IRENA Puts Energy Transformation at Heart of Sustainable Recovery Agenda

30.06.2020

wind_energy_vetroenergija — Photo-illustration: Unsplah (Karsten Wurth)

Governments can align immediate economic stimulus needs with medium to long-term decarbonisation and sustainable development objectives by targeting policy measures and public spending towards the energy transformation, a new report by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) published recently finds.

Post-COVID recovery: An agenda for resilience, development and equality outlines immediate stimulus action for the next three years (2021-2023) as well as measures for a mid-term 2030 recovery perspective over the next decade. It provides practical insights and recommendations for governments as they drive investment and policy actions for post-COVID-19 economies. The report shows that on an annual basis, scaling-up public and private energy spending to USD 4.5 trillion per year would boost the world economy by an additional 1.3%, creating 19 million additional energy transition-related jobs by 2030. Jobs in renewables alone could triple to 30 million by 2030. Every million dollars (USD) invested in renewables would create three times more jobs than in fossil fuels.

“Renewables have proven to be the most resilient energy sources throughout the current crisis”, said Francesco La Camera, Director-General of IRENA. “This evidence should allow governments to take immediate investment decisions and policy responses to overcome the crisis. With today’s recovery plan for governments, IRENA uses its global mandate on energy transitions to inform decision-making at this critical time, while staying on course toward a fully decarbonised system by 2050.

Doubling annual transition investments to USD 2 trillion over the next three years will provide an effective stimulus and can leverage private sector investments by a factor 3-4. Reforming fossil fuel prices, retiring fossil fuel assets, driving green financing and bailouts, and strategically investing in energy transition must be immediate priorities, IRENA’s report advises.

The annual USD 2 trillion invested would boost GDP by 1% and create additional 5.5 million transition-related jobs in three years. Underpinning labour and industrial policies are required to leverage local capacities and skills and create industries and jobs across the value chain.

Any recovery strategy should include innovative solutions and emerging technologies such as green hydrogen with the potential to eventually deliver a net zero energy system. By investing in their commercialisation, governments and businesses can ensure sustained long-term growth.

Renewable-based power generation would become the backbone of future energy markets, supported by transition-related industries like battery storage. But renewable heating and cooling must also be scaled up along with energy efficiency. Renewable-based transport scan expand with incentives for electric vehicles (EVs) and continued infrastructure investment (including smart grids and EV charging stations), as well as emerging fuel solutions.

“Now is the time to invest in a better future”, said La Camera. “Government policies and investment choices can create the necessary momentum to enact systemic change and deliver the energy transformation away from fossil fuels. Driving a structural shift towards cleaner energy systems and more resilient economies and societies is more urgent than ever. Most of all, this is a global agenda, and we must leave no one behind.”

Rooted in IRENA’s first Global Renewables Outlook, which shows that transforming the global energy system in line with the Paris Agreement is possible, the new report focuses on how and where investments and policy interventions can accelerate economic recovery while simultaneously steering the way to a decarbonised energy system.

Read Post-COVID recovery: An agenda for resilience, development and equality

Source: IRENA

Iceland, a World Leader in Clean Energy, Supports Africa’s Push for Geothermal Power

29.06.2020

geothermal_power_plant_geotermalna_energija — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

At the beginning of the 20th century, Iceland was one of Europe’s poorest countries, its people relying on a precarious and polluting mix of imported coal and local peat for electricity.

But over the next century, the island nation would pull off one of the great energy makeovers in history, casting off fossil fuels and embracing geothermal power. Today, nearly 100 percent of Iceland’s electricity comes from renewable sources, a transformation that has helped make its 366,000 people some of the wealthiest in Europe.

For the last decade, Iceland has been working with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to spark a similar energy revolution in Eastern Africa. Iceland has done everything from financing exploration projects to training future geothermal engineers.

“We are a small country, but we try to focus our efforts in certain areas and this is one of them,” said Guðmundur Ingi Guðbrandsson, Iceland’s Minister of the Environment and Natural Resources. He called the country’s partnership with UNEP “fruitful”.

Harnessing geothermal energy means harnessing the heat from within the Earth, which is carried by water or steam onto the surface. There are many ways in which the hot water can be released – through geysers, hot springs, steam vents, underwater hydrothermal vents – and they are all potential sources of geothermal energy.

Iceland, a pioneer in the use of geothermal energy, is home to more than 200 volcanoes and a large number of hot springs, and therefore has an abundant source of hot, easily accessible underground water. This is converted to energy both for power generation and direct use applications.

Half a world away, East African countries are sitting atop a similar bounty. They line the Great East African Rift System, a 6,500-kilometre depression that stretches from northern Syria to central Mozambique. The rift is a hub of tectonic activity. Along much of its length, heat from the interior of the earth bursts to the surface. It’s estimated that if Eastern Africa could harness that energy, it could generate 20 gigawatts of electricity. That is significant in a region plagued by energy shortages, where – depending on the country – 25 to 89 percent of the population did not have access to energy in 2018.

Iceland is an important partner and co-financier of the UNEP African Rift Geothermal Development Facility Project. The effort, launched in 2010, is designed to spur geothermal investments in Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. Between 2012 and 2019, Iceland also helped seven countries in East Africa develop their expertise in geothermal energy through the Geothermal Exploration Project.

“Geothermal is hundred percent indigenous, environmentally friendly and a technology that has been under-utilized for too long in the continent,” said Meseret Teklemariam Zemedkun, Energy Programme Manager at UNEP. “It is time to take this technology off the back burner in order to power livelihoods, fuel development and reduce dependence on polluting and unpredictable fossil fuels.”

Iceland is also home to the Geothermal Training Programme of the United Nations University (UNU-GTP). Established in 1978, it has graduated more than 1,300 fellows from 100 developing countries. About 39 percent of the trainees during 1979-2016 have come from 17 African countries. This indicates a significant contribution of UNU-GTP in enhancing the capacities of the region.

Along with several partners, including the UNEP, the country is also helping to establish the African Geothermal Center of Excellence. To be based in Kenya, which has been developing geothermal power since the 1970s, the centre will help train young African geothermal scientists, engineers, drillers, technicians and financiers to ensure secured and sustainable geothermal development in Africa.

In the energy sector, the partnership between Iceland and UNEP is expanding to support women through the African Women Energy Entrepreneurs Framework. The aim is to overcome the main barriers and challenges that hinder the establishment, growth and development of women entrepreneurs in the energy sector in Africa.

“Iceland has been a steadfast and important partner to UNEP in bringing geothermal expertise to East Africa,” said Meseret Teklemariam Zemedkun. “We are proud of the partnership and the results we have achieved, and happy to be expanding the partnership to support women and youth in the energy sector.”

Iceland is not only an important partner to UNEP because of the technical and financial support provided to energy projects. It is also one of the Member States that has consistently paid their “fair share” to the Environment Fund of UNEP – thereby supporting all of UNEP’s work.

Source: UNEP

Public Invitation for Qualified Engineers to Participate in Training on Energy Management Systems

26.06.2020

energy_management_upravljanje_energijom — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

Tetra Tech ES, Inc. (Tetra Tech) is implementing a U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) project to promote the use of Energy Management Systems (EMS) for industries and public or private commercial buildings in the Balkans, with the objective of improving energy measurement, reducing energy consumption, increasing energy efficiency and optimizing production processes.

