The notion in the media (and hence, in public opinion) that there is a ‘scientific debate’ about whether or not human activity is changing the climate reminds me of an old campaign poster from Canada: “14% of Canadians ...]]> More than 97% of  articles published in the peer reviewed literature supported the notion that human activity is causing climate change

The notion in the media (and hence, in public opinion) that there is a ‘scientific debate’ about whether or not human activity is changing the climate reminds me of an old campaign poster from Canada: “14% of Canadians think it’s a good idea to permit clear-cut logging in Clayoquot Sound; and 17% think that Elvis is still alive”.

A recent review of the scientific literature between 2001 and 2011 found that more than 97% of  articles published in the peer reviewed literature supported the notion that human activity is causing climate change. But to listen to the media, you’d think there was a debate. The fossil fuel industry is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to make it seem like there is a debate, as per the responses to Martin Wolf’s article earlier this week in the Financial Times. There is no debate about the fact of anthropogenic climate change, but huge debates about the best way to tackle it, its regional variations and timing. Those pretending otherwise are wittingly or unwittingly aiding and abetting the fossil fuel industry’s misinformation campaign on the subject, which I believe will be responsible for more deaths than all of the 20^th century holocausts combined, and is a crime against humanity of unprecedented magnitude. I just hope I live long enough to see the trial.

Chile's environmental regulator has given the green light to the third and last portion of energy firm E-CL's $685 million wind park project, which is expected to generate up to 310 megawatts, the company said in a statement on Tuesday.

Following his keynote presentation at the New Zealand Wind Energy Conference and Exhibition in late March 2013, Global Wind Energy Council Secretary-General Steve Sawyer spoke to EcoGeneration’s Melanie Ryan about the challenges and growth predictions facing the international wind market over the next five years.

Worldwide, the wind energy sector is expected to undergo ...]]> EcoGeneration — May/June 2013

Worldwide, the wind energy sector is expected to undergo reasonably rapid changes in market conditions in the five-year period between 2012 and 2016.

Global Wind Energy Council Secretary-General Steve Sawyer says that a number of critical issues will crop up in key markets across the globe during this time. Mr Sawyer nominates one of these issues as being the difficulty of predicting outcomes for the United States (US), a large wind market but also the largest variable within the international industry.

“The US had a record year in 2012, but the re-authorisation of the primary federal support program for wind was delayed, resulting in a dearth of orders at the beginning of 2013,” Mr Sawyer explains. “[Success in this market] is a question of how quickly and how much the US market is going to recover in 2013.”

Mr Sawyer notes that policy is notoriously fickle in the US, and tied to a short-term, highly-politicised Federal House of Representatives. “US Federal Budget discussions don’t affect wind energy as immediately as they do the solar industry, but until they are resolved and the US figures out a way to make economic plans that last longer than a year or two, that’s always going to be the big variable.”

State renewable energy standards, driven by environmental and economic factors, have created a larger market for wind energy in the U.S. Federal and local incentives, combined with improved efficiencies and reduced costs, have supported the industry development needed to meet this demand. MDM spoke with wind association leaders, distributors and manufacturers to learn more about what’s driving wind ...]]>

The WindMade labelling scheme yesterday unveiled its latest draft product standard, opening the new certification scheme up for consultation.

The Windmade Product Label sets out the technical requirements that individual products will have to meet if they are to display the industry-backed label demonstrating that a product or service have been provided using renewable energy.

This draft will now enter a one-month public consultation period. The introduction of the WindMade Product Label has been eagerly awaited by market participants, ...]]> WindMade, the first global consumer label for companies using wind energy, launched the proposed WindMade Standard for Products and Services, setting out the technical requirements for the label to be used on individual products.

This draft will now enter a one-month public consultation period. The introduction of the WindMade Product Label has been eagerly awaited by market participants, and it completes the portfolio of WindMade labels for companies and organizations, as well as events.

WindMade, the first global consumer label for companies using wind energy, launched the proposed WindMade Standard for Products and Services, setting out the technical requirements for the label to be used on individual products. This draft will now enter a one-month public consultation period.

