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Vital Ecosystems in Tidal Flats Lost to Development and Rising Sea Levels

Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Coastal development and sea level rise are causing the decline of tidal flats along the world’s coastlines, according to research that has mapped the ecosystems for the first time.

Scientists from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and the University of Queensland used machine-learning to analyse more than 700,000 satellite images to map the extent of and change in tisdal flats around the globe.

Photo-illustration: Pixabay

The study, published in Nature, found tidal flat ecosystems in some countries declined by as much as 16% in the years from 1984 to 2016.

Tidal flats are mud flats, sand flats or wide rocky reef platforms that are important coastal ecosystems. They act as buffers to storms and sea level rise and provide habitat for many species, including migratory birds and fish nurseries.

Almost 50% of the global extent of tidal flats is concentrated in just eight countries: Indonesia, China, Australia, the US, Canada, India, Brazil and Myanmar.

Nicholas Murray, the study’s lead author and a senior research fellow at the centre for ecosystem science at the University of New South Wales, said because tidal flats were often at least partially covered by water they had been difficult to monitor in the past.

“This is a big ecosystem,” he said. “It’s all over the planet and highly susceptible to threats but we haven’t known where they are, which has limited the ability to monitor them.”

The research team worked with Google and used its computing resources to analyse every satellite image ever collected of the world’s coastlines.

They found that tidal flats, as an ecosystem, were as extensive globally as mangroves and that coastal development and sea level rise, in particular, were causing their decline.

In parts of China and western Europe, they found tidal flats that were up to 18km wide. In Australia, they occur all over the country, including places such as Moreton Bay in Queensland and along the Gulf of Carpentaria.

For 17% of the world, there was enough data available to measure declines from 1984 to 2016.

In these locations, which were mostly in China, the US and countries in the Middle East, they found declines in tidal flats of 16%.

For a further 61% of the world, there was enough data to analyse changes from 1999 to 2016 and the research showed declines of 3.1% in this period.

Murray said airports, aquaculture and other infrastructure that had been built on top of tidal flats in countries such as China were major threats. Reduced sediment flows from rivers around the world had also led to a reduced amount of sediment being deposited as tidal flats.

Murray said dams were one of the major drivers of reduced sediment flows from rivers. He said further analysis would be needed of the ongoing impact of the other key threat – sea level rise.

“This study has really given the data to start making those links,” he said. “It means you can really start to understand the impact of sea level rise and coastal development.”

The researchers suggest the study could be used to advance protected areas for tidal flats, which have not always been as well-protected historically because they fall between land and sea.

The map is publicly available and Murray said it had laid the fundamentals for an ongoing monitoring system.

“The easiest way to think about this is, for decades we’ve been able to observe deforestation,” he said. “We can now do that for tidal flat ecosystems.

“We can identify places where tidal flat ecosystems are being lost and the main drivers of those losses, which will allow us to respond with conservation action.”

Source: Guardian

The EU Banned Almost All Coal Mining on Jan 1

Photo-illustration: Pixabay
Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Every unprofitable coal mine in the European Union must cease production by the first day of 2019, the date on which all public funds for the mines will come to an end. In Spain, that means that 26 coal mines are about to close up shop, according to Reuters.

This move away from coal is a refreshing bit of bluntness — letting the failed remnants of a fossil fuel industry fade away — compared to how the federal government in the U.S. is grasping at anything to keep coal alive. But it remains to be seen how much of an impact the coal closures will have in the ongoing effort to curb climate change.

The deadline was set back in 2010 as the EU sought to move away from fossil fuel dependence, according to Telesur. The EU wanted to end public aid to coal mines sooner, but groups from Germany — which shuttered its last coal mine earlier this month — and Spain are responsible for extending the deadline all the way to the end of 2018.

Spain has already decreased the portion of its electricity generated by coal down to about 14 percent, according to United Press International. And 90 percent of the coal burned in Spain is imported from Russia and Colombia anyway.

Still, the deal that Spain struck with the EU dictates that nine of the 15 coal-burning plants in Spain must close by 2020, according to Telesur. That on its own is huge news for the transition to cleaner power, and marks a clear sign that major world powers are taking their responsibility to help prevent our impending climate change catastrophe seriously.

Once again in stark contrast to the U.S., where coal miners in Appalachia face a weak job market with few prospects, Spain’s socialist government — largely supported by coal mining communities — made a deal with mining union in October to ensure that displaced workers will be taken care of, according to Reuters.