In partnership with Honeywell, Tetra Tech is building a network of qualified engineers in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Serbia with capabilities to design and install field measurement meters and process controls, in order to expand the market for EMS. Tetra Tech and Honeywell invite you to participate in a cost-shared training program designed to enhance your skills for design and implementation of Honeywell EMS systems.

Two training options will be offered, each consisting of multiple phases. Training Option A is targeted to qualified engineers for the design and implementation of Honeywell field instrumentation. Training Option B is targeted towards more experienced engineers and focuses on software integration. Option B requires at least 10 years of experience in process controls and automation, in addition to the other requirements listed. Training options are described below.

Training Option A (location + dates)

1. Introductory Honeywell EMS Training held virtually, August 11-12, 2020

2. ControlEdge: Fundamentals – PLC (with Experion PKS Integration) Implementation (10% cost-share) held virtually, September 7-8, 2020

3. Hands-On Honeywell Installation Training, Site TBC, 3-4 days TBC

Training Option B (location + dates)

1. Introductory Honeywell EMS Training, held virtually, August 11-12, 2020

2. ControlEdge: Fundamentals – PLC (with Experion PKS Integration) Implementation (10% cost-share) *not required but highly recommended, held virtually September 7-8, 2020

3. Experion PKS: Fundamentals – Configuration, Graphics Building and Control Strategy Implementation (10% cost-share), held in Brussels, Belgium or virtually (TBC), October 19-30, 2020

4. Hands-On Honeywell Installation Training, Site TBC, 3-4 days TBC

Qualifications and Skills

All trainees are expected to be engineers with the following characteristics:

A minimum 5 years of experience and proven track record working in process automation, process measurement, software engineering, hardware technologies, building automation and data integration
At least 2 references of projects in the areas of control systems and/or process measurement in the last 3 years
Experience in implementation of DCS is a plus
Strong critical-thinking and problem-solving skills
Excellent oral and written communication skills in native language and in English
Ability to troubleshoot software and hardware issues

USAID will cover 90% of tuition costs. Selected participants will be expected to cover the remaining 10%, as well as any associated travel costs (airfare, lodging, per diem and transportation). Cost-share details can be found in the application form.

Tetra Tech now invites qualified engineers to apply to this training program by submitting an application (HERE), resume/CV (in English) and company profile to drembids@tetratech.com by July 10, 2020. The number of training spots is limited. Only selected candidates will be contacted for a brief interview.

Source: Tetra Tech

Shenzhen Gives Residents Incentives To Buy Electric Vehicles

25.06.2020

shenzhen_china_šenžen_kina — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

The city of Shenzhen in China has long been an electric vehicle leader. Its bus fleet went 100% electric in 2017, and its taxi fleet followed in 2018. Now, it is pushing electric vehicle sales (including Tesla sales) just in time for the end of Q2 2020.

Residents can receive 20,000 yuan (2,500 euros) if they buy new fully electric vehicles. Plug-in-hybrids are also being subsidized, with 10,000 yuan (1,250 euros) per purchase.

These incentives started in May and will last until December 21, 2020. All Tesla vehicles are eligible, Tesmanian noted.

Who Can Apply?

Shenzhen is relaxing the application measures that were in place due to COVID-19. Citizens can apply, but so can:

Nonresidents with a valid residence permit.
Chinese citizens living overseas.
Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan residents.
Foreigners with valid visas or residence permits.

They can directly apply for either the Shenzhen Hybrid Electric Vehicle Incremental Index or Pure Electric Car Incremental Index.

If a citizen of Shenzhen already owns an EV or plug-in hybrid and has it registered in their name, they can purchase another new one (either a new EV or a new plug-in hybrid) and still qualify for the incentives.

Parking

Another thing that Shenzhen wants to do is incentivize the parking of new energy vehicles. This will include free parking for the first hour of on-street parking throughout the city.

It will be exciting to see the Q2 sales numbers. The population of Shenzhen is 12.53 million. The new subsidies, on top of federal Chinese subsidies, should stimulate a large number of new electric vehicle sales.

Author: Johnna Crider

Source: Clean Technica

Six Ways Nature Can Protect Us from Climate Change

25.06.2020

waterfalls_vodopadi_nature_priroda_forest_šuma — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Restoring and protecting nature is one of the greatest strategies for tackling climate change, but not just for the obvious reason that it sucks carbon out the air. Forests, wetlands, and other ecosystems act as buffers against extreme weather, protecting houses, crops, water supplies and vital infrastructure.

The strategy of using nature as a defence against climate impacts is called called ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) – in essence, look after nature and it will look after you.

Here are six ways that nature can defend us from climate change impacts:

Drought

To secure water supplies, societies have traditionally used ‘grey infrastructure’ such as pipelines, dams, and man-made reservoirs. However, ‘green infrastructure’ uses natural or semi-natural systems to provide similar benefits with positive long-term environmental consequences.

For example, natural wetlands like streams and lakes act as sponges, drawing water down through the ground and recharging groundwater supplies. When healthy, these ecosystems capture water during intense rainfall and store it for times of drought. Similarly, healthy forests recharge groundwater supplies by absorbing water through their roots, and in doing so, filter drinking water for millions of people worldwide, including more than 68,000 communities across the US.

The State of Rajasthan, India, endured a devastating drought in 1986. In the following years local communities began to regenerate forests in the region, leading to a rise in groundwater levels by several metres. In Gambia, one of the largest development projects in the history of the country is currently centered around restoring ecosystems to increase water supplies.

Wildfire

First the Amazon, then California, then Australia – wildfires were catastrophic in 2019. Our preventative efforts to reduce the spread of wildfires often involve the removal of forests to create a firebreak (or ‘fuel break’), a strip of land devoid of flora.

But there’s a new strategy for firebreaks that involves more nature, not less. This discovery was made after a severe forest fire in Spain in 2012, where the Mediterranean Cypress trees were able to resist the blaze. The cypresses retain high levels of water in their leaves, even in sweltering heat, and the fallen leaves form a wet environment at the base of the trunk. Plans are now underway to plant the trees as ‘natural firebreaks’ throughout the Mediterranean region.

Heatwaves

Cities are significantly warmer than the surrounding countryside. This ‘urban heat island effect’ has many causes, including the propensity of concrete and asphalt to absorb heat. In an absurd irony, our air-conditioning systems produce astonishing amounts of carbon emissions, which heat the atmosphere. Our houses stay cool, but the planet doesn’t.

Urban tree cover is a win-win solution for our cities. Trees cool the surrounding air by releasing water through their leaves, similar to how humans keep cool by perspiring. Imagine the cooling power of ten air-conditioning units – that’s how much a single healthy tree provides on a sunny day from evaporation alone. And that doesn’t include the shade that trees provide, which according to a study in the US, can reduce the air-conditioning costs of detached houses by 20-30 per cent.

Major cities are now turning to nature to cool down. Melbourne, Australia, is on track to plant more than 3,000 trees each year to tackle heatwaves, almost doubling its urban tree cover by 2040.

Coastal Flooding

By 2050 sea-levels could be so high that 300 million people in coastal communities will face severe floods at least once a year. There are some coastal ecosystems that can act as cost-effective seawalls combatting the two primary threats of rising seas: coastal flooding and shoreline disintegration.