The introduction of the WindMade Product Label has been eagerly awaited by market participants, and it completes the portfolio of WindMade labels for companies and organizations, as well as events.

"With introducing the Product Label, WindMade has reached another milestone, and interest in the market indicates that the uptake of this label will be considerable," said Steve Sawyer, Chairman of the WindMade Board and Secretary General of the Global Wind Energy Council. "We hope to see widespread participation in the public consultation and strongly encourage interested parties to review and comment on the standard."

The proposed standard requires participating companies to source a minimum of 75 per cent of the electricity used for manufacturing a product (or producing a service) from wind power and other renewable energy sources. A cradle-to-gate approach was adopted, which means that the label will cover the entire power consumption for all product components, from the extraction of the raw materials all the way to the product leaving the factory gate.

"The 75% level and the cradle-to-gate approach are set to strike a balance between an ambitious target and an achievable goal for progressive companies striving to make a tangible difference. This approach ensures that the label is meaningful, and it makes it robust and credible to consumers," explained Mieke Langie, WindMade's Director, Standards & Labeling. "In addition, the renewable power can be sourced through a variety of methods, such as own-generation projects, power purchase agreements, recognised green credentials or approved green power tariffs provided by power suppliers, granting a great deal of flexibility for companies."

The proposed WindMade standard was developed by a Technical Committee, consisting of experts from WWF International, Becton, Dickinson & Co., the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), Climate Friendly, the Gold Standard Foundation, and Vestas. In addition, the first draft of the standard was reviewed by a Sounding Board, which comprised representatives from international companies and organisations including e3light, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Greenpeace International.

"The product standard will allow companies to credibly use renewable power that makes more of a difference in cutting carbon emissions while consumers can transparently choose products made with renewable energy. WWF fully supports this label as a way to recognize companies for their efforts while empowering consumer choice," said Susanne Fratzscher, Senior Advisor on Renewable Energy of WWF's Global Climate and Energy Initiative.

Following contributions from the public consultation, which will close on 2 June 2013, the final WindMade Standard for Products and Services is expected to be presented just before the summer. This will mark the starting point for companies to officially begin applying for WindMade membership and to undergo the certification process for their products and services.

The following information is available for participants:

- Draft Product Standard

- Public Consultation Survey

- Screen shots of the WindMade Supply Chain Electricity Calculator
- A User Guide for the Supply Chain Electricity Calculator 

The Public Consultation closes on 2 June 2013 at 6pm Brussels time.

More information on www.windmade.org/windmade-standards/product-standard.aspx

“Sometimes I despair about ever making any progress on the climate issue. But when a formerly skeptical and very hard-nosed publication like the Economist comes up with an editorial like this, it seems we may have some hope after all. Many have been making ...]]> Either governments are not serious about climate change or fossil-fuel firms are overvalued

“Sometimes I despair about ever making any progress on the climate issue. But when a formerly skeptical and very hard-nosed publication like the Economist comes up with an editorial like this, it seems we may have some hope after all. Many have been making this argument as far back as the mid-1990s, but when it appears in an editorial in the Economist, those with carbon-laden balance sheets should sit up and take notice. Then again, it may very well be the case that governments AREN’T serious about tackling climate change; as IEA Chief Economist Fatih Birol points out (and I never tire of repeating), governments are currently subsidizing CO2 emissions to the tune of US$ 110/tonne through fossil fuel production and consumption subsidies…but at the very least this piece clears up any ambiguity to the point so that no one can say they didn’t know precisely what they were doing…”

See the Economist article on www.economist.com/news/business/21577097-either-governments-are-not-serious-about-climate-change-or-fossil-fuel-firms-are

北极星风力发电网讯:4月17日，全球风能理事会在布鲁塞尔发布全球风电市场发展报告，该报告详尽描述了全球风电市场在2012年的发展情况， 并发布未来五年(2013-2017)的风电发展预测。尽管经济合作组织国家(OECD)的政策发展充满不确定性, 并将显著影响未来几年全球的风电市场， 然而几个稳健的市场，如中国、印度和巴西，以及拉丁美洲、非洲和亚洲的一些新兴市场，将成为未来一段时间拉动全球市场的主要力量。