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| 教 育 專 題 深 入 報 導《2008-07-03》 |
| 本期內容 | |
| ◎國際專題：風力與地熱 環保新能源 | |
| ◎因應能源危機 東南亞開發地熱 | |
| ◎英國環保新政策：多建７千座風力發電機 | |
| 國際專題：風力與地熱 環保新能源 | |
| 策劃、編譯■陳銳嬪、陳玫伶 | |
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石油一漲價，全世界都慌了。但是大家卻忘了，自己國家都有的在地能源。 每個國家都有各自的在地能源，如印尼與菲律賓的地熱能，英國的風力。 而台灣的環保政策，是否應該把在地能源考慮進去呢？來讓能源也響應在地運動吧！ |
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| （回目錄） | |
| 因應能源危機 東南亞開發地熱 | |
| （路透社） | |
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在發展經濟的時刻遇上能源危機，對能源極度需求的印尼與菲律賓轉向地底尋找解決之道。 這兩個國家都位處環太平洋火山帶，佈滿火山，更是世界上地熱能最大儲藏地。 總部設在美國華盛頓的地球政策研究所主席萊斯特‧布朗在6月里昂證券的演講中說：「當我想到印尼與能源的關係時，我想到地熱能。印尼有超過5百個火山，其中有130個依然活躍。」 「印尼的經濟可以完全依賴地熱能，地熱能的潛能還沒有完全被開發。」他這麼告訴投資團體。 高漲的油價、往上攀升的需求和能源業緩慢的基礎建設，使印尼與菲律賓需要更迫切地開發它的地熱能資源。 但是實際上，開發工作並不簡單。 地熱工程包括深入地底鑽井，把水蒸汽與熱水引到動力渦輪。不是所有的挑戰都源自土地。這個過程需要大量資本，但是在印尼與菲律賓等地，官僚主義以及其他絆腳石卻讓情況惡化。 建於峇里島印度教領土上火山群中的印尼百度庫工程，計畫提供175百萬瓦的能源，或者島嶼一半的用電量。但是這個計畫目前已經被擱置，因為當地居民擔心破壞這神聖的地方，並且影響附近湖泊的水源。 峇里島主要的能源，是由鄰近的爪哇島透過海底電纜提供的。支持者認為，這個計畫對能源需求日漸提高的渡假小島是必要的，因為峇里島是印尼旅遊業的重鎮。 「我們希望這個計畫可以開跑，這不是為了投資者，而是為了峇里島的未來。」峇厘能源的妮瑪特說。她的公司負責這項計畫，而她否認這項計畫會對環境造成破壞。 土壤酸度過高 侵蝕輸送管線 菲律賓目前是美國之後第二大的地熱能生產國，但是它所面對的最大阻礙是，酸度過高與活躍的火山會侵蝕輸送管。 PNOC能源發展公司主席保羅‧阿奎諾指出：「很多土地依然是酸性的，這表示死火山並不全然死了。」他的公司擁有9座蒸氣田，為這個國家提供1,199百萬瓦，或者60％的地熱能。 他補充，菲律賓要在2013年之前把地熱能能源從1,931百萬瓦提高到3,131百萬瓦，進而超越美國、成為世界首席地熱能生產國，是非常困難的。 地熱能佔了菲律賓能源需求的18％。 阿奎諾表示：「我們已經開發擁有最多地熱能的地區。」他接著說，菲律賓目前還有的地熱能地區，大多數位於自然公園，或者受到原住民權利法案保護。 凱瑟琳‧瑪瑟妲是再生能源聯盟的發言人，該團體鼓勵大家使用再生能源。她警告說，菲律賓需要通過再生能源法案，以確保更多人使用再生能源。 菲律賓總統雅羅育已經把再生能源法案標示為緊急法案，但是政治人物卻為此爭論不休，延誤了它的通過。 瑪瑟妲指出：「目前無法預測法案是否通過。」 印菲用電高峰 停電家常便飯 加起來總共有3億1千6百萬人口的菲律賓與印尼，目前的電力網路已經達到最大的負荷。 菲律賓的能源需求預測將以平均每年4.8％的幅度成長；而印尼每逢遇到用電高峰時，總會發生停電事件。 印尼目前的用量量為2萬7,000百萬瓦，但是地熱能源僅供應這其中850百萬瓦，或者大約3％的能源。 印尼政府目前把注意力放在燃煤發電廠上，希望可以滿足能源的需求。能源部長普諾莫指出，在2025年之前，地熱能的產量可以達到9,500百萬瓦。 僅管有一些工程被擱置了，但是昂貴的能源價格讓企業受到鼓舞，打算重新進軍地熱業。在新政府的架構下，一些企業打算擴展原本的地熱產業版圖，一些打算投資新工程。 印尼能源企業如梅科能源國際和星能源，打算投入新資金。而世界上最大的私人地熱能源公司雪佛龍，則不管所需的資金龐大，打算在2020年之前，雙倍擴充在印尼與菲律賓的投資。 地熱產地從勘查到生產，一般需要7到8年的時間。除了鑽井和建設的費用，其他的花費還包含建造道路通往偏遠地區的費用。 地熱能發電廠需要高成本進行勘查、鑽井與建設，但是其生產與維修費用相對來說是低的。 雪佛龍希望可以擴展在西爪哇現有的地熱礦區，它目前考慮的地點，為印尼政府公佈256個地熱區的其中10個。 雪佛龍地熱能營運主席巴禮‧安德魯表示：「你必須把所有的資本用來發展這些地方，鑽井與建設發電廠，但是目前石油、煤氣與碳的價格高漲，地熱能還是有競爭力的。」 他說，地熱能可以減少碳排放量使投資更具吸引力，抵銷了它需要高門檻資金的缺點。 雪佛龍在西爪哇達拉佳的發電廠，因為每年成功減少650, 000的碳排放量而被聯合國認可。 1997到1998年亞洲金融風暴發生後，很多地熱工程被耽擱，所以目前印尼已經為地熱產業設定了新條例。 安德魯指出：「我相信，所有的事情將會在明年看到成果。」 地球政策研究所的環保人士布朗指出，高油價驅使國家尋找更廉價的替代能源，能源在地化已經是全球趨勢。 「這表示，地熱能將在印尼的能源經濟上佔有重要的地位，當領導人意識到它的潛能，它將會快速成長。」他補充說。 Faced with looming energy crises in their developing economies, power-hungry Indonesia and the Philippines are looking deep into the earth for a solution. Both are in the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, an area peppered with volcanoes and home to the world's biggest reservoir of geothermal power. "When I think of Indonesia and energy, I think geothermal. Indonesia has more than 500 volcanoes, of which 130 are active," Lester Brown, president of the Washington-based Earth Policy Institute, told CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets in a speech in June. "Indonesia could run its economy entirely on geothermal energy and has not come close to tapping the full potential," he told the investment group. That may be changing though as soaring oil prices, surging demand and creaking infrastructure in the power sector make it all the more urgent for both Indonesia and the Philippines to find ways to exploit their geothermal reserves. But unlocking the potential is proving difficult. Geothermal projects involve drilling wells deep