Mangroves and coral reefs, for instance, cause waves to break before they hit the shore, lowering both the force and height of the swell, and in the process reducing the likelihood of the sea breaching over into people’s land. A study across 52 sites found that natural habitats were 2-5 times more cost-effective than engineered structures when it came to lowering wave heights.

In the town of Kisakasaka in eastern Tanzania, seawater had been creeping into people’s farms and killed the crops. That is, until the villagers fought back and reforested hundreds of hectares of mangroves. Within two years the salt-poisoning of their crops ended and the wells returned to normal.

Landslides & Erosion

The erratic weather patterns associated with climate change are already exacerbating landslides in many parts of the world. On the Canadian outpost of Banks Island landslides have increased by a stunning 6,000% in the last few decades, largely due to thawing permafrost caused by a succession of hot summers.

All landslides are caused by loose soil. There are two ways to prevent them: increase the ‘binding capacity’ of the soil, and reduce soil erosion from surface water runoff. Vegetation does both by absorbing water and anchoring the soil in place. In light of this, the government of Comoros is planting 1.4 million trees to protect people’s farms in mountainous areas.

Desertification & Sandstorms

Desertification is an ongoing threat in places where the climate is drying, and where there is overgrazing and biodiversity loss. When we cut down forests, the desert further expands due to the way in which trees retain moisture in the ground. Since 1920, the Sahara Desert has expanded by 10%, decimating waterholes and arable land.

This was the motivation behind the Great Green Wall in Africa. To halt the spread of the Sahara and its consequent sandstorms, 21 African countries are working together to grow a ‘8,000 km natural wonder’ of trees and shrubs across the width of Africa. The initiative has the potential to create 10 million green jobs by 2030, according to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification.

In Sudan, desertification has given rise to violence in some areas, as groups struggle over dwindling resources. In 2017, the government launched a project to help communities adapt to the drying climate by planting ‘shelter belts’, lines of trees or shrubs that protect an area – especially crops – from extreme weather. The project is building climate resilience in the hopes it will instil peace, making shelter belts not only a nature-based solution for climate change, but also a nature-based solution for conflict.

Source: UNEP

Schneider Electric’s Ev Chargers – for Charging in Public Facilities and at Home

24.06.2020

Schneider_Electric_punjači — Photo: Schneider Electric

In line with the global trends in the area of energy efficiency, reduced negative impact on climate change and preservation of the planet, switching to electric vehicles represents one of the options which will drastically contribute to reduced greenhouse gas emissions. To that purpose, chargers for electric vehicles are also being improved, namely new charging options are being established

Countries across the world encourage switching to EVs, which, with all of their advantages, represent a suitable alternative. Based on new emissions standards put forth by the European Union, as many as a third of the new cars in the EU will be electric or hydrogen-powered by 2030.

As reported by Inside EVs, global sales of new electric cars surpassed two million units for the first time in 2018, which is a 72 percent increase over the previous year at an average market share of 2.1 percent. Simultaneously with the increase of the number of EVs, the number of charging stations has been rising as well.

In Europe, up to 66% of all chargers are located in four countries: the Netherlands, Germany, France and the United Kingdom, and it is estimated that the total number of chargers in Europe will reach two million by 2025.

In regard to Serbia and the countries in the region, a rising trend of delivered and installed EV chargers has been registered, getting us closer to the countries with highly advanced electric mobility and the leaders of that trend. Schneider Electric has delivered nearly 100 EV chargers in Serbia and Montenegro so far, and in the past two years companies in the public and private sectors have been increasingly interested in installing EV chargers at their parking lots and in garages.

In Belgrade, EVlink chargers Schneider Electric are installed at several locations, with those in the reconstructed public garage at Obilićev venac as most available for citizens of the capital.

Home Ev Chargers – New Trends

An increase of the number of electric vehicles and further expansion of their use lead to the need for the production of EV chargers with an option of charging at home Drivers are embracing EVs not only for their improved fuel economy, reduced emissions, and lower fuel expenses, but also because the cost of charging a car at home in a garage over the course of a year can be less than running an air conditioner. And research shows that “electric cars are already cheaper to own and run than petrol or diesel cars in the UK, United States, and Japan”.

They have two options for charging at home at disposal –chargers supplied when buying a car, with basic charging features, and chargers with advanced options, helping drivers to reduce concerns about running out of electricity while driving.

In focus:

Enhanced EV charging solutions – the EVlink by Schneider Electric – are available in the market, working faster than standard ones and delivering a host of additional benefits. EVlink chargers can be part of a comprehensive smart home solution, with an option of integrating them with home’s electrical system to keep a car from charging during peak-demand times, i.e., when other electrical appliances are likely to be in use. A charger can also be set to operate at the cheapest times.

Rated for indoor safety, EVlink’s intuitive design facilitates daily use and for additional flexibility in installation and usage, each station comes complete with a docking bracket.

This article was published in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine NATURAL RESOURCES, march – may, 2020

Consumers and Business Concerned About Plastic Waste but Expect Governments to Do More

23.06.2020

beach_pollution_plastic_zagađenje_plastikom_plaža — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Food Industry Asia (FIA) today released a regional survey of consumers and food and beverage businesses across South-East Asia that shows a significant disconnect between expectation and action on reducing plastic waste. The challenges of plastic pollution have only increased in the past few months, with the COVID-19 pandemic generating a surge in waste.

The survey polled consumers and businesses in five countries that are estimated to be among the top 10 sources of plastic marine debris globally – Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam.

“Plastic pollution is choking the waters of South-East Asia,” said Dechen Tsering, UNEP’s Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific. “We will need fundamental change throughout the plastic value chain to achieve clean seas and beat plastic pollution. Governments, businesses and consumers can all increase their ambition and improve their efforts to achieve this goal.”

Among the key findings were that:

Consumers are concerned about plastic waste, but are not changing habits. While 91% of consumers state that they are concerned about plastic waste issues, fewer than half are less likely to buy a product from non-recycled material.
Consumers’ focus on recycling is increasing. While only 54% of consumers are recycling and converting their plastic waste into useful products, 38% more have indicated their interest to do so in the next 12 to 18 months.
Businesses understand that their current efforts are not sufficient. While 82% of businesses are extremely concerned about plastic waste issues, less than half feel their current efforts are sufficient to address the problem.
Targets by businesses on plastic waste need strengthening. 80% of businesses have targets to address plastic waste but of those companies with a target, less than one-third communicate it externally. Among business targets to reduce plastic waste, 74% are quantitative but only 59% have indicated deadlines.
Many businesses are not yet engaged in industry collaborations to tackle plastic waste issues. Over half of businesses (51%) in the five countries are not part of any group tackling plastic waste issues. This ranges from 76% in Viet Nam to 24% in Thailand.
Both consumers and businesses want and expect further action by governments. Consumers and businesses recognise that governments are concerned with plastic waste. Key actions by government considered most critical include mandating waste segregation, enhancing collection systems, ensuring consistent labelling on product recycling, and imposing littering fines and charges.

The surveys were conducted from January to April 2020 in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam, sampling 2,000 consumers and 400 food and beverage businesses across the five countries. Efforts were taken to ensure that the sample covered a wide range of companies across the value chain, company ownership structure, company size and locations within the countries, while quotas were instituted to ensure accurate demographic representation of the consumers. A similar survey will be conducted in 2022 for comparison.

