Mongolia, wind turbine by Elke Zander

Mongolia has recently indicated it wants to become part of an international green energy revolution by harnessing vast amounts of wind energy for export to its power-hungry neighbour China.

Stories and blog postings last week reported that the remote land-locked country in northern Asia has indicated it would like the development of wind, solar and other renewable energies to be subsidized by the nation’s considerable mining projects.

A Wall Street Journal posting noted that Mongolian Prime Minister Sukhbaatar Batbold discussed at a special cabinet meeting in the Gobi Desert the county’s plans for massive investments “in alternative energy and to export wind power to China — enough to equal 40 million tons of coal.”

Wind power companies and French citizens are waiting for an announcement later this month that the nation is finally going to capitalize on its extensive coastline and enter — in a big way — the growing offshore wind sector.

News reports and various websites are publishing stories saying that Environment and Energy Minister Jean-Louis Borloo is expected to announce in September initial tenders for offshore wind farms that will include up to 600 wind turbines.

Agence France Presse says the tenders will relate to 10 billion euros to build 3,000 MW of offshore capacity at five to ten sites in Normandy, Brittany and the regions of Pays de la Loire and Languedoc by 2015.

A just published report by Greenbang, covered by the Financial Times Energy Source blog, reveals that the market for ‘smart’ electricity in Europe is “set to expand rapidly in coming years” as more and more renewable energy comes online, government initiatives kick-in and overall demand for energy grows.

According to the report, up to 145 million new smart meters will be installed by the end of 2020 with Germany, the UK, Poland, France and Spain leading the way in a market that could be worth $25 billion by 2020. The EU has recently set the objective of installing smart meters in 80% of households across Europe by 2020.

Renewable energies like wind power are variable in nature, and smart management techniques help make their integration into the electricity system more cost-effective. A smart meter device in the home would notify users when electricity demand is high, and when electricity prices are higher, allowing them to switch off devices that do not need continuous electricity such as freezers, or to put the washing machine on at a cheaper time of day.

The growing wind power industry in Canada’s most populated province is both highly regarded and hugely supported, a recent public opinion poll has revealed.

The poll, conducted by Ipsos Reid for the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) found almost nine in 10 Ontario residents support wind energy for its economic and environmental benefits.

Sean Simpson of Ipsos Reid said the poll indicated 89% of Ontario residents either strongly supported or somewhat supported wind energy in their region of the province.

“Most also agreed (86%) that their municipal government should encourage and facilitate wind energy development, while a similarly high percentage (85%) believe wind energy can provide economic opportunities and benefits,” Simpson said in a CanWEA press release.

Ontario, which has a population of more than 12 million people, is the second largest province in the nation, covering one million square kilometres. About one-third of Canadians live in Ontario.

CanWEA President Robert Hornung said the poll, which interviewed a sample of 1,361 adults living in Ontario, suggests wind power is popular across the province, regardless of where people live.

“Those polled clearly believe that wind energy not only brings environmental benefits but it can also play a vital role in spurring local and regional economic development,” Hornung said. “There is much to be optimistic about wind’s future in the province, and the poll reflects the fact that Ontario citizens believe in the promise of this growing industry.”

Europe’s renewable energy landscape, already expanding steadily, is readying itself for further growth. At the end of June this year all 27 member states were set to hand-in their National Renewable Energy Action Plans (NREAPs) containing the steps they will take to reach their ambitious renewable energy targets by 2020.  While these plans are still being analysed, it is clear that the NREAPs are a good thing for the renewables sector and protecting our increasingly fragile climate.

Speaking at a Friends of Europe debate, Adam Brown, Senior Energy Analyst at the International Energy Agency (IEA) said: “The IEA’s view is that a huge expansion in renewables is essential to get anywhere near the energy mix which will allow the climate to be managed in a sensible way.”

But it’s not just the climate that will benefit from the renewable expansion that the NREAPs will encourage: Europe can work for its own competitive interests. Philip Lowe, European Commission Director General for Energy, told Europe to “think about developing renewables not just in terms of climate change but also as just plain and simple self-interest in competitive global markets.”

This fact is evident in the wind power sector where, if Europe does not invest in keeping its position as world market leader now, countries like China could step in and overtake Europe’s longstanding lead.