About 60 percent of the people who worked in closing mines are expected to take advantage of an early retirement offer, while others have access to the 250 million euros that the government is making available to help launch new businesses or repurpose the land around the coal mines.

Source: Futurism

Get Charged in Slavija Square!

Photography: MT-Komex (private archive)

On the 1st of March 2018, the doors of the Hilton Belgrade hotel were officially opened to the guests of the Serbian capital. Within the Slavija hotel, there is a modern public garage adapted to the European standards. Four underground floors include 282 parking spaces and two chargers for electric cars which have a capacity for four vehicles.

Photography: MT-Komex (private archive)

The work of installing the charger has been entrusted to the Belgrade-based company “MT-KOMEX”. In the past, it has already proved to be an excellent partner for companies determined to include the sustainable development component in their business through the support of “electricity transport”. Since 1919, when it was founded in Dallas, the Hilton hotel chain has been the backdrop for many meetings and business arrangements, but also for the emergence of a popular cocktail of Piña colada (San Juan, 1954).

Hilton has spread its hotel network through more than 85 countries on six continents; therefore only foxes, penguins and whales from the Antarctic have been left out from the luxury of their rooms and apartments. The engineers of MT-KOMEX are respected by Serbian public institutions and successful private companies, as well as reputable world corporations. ABB, BMW, CEEFOR ENERGY EFFICIENT SOLUTION, IKEA, Fronius, ProCredit Bank, Propulsion, Triple Jump… those are only some of their associates and clients, and the list goes on. In the past seven years, MT-KOMEX gradually replenished and changed its core business, so its employees had the opportunity to enrich their decades of extensive experience in the field of mechanical engineering and welding with new knowledge and skills, participating in numerous projects for the construction of small hydro, gas and solar power plants.

Taking a step forward with modern trends, company leaders also ventured to support the introduction of electric vehicles on Serbia’s roads and the development of the chargers at times when moving through Serbian streets in an electric-powered car sounded like science fiction.

Photography: MT-Komex

Thanks to the engineers of MT-KOMEX, electromobility is now closer to our citizens. How close is it? Well, just two minutes’ drive away from the fountain in the Slavija Square in the garage of Hilton Hotel Belgrade. The engineers of “MT-KOMEX” are trained to install chargers, both in smaller residential and business units, as well as in larger buildings with more demanding infrastructure, public parking lots, pumps, corridors of main roads and highways.

You can find out more about the products at www.elektropunjaci.com.

Find more information at:

www.elektropunjaci.com

info@mt-komex.co.rs

011 77 04 566

 

This article was published in the eleventh issue of the Energy Portal Magazine CIRCULAR ECONOMY, September-November 2018

 

2018: A Year of Fighting Plastic Waste

Photo-illustration: Pixabay

The plastic pollution crisis has been building for some time now, to the point where around eight million tons of plastic enter the world’s oceans each year.

In response, a movement to cut down on plastic waste has also been gaining momentum, but 2018 was the year it really picked up speed, with everyone from ordinary tourists to major companies to the Queen of England lending their hands to push it along.

Part of the movement’s success in 2018 was because of something that happened at the end of last year. Famed British naturalist David Attenborough aired his new BBC series Blue Planet II, which featured a heartbreaking image of an albatross feeding a plastic toothpick to its young.

Read more: Eco Watch

New York Completes 1.2MW Community Solar Array

Photo-illustration: Pixabay
Photo-illustration: Pixabay

New York has completed the construction of a 1.2MW community solar array.

Nearly 200 households and businesses are already benefitting from the site in Brooklyn, which entered operation earlier this month.

The project was funded by the New York State Energy and Research Development Authority (NYSERDA) and developed by Daroga Solar.

NYSERDA provided more than $850,000 (£672,945) in financing for the project, which includes a total of 3,325 solar panels spread across two rooftops.

Around 70% of its customers are residential, 20% are small commercial customers and the remaining 10% are low-to-moderate income customers.

The solar array is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 740 metric tonnes annually.

The state’s new ‘Solar For All’ programme recently awarded contracts to nine community solar projects.

Source: Energy Live News

Global Coal Generation ‘Plunging into Death Spiral’

Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Global coal generation is plunging into a ‘death spiral’.

Photo-illustration: Pixabay

That’s the verdict from environmental think-tank Carbon Tracker, which has published a new report suggesting 42% of the world’s operating coal fleets are already unprofitable due to high fuel costs.

It expects a combination of renewable energy costs, air pollution regulation and carbon pricing to mean this figure will rise to 72% by 2040.

