

2,300 MWp of PV capacity

94,000 MWp of wind turbine capacity

Do you know what the little "p" means?

You don't?

You couldn't care less?

Why am I not surprised?

In 8 years of listening to your blather about "world's largest solar" station and "renewable energy sweeps Maine," blah, blah, blah, blah there is zero evidence that you have a clue about what is happening on the planet Earth.

In 8 years of listening to the dopey claim that nuclear power is unreliable, you have failed to note that neither one of these yuppie toys that you and Mom love so much has an average capacity utilization of less than 25%.

In fact, there is zero evidence that either you or Mom have any conception of what capacity utilization even means.

As for the mocking of scientific units, I note with my normal level of contempt that all purveyors of ignorance, from Pat Robertson to Amory Lovins, mock science. You cannot respect science and endorse either one of them.

Ignorance kills.

[jpak]

6. Ouch

:rofl:

[NNadir]

7. That about sums it up.

Rolling on the floor, giggling.

Be sure not to throw up on either Mom or the dog, but if you do get the carpet, be sure that the carpet cleaning trucks driving across the estate are all steam powered by wood from Mom's sustainable forest team.

[jpak]

9. Renewable additions still outstripped nuclear additions in 2005, 2006 and 2007

Renewable energy systems have broken then vaunted "ex-o-jewel barrier" and now produce **ex-o-jewels** (plural) of renewable energy each year.

Now

Unlike global nuclear plant capacity, renewable energy systems are growing at *double-digit* every year, producing more and more ex-o-jewels.

repeat

more and more ex-o-jewels

QED!

[GliderGuider]

3. Meanwhile, conventional thermal generation added over 60,000 MW from 2004 to 2005

That's coal and gas, baby, more coal and gas.

God knows what a 10% growth rate in China did to the numbers for 06-07. I'm pretty sure they won't have gone down...
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/international/RecentConventionalThermalGeneration.xls

Fuck nuclear power. It's not your real enemy, it's a straw man you use to keep feeling like you're winning the fight. "Conventional thermal" is what you have to stop before it kills us all. And that snark looks like a boojum to me.

[Zachstar]

8. You think these DU Anti-nuke freaks (In my view) care?

In my view their only fears are that the scary nuclear rays will melt the peter ban bunnies and plants that give you food for lovingly looking at them in their fantasy world.

Here is a little reality check for these solar will save us and anti-nuke folks.

Meanwhile on earth billions of people are facing a future where our stupidity with energy face starvation and devastation on a level unheard of.

Where rich companies LOVE these solar and wind system developments because they can afford the expense of putting them in when oil reaches 200-300 dollars. While the rest of the world will be building homemade generators to try to keep a bulb on or two by burning whatever they can find which will mean deforestation and destruction of the environment on a huge scale.

Where are YOUR (Anti-nuke solar will save us crowd) massive donations to PB11 (Clean fusion) developments? Where is your massive donations to universities and other institutions creating MUCH cheaper and more environmentally friendly solar and wind systems? Why have I not seen a post where a large anti-nuke or solar/wind will save us group donated many millions to such ground breaking technology. (And I am not talking about stupid improvements to existing tech I'm talking stuff like NANOWIRES!)

Keep in mind that the Soviets and NASA were using crude solar power on probes in the early 60s and the beginnings go back even further than that. Yet nasty ass coal and oil still continue to lead? What does that tell you? Perhaps that the dumbass anti-nuke and solar will save us crowd is a little late in getting the REAL developments funded? I guess your overhead charts and powerpoint presentations on how these systems will suddenly appear out of thin air took up all the funds?

Heres a clue to you anti-nuke/solarwind will save us folks! Its fucking too late to install these huge cost devices now when things are falling apart! YOU HAD YOUR CHANCE! To fund and complete dirt cheap solar and wind in the 70's and 80's when NASA was fucking WARNING US ABOUT OIL LOSS!

[losthills]

10. Don't worry.... Fusion will save us!

Fusion is the future!

[Zachstar]

11. Is that the best you got? More crap without even trying to defend your inaction!?

WHEN IT COULD HAVE MATTERED!?

You know I have grown tired of your idiocy. It is obvious to me that you are little more than a misinformed anti-nuke fundie in my view that does not deserve any further respect from me. I have given you a prime chance in that post to prove me completely wrong about how action in the 70's and 80's when NASA WAS WARNING US (a DAMN .GOV AGENCY FOR PETES SAKE GO VIEW THE PR SKYLAB VIDEOS!) could have done a GREAT deal to unseat Coal and Oil as the major energy production players.

Let me just take a quick guess this yes in my view: You could care less that the world is going to shit on the backs of coal and oil fired industries as long as no more poor bunnies have to face nuclear rays. And that solar and wind will magically replace every glowing spot on the planet in time to save the many millions facing starvation? Again all this is in my view and is not fact.

The fundies pass on crappy solar and wind tech in the turn of the centruy when it is FUCKING TOO LATE! and crap on others when they refute your fantasy world. While people like me have to face the horror your inaction in the decades before with renewable energy will mean in the 2010s until fusion has a chance to come on line.

Im sick and tired of the Sun/wind will save us so be Anti-nuke fundie movement in my view. How dare you post such crap in the face of people your crap will cost the most?!