“We are encouraged that companies have been much more involved in coming together to support cities and communities in a significant way to tackle post-consumer plastic waste by accelerating packaging innovation and enhancing plastics collection and recycling, through initiatives like the Circular Materials Lab and the Packaging Recycling Organisation Viet Nam,” said Matt Kovac, Executive Director for Food Industry Asia. “But as the surveys show, many more businesses need to join platforms to scale up efforts. Policies, projects and funds must work concurrently, as must key actors across the plastics value-chain to build a multi-stakeholder approach that enables businesses, consumers and governments to find ways to create circular approaches to plastics.”

This survey and report were co-commissioned by SEA circular, an initiative of UNEP and the Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA) – supported by the Government of Sweden – and FIA to inspire market-based solutions and encourage enabling policies to prevent marine plastic pollution in South-East Asia. The analysis was conducted by AlphaBeta.

The Swedish Ambassador to Thailand, Lao PDR and Myanmar, Staffan Herrström, said, “This study provides valuable insights that can help accelerate the behavioral change needed to beat plastic pollution and prevent marine litter. Importantly, it shows that opinions among consumers and businesses provide ample opportunity for governments to take tangible, effective actions, such as promoting waste segregation at household level, improving waste collection and recycling capacity, and ensuring better product labelling, all of which will increase recycling rates. This can be pursued through a combination of regulation and incentives, and I encourage governments to use this opportunity.”

Source: UNEP

Entrepreneur Hoping to Make Electric Motorbikes a Staple of Thailand’s Streets

23.06.2020

thailand_tajland — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Bangkok has an extensive public transit network, but its maze of small side streets—sois—means that a destination is often a hike from a transit stop. In a city of extreme temperatures and monsoon rains, even a short walk in the middle of the day can be very uncomfortable.

The solution for many living in Thailand’s capital are gas-powered mototaxis. This single-passenger mode of transportation can turn a sweaty 20-minute walk into a two-minute ride.

For Soranun “Earth” Choochut, founder and CEO of ETRAN, a sustainable mobility startup, navigating sois can be done just as well with electric vehicles. That’s why ETRAN has developed two models of electric bike, one designed for passengers and one a compact sport bike.

“We want to create a new age of public transportation that’s sustainable, clean and able to improve the quality of people’s lives in cities,” says Choochut.

The over 20 million motorbikes and scooters that whiz around Thailand’s streets and sois produce upwards of 18 million tonnes of greenhouse gases every year. Switching to electric would reduce that to “zero”, says Choochut.

ETRAN’s passenger bike not only provides cleaner transport, it is also helping address gender inequality. It is easy for a man, who is typically wearing pants or shorts, to hop on the back of a mototaxi. Women wearing skirts are forced to ride side-saddle, a more dangerous position. Without an internal combustion engine, ETRAN was able to slide the seat forward and leave a gap in the middle of its PROM model, allowing for a forward-facing sitting position for the passenger no matter the attire.

ETRAN also aims to reduce as much as possible its carbon footprint and plastic consumption.

Choochut’s efforts have received plaudits from the design world, winning the Red Dot design award twice. His environmental ambitions were awarded as well. He was one of the 2020 winners of the United Nations Environment Programme’s Asia Pacific Low Carbon Lifestyles Challenge.

With 3,000 units sold, ambitions to scale to 10,000 over the next two years, and partnerships with the likes of PTT Group and Bosch, Choochut wants to make sustainable transport a Thai economic success story.

“ETRAN can be the aspiration for others that proves that Thailand can invent something and scale like other countries and create passion and movement among entrepreneurs to create something bigger than themselves,” says Choochut.

Source: UNEP

Renewable Energy Is Electrifying COVID-19 Isolation Centers in Nigeria

22.06.2020

Screenshot from 2020-06-22 12-21-31 — Photo: Twitter (screenshot)

The COVID-19 pandemic has upturned our 21st century existence, wreaking havoc on both social and cultural norms and our way of life. It has also crippled the global economy and continues to impact diverse business sectors and industries — travel, transportation, education, and manufacturing.

While large-scale industries have been greatly impacted, many micro, small, and medium-scale enterprises (MSMEs) and smaller businesses have been completely decimated, with many such businesses gone for good whilst others continue to struggle to survive with the earliest projected recovery times spanning from 3 to 5 years following the COVID pandemic.

The electricity sector has not been left out of this ongoing negative impact resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, as it continues to struggle with increased epileptic power supply and increased losses stemming from unpaid electricity debts due to lack of cost-reflective tariffs and decreased consumer spending.

In Nigeria, the crisis from the pandemic has coincided with declining oil revenue and stalled economic growth which has trickled down to the Nigeria Electricity Supply Industry (NESI). As a result, Nigeria faces an increasing electricity deficit due to an epileptic power supply that is unable to support the nation’s economic, health care, or other essential sectors — such as food supply chains — during this crucial time.

Across the entire Nigerian electricity value chain, we see a reduction in energy access due to disruptions in power system operations and bottlenecks occasioned by measures put in place to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. These include the ban on international and interstate travels, as well as the need for local and physical distancing which have greatly limited the supply chain networks.

In the Nigerian mini grid sector, for example, several projects have become stranded or delayed. The pandemic has further increased the cost of implementing scheduled projects and default of payment by consumers. These effects can, however, be curbed with the right regulatory responses and increased investments into the off-grid sector. However, despite these challenges, the global pandemic provides a unique opportunity for renewable energy to meet the increasing energy demands of consumers and to facilitate the urgent delivery of energy to support the critical health and medical facilities that desperately need it through tailored power solutions.

A few mini grid companies, like Green Village Electricity (GVE) Projects Ltd, have innovated to provide essential support through electricity services for health care centers, particularly COVID-19 isolation, testing, and diagnostic centers. As one of the leading mini grid developers across Sub-Saharan Africa, GVE is looking to support the stagnating economy by providing electricity through solar technologies for essential services sectors.

GVE recently successfully deployed a 12KVA solar system with 30kWh battery storage solution at the Rivers State COVID-19 Isolation Facility located at the Eleme General Hospital, Ogale, Nchia, thereby enhancing their clinical capacity to serve the 100,000+ people of Eleme LGA.

In addition, they successfully deployed an 18KVA solar solution to power the isolation and treatment facility upgraded and furnished by the Private Sector Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID) at the Enugu State Medical Diagnostics Centre, Nigeria. This was made possible by the combined efforts of the Stakeholder Democracy Network (SDN), Clean Technology Hub Nigeria and the Rivers and Enugu state governments.

They have been able to accomplish this through the support of All On — an off-grid renewable energy impact investing firm operating in Nigeria. As part of its COVID-19 Solar Relief Fund, All On made grants available to four off-grid companies that are looking to expand this service offering to support primary health care centers in these states, as a way to improve on health services in underserved communities.

Furthermore, as a direct result of COVID-19 and to further their socio-economic impact in the communities they serve, GVE as the foremost indigenous mini grid firm has been able to prioritize health care facilities within the service areas of their already existing and operational mini grids, and are supporting their operations by providing a discounted tariff of up to 80% for electricity consumption for a period of six months to help increase their capacity to respond to these urgent cases and ensure uninterrupted power supply for operations.

In addition to powering health facilities and isolation centers and based on their values as a socially responsible company, GVE is leveraging public-private partnerships to drive impact for economic clusters. The company recently signed a tripartite agreement to power one of the largest and busiest markets located at the heart of Nigeria’s capital city of Abuja, Wuse Market. This will be the first of many of these projects in the city center going forward and it stands to provide a host of benefits to the members of the market community which are yet to unfold.

