Concentrated photovoltaic uses mirrors and lenses to direct an increased amount of energy on smaller solar panes which can be made from low cost materials such as glass or aluminum, thus avoiding the use of silicon a commodity that can be subject to shortages that keep panel prices high. This technology is due to grow from less than 10 megawatts of generation capacity worldwide in 2008 to as much as six gigawatts by 2020.
Compliant towers are much like fixed platforms. They consist of a narrow tower, attached to a foundation on the seafloor and extending up to the platform. This tower is flexible, as opposed to the relatively rigid legs of a fixed platform. This flexibility allows it to operate in much deeper water, as it can ‘absorb’ much of the pressure exerted on it by the wind and sea. Despite its flexibility, the compliant tower system is strong enough to withstand hurricane conditions. Suitable for 1,500 – 3,000 feet
Refers to a type of bilateral contract arrangement in which an energy producer or seller receives a fixed price for energy plus an adjustment value to cover any differences between the agreed-upon fixed price and the actual market price of the energy at the time it is delivered. CfD energy prices are usually set low to insure that the energy is bought, but both buyer and seller run risks of high or low spot prices at the time the energy is delivered.
Typically, in an LNG contract this is a period of twelve consecutive months beginning on the first day of October and ending on the thirty-first day of September. The October-September year allows buyers to avoid the risk of supply disruption that would follow from a supply contract expiring in the middle of winter in the northern hemisphere. Nevertheless, “contract year” in some new LNG contracts has also been specified as running from the first day of January until the thirty first day of December
In the energy sector this is the principle of renegotiating the price established in a long term contract, such as the price of natural gas, due to changing market conditions. A price re-opener can be a potential clause in the original contract or a move by one party if he perceives that market conditions have changed drastically. A main disadvantage of price re-openers is that they are difficult to negotiate and may leave one party that needs long term supply out of the contract if the new terms cannot be agreed after for instance the 5 year price re-opener term has elapsed.
