EnergyPortal.eu

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EnOcean GmbH has announced successful completion of a new round of financing. The company will devote the boost of eight million Euro to leveraging the development of energy-autonomous wireless technology and expanding its international market presence. Two new capital providers - SET Venture Partners and the Kathrein group - join existing investors to finance future growth. EnOcean GmbH dominates the energy-autonomous wireless technology sector. Annual growth in turnover and sales of the developer of patented wireless technology is close to 100 percent. "This new financing backs up our strong growth curve. The extra funds give us ample financial means to intensify our sales activities in Europe, North America and Asia. Plus, we're of course investing in further development of our highly promising platform technology", says EnOcean's CFO Uwe Thumm.

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Hydropower is considered carbon-free electricity, but it often has other adverse environmental impacts on river basins. An exceptionally ambivalent hydroproject was approved by Brazil's environmental department, Ibama. Brazil has approved the construction of a hydroelectric project in the Amazon on the Jari River. The Santo Antonio do Jari hydroelectric project, with a planned capacity of 300 MW, will generate electricity that will not only be used by towns, but also by region's pulp manufacturers. Pulp production is a large driver of deforestation, causing high carbon emissions and other severe environmental damage. ECE Participacoes will develop the project along with Jari Energetica. ECE Participacoes is the primary shareholder in the project, and Jari Energetica is a subsidiary of the Orsa Group, which owns the Jari Celulose pulp plant.

Source: HydroWorld

A three month consultation on a short list of five possible Severn tidal power schemes has been launched. This consultation will be used to help the government decide whether or not to support tidal power development in the Severn Estuary. The Severn Tidal Power Feasibility Study Consultation was launched on 26 January and will close on 23 April.

Phase one of the consultation is canvassing views on:

* a recommended shortlist of schemes
* the scope of the Strategic Environmental Assessment that is being carried out within the feasibility study
* the issues the feasibility study is considering and how these are being approached

Ten potential development options have been considered so far for generating tidal power in the Severn Estuary. These include barrages, lagoons, a tidal reef and tidal fence. These have now been narrowed down to a proposed shortlist of five, but all ten proposals will be subject to the three-month consultation process.

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The first large-scale wave farm, set to be built 10 miles off the coast of Cornwall in South West England, is now one step closer to becoming a reality with approval of GBP 21.5 million [US$42.9 million] in funding. The investment means Wave Hub could be operational as early as summer 2008, subject to final UK Government and EU approval. Being developed by the South West of England Regional Development Agency (RDA), the wave farm will feature a high voltage cable on the seabed and be connected to the National Grid via an electricity substation on the mainland. Groups of wave energy devices will be attached to Wave Hub, and float on or just below the surface, allowing wave energy developers to test new technology, assess how well their devices work and how much power they will generate before going into full commercial production.

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So far, ocean energy has been quite a marginal source. However, the Northland Regional Council in New Zealand received an application last week from Crest Energy, Ltd., to build a 200 MW tidal power plant just north of the country's largest city, Auckland. The proposed project, situated in the mouth of Kaipara Harbour, calls for two 20-mile DC cables that run across the harbor, and the construction of a DC-AC converter and substation on land at the Hoteo River. According to Anthony Hopkins, director of Crest Energy, the Kaipara Harbour has a number of factors that make it suited to marine turbines. The harbor is about 40 miles long and an immense volume of water passes through a fairly narrow channel around four times a day. The lack of commercial shipping in the vicinity is also important, added Hopkins, allowing turbines to be sited about 16 feet under the low tide point.