Renewable Energy/Climate Change

Giant Desertec Solar Project Boosted by Medgrid Alliance, an Industrial Info News Alert

Two of the world's most ambitious energy projects have joined forces to export solar power from North Africa to Europe. The German-led Desertec Industry Initiative (Dii) (Munich, Germany) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the French Medgrid consortium to cooperate on installing solar panels across North African deserts to generate power for Europe, North Africa and parts of the Middle East.

The Desertec consortium of about 20 companies, including RWE AG (pink:RWEOY) (Essen, Germany), Siemens AG (Munich, Germany) and Deutsche Bank (Frankfurt, Germany), is behind a hugely ambitious EUR 400 billion ($550 billion) project to build solar plants stretching across 6,000 square kilometres of the North African desert. The rollout is planned for the coming decades and will eventually supply up to 15% of all of Europe's electricity needs by 2050.

For details, view the entire article by subscribing to Industrial Info's Premium Industry News at http://www.industrialinfo.eu/showAbstract.jsp?newsitemID=191910&refer=marketwire , or browse other breaking industrial news stories at www.industrialinfo.com .

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/giant-desertec-solar-project-boosted-by-medgrid-alliance-an-industrial-info-news-alert-2011-12-01?reflink=MW_news_stmp

Desertec has been on my radar for years. It just doesnt seem to be moving forward. Now maybe?
Climategate took its toll, time to reset. We'll see if the merger brings any results.

Development Banks Agree New Partnership for Climate Action in Cities (AfDB)


Five Multilateral Development Banks, who are lending some $8.4 billion annually for climate action in cities, agreed today on a new partnership to combat global warming.

With the overall aim to better coordinate and deepen support to cities in adapting to and mitigating climate change, the African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Inter-American Development Bank, and the World Bank have agreed to work more closely to develop common tools and metrics for cities.

The five MDBs said they would develop a common approach for cities to assess climate risk, standardize greenhouse gas emissions inventories, and encourage a consistent suite of climate finance options.

Hela Cheikhrouhou, Director of the African Development Bank's Energy, Environment & Climate Change Department said: "Considering that the rates of urbanization in Africa are the highest in the world, this is a timely initiative and is aligned with the Bank Group's recently approved Urban Development Strategy."
http://allafrica.com/stories/201112051533.html

one last ditch effort to the tune of 8.4B!

Energy Report: Trillions of Dollars in Recoverable Energy Reserves Locked Under Regulations

A new study by the Institute for Energy Research is reporting America is not only exporting a record amount of gasoline, but the country is also brimming with what's being called, "vast quantities" of natural resources.

The IER complied the study which looks at "recoverable" energy (which is energy that could be harnessed in America) and the government regulations that are impacting such production. Dan Kish, Senior Vice President for policy at IER broke down the results of their study over the phone.

LL: How much energy is considered "recoverable?"

DK: While President says we only have 2 percent of the "proven" oil reserves in the world that's a small part of the story. US recoverable resources are at least 70 times that much, but because of the restrictions in the form of federal bans combined with declining offerings of lease acreage the government is allowing us to find just a fraction of the huge energy supplies we actually have.

This is energy that can be found under soil located in vacant property owned by the federal government. According to the government's own reports, the United States has 1.442 trillion barrels in recoverable oil. To put that in perspective, we use 7 billions of barrels of oil a year. That's 200 years of oil! The Congressional Research Service of the Library of Congress released a report showing that the United States’ combined recoverable oil, natural gas, and coal endowment is the largest on Earth!

LL: But how much of that energy is locked up under regulation?

DK: You can take a trillion off the top b/c the Secretary of the Interior has not followed the law passed by Congress to lease this vacant land owned by the government for energy development.

LL: What kind of energy specifically?

DK: Oil Shale. At least one third of the land is owned by the government and the private sector does not have access. We have about 1 trillion barrels in oil shale. But these lands should be open for leases. Congress passed a law so the private sector could spend their own money to extract the oil.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/45568149

its all a game! We have oil, we have LOTS of oil. Oil is an excuse

mmm...