While Nigerian citizens await the government making good on its promise to provide months of free electricity to the people as a COVID-19 intervention, the leading mini grid developer GVE, along with other off-grid partners, are taking up the responsibility to electrify the country, eliminate energy poverty, and fill the energy gaps that have now become even more evident in this COVID-19 era.

Authors: Ms. Talatu Tarfa & Ms. Ifeoma Malo

Source: Clean Technica

Diego, Key to Saving His Species, Returns Home After More Than 80 Years

21.06.2020

ezgif.com-webp-to-jpg — Photo: Galapagos National Park, via UNEP

Photo: Galapagos National Park, via UNEP

After a five-hour journey by boat and an inland journey on a ranger´s backpack, Diego, the giant tortoise who helped save his species from extinction, finally arrived his native Española Island, in the emblematic Ecuadorian archipelago of Galápagos.

Diego, now over 100 years old, will have the chance to live in the wild after eight decades of residing in a zoo and in a conservation center, where he fathered at least 800 offspring.

On June 15, the Galápagos National Park organized the release into the wild of Diego and other 14 giant tortoises, which had been part of a breeding programme that started in the 60s to recover the Chelonoidis hoodensis population in Española Island, where the species had dropped to only 15 specimens.

The project was based on Santa Cruz, another island in the archipelago. Diego and two other males, plus 12 females took part in the recovery project, with such a success that now Española holds a stable population of around 2,300 tortoises.

Renowned for his fertility, Diego stood out for his charismatic personality. His caregivers describe him as being very active and vocal in his mating habits. When the Park announced in 2016 that he had fathered at least 40% of all the young tortoises in Española, he went viral.

Diego lived in the San Diego Zoo for around 30 years and came back to Galápagos in 1976. His impressive journey has caught worldwide attention. “Diego´s efforts helped us bring back a species that was on the brink of extinction. Diego´s legacy is along us to move forward”, said Freddy Villalba, a park ranger.

14 species of giant tortoises populated the Galápagos Islands, famous for inspiring Charles Darwin´s theories of evolution and natural selection.

Three species have been officially declared extinct: Chelonoidis abingdonii (Pinta Island), Chelonoidis niger (Floreana Island) and Chelonoidis phantasticus (Fernandina Island). One specimen of the latter might have been found, but genetic tests are still being developed to confirm the discovery.

Diego and his 14 companions bred in captivity for more than 40 decades. They were kept in two corrals, where scientists gathered the eggs and kept them in incubators. Once the tortoises were born, they stayed at the recovery center for seven years before they were released back to Española Island. This method lasted until 2012. In 2018, the last juveniles were transported to Española.

“With no doubt the Española breeding programme is a conservation success story since we were able to restore this population with only 15 individuals. We have now detected natural reproduction in the island and we are ready to shut the programme down”, said Danny Rueda, director of the Galápagos National Park.

The Ministry of Environment of Ecuador decided to end the breeding program, after a 2019 census in Española found that the island had sufficient conditions to maintain the tortoise population, which will continue to grow normally, even without new repatriations of juveniles. The survey was conducted by the Galápagos National Park Directorate and Galápagos Conservancy, as part of the Giant Tortoise Restoration Initiative.

“The survival rate of the young tortoises is over 50 percent”, said Rueda, who emphasizes that the breeding programme was accompanied by ecosystem restoration measures.

“With so few tortoises for so long, the Española ecosystem dynamics had changed. In the 70s we eradicated the goats, that were introduced in the 17^th century by pirates and whalers. Eight years ago we started reintroducing cactus and other plant species that are essential to the tortoises´ diet”, said Rueda.

Diego and the other 14 tortoises were transported by park rangers 2,5 kilometers towards the island´s interior where there is abundant cactus. The females weigh around 35 kilograms, while the males weigh 55 kilograms. All are between 80 and 100 years old. They will be monitored by GPS trackers and 40 camera traps. Free at last, but closely watched by the rangers that have taken care of them for so long, Diego and his companions will be able to wander around their home island.

Source: UNEP

Heat Continues in 2020 – the Month of May Was the Warmest May on Record

20.06.2020

heatwave_toplotni_talas — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

The global surface temperature for the first five months of the year was the second highest on record, marginally behind the strong El Niño year of 2016. The month of May was the warmest May on record, according to U.S. and European datasets.

The year 2020 is very likely (>99.9%) to rank among the five warmest years and ten warmest years on record, according to a statistical analysis by scientists from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Environmental Information.

The analysis was based on current anomalies and historical global annual temperature readings which have confirmed a long-term warming trend due to heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

2015-2019 was the warmest five-year period on record, and 2010-2019 the warmest decade on record. Since the 1980s, each successive decade has been warmer than any preceding decade since 1850, according to WMO’s State of the Global Climate reports.

To bring public attention to climate change, broadcast meteorologists around the world on 18 June staged the third annual “Mets Unite Show Your Stripes” campaign. The warming stripes show global warming in cities and countries around the world. – with the concentration of “red” years in the 21st century. That long-term trend is continuing in 2020.

South America, Europe and Asia had their warmest January-May period on record. Much of the northern half of Asia saw temperatures at least 3.5°C (6.3°F) above average, according to NOAA’s monthly global report. Record warm January-May temperatures were present across parts of the Atlantic, southern Pacific, and southern Indian oceans.

It was the warmest May on record, according to the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts which operates the European Copernicus Climate Change Service, and uses datasets combining millions of meteorological and marine observations, including from satellites, with models’ outputs to produce climate reanalyses over the entire climate system.

NOAA, which reports monthly climatological data from observing sites, said that that May global temperatures tied with 2016. It was the 44th consecutive May and the 425th consecutive month with temperatures, at least nominally, above the 20th century average. The seven warmest Mays have all occurred in the past seven years.

The Northern Hemisphere had its warmest May on record, driven by exceptional heat in Siberia where temperatures were up to 10 °C above average. The unusual warmth in winter and spring was associated with an exceptionally early break-up of ice in Siberia’s rivers and a massive diesel spill, which according to media reports, was due to melting permafrost beneath tank supports.

“Although the planet as a whole is warming, this isn’t happening evenly. For example, western Siberia stands out as a region that is warming faster than average and where variations in temperature from month to month and year to year tend to be large. However, what is unusual in this case is how long the warmer-than-average anomalies have persisted,” according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service.

Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service reported that it was monitoring fire activity in the Arctic Circle.

In contrast to Siberia, much of Alaska saw cooler than average temperatures in May.

Surface temperatures are only one indicator of climate change. Others are: ocean heat, ocean acidification, sea level, glaciers, Arctic and Arctic sea ice extent, and atmospheric carbon dioxide, which continues to be at record levels.

Source: WMO

We Need a Total Fossil Fuel Lockdown for a Climate Revolution

19.06.2020

solar_panels_wind_turbine_solarni_paneli_vetrenjača — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Growth in renewable power has been impressive over the past five years. But too little is happening in heating, cooling and transport. Overall, global hunger for energy keeps increasing and eats up progress, according to REN21’s Renewables 2020 Global Status Report (GSR), released recently. The journey towards climate disaster continues, unless we make an immediate switch to efficient and renewable energy in all sectors in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Year after year, we report success after success in the renewable power sector. Indeed, renewable power has made fantastic progress. It beats all other fuels in growth and competitiveness. Many national and global organisations already cry victory. But our report sends a clear warning: The progress in the power sector is only a small part of the picture. And it is eaten up as the world’s energy hunger continues to increase. If we do not change the entire energy system, we are deluding ourselves,” says Rana Adib, REN21’s Executive Director.

