Greener Futures: An Introduction to Renewable Energy
By Jenny Bieksha, Bishop & Associates Inc.

Renewable energy offers tremendous benefits for meeting global energy needs. Renewable energy is defined as the energy derived from resources that are regenerative, or for all practical purposes, can not be depleted. Resources include biofuels, biomass, hydroelectric power, geothermal energy, solar energy, wind power, ocean thermal energy, wave power, and tidal power.

These energy technologies are growing quickly—particularly wind and solar—and are cost-competitive in a variety of grid, off-grid, and remote applications worldwide. They utilize locally available resources, offsetting the need for costly fuel imports, are environmentally beneficial, without the harmful emissions of conventional energies, provide diversification to a country’s energy mix, and create local job and income opportunities. Global revenues for wind power and solar photovoltaics alone equaled $81 billion in 2008, and are projected to grow to $219.7 billion within a decade.

The deployment of renewable energy requires appropriate economic, market, and regulatory channels. A key strategy for market acceleration is removing trade and investment barriers between countries with significant renewable resources. Global strategies for accelerating the market penetration and diffusion of renewable energies need to include both developed and developing countries.

Nonetheless, despite their advantages, the bulk of renewable energy development has occurred in industrialized countries, with the limited exception of a few emerging economies like China and India. The countries most in need of the positive attributes of these technologies are not yet beneficiaries. This is due to a number of barriers that hinder renewable energy advancement. Most notably, implementing renewable energy continues to be comparatively expensive for developing countries. Many of these countries have not yet put in place the policy and regulatory frameworks needed to induce investment in renewable energy, or have not eliminated subsidies for conventional fuels, making it difficult for modern technologies to compete.

Renewable Energy Technology Trends

• Smart Grid: An emerging network of devices connected by switches, routers, and software, interacting in ways that will introduce new efficiencies in the electricity system.

• Utility-Scale Energy Storage: Utility-scale energy storage for renewables is the number-one barrier to significantly scaling renewables in the energy mix of a utility, state, or nation.

• New Clean-Energy Global Markets: Are part of a larger trend of renewables, development in countries that hadn’t previously joined the clean-tech revolution.

• Grid Infrastructure: Governments and companies around the world are funding infrastructure innovations and upgrades that will expedite the integration of clean power into the grid.

• Micropower: Small, regional “micropower” grids made up of microturbines, cogeneration, solar cells, fuel cells, geothermal, wind turbines, and other sources. Microgrids create local networks that support the growth of a diverse ecosystem of energy solutions.

The severely tightened credit markets have taken their toll on these markets. In late 2008 and early 2009, the extent became apparent, with a range of clean-energy companies delaying plans, laying off staff, or closing down projects. There is an expectation that continued growth will be seen in the mid- to long-term, with 2009 being a year of refocus, consolidation, or retrenchment for many firms. New government spending, regulation, and policies should help the industry weather the current economic crisis better than most other sectors. All in all, clean energy and energy intelligence is seen as one of the vehicles that will help global economies pull out of the current economic recession.

As noted, there are currently several technologies within the renewable energy Industry with highly promising growth trends. At this time, Bishop & Associates has chosen to focus specifically on the solar and wind energy markets. Both contain an impressive amount of interconnect content, ongoing product development, a near-term introduction of new standards and technologies, with strong global attention and economic support.

Look for expanded, comprehensive coverage of these markets in the June 2 and June 16 editions of ConnectorSupplier.com.

Jenny Bieksha
Director, Renewable Energy and Test, Measurement, and Instrumentation
Jenny Bieksha joined Bishop & Associates in 2008 as its market segment director for the renewable energy, and the test, measurement, and instrumentation markets. She is currently a management consultant specializing in strategic business planning, with an emphasis on the development of program, market, and product plans. Bieksha has more than 20 years of experience in the electronics industry, with a background in market management, business development, channel sales, product management, and operations for ITT Corporation, Delphi Connection Systems, and Hughes Aircraft Company.

Bieksha has a bachelor of science degree in marketing from the University of Wyoming, and has since received her certificate as a project management professional.