The statistics cover around 95% (1,900GW) of global operating capacity and 90% (220GW) of capacity being built – the predictions assume fuel costs will fall by more than a tenth after 2018 and only include existing climate and air pollution policies, meaning they are likely to prove conservative estimates.

Carbon Tracker claims 35% of existing coal capacity already costs more to run than building new renewable infrastructure, potentially increasing to 96% by 2030.

The think-tank believes renewables will be cheaper than coal in all markets by 2025 and warns coal owners that they could avoid $267 billion (£211bn) in stranded assets by phasing-out the fossil fuel resource sooner rather than later.

It suggests utility investors can play a critical role in engaging with their portfolio of companies and encouraging divestment and calls for governments to plan the move to low carbon energy alternatives as early as possible.

Source: Energy Live News

2018 Wasn’t a Completely Horrible Year for the Environment

Foto-ilustracija: Unsplash

Was 2018 a tough year for the environment? Absolutely. But were there bright spots and victories among the attacks on biodiversity, climate and public health? Of course there were. Here are just a few, in case you’re feeling blue about the state of our only planet.

Photo-illustration: Unsplash

The Ousters of Pruitt and Zinke

The first few weeks of 2018 saw Scott Pruitt, then administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, trying to deflect attention from several corruption scandals by publicly declaring his intention to halve the agency’s workforce and slash its operating budget by 30 percent, all toward his stated goal of “protecting taxpayer dollars.” Meanwhile, over at the Department of the Interior, then-Secretary Ryan Zinke was announcing his plan to get rid of 4,000 employees as a part of the largest reorganization in Interior’s history—one that would accommodate President Trump’s proposal, supported by Zinke, to cut the department’s budget by $1.6 billion.

By that point in their now mercifully truncated careers, both men had made clear their willingness to abuse their substantial power in order to reward cronies and supporters from the fossil fuel industry. This article is too short to list all of their various crimes against the environment and public lands and health, but they include the rollback of air and water protections, the opening up of U.S. coastal waters to offshore drilling, the shrinkage and pillaging of our national monuments and the cynical rejection of climate science.

Their boss, President Trump, admired his two hires’ dedication to destruction. But he came to hate the near-daily cavalcade of news stories detailing their shady dealings, which reinforced his administration’s reputation as an incubator of graft. Pruitt’s departure in July and Zinke’s resignation last week were met with cheers by practically every American who’s not currently employed in the oil, gas, or chemical industries—though their respective replacements, Andrew Wheeler and likely David Bernhardt, are every bit as dangerous (if not every bit as sleazy).

Keystone XL, Now on Ice

President Trump had been in office for only four days when, in one of his very first official acts, he signed an executive order advancing the controversial Keystone XL pipeline project that President Obama had blocked in 2015, signaling the brand-new administration’s old-fashioned obeisance to the fossil fuel industry. His signature (accompanied by the comment that he hoped his reversal of Obama’s decision would help “get that pipeline built”) was meant to fast-track the construction of a 1,179-mile tube designed to carry 830,000 barrels a day of filthy, toxic tar-sands oil from Alberta to Nebraska.

Source: Eco Watch

Environmental Storytelling Can Help Spread Big Ideas for Saving the Planet

Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

Tackling climate change will require huge changes in society. Decarbonizing energy, restoring habitat and making food supply sustainable are all critical, but methods for motivating these actions have typically taken the wrong approach—by highlighting the urgency of the issues and the disastrous consequences of failing to act.

Photo: Pixabay

Research increasingly suggests that trying to promote behavioral change through fear can be counterproductive, leading to anxiety or depression that results in an issue being avoided, denied or met with a sense of helplessness. However, in education, news and fiction, stories with positive role models and which focus on the positive outcomes of solutions are much more likely to inspire action to solve it.

The Power of Positive Stories

I set out to explore the impact of such stories. As part of my research, 91 volunteers were given two stories to read, each concerned with the negative impacts of climate change: one about a woman caught in a flood and the other set at the end of the world.

The same readers were also exposed to two positive stories: one about a terrorist planting a flower bomb, which populates a bare area with flowers, the other about a young boy who, having watched Blue Planet, takes to collecting plastic to stop it entering the oceans—starting with his fish tank. Afterwards the readers were asked how the stories made them feel and to reflect on what kinds of behaviors they inspired.

While the negative stories motivated action for a few, most said they were discouraged. “I’d rather not think about it,” said one. “It made me angry and I switched off,” said another. Many also reported a sense of passive despair. “I felt hopelessness. If indeed, the heavy rain was caused by climate change, what can we do about it?”