The report shows that in the heating, cooling and transport sectors, the barriers are still nearly the same as 10 years ago. “We must also stop heating our homes and driving our cars with fossil fuels,” Adib claims.

There is no real disruption in the COVID-19 pandemic

In the wake of the extraordinary economic decline due to COVID-19, the IEA predicts energy-related CO₂ emissions are expected to fall by up to 8% in 2020. But 2019 emissions were the highest ever, and the relief is only temporary. Meeting the Paris targets would require an annual decrease of at least 7.6% to be maintained over the next 10 years. Says Adib: “Even if the lock-downs were to continue for a decade, the change would not be sufficient. At the current pace, with the current system and current market rules, it would take the world forever to come anywhere near a no-carbon system.”

“Many recovery packages lock us into a dirty fossil fuel economy”

Recovery packages offer a once-in-a-lifetime chance to make the shift to a low-carbon economy. But according to Adib there is a great risk for this enormous chance to be lost. “Many of these packages include ideas that will instead lock us further into a dirty fossil fuel system. Some directly promote natural gas, coal or oil. Others, though claiming a green focus, build the roof and forget the foundation,” she says. “Take electric cars and hydrogen, for example. These technologies are only green if powered by renewables.”

Choosing an energy system that supports job creation and social justice

The report points out that “green” recovery measures, such as investment in renewables and building efficiency, are more cost-effective than traditional stimulus measures and yield more returns. It also documents that renewables deliver on job creation, energy sovereignty, accelerated energy access in developing countries, reduced emissions and air pollution.

“Renewables are now more cost-effective than ever, providing an opportunity to prioritize clean economic recovery packages and bring the world closer to meeting the Paris Agreement Goals. Renewables are a key pillar of a healthy, safe and green COVID-19 recovery that leaves no one behind,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). “By putting energy transition at the core of economic recovery, countries can reap multiple benefits, from improved air quality to employment generation.”

This contrasts with the true cost of fossil fuels, estimated to be USD 5.2 trillion if costs of negative impacts such as air pollution, effects of climate change, and traffic congestion are counted.

Renewable energy systems support energy sovereignty and democracy, empowering citizens and communities, instead of big fossil fuel producers and consumers. “When spending stimulus money, we have to decide: Do we want an energy system that serves some or a system that serves many?”, says Adib. “But it’s not only about money. We must end any kind of support to the fossil economy, particularly when it comes to heating, cooling and transport. Governments need to radically change the market conditions and rules and demonstrate the same leadership as during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The report finds:

Total final energy demand continues to be on the rise (1.4% annually from 2013 to 2018). Despite significant progress in renewable power generation, the share of renewables in total final energy demand barely increased (9.6% in 2013 to 11% in 2018). Compared to the power sector, the heating, cooling and transport sectors lag far behind (renewable energy share in power, 26%, heating and cooling, 10%, transport, 3%).
Today’s progress is largely the result of policies and regulations initiated years ago and focus on the power sector. Major barriers seen in heating, cooling and transport are still almost the same a decade on. Policies are needed to create the right market conditions.
The renewable energy sector employed around 11 million people worldwide in 2018.
In 2019, the private sector signed power purchase agreements (PPAs) for a record growth of over 43% from 2018 to 2019 in new renewable power capacity.
The global climate strikes have reached unprecedented levels with millions of people across 150 countries. They have pushed governments to step up climate ambitions. As of April 2020, 1490 jurisdictions – spanning 29 countries and covering 822 million citizens – had issued “climate emergency” declarations, many of which include plans and targets for more renewable-based energy systems.
While some countries are phasing out coal, others continued to invest in new coal-fired power plants. In addition, funding from private banks for fossil fuel projects has increased each year since the signing of the Paris Agreement, totaling USD 2.7 trillion over the last three years.

“It is clear, renewable power has become mainstream and that is great to see. But the progress in this one sector should not lead us to believe that renewables are a guaranteed success. Governments need to take action beyond economic recovery packages. They also need to create the rules and the environment to switch to an efficient and renewables-based energy system. Globally. Now.” concludes Arthouros Zervos, President of REN21.

Source: UNEP

Innovative Program Connects Donors and Tree-Planting Groups

18.06.2020

forest-group-3 — Photo: Sabin Ray/WRI, via UNEP

In 2018, the United Nations (UN) declared 2021-2030 as the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration in an effort to reverse centuries of damage to forests, wetlands and other ecosystems. The following year, as if to dramatize the urgency, fires swept through the forests of the Brazilian Amazon, Eastern Australia and the western coast of the United States. Coverage in both traditional and social media served as a global call to action, and millions of dollars have been since been mobilized to grow trees and restore forests and farms.

But campaigns like these can create a dilemma. Funders often have trouble finding people they can trust to do the hard work of planting trees. Planters must understand the land and ecology of the region, and know what kinds of trees will both survive and respond to the needs of a particular area. Funders also want to connect with projects that are equipped to manage the large volume of finance that is now being directed to trees.

TerraMatch, a new part of World Resources Institute’s (WRI) Global Restoration Initiative is designed to address those problems, connecting money with knowledge and shovels. The global platform uses an algorithm to match funding offers with projects that are run by experienced leaders, capable of getting the right trees into the right ground.

“People support tree-growing with various purposes in mind, but achieving those goals requires local expertise,” says Aaron Minnick, who manages TerraMatch. “And when funders and local people develop strategies together based on mutual understanding and common goals, they are also much more likely to succeed.”

The TerraMatch platform includes a website and an app with offline capabilities for iPhone and Android. It is accessible in English, Spanish, French and Portuguese. Funders benefit by receiving accurate information on vetted projects and local experts benefit from a connection to reliable, large-scale funding.

The power of trees

By any measure, trees are a smart investment. They keep the planet cool, absorb carbon and filter air pollution. They also mitigate natural disasters by regulating weather, stabilizing land, protecting crops and reducing opportunities for pathogens to pass between animals and people.

But growing trees the right way is not as simple as it sounds; history is full of examples of tree-planting gone wrong. Trees planted in grasslands in Australia, Brazil and South Africa have harmed local plants and animals and reduced water flows. And mesquite, planted in Kenya to combat desertification, grew so aggressively that it killed native vegetation, blocked roads and irrigation canals and resulted in significant economic and biodiversity loss for local people.

Connecting the dots

Over the past two years, public awareness and catastrophic natural disasters have created a tipping point, stimulating demand for government authorities and corporate entities to give back to the planet and restore the Earth’s dwindling resources.

In fact, Minnick says the pressure has been such that “companies, non-governmental organizations and governments are now earmarking money at a rapid pace, specifically for this purpose.”

Through the TerraMatch technique, WRI has channelled more than US$2 million from funders to local experts. In Rwandan farms and forests, women-led cooperatives are growing 42,000 native trees, shoring up slopes and terraces, and preventing erosion to provide a sustainable source of wood and water for their community. In the Peruvian Amazon, farmers are growing more than 300,000 trees to protect the biodiverse Tambopata National Reserve, and shelter the cacao farms that are a source of income for over 10,000 people.

