US Solar Increased 4,500% & Wind 350% Over 10 Years, Claims NRDC

05.10.2017

The US National Resources Defense Council claims that the country’s solar energy capacity increased by 4,500% between 2006 and 2016, while the country’s wind capacity increased by 350%.

The National Resources Defense Council’s (NRDC) fifth annual energy report, America’s Clean Energy Revolution, was published this week, confirming that the country shattered dozens of clean energy records over the last year and a half and proving that a massive shift is underway in America’s energy landscape from traditional fossil fuels and nuclear towards renewable energy sources like wind and solar.

“America’s clean energy revolution proves that we don’t have to choose between the environment and a booming economy,” said Amanda Levin, report co-author and NRDC clean energy advocate. “Clean energy not only cuts pollution, it’s also one of the fast-growing areas for U.S. jobs and contributes billions to our nation’s economy annually.

“When you look at how clean energy development has exploded beyond official government projections from just 10 years ago, it offers hope that its potential will continue to far surpass expectations and we’ll meet our U.S. climate goals.”

The new NRDC report also highlighted the inaccuracies made by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) in 2006. Specifically, the EIA predicted that the country’s solar energy capacity would only increase by less than 1 GW (gigawatt) — a blindingly baffling prediction, not simply because the end result was actually 46-times the forecast figure. Further, the EIA predicted only 18 GW worth of wind would be installed, when in fact 82 GW was installed between 2006 and 2016.

The EIA also predicted that carbon dioxide pollution would be 25% higher than it was in 2016, while simultaneously misreading the level of energy efficiency measures, leading to energy consumption being 17% below the EIA’s projection.

Unsurprisingly, the EIA also failed to predict the decline of coal power in America, which dropped 45% compared the EIA’s predicted level.

“Dozens of clean energy records have been shattered across the United States in the last year and a half,” said co-author Ralph Cavanagh, co-director of NRDC’s energy program. “And despite some new political headwinds, ever-improving economics will propel the clean energy transition in the years to come.”

The United States economy grew by 17% between 2005 and 2016, but despite historical trends, the country’s carbon dioxide emissions fell by 14% while energy use remained flat. The average US household spent less than 4% of its income on all energy in 2016 — which includes both gasoline and electricity spending. Meanwhile, renewable energy grew to 14% of the total US electricity sales in 2016, with wind and solar accounting for 8% and hydropower and geothermal account for 6%.

Source: cleantechnica.com

Paris Banned All Cars for a Day to Highlight Pollution Issues

04.10.2017

Pedestrians and cyclists cheered two days ago as Paris closed all of its streets to cars. The government held a Car Free Day and the streets filled with bikers, walkers, and roller-bladers instead of smog.

Paris held a Car Free Day in 2015 and 2016 as well. But this was the first time they extended the boundaries to include the entire city. From 11 AM to 6 PM local time, cars were asked to stay off the streets – with exceptions made for emergency vehicles, taxis, and buses. The Paris City Council hosted Car Free Day, together with collective Paris Sans Voiture, or Paris Without Car, which is behind the city-wide car-free idea.

Pollution from cars is often an issue in France’s capital – the Associated Press said mayor Anne Hidalgo was elected after promising to slash air pollution and cut traffic. The government’s statement on the day said one of the Car Free Day’s objectives was “to show that cities can and must invent concrete solutions to fight against pollution” coming from road traffic. They encouraged people to travel by scooters, skates, bikes, or walking.

The symbolic event also brought results. The government said Airparif Association conducted independent measurements during the Car Free Day using sensors and a bicycle outfitted with measuring instruments. They saw “an increased decrease in nitrogen dioxide levels along major roads” and “access roads to the capital.” Meanwhile, the Bruitparif Observatory looked at noise with the help of 11 measurement stations. They saw sound energy decreased 20 percent on average, as compared against a regular Sunday.

Source: inhabitat.com

Saudi Arabia Gets Cheapest Bids for Solar Power in Auction

04.10.2017

Saudi Arabia received offers to supply solar electricity for the cheapest prices ever recorded, marking the start of a $50 billion program to diversify the oil producer’s domestic energy supplies away from fossil fuels.

