July 9th, 2010
Last-ditch efforts by Germany’s solar power industry to ease cuts in the country’s generous feed-in tariff yielded only minor concessions, according to an article from Power-Gen Worldwide.
Following negotiations between the two houses of the German parliament, the feed-in rate will be reduced by up to 13% as of July 1, followed by a further 3% cut in October. Actual rate reductions will depend on the size and type of installation. Under the original plan passed by the Bundestag this spring, the full 16% cut would have taken effect this month.
Posted in Energy | Comments Off
June 8th, 2010
Quick note: it seems not everyone is abandoning the euro as a sinking ship. French finance minister Christine Lagarde today “welcome[d] Estonia to the euro club with great satisfaction” after the EU finance ministers approved the country’s adoption of the common currency, according to the Wall Street Journal. The euro will replace the Estonia kroon on January 1.
Posted in Economy | Comments Off
May 10th, 2010
It’s official: the German parliament has passed long-anticipated cutbacks in the country’s generous feed-in tariff system of subsidies for solar photovoltaic power generation (Solar Association press release in German). The subsidies will be reduced by 11 to 16% depending on the type and size of installation. The new rates were adopted by the Bundestag today and take effect from July 1. Further cuts are expected from the start of next year.
The German Solar Power Association immediately blasted the legislation, an amendment to the Renewable Energy Act (EEG). System manufacturers such as SolarWorld AG have complained that the rate reduction is greater than can be offset by declining production costs. The new regulations will also bar building of solar power plants on farmland, a move the Solar Association called “unacceptable”.
Representatives of the governing coalition countered that the amendment eliminates a burden that “bestows dream returns on investors and rising electricity prices on consumers.” They also noted that the rates in effect until now have favored foreign manufacturers, who supply 60% of all solar modules installed in Germany.
The legislation does include a few bright spots for solar advocates. Generation for the operator’s own use will be subsidized for the first time, although support will be less generous than proponents had hoped. The legislation also explicitly opens brownfield sites and strips alongside roads and railways to solar development and establishes a €100 million research and development fund.
Posted in Energy | Comments Off
May 7th, 2010
How to store the energy produced from vast but intermittent renewable resources like wind and solar has long been a major stumbling block in building a “green” energy economy. Now German and Austrian researchers may have found a breakthrough solution (press release in German).
Researchers from the Baden-Württemberg Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research and the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy and Energy System Technology have developed a process using electric power from renewables to first “crack” water to obtain hydrogen, then convert it to methane through a chemical reaction with carbon dioxide.
The methane can then be fed into the existing natural gas infrastructure, potentially eliminating the need for enormous investment in new facilities for hydrogen or other forms of energy storage.
Solar Fuel Technology of Austria has already completed a small demonstration plant in Stuttgart and is currently building a 10 MW pilot facility scheduled for completion in 2012.
Posted in Energy | Comments Off
April 3rd, 2010
Are your company and products ready for global markets? Maybe you’re just thinking about dipping your toes in one or two “easy” export markets like Canada, Mexico, or the UK. Here are some online tools to help you assess your readiness and start thinking through your strategy.
The US Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Services has a simple nine-point Export Questionnaire (not just for ag businesses) that addresses your international marketing plan, available resources, and your existing knowledge of export processes. The result rates your company on a scale of 1–100 and provides comments and next-steps for each question.
The California Centers for International Trade Development offer a more detailed Export Readiness Assessment that covers your present operations, attitudes, and products. Like the USDA’s tool, the assessment gives you a readiness score, point-by-point diagnosis and suggested actions.
Ready to take the next step? Have a look at the US Department of Commerce’s vast Helping U.S. Companies Export site, or give us a call — we’re here to help.
Posted in Business | Comments Off
January 27th, 2010
In his State of the Union address to Congress today, President Obama set a national goal to “double our exports over the next five years, an increase that will support 2 million jobs in America” through a new National Export Initiative. Details are scarce so far, but the White House blog says “the NEI includes the creation of the President’s Export Promotion Cabinet and an enhancement of funding for key export promotion programs.” The focus on small business is encouraging, and we look forward to learning more about the substance of the initiative.