And more funding is coming through in 2021. In Mexico, land owners will grow 500,000 palo de tinto saplings, protecting over 1,500 hectares of habitat for jaguars and howler monkeys, and storing 100,000 tonnes of CO₂. In the Andean forests, indigenous communities are planting millions of polylepis trees, providing medicines, food, and water–as well as a home for rare endemic species. And in Brazil, local governments and organizations are working to restore the biodiverse yet fragmented Atlantic Forest with native trees.

“Never underestimate the power of a small group of people with a purpose,” says Musonda Mumba, Terrestrial Ecosystems Unit Chief at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). In fact, she explains, “transformational change is not affected remotely–and not by governments or CEOs–but through local, hands-on efforts.”

Building momentum toward global targets

TerraMatch sees itself as a centre of gravity for the tree-growing community, connecting efforts and sustaining forward motion.

“The idea of tree-planting is not new,” says Minnick. “But now, the world has woken up. Priorities, policies and pledges are helping to get money to the ground. It’s time to bring everyone to one place, where we can work together and learn from each other.”

All funders and project developers on TerraMatch follow the principles of forest and landscape restoration, an approach that centers the experiences and priorities of the people living in the landscape to maximize environmental and economic impact. Those principles guide the Bonn Challenge, a global effort to restore 150 million hectares of deforested and degraded land by 2020 and 350 million hectares by 2030. By working with regional platforms AFR100 in Africa and Initiative 20×20 in Latin America and the Caribbean, TerraMatch will help countries meet their restoration pledges while supporting the Sustainable Development Goals and climate action.

The project also supports major corporate partners that want to grow trees the right way, and complements alliances like the Trillion Trees initiative, an effort from the World Economic Forum to channel corporate investment to protect and grow 1 trillion trees by 2030.

With a view to ensuring long-term success, WRI is developing a set of protocols for monitoring tree-growing projects over time. Tracked at key intervals for up to 15 years, state-of-the-art satellite technology and field-level data collection will be integrated to the TerraMatch platform, allowing funders to monitor progress across their portfolio.

UNEP welcomes such innovative platforms and this type of transformation will be key to achieving the targets of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration!

Source: UNEP

Dutch Water Company Will Evaluate Impact of Floating Solar on Water Quality

17.06.2020

1024px-Farniente2 — Photo: Wikipedia/SolarWriter

Evides Waterbedrijf is a water supply company in the Netherlands. It estimates it could generate all the electricity it needs to power its pumping and distribution operations if just 30% of the reservoirs it manages were covered with floating solar panels. But before it makes that commitment, it’s dipping its toe in the water, so to speak, by constructing a 1.62 MW floating solar power plant at a reservoir in Kralingen near Rotterdam. Once completed, it is expected to supply 1.7 million kWh of electricity annually — about 15% of what is needed to run the Kralingen facility.

That’s a pretty small installation and probably would have escaped our notice but for one thing. Once the 4,787 solar panels are in place, the company plans a rigorous examination of how the floating solar system impacts water quality in the reservoir. According to PV Magazine, the analysis will focus on algae growth, the spread of bacteria from bird droppings, the effect of reduced UV radiation on the water, and the impact of the wind. “It is essential that the water quality in the reservoir remains good,” the company says.

Assuming the testing shows no decrease in the quality of the drinking water the company supplies to customers, it may proceed with plans to add floating solar to three other reservoirs, including the Biesbosch reservoir that covers 35o hectares. In all, the Netherlands has about 52,000 hectares of shallow water pools that could serve as the basis for other floating solar installations. Not all that water is used to supply drinking water, so some degradation in water quality would not be as much of an issue as it is with a public drinking water supply.

Evides is subject to the Rijkswaterstaat, the water management agency for the Netherlands. The Dutch Foundation for Applied Water Research (STOWA) is also part of the group, which is overseen by the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment and the Solar Energy Application Community (SEAC).

Rijkswaterstaat, in turn, is part of the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment, which announced in March of 2017 it planned to make water surfaces and land under its control available for the installation of renewable energy plants. Evides is beginning to turn those plans into reality.

Author: Steve Henley

Source: Clean Technica

Sun, Wind and Biomass for Clean Energy

17.06.2020

jure-tufekcic-qWY05SQehsI-unsplash — Photo: Unsplash (Jure Tufekčić)

Vojvodina has a great potential for energy production from renewable sources. How much these resources will be used, and to what extent industrial entities will be environmentally conscious, depends most on the state, precisely on the legislation, and its consistent implementation points out Zoran Trpovski, MSc, the Secretary of Industry Association at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Vojvodina

Through the unique chamber system, the Industry Association of the Chamber of Commerce an Industry of Vojvodina brings together industrial entities operating in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina (AP Vojvodina). They currently have groups which cover metal complex, energetics and construction and there is the Circular Economy Council. Through these forms of organisation, by applying the prescribed procedure, the Association raises current issues concerning these branches of the industry, and it increasingly addresses the topic of energy efficiency. With Zoran Trpovski, MSc, the Secretary of the Industry Association at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Vojvodina, we have talked about how much industrial companies are following the global green trends and standards when it comes to business. Since Vojvodina has the highest number of oil industry facilities and the highest potential of renewable energy sources, we are interested in what is the relation between the greatest environmental risks and benefits in this province.

EP: The modern industry today is unthinkable without clean technologies, renewable, green inventions and circular economy. To what extent does the Industry Association deal with these topics and how environmentally conscious are the industrial production companies in Vojvodina?

Zoran Trpovski: It is difficult to give a global assessment, since the scene is very diverse, especially if we bear in mind that the awareness of people, when it comes to the importance of industry as a whole, is re-created after a long period, in the sense that production is necessary to create new value. It is certain that every company tries to follow and implement the current trends in its field. Regarding ecology, regulation is the key, and consistent application of regulations can impose environmental awareness of all industrial entities. I think there is a similar analogy with citizens and their environmental awareness since owners or responsible persons in companies are citizens in the first place and then the persons from those companies. Either you have the awareness, or someone has to “make” you raise it. Within the new concept of work of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Vojvodina, both in the Industry Association and the Chamber as a whole, the importance of these issues has been recognised, and I am sure that they will be even more significant in the future.

EP: It was established once refineries and wastewater were the largest polluters in Vojvodina. Do you know what the black ecological spots on the industrial map of Vojvodina are?

Zoran Trpovski: There is now one refinery in the Vojvodina, and it has constantly being pointed out that new owners have invested significant funds in modernisation and advancement of technology, especially for the increase the depth of oil refining. Considerable funds have directly been invested in environmental protection, and a higher proportion of fuels with lower sulfur content further contribute to less pollution. Still, the question of oil wells remains, since they carry a certain environmental risk, and the refinery in Novi Sad, that no longer operates, but that was as well as Pacevo refinery, unfortunately the target of bombing during the NATO aggression on our country. In recent years, people have been mentioning the pollution that occurred during the aggression, which is still affecting the environment. Wastewater is a general problem throughout the country and Vojvodina is no exception. Our lagging behind in environmental protection can be best observed in this area. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Vojvodina is fully involved in these issues through the Energy and Energy Mining Group of the Industry Association, as well as other forms of organisation, especially through the recently formed Circular Economy Council.