The energy ministry said Abu Dhabi’s Masdar and Electricite de France SA bid to supply power from a 300-megawatt photovoltaic plant for as little as 6.69736 halalas a kilowatt hour, or 1.79 cents, according to a webcast of the bid-opening ceremony on Tuesday in Riyadh. If awarded, that would beat the previous record for a solar project in Abu Dhabi for 2.42 cents a kilowatt-hour.

Saudi Arabia and its neighbors are among Middle Eastern oil producers looking to renewables to feed growing domestic consumption that’s soaking up crude they’d rather export to generate income. While the offers submitted are remarkably low, the actual cost of power coming from the projects may be inflated by terms within the contracts that aren’t yet published, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance in Zurich.

“There is great pressure in the Middle East to come up with an impressive headline number, and these are becoming increasingly divorced from the reality of payments,” said Jenny Chase, chief solar analyst for BNEF in Zurich.

The Middle East, rich in oil and natural gas, is trailing most other regions in developing renewables such as solar and wind. Governments from the United Arab Emirates to Iran and Saudi Arabia have spent the past two years sketching out incentive programs and regulatory changes needed to jump-start their clean-energy industries, which remain a fraction of the scale built up in places like Japan and Germany where energy is scarce.

Saudi Arabia’s price may reflect a “base rate” paid at periods of peak demand or a price that applies only for part of the project’s life, Chase said. It also could include a payment to the winning developer, land grants or other incentives to get the solar industry started in Saudi Arabia, she said.

“I don’t think this is possible as an all-in price of electricity from a 2019 PV project, particularly given the rising cost of debt in Saudi Arabia,” Chase said.

Even so, the announcement is a milestone in Saudi Arabia’s nascent solar program. The country that gets less than 1 percent of its power from renewables currently plans to develop 30 solar and wind projects over the next 10 years.

Officials at the ministry’s Renewable Energy Project Development Office will review all the bids presented before awarding a power-purchase contract, according to the webcast. It plans to make a final decision on who will build the solar plant at Sakaka in the country’s north in January, according to an emailed statement from the office.

The plant will be the first awarded under the renewables program, which targets 9,500 megawatts of electricity generation capacity using solar and wind by 2030. The project is set to start producing power by June 2019, according to the bid.

Saudi power-plant developer ACWA Power made the second-lowest bid at 8.7815 halalas per kilowatt-hour, and a group led by Marubeni Corp. made the third-lowest bid. Masdar, officially named Abu Dhabi Future Energy Co., and EDF are already partners in an 800-megawatt project in Dubai.

Prices for solar projects in the Middle East have set successive records with first Dubai and then Abu Dhabi coming in with all-time low power pricing. A combination of improving and less costly technology, free land earmarked for the plants, connections to the national power grid and favorable financing have helped cut the costs.

The large size of the projects being offered has also played a key role, as developers have been able to bid lower prices for electricity because of anticipated economies of scale.

Saudi Arabia’s renewable energy program is part of a broader project to wean the economy from its reliance on oil exports. The government is seeking to build new industries such as petrochemicals, manufacturing and tourism. State crude giant Saudi Arabian Oil Co., known as Saudi Aramco, is preparing to sell a stake of about 5 percent in an initial public offering that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has said could value the company at about $2 trillion and provide cash to help diversify the economy.

Source: bloomberg.com

Geologists: Holocene Epoch Ended, ‘Anthropocene’ Started in 1950s

04.10.2017

Klimatske promene, Planeta zemlja, Globus — Foto: Pixabay

A group of scientists said that the scope of human impact on planet Earth is so great that the “Anthropocene” warrants a formal place in the Geological Time Scale.

“Our findings suggest that the Anthropocene should follow on from the Holocene Epoch that has seen 11.7 thousand years of relative environmental stability, since the retreat of the last Ice Age, as we enter a more unstable and rapidly evolving phase of our planet’s history,” said professor Jan Zalasiewicz from the University of Leicester’s School of Geography, Geology, and the Environment, in a statement released Monday.

The scientsts wrote:
“We conclude that human impact has now grown to the point that it has changed the course of Earth history by at least many millennia, in terms of the anticipated long-term climate effects (e.g. postponement of the next glacial maximum: see Ganopolski et al., 2016; Clark et al., 2016), and in terms of the extensive and ongoing transformation of the biota, including a geologically unprecedented phase of human-mediated species invasions, and by species extinctions which are accelerating (Williams et al., 2015, 2016).”

