Business Edition
nr. 48
20 April 2007
Special:
Europe needs one green power market - not 27
Member States must increase the share of renewable power they use to more than 30% by 2020. Most can only do so by importing, so a green power market is desperately needed, says the European Commission. But how such a market should function, no one knows. Not even the Union of the Electricity Industry, Eurelectric, who made an inventory of the obstacles ahead at a conference in Brussels this week.
Read more (subscription required)
Emissions trading starts to be effective
Emissions still seem to be on the rise, but the European Emissions Trade Scheme (ETS) is now providing clear signs that it is becoming effective in reducing greenhouse emissions. If current trends continue, growth will be curbed and emissions will begin to decrease within years. In a few countries emissions reduction is already happening.
Read more (subscription required)
IPCC’s ‘most political’ report on climate change due in two weeks
On the 4th of May the publication of the Summary for Policy Makers of the third part of IPCC’s scientific assessment of climate change is due. “Obviously this report touches the most on political issues”, says Bert Metz, co-chair of the Working Group that will finalise the report and summary in Bangkok, starting in two weeks. 
Read more (subscription required)
Powered by waste hydrogen
Last week a fuel cell power plant began operation at a chemical plant in Delfzijl, the Netherlands. The plant has a capacity of 120 kW and converts the by-product of the chlorine production process, hydrogen, into electricity. If the pilot is successful, there will be enough hydrogen to generate 20 MW of power, covering 20% of the factory’s needs. Read more
Profitable feed-in for Croatia
Recently the government of Croatia decided to establish a new feed-in tariff for power generated from renewable sources. The new feed-in law will be enforced on the 1st of July this year. From this date energy consumers will pay a levy to finance the feed-in tariffs.
Read more (subscription required)
Germans row over renewable energies act
The German Environment Secretary of State Michael Müller has told his colleague, the Economics Minister Michael Glos, to mind his own business. The cause of the row is a study the Economics Department ordered into the so-called EEG-act, which has successfully stimulated investments in renewable energy sources in Germany. Nonetheless, the new study proposes several modifications of the act. 
Read more (subscription required)
Prosperous growth of US wind power
Texas is the leader in the annual wind power ranking 2006 in the United States, with California as runner-up. Last year the US installed over 2400 megawatt of new wind power capacity. But yet the American Wind Energy Association advocates a better political climate to stimulate ‘business to grow to its full potential’. 
Read more (subscription required)
Editorial: Tactical manoeuvres
In Brief
'New Dutch support system not before mid-2008' - Large PV plant in Portugal - First Dutch off shore wind farm launched - Talks start on reducing car CO2 - Cambridge reduces energy demand
Agenda Read
more
To the reader
The GreenPrices Business Edition is issued weekly. Daily we publish actual news on our website.
As an introduction, we offer you a reduced subscription price of € 200 for one year, instead of the normal € 300 fee.
Subscribe here.
GreenPrices Weekly contains a ‘paid section’. Paying subscribers can enter the articles in this section after login; free subscribers will be offered the option to purchase a paid subscription.
Headlines and intros, along with some of the articles, will remain for free.
Rolf de Vos
Editor in chief
GreenPrices Newsdesk