Posted in Business, Economy, Politics | Comments Off
October 29th, 2009
The European Union’s international database on renewable energy legislation now provides information for all 27 EU countries, according to a press release from the German environment ministry picked up by Photon International. Using the database is free of charge, and all country profiles are available in German and English.
Posted in Energy | Comments Off
October 16th, 2009
Keep it simple, smarty!
The new Come Clean Report from KRC Research and Weber Shandwick identifies insufficient and complicated information from vendors as the main reasons European companies are not following through on cleantech purchasing policies. Somebody’s leaving a lot of money on the table, folks. The Cleantech Group has more info here.
Posted in Business | Comments Off
August 4th, 2009
Purchasing.com reports that container shipping lines in the Westbound Transpacific Stabilization Agreement (WTSA) cartel are planning rate increases from $120 to $200 per 20-foot container on US-to-Asia routes effective September 1. The move is an attempt to claw back recent rate declines in response to falling demand due to the global recession.
Posted in Business, Economy | Comments Off
July 10th, 2009
The EU Commission plans to remove visa requirements for citizens of Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia pending approval by the EU Ministers of the Interior, says Die Presse. Travel restrictions within Europe, with the cost and time required for business travelers to secure multiple visas, have been a significant drag on these countries’ economies. Bosnia-Hercegovina and Albania have not yet met various security requirements for removal of visa restrictions, according to Commission Vice President Jacques Barrot.
Posted in Politics | Comments Off
July 9th, 2009
No thanks to the Lege.
It’s not exactly a mega-project, but Renewable Energy Focus is reporting that Tessera Solar has signed a power purchase agreement with CPS Energy and will build a 27MW solar project in West Texas. The project will use 1,080 SunCatcher mirror dishes driving Stirling engines, with the first units expected to come online by the end of 2010.
Posted in Energy | Comments Off
June 8th, 2009
BusinessWeek’s Karen Klein offers a few tips on working with international clients through your company’s website: be sensitive to cultural nuance; prepare, and prepare your customers, ahead of time to deal with shipping and customs issues; start by addressing other English-speaking markets, and when you’re ready to publish multilingual web content, back it up with multilingual sales and service staff. (Thanks to Laurel Delaney for the link!)
Many small businesses fall into exporting “accidentally” when orders from overseas customers start to trickle in through their website. Maximize your company’s potential by managing it as a global business from day one. Your business is already global, whether you know it yet or not!
Posted in Business | Comments Off
May 7th, 2009
Hardly an hour after the Czech Senate’s approval of the Lisbon Treaty for reform of the European Union institutions Wednesday, President Václav Klaus declared the treaty “dead” and refused to sign it, according to newspaper Mladá fronta Dnes. A group of the treaty’s defeated Senate opponents intend to ask for a review by the Constitutional Court. Klaus has long been known as a fierce critic of the treaty.
Posted in Politics | Comments Off
May 7th, 2009
The latest annual World Market Update from Danish wind energy consultants BTM Consult ApS reports 42% growth in wind turbine capacity from 2007 to 2008, for a cumulative worldwide total of 122,000 MW. The report predicts 8.6% growth for the sector in 2009 despite the ongoing economic crisis, rising to an average of 15.7% annually through 2013. Wind power currently provides 1.3% of the world’s electricity. This figure is predicted to rise to 8% by 2018.
Posted in Energy | Comments Off
May 6th, 2009
Germany’s Enertrag AG has begun work in Dauerthal, northeast of Berlin near the Polish border, on a “hybrid” wind power plant that will produce electricity and hydrogen. With a total generating capacity of 6 MW, the plant will supply the grid and use any excess power for hydrolysis to produce hydrogen for fuel and energy storage. The facility will also feature a combined heat and power plant fueled by biogas and hydrogen produced on-site. The plant is scheduled to come on-line in 2010.
Posted in Energy | Comments Off