Defining characteristics of the period include:
“marked acceleration of rates of erosion and sedimentation; large-scale chemical perturbations to the cycles of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and other elements; the inception of significant change in global climate and sea level; and biotic changes including unprecedented levels of species invasions across the Earth. Many of these changes are geologically long-lasting, and some are effectively irreversible.”

The findings from the international team led by the University of Leicester were presented last year at the International Geological Congress at Cape Town, South Africa, but were just published online in the journal Anthropocene.

Use of the word coined by Nobel Prize-winning scientist Paul Crutzen in 2000 is not new, but so far it’s been merely an informal description of the time period when human activity started significantly altering the planet. The Anthropocene Working Group (AWG), which comprises experts from a range of fields, has been tackling the issue of whether it should be a formal declaration since 2009.

According to the group, the answer is clear: the Anthropocene is real; it should be formalized; and it should be defined as an epoch (rather than another classification such as a sub-age or era). The group suggested that the new epoch’s “golden spike” (or physical reference point) that marks its start is the plutonium fallout from nuclear weapons tests in the 1950s.

Going forward, they wrote, it seems likely that “human impacts will become increasingly significant.”

Getting the formal classification is not a done deal, as more analysis is needed, and a stamp of approval from the International Commission of Stratigraphy (ICS) could be years off. Still, said honorary chair of AWG, Colin Waters of the Geology Depart of the University of Leicister, “Whatever decision is ultimately made, the geological reality of the Anthropocene is now clear.”

Source: ecowatch.com

Vestas Announces Flurry Of Wind Turbine Orders Totaling 463 Megawatts

04.10.2017

Vestas Wind Systems A/S announced a flurry of wind turbine orders to mark the end of the third quarter last week, with orders from the United States, India, Europe, and Latin America totaling 463 megawatts.

Danish wind turbine manufacturer Vestas Wind Systems A/S announced on September 29, the last business day of the third quarter, eight separate wind turbine orders that amounted to 463 MW (megawatts), including a 174 MW order from MidAmerican Energy for part of its massive 2 GW (gigawatt) Wind XI project being developed in Iowa. In total, the orders will be shipped to the United States, India, Argentina, Mexico, and three projects in Italy.

The largest order was the 174 MW order for the MidAmerican Energy Wind XI project being developed in Iowa. Vestas will manufacture turbines at its Colorado factories and will begin delivery in the second quarter of 2018.

“The historic Wind XI project will harness low-cost wind energy for MidAmerican Energy’s customers, all while enhancing the reliability and resiliency of the grid,” said Chris Brown, President of Vestas’ sales and service division in the United States and Canada. “Vestas is proud to deliver its industry leading technology to this project that will generate hundreds of millions of dollars in economic benefits, including landowner lease payments, tax payments, and long-term secure jobs.”

Vestas will also provide 40 MW to Atria Brindavan Power Private Limited in India for the first phase of the Basavane Bagewadi Wind Farm in the Bijapur district of Karnataka state, which expected delivery and commissioning expected for the first quarter of 2018.

“India is a key market for Vestas and this order underlines the 2 MW platform’s high versatility, which together with Vestas’ strong service set-up makes it a great fit for the Indian market,” explained Clive Turton, President of Vestas Asia Pacific. “We look forward to deliver a top-performing wind energy power plant together with Atria Power.”

Argentinan Parques Eólicos Vientos del Sur S.A., a subsidiary of Grupo Frali S.A., placed an order with Vestas for 40 MW worth of wind turbines as part of Argentina’s RenovAr 1.5 auction, which will go to the La Banderita wind park in the City of General Acha, Province of La Pampa, Argentina. Delivery is planned for the third quarter of 2018 which will be followed by commissioning in the first quarter of 2019.

“We welcome Argentina’s strong bet on the development of wind energy and we are pleased to have taken part in this process since the very beginning,” said Marco Graziano, President of Vestas Mediterranean. “In less than a year, Vestas has consolidated its leadership in the country with orders for close to 700 MW. Almost half of this order intake has derived from the last two RenovAr auctions, showcasing our strengths and capabilities in auctions. This new accomplishment clearly underlines our customers’ trust and confidence in our solutions, people and expertise.”