However, there were no signs of avoidance among readers of the positive stories.

“It made me want to flower bomb land and do something positive and I felt happier after reading it,” said one reader.

“I felt inspired by the way the characters behaved … [the story] made me think about what I could do.”

This is concerning because almost all stories set in the future, whether in books, films or TV shows, are dystopian. The popular TV show Black Mirror tells cautionary tales about modern life and technology with often terrifying consequences. These stories elicit anxiety, pessimism and a feeling of passive fatalism.

I realized from my research that we desperately need cultural offerings with positive visions of what a sustainable society might look like, to inspire hope and positive change.

The University of Southampton runs writing competitions that ask people to read about green solutions and integrate them into stories. These ideas include replacing how much people buy, represented as GDP—the current measure of how successful society is—with a measure of well-being. Another looks at the potential of a “sharing economy,” in which more people borrow goods others have without needing to buy more themselves.

It can be hard for politicians to support green policies such as these when green issues evoke catastrophe in the minds of voters they’d rather not think about. Reframing issues in terms of their solutions and highlighting them through engaging characters and stories might be a more effective way to encourage change.

Love, Flowers and Insect Protein Bars

One winning short story was Come Help Me by Nancy Lord—a romance about an American fisherman and a Russian marine scientist.

The protagonist is inspirational and proactive: he spots a tension between the scientists concerned with the marine environment and the fisherman who needs to make a living. The writer finds a way to help them work together. We also loved the runner up, The Buildings are Singing, by Adrian Ellis, which made us laugh out loud.

This short story imagines a future world where buildings are alive—covered with photosynthesizing plants which create energy, light and shade for the occupants. The flora operates an artificial intelligence system which helps occupants live sustainably. Insects drawn to the foliage become nourishing protein bars and life for the humans is low carbon and almost utopian—unless you do something wrong.

Some stories are specifically about sustainable societies, whereas others showcase ideas that would seem radical in otherwise familiar tales, such as Just in Case, which imagines a society where we borrow rather than buy much of our stuff. The woman who runs the “library of things” in the story, plays matchmaker with two customers who she can tell are compatible by their borrowing patterns.

The transition to a sustainable society requires profound changes, but to imagine how all of these aspects can come together is currently the domain of creative fiction. If we want a better world then the first step is to imagine one.

Source: Eco Watch

Budweiser Brewer Hops Towards Lager Emissions Reductions

Photo: Pixabay

AB InBev has signed a 15-year power purchase agreement with Lightsource BP.

Scotland Considers Continental Wildcats to Save Native Species from Extinction

Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Releasing ‘pure’ animals could counter interbreeding with domestic cats, experts say.

Source: Guardian

Could Wrapping Presents Get Us in a Sticky Situation?

Photo: Pixabay

UK waste collection firm Business Waste suggests sticky tape can pose a real environmental hazard.

Fossil Fuels and Climate Denial Still Reign in Louisiana Despite Scientists’ Dire Warnings

Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Louisiana is ground zero for the devastating impacts of climate change. Even though the state is already feeling the costly impacts to life and property due to extreme weather and an eroding coastline linked to a warming planet, its government continues to ignore the primary cause—human use of fossil fuels.

The impacts to the region, such as worsening floods, heat waves, and sea level rise, will only be intensified as the globe continues warming, warn federal scientists in the latest National Climate Assessment report.

Photo-illustration: Pixabay

But instead of heeding scientists’ warnings, Louisiana’s government continues to welcome the prospects of new billion-dollar petrochemical plants, liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities, and an oil export hub, all without a mention of their climate change impacts.

Leading the pack, Gov. John Bel Edwards continues to gush over turning Louisiana into a world leader in natural gas and oil exports.

Louisiana politicians continue to claim natural gas is a “clean” source of energy, and usher in not only LNG facilities, but also petrochemical plants fueled by natural gas production.

In Plaquemines Parish, a peninsula south of New Orleans that, like all of southern Louisiana, is plagued by coastal erosion, the governor has hailed a new crude oil export terminal and a massive LNG facility that don’t yet have permits.

I asked the governor’s press secretary what he thought about the Fourth National Climate Assessment, an exhaustive review of environmental data by a team of hundreds of scientists that puts Louisiana square in the eye of physical and financial hardship due to climate change—and got no reply.

I also checked to see if the governor wanted to update his stance on climate change since his remarks during a 2016 radio show when he stated that he believes the climate is changing, but is less certain how much humans play a role in it. “The degree to which human conduct is impacting that change, I think, is somewhat debatable,” he said in an episode of Louisiana Radio Network’s Ask The Governor show.