EP: At the end of the October last year, the Chamber hosted the International Clean Energy Technology Forum. What are the specific activities and successful local projects that indicate that Vojvodina is heading towards the development of clean technologies?

Zoran Trpovski: This was the 13th Forum and the Chamber is the traditional host of the second day of the conference. The main merit for the traditional maintaining of the forum and having burning topics belongs to Mr Tihomir Simic and his associates. The last Forum was dedicated to Serbia’s energy digital perspective. There were many real-life examples on the second day, such as heat pumps, solar energy and other renewable energy, and a special session was devoted to the field of refrigeration. Traditionally, after this gathering, the conclusions and recommendations were sent to the decision-makers. Moreover, when it comes to the Chamber’s standalone activities, we are very proud of the International gathering held in 2018 and organised by the Energy and Energy Mining Group, which was dedicated to all aspects of biomass utilisation.

EP: What is the perspective of the fossil fuel processing industry in Vojvodina, and what is the perspective of renewable energy sources?

Zoran Trpovski: When it comes to fossil fuels, the company that performs the exploitation knows the answer to this question. Depending on the market trends in consumption patterns, circumstances in the world and other elements, future exploitation will be realised. When it comes to renewable energy, Vojvodina is a part of our country that has excellent conditions for the development of wind, solar and biomass energy production. Depending on the policy of the state, in terms of implementing the obligations of the defined participation of these sources in gross final consumption, as well as on the initiative of private investors in this field, it depends how much cleaner energy we will produce.

In focus:

EP: One of the topics on which the Chamber of Commerce and Industry was working last year was the circular economy. How much has the industry of Vojvodina turned to this global trend, which involves, above all, energy and raw material efficiency?

Zoran Trpovski: As already mentioned, over the last year, we formed the Circular Economy Council, with the desire to influence certain environmental issues and transition from linear to a circular economy at the Province level. Special attention will be paid to responsible waste management, as it is generated daily in our homes as well as in all sectors and segments of industrial production. Every day we witness that businesses are implementing projects of energy efficiency, efficient use of raw materials and others, which affect their financial position and at the same time they also have a positive impact on the environment. There are many good examples, and perhaps it should be noted that biogas power plants, whose development is extremely significant since, in addition to energy production, they provide us with high-quality organic fertilizer.

EP: Which funds are at disposal to the industry of Vojvodina for the transition to clean technologies and energy efficiency?

Zoran Trpovski: Quite a large number of institutions are involved in financing energy efficiency projects. These institutions define the conditions of use of these lines, and that significantly ensures the earmarked use. At the same time, different levels of government, from local, provincial to republican finance individual segments in this area. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the industrial entities themselves invest in this area to reduce costs and improve the productivity of their businesses.

EP: How much do you cooperate with the Chambers of Commerce of Hungary, Romania and Croatia as your closest neighbours? How much can we apply their experience in the environmental advancement of the industry, since all those countries are the EU Member States?

Zoran Trpovski: We try to take every opportunity to present positive experiences of neighbouring countries in this field. That is sometimes done through colleagues in the Chambers of Commerce, i.e. representative offices of Croatian Chamber of Commerce in Belgrade, but very often through Embassies, among which the Embassy of the Republic of Slovakia stands out. Very often, business entitiesfrom numerous counties, which are involved in these activities offer their services. Between above mentioned countries, we have had several successful gatherings organised together with our Hungarian colleagues.

EP: Which activities does the Chamber of Commerce of Vojvodina plan for the current year to encourage more intensive development of the “green” industry?

Zoran Trpovski: The stakeholders in this area should be Energy and Energy Mining Group and the Circular Economy Council. These bodies will organise appropriate gatherings and events to develop this segment and inform a wide range of subjects about the current events. We will always be ready to assist in the implementation of all projects in this field by connecting them with decision-making institutions. Besides, very good cooperation with governmental institutions should lead to joint actions in organising public hearings, panels and roundtables which should increase the perception of the public and entities when the topics from these areas are on the agenda.

Interview by: Nevena Djukic

This article was published in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine NATURAL RESOURCES, march – may, 2020

Danish Companies Have an Ambitious Plan to Create Hydrogen for Fuel

16.06.2020

Hydrogen_fueling_nozzle2 — Photo: Wikipedia/EERE

A group of Danish companies are planning one of the world’s largest hydrogen and synthetic fuel production facilities.
The project will use renewable energy to create low-carbon fuels for the country’s transport sector.
Bringing down the costs of such fuels is vital to meeting climate targets.

A group of Danish companies are joining forces to build one of the world’s largest facilities producing synthetic fuels. The unique partnership aims to help decarbonize the country’s transport sector by manufacturing sustainable alternatives to fossil-based fuels like petrol and diesel.

Participating companies include many of Denmark’s key transport and logistics players: Copenhagen Airports, A.P. Moller – Maersk, DSV Panalpina, DFDS, SAS and Ørsted. The vision includes generating hydrogen, an emissions-free alternative fuel, using electrolysis powered by renewable energy, as well as synthetic fuels for sectors which currently have limited low-carbon fuel options (producing methanol for the shipping or e-kerosene for aviation).

Fully scaled up, the finished facility in 2030 would have capacity to deliver 250,000 tonnes of synthetic fuel each year, to power buses, trucks, maritime vessels and aircraft, reducing annual carbon emissions by 850,000 tonnes.

As well as positioning Denmark at the vanguard of sustainable-fuel technology, the project could create numerous jobs and establish a mass-scale clean fuel model for others to follow.

Generating hydrogen

In the project, hydrogen will be produced using electrolysis, a process that splits water into hydrogen and oxygen.

When an electrolyzer is powered by renewable energy sources like offshore wind, the hydrogen produced is emissions-free. Unlike fossil-based fuels like petrol or diesel, when hydrogen combusts it doesn’t produce carbon dioxide emissions.

Although still at the planning stage, the entire Danish project will be powered by renewable energy sources, like offshore wind, and comprises three phases.

The first phase involves constructing a 10MW electrolyzer producing clean hydrogen to fuel buses and trucks, which could be operational by 2023. By phase two, the electrolyzer facility will increase to 250MW, and hydrogen will be used to produce renewable methanol to power maritime vessels and renewable jet-fuel for aviation. This is done by reacting the hydrogen with carbon dioxide captured from sources in Copenhagen.

The final phase will upgrade electrolyzer capacity to 1.3GW – making the facility one of the largest of its kind in the world. Given the current plans, this could be fully operational by 2030.

Cutting costs

This sort of industrial scale is key to bringing down the cost of sustainable fuels – and meeting climate targets, like Denmark’s moves to cut carbon emissions to 70% of 1990 levels by the end of the decade.

The group behind the project believe that to be competitive the production of these fuels will need to see similar cost reductions as offshore and onshore wind and solar.

But challenges remain. The COVID-19 crisis has paused some countries’ efforts toward renewable energy. Resulting economic downturns could create barriers to the types of investments needed to make these shifts a reality. Additionally, as the IEA explains, a broad portfolio of clean energy technologies will be needed to truly decarbonise all parts of a country’s economy.

As part of its Shaping the Future of Energy and Materials platform, the World Economic Forum has set up the Accelerating Clean Hydrogen initiative to help overcome these challenges by helping forge new collaborations to scale clean hydrogen.

Source: WEF

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