Energy Consulting Services

With most hydro resources already developed, renewable developments in Europe focus almost entirely on other energy sources such as wind, biomass, solar photovoltaics and ocean conversion. There is no reported mid- or large-scale hydro development in the pipeline but there are continued installations of small hydro plants. This expansion carries with it risk. There are concerns that giant dams may cause the earth to move triggering earthquakes, mentioned above. To date these have been unfounded and a bigger concern is earthquake damage to dams, which may lead to the rapid release of water causing damage downstream. During the 7.1 tremor in April 2010 in Qinghai, China, the Changu plant was damaged. While this damage was not serious or cause lasting damage, other earthquakes could cause serious damage via five mechanisms outlined in the figure below. One of the biggest environmental factors that may affect hydro plants is climate change. Many large scale projects are strongl...

In the IEA’s world energy outlook reference scenario, CO2 emissions per capita are expected to grow significantly in China, India, Russia and the Middle East over the period review. Growth in China and India is expected to reflect industrial growth and growth in GDP, and in Russia and Middle East to mainly reflect growth in oil and gas production. Usually energy efficiency is often referred to as the ‘lowest hanging fruit’, both in terms of meeting CO2 emission reduction targets and reducing energy consumption. As in the context of the electric grid, energy efficiency can delay or reduce the need for investment in new generation capacity and slow demand growth. For a business, energy efficiency can reduce costs from having to purchase less energy from external suppliers or having to buy electricity during expensive peak periods for electricity and can postpone or avoid investment in new energy consuming assets. In the context of transportation, energy efficiency can be used to re...

Enel is Italy’s largest power company and has a subisidiary, Enel Green Power, for renewable energy projects. It is an integrated player which produces, distributes and sells electricity and gas. Following the acquisition of the Spanish utility Endesa and commissioning of new project, Enel had 2,654 MW of installed wind capacity at the end of 2010 due the commissioning of wind projects in Italy (103 MW), Portugal and Spain (120 MW), Romania (64 MW), France (34 MW), Bulgaria (21 MW) and Greece (10 MW) during the year. At the end of 2010, a 200 MW wind farm was under construction in Oklahoma, 64 MW in France. Wind power is predominantly in three regions – Iberia and Latin America (1,378 MW), Italy (532 MW) and North America (374 MW). The company also has an installed capacity in the rest of Europe (337 MW), including Romania (64 MW) and Bulgaria (42 MW). In 2009, Enel Green Power entered a strategic agreement to develop an 8,000 MW wind pipeline, half with Minnesota-based Geronim...

Nepal has 618 MW of hydro capacity out of a total of 711 MW of installed power capacity. Hydropower projects provide approximately 73% of Nepal's energy, with thermal projects providing 4%, purchases from private power companies 10%, and imports from India 13% of the total available energy. Nepal lies along the southern slopes of the Himalayas. It is bordered by the Tibet Autonomous Region of China to its north and India to its south. Nepal has over 25,000 feet of altitude change within its borders and the population is approximately 24 million. Roughly 75% of the country is covered by mountains, including the tallest in the world, Mount Everest. The central plateau of Nepal has fertile valleys and there is some cultivated land along the border with India. Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world and about 90% of the population relies on agriculture for a living. Nepal is endowed with immense water resources. The average annual precipitation is approximately 170...