“That’s like saying, ‘yes there is gravity, but I’m not sure what Earth’s role is,'” climate scientist Michael Mann told me, commenting on those people who dismiss climate science with reasoning like Gov. Edwards’.

“The reality is that natural factors (volcanoes and fluctuations in solar output) were most likely a cooling influence over the past half century. So not only can natural factors not explain the warming—they were actually working in the opposite direction,” Mann told me via email, adding: “Only the increase in greenhouse gas concentrations from fossil fuel burning can explain the warming we have seen.”

Climate Denial on Both Sides of the Aisle in the Louisiana

Gov. Edwards, a Democrat, isn’t alone in ignoring the latest National Climate Assessment and its warnings for the Pelican State. There is nothing about the landmark climate report on the websites of Louisiana Republican Sens. Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy, Republican Representatives Garret Graves, Steve Scalise, and Clay Higgins, or Democrat Rep. Cedric Richmond.

For any Louisiana politician to ignore the National Climate Assessment is a “crying damn shame,” former General Russell Honoré, founder of the GreenARMY, a coalition of Louisiana environmental groups and concerned citizens fighting against pollution, said over the phone.

“The promise that welcoming these plants will save the economy is a false promise,” Honoré said. “The money doesn’t trickle down to poor folks who live near polluting facilities—they stay poor and services for them don’t improve.”

I’m not against jobs and growing the economy,” Honoré added, but he said he is against embracing polluting facilities in the state while ignoring the harm they do to the people and environment. “If the oil and gas industry is so good for the state, why are the schools and infrastructure failing?” he asked. And he expressed frustration that as more polluting plants are permitted, there isn’t an increase in regulators being hired to monitor the new facilities.

Furthermore, Honoré believes that politicians aren’t doing their job if they are fawning over major new projects that bring in pollution before the permitting process has assessed them. By doing so, “they ignore the state’s constitution, which compels them to protect the people and the environment,” Honoré said.

Honoré is concerned about the slew of newly proposed foreign-owned petrochemical plants being built between New Orleans and Baton Rouge along the Mississippi River, a petrochemical corridor known to locals as Cancer Alley.

The petrochemical industry is tied to natural gas production, which can lead to air and water pollution. “Saying natural gas is clean is stupid,” Honoré said, pointing out that the methane which leaks from the natural gas supply chain is a huge driver of global warming.

In just St. James Parish, in the middle of Cancer Alley, new and proposed projects include Formosa’s $9.4 billion plastics complex, the $1.3 billion South Louisiana Methanol plant, Yuhuang Chemical’s $1.85 billion methanol facility; and a $1.25 billion chemical complex proposed by the Chinese firm Wanhua.

Rising Temperatures, Rising Risks

The exceptional risks from rising temperatures in Louisiana are outlined in the Fourth National Climate Assessment’s chapter on southeastern states. The 2016 flooding in South Louisiana was cited as an example of the destructive potential—and already present reality—of climate change. Scientists have connected extreme rain events to the planet’s rising temperatures, and severe flooding is expected to happen more frequently as the globe continues to warm. The report lists the cost of the thousand-year flood that devastated the Baton Rouge area in August 2016 at a staggering $10.1 billion.

“We have got to have a solution to pollution,” Honoré said. “And we have to do it now.” GreenARMY plans to continue addressing pollution and its many injustices in Louisiana, and is working on a slew of bills to introduce next year. Honoré thinks that doubting climate science is irresponsible, and hopes to get others in the state to face climate change head on while there is still a chance to lessen its worst impacts.

Source: Eco Watch

Climate Change Is Causing More Storms – but Could Trees Adapt?

Foto-ilustracija: Unsplash

New ecological research suggests trees could grow more efficient leaves to compensate for storm damage.

Wilo on the Global and Domestic Market – Innovative Solutions in the Production of Pumps and Systems

Photo: Wilo (Private archive)

Recently, the German company Wilo was presented with the renowned National Sustainability Award 2018 thanks to its high-efficiency products and comprehensive approach to sustainability. It seems as a well-deserved triumph to be named as one of the top 3 of “Germany’s most sustainable large companies”, having in mind that Wilo, with its innovative solutions in the production of pumps and systems, improves the market around the world making an effort at the same time to help mitigate the ecological consequences due to climate change and water shortages. Wilo’s global success is reflected in the position of the Serbian branch of this company at the local market as well as in their approach to local clients. The Service manager Aleksandar Momcilovic explains what are the comparative.