into the earth to tap steam or hot water to power turbines. Not all of the challenges are terrestrial in nature. It's a capital-intensive process made worse by tortuous red tape and other stumbling blocks in places such as Indonesia and the Philippines. Indonesia's Bedugul project, set among volcanoes on the Hindu enclave of Bali, aims to develop up to 175 MW of power, or roughly half of the resort island's needs. But the project is now on hold because local residents fear it could damage a sacred area and affect water supplies from the nearby lakes. Most of Bali's power is currently supplied from neighboring Java island via an undersea cable. Supporters say the project is essential to meet growing electricity demand in the resort island, which is at the heart of Indonesia's tourism industry. "We hope that the project will run, not just because of the investors but for Bali's future," said Ni Made Widiasari of Bali Energy, the firm behind the project. She denied the project would be damaging. HIGH ACIDITY In the Philippines, currently the world's second-biggest geothermal producer behind the United States, one of the main obstacles to developing the reserves is the high acidity associated with active volcanoes, which can corrode the pipes. "There are many fields that are still acidic, meaning the dead volcanoes underlying them are not really dead," said Paul Aquino, president of PNOC-Energy Development Corp which operates nine steamfields with a capacity of 1,199 Megawatts (MW), or about 60 percent of the country's geothermal capacity. That would make it hard for the Philippines to achieve its goal of raising geothermal capacity from an existing 1,931 megawatts to 3,131 MW by 2013, and overtaking the United States as top global geothermal producer, he added. Geothermal power accounts for around 18 percent of the Philippines' energy needs. "We have already exploited those areas with the biggest geothermal resource," Aquino said, adding that many of the Philippines' most attractive untapped sites are located in natural parks or protected by the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act. Catherine Maceda, spokeswoman for the Renewable Energy Coalition, a group promoting the use of alternative energy, also warned that the Philippines needed to push through a renewable energy bill to provide greater incentives and clarity. While President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has earmarked the bill as urgent, political bickering is holding up its passage. "Right now there is no predictability," said Maceda. BLACKOUTS Electricity networks in the Philippines and Indonesia, with a combined population of 316 million, are already under strain. Philippine power demand is estimated to be growing at an average rate of 4.8 percent a year, while Indonesia has suffered power blackouts with razor-thin supply cushion when demand peaks. Indonesia currently supplies just 850 MW of an estimated 27,000 MW potential from geothermal, or about 3 percent of its current power output. While the government wants to focus on using more coal-powered stations to meet energy needs, Energy Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro has said power from geothermal could reach 9,500 MW by 2025. Despite the setbacks and stalled projects, high energy prices are providing the spur for firms to look at geothermal again, and several are keen to expand their existing operations or bid for fresh projects in Indonesia under a new government framework. Indonesian