Asian countries spending more on renewable resources than the developed countries

At the annual conference Clean Power Asia 2012, Daria La Valle the conference manager said that the Asian countries are overtaking developed ones in terms of spending on renewable and cleaner fossil power projects. The annual conference and exhibition will gather some 600 leading Asian renewable and cleaner fossil power experts, utilities, energy ministries, regulators, investors and technology. As well as service providers to discuss the latest renewable and cleaner fossil power developments in the region as well as the main challenges that utilities face to adopt greener power sources.

 “The future of renewable and clean energy is now in the developing world” says Daria La Valle, “new government policies have made it more palatable for foreign investors to finance clean power projects here in Asia through various financial instruments and clearer regulatory frameworks.” Read more ...

Biomass could lead to a race for land grab acquisition

The International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), based in London is raising concern over the global demand for biomass fuels, could to a race for land acquisition in the developing world. This would have a major effect on the poor and hungry, with less land to grow crops for food. Already many countries are importing wood pellets and the demand for wood and other biomass crops could exceed supply by up to 600 percent. Read more ...

Land grabbing could impact on beef industry capacity

With the ever increasing demand for forms of renewable energy worldwide, wood could drive more foreign acquisition of land, especially in developing countries. The Institute for Environment and development is warning that there needs to be more debates on the subject and greater public awareness in a recent briefing paper. "All eyes are turned to food and biofuels, but tree plantations for biomass energy may soon become an important driver in the global land rush," said one of the report’s co-authors, Dr Lorenzo Cotula. Read more ...