Photo: Wilo (Private archive)

EP: Offering a great product or service hasn’t been enough for a long time. It’s becoming ever so important how the production affects the environment and how much resources are used. As it seems, Wilo pays great attention to sustainability, so what’s the sustainable level of the Serbian branch?

Aleksandar Momcilovic: As manufacturers and equipment suppliers, we have long respected these needs of our customers, so we adjust our equipment (pumps and pumping systems) to our users’ needs. Our high-efficiency equipment greatly reduces emissions of harmful gases CO2 into the atmosphere, and thus positively affects the environment. Reliable and efficient equipment is of huge importance in today’s production facilities and processes, as unplanned stoppages due to the equipment failure bring about huge costs. For that reason, it is very significant that the equipment we supply in addition to being energy efficient is also reliable. As a result, the costs of production plant and maintenance are reduced, production processes do not have to undergo unnecessary stoppages and halts, the user of the equipment is more satisfied and focused solely on production, which eventually brings good results. It is necessary to know that the pump is only a component within the system. Being adjusted with the complete installation, it can reach the full potential. Therefore, it is essential that our equipment is safe and reliable so that the operation of the entire system is secured. The best way to a stable operation of the equipment is timely and continuous monitoring and servicing, without unplanned failure, damage and deadlock.

EP: In Serbia, Wilo also provides trustworthy support throughout all phases of the project – from planning, to dimensioning, to putting into operation and maintenance. You also organize workshops about the news in the sector of pumping techniques.

Aleksandar Momcilovic: We believe that our service should cover the entire economic life of the Wilo products which you use. No doubt it is valuable for end-customers that the company WILO Belgrade provides WILO SERVICE which is designed according to the highest company service standards. Adjusting to the customer’s maintenance concept and as experts for this type of equipment, we suggest being involved in maintaining of the Wilo pumps, pumping systems and other accompanying devices. The best way to accomplish this is through a maintenance contract, which determines in detail what is the subject of prospects and maintenance, how it is implemented and what are realization terms as well as all other mutual obligations. In addition to a competent and responsible approach that you can expect from the Wilo representatives, this type of business-technical cooperation also enables you to benefit from a partner status when it comes to all possible services, a privileged price for spare parts and a number of other benefits. The Wilo Belgrade Service is one of the most equipped service provider of the pump technology in the region, and in addition, we offer a complete vibro-diagnostic service, coaxial adjustment, ultrasonic flow measurement and thermo vision diagnostics, professional and competent analysis of conditions and malfunctions, determination of the costs of the economic life of pumps and systems, etc.

There is a potential to save as much as 90 per cent in energy consumption in the sector for air conditioning, heating and cooling in Serbia if old unchecked circulator pumps are replaced by new high-efficient pumps with low energy consumption.

Having Wilo as a partner, you can be sure not only to make a smart choice of products but also to benefit from the extensive package of services we provide. We offerreliable support throughout all phases of the project – from planning, to dimensioning, to putting into operation and maintenance. We do not want you to choose any solution, but precisely what you need and what is right for you – whether it’s a new installation or replacement of an old pump. We consider your requests and analyse them based on your individual and economic solutions, desires and conditions

Interview by: Tamara Zjacic

Read the whole interview in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine on CIRCULAR ECONOMY, September-November 2018. Page 32.

Renewables Break UK Records for Second Quarter in a Row

Photo: Pixabay

Government data shows clean generation made up a record 33.1% of the mix in the third quarter of 2018.

Renewable energy’s share of generation has broken UK records for the second quarter in a row.

New data released by the government and collated by the Renewable Energy Association (REA) shows clean electricity made up 33.1% of power in the third quarter of 2018.

This is an increase of 3.1% from the same period the year before and marks the second consecutive record broken in as many quarters, with a 31.7% record achieved in the second quarter.

Photo: Pixabay

The REA has highlighted that 38MW of capacity eligible for the Feed-in Tariff scheme was installed over the quarter, signalling a levelling off in the rate of installations in the run up to the closure of the scheme next year.

The report also shows bioenergy generation rose by 15% as a result of new plant capacity, while liquid biofuels consumption increased by 45% compared to the third quarter of 2017.

Dr Nina Skorupska, CEO of the REA, said: “This is fantastic news for the industry and a wonderful way to end the year.

“Breaking the record for renewables’ share of electricity twice in one year is testament to the Minister’s words that the trilemma is over and cheap power is now green power.”

Source: Energy News