energy firms Medco Energi Internasional and Star Energy, are looking at making new investments, while Chevron, the world's largest private producer of geothermal energy, plans to double its geothermal business in Indonesia and the Philippines by 2020 despite the heavy capital outlays. It takes about 7 to 8 years for a geothermal plant to move from exploration to production. Aside from drilling and plant costs there are often additional expenses such as building access roads in remote and mountainous areas. Geothermal plants require high capital investment for exploration, drilling wells and plant installation compared to other alternatives. But operation and maintenance costs are relatively low. Chevron is looking at further expansion of its existing fields in West Java and is considering 10 out of 256 other sites which Indonesia has identified as having geothermal potential. "You have to spend all your capital up front to develop these fields, you know, put in the wells and power plants, but with current prices of oil, gas and coal, geothermal is becoming competitive" said Barry Andrews, president of Chevron's geothermal power operations. Eligibility for carbon credits could make such investments more attractive, he said, as they may offset some of the hefty start up costs. Chevron's Darajat plant, also in West Java, has been registered with the United Nations as eligible for 650,000 certified emissions reductions per year. Meanwhile, Indonesia is putting the finishing touches to new regulations for the geothermal sector, after many projects collapsed in the wake of the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis. "I think we're virtually on the cusp of seeing all of that come together in the next year or so," said Chevron's Andrews. Environmentalist Brown, from the Earth Policy Institute, says this follows a global trend in localising energy policies as high oil prices prod countries to find cost effective alternatives. "In Indonesia that means geothermal is going to loom large in the energy economy of the future, and that development could come very quickly once the leadership begins to see the potential," he added. REUTERS |
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| （回目錄） | |
| 英國環保新政策：多建７千座風力發電機 | |
| 參考來源／英國《獨立報》 | |
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在未來的12年裡，7千座風車將矗立在英國的沿海和山陵帶，英國首相布朗已規劃出執行6百億鎊（約新台幣3.6兆元）的再生能源計畫。 這項計畫將呼應他所說的「核能發電發明之後，最具劃時代的能源政策」。英國目前約5％電力來自再生能源，這項政策施行之後，再生能源將提供1／3的總電力能源。 此能源政策的目的在於降低溫室效應的氣體排放，因為舊式的燃料能源使得氣候變遷。這主要是減少對進口能源的依賴，以符合歐盟去年制訂的再生能源比例於2020年需達到總能源供應量的20％的標準。 英國在整個歐洲的角色需分擔全部再生能源的15％，那表示，英國國內能源的30％到35％必須為再生能源。英國目前只使用4.5％的再生能源。 該筆政策的總款項與執行時程估計要花12年完成，不過環境保護人士和再生能源供應者的意見上分歧，對於是否能在預計時間內完成目標，議論紛紛。 以實際數據估算，要達到政策目標，意味著要在英國沿岸陸地多設立4千座風力發電機，另在海水中設立3千座風力發電機。這表示從現在開始到2020年，每天要完成2至3座的工程，還不包括耶誕節和一般假日。輿論的焦點皆在英國是否又製造風力發電機的能力，或是有足夠的工程師可以完成任務。 而英國政府的回應是肯定的，商業與企業事務大臣約翰‧哈頓和能源大臣威克斯皆異口同聲地支持這項政策的成功遠景。 當然，他們的自信來自政府的支持，從布朗近日的演說中可以理解，其對設置風力發電機和其相關科技的實際考量有二，其一是近6個月以來油價高漲，另謀方法可確保英國有穩定的能源供應。布朗曾經對油價發表聲明，表示英國目前的局勢比1970年代兩次油價風波更糟糕，英國必須脫離依靠煤礦、石油和天然氣的習慣，他並提醒聽眾核能發電不能繼續，再生能源是一條出路。 其二是布朗也瞭解了低碳能源技術的先進發展，在世界上漸漸嶄露頭角，說不定能成為英國的致富之源，布朗因此稱之為「進行中的綠色革命」，估計將可為英國帶來16萬個工作機會。 突然間，布朗執政時間所在意的工作和穩定經濟發展，和能源政策的效益產出不謀而合，於是全部包裝在一個政策中，讓民間和業界皆大歡喜。 綠色和平組織行政主任索芬發表意見道：「如果政府真的認為時機到了，那麼英國將成為一個更好、更安全又更富庶的國家，我們可以創造工作機會、降低進口油料和使用較少天然氣，長遠來說能減少帳單支出，但是若政府空口說白話，這些都不會發生。」 http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/a-revolution-on-the-horizon-7000-more-wind-turbines-855422.html |
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