The company also received an order stemming from the second Mexico renewable auction last year, an order for 93 MW worth of wind turbines for a wind park in the Northeastern state of Tamaulipas, Mexico. Delivery is expected for the third quarter of 2018 and commissioning its planned for some time in 2019.

Finally, four separate orders for Italy were announced by Vestas last week, totalling 118 MW.

Vestas will provide 38 MW across two smaller projects, the Taverna Caduta (23 MW) and San Mauro (15 MW) projects, both of which were among the winning projects in the Italian energy auction held in November of last year. Vestas will also provide 38 MW to the Monteverde wind park to be installed in Avellino province in the south of Italy being developed by Tozzi Sud S.P.A. Finally, Vestas will also provide 40 MW to the Lavello wind park being developed by Bel Lavello Vigi, a joint venture between Belenergia, mostly active in Italy, and Langa/Rgreen Invest, a leading French operator.

Source: cleantechnica.com

Britain Delivers Greenest Ever Half Hour of Electricity Production

04.10.2017

The UK enjoyed its greenest ever half hour period of electricity production on Monday morning, as wind and nuclear provided the bulk of electricity and coal was pushed off the grid entirely.

Between 12.30am and 1am on Monday night the carbon intensity of grid electricity dropped to a record low of 73 grams of CO2 per kWh, National Grid said yesterday, with fossil fuels providing just 11 per cent of output.

Delivering a carbon intensity of below 100g per kWh for the UK grid electricity is seen as a watermark for the UK to meet its carbon reduction targets, with the government’s climate change watchdog, the Committee on Climate Change, recommending it becomes the norm for grid energy by 2030.

Although Monday’s reading of 73g CO2 per kWh was a record low, National Grid’s new two-day carbon intensity forecast correctly predicted the carbon intensity of the grid would again drop below 100 grams per kWh this morning, and it is expected to do so twice more this week.

The new forecasting tool is designed to help utilities nudge consumers on the best time to charge laptops, electric cars or other energy intensive devices, and National Grid hopes it will pave the way for new apps and devices that promote demand shifting to greener times of the day.

James Beard, climate and energy specialist at WWF UK, said this week’s results were a “huge step in the right direction”, but warned more work is needed for the UK to hit its climate targets.

“The UK government’s long-overdue Clean Growth Plan must set out clearly how we will continue to reduce our emissions and boost investment not just in renewables, but also energy efficiency and electric vehicles,” he said.

In related news, data released last week by the US Department of Energy found renewable energy production in America was up 10 per cent in the first six months of 2017 compared to the same period a year earlier.

Solar production and use grew by almost 40 per cent, hydropower by 16 per cent, wind by 15 per cent, and geothermal by one per cent. In comparison, the US’ overall consumption of fossil fuels was down by one per cent compared to the same period last year, although coal production was up 16 per cent.

“Notwithstanding desperate efforts by the Trump Administration to prop up nuclear power and fossil fuels, they continue to lose ground to the mix of renewable energy sources,” noted Ken Bossong, executive director of green energy campaign group the SUN DAY Campaign.

Source: businessgreen.com

This Solar-Powered Cart Is Designed To Change The African Water Delivery Business

03.10.2017

The Watt-r wants to offer a motorized, sustainable solution to the long journeys many African women have to take to carry water back home.

Jose Paris used to design cars for a living. His next vehicle, though, is different: It doesn’t have a steering wheel or brakes or doors, and instead of carrying people, its sole purpose is to carry water, powered by a canopy of solar panels.

The design, called Watt-r, aims at reducing the time that women and children spend collecting water in places like rural Africa. On average, a trip to get water in a developing country requires walking more than three miles round-trip, carrying a jug that weighs around 40 pounds on the way back. In areas affected by drought, the walk can be 15 miles or more.

The simple new cart, still in development, will likely carry a dozen 20-liter containers of water at a time, as an entrepreneur walks next to it. Solar power, not human power, will propel it forward. Instead of an engine, it will use a 150-watt electric bike motor, controlled with a simple throttle and tiller. When the entrepreneur stops in a village or city to sell the water, the cart can also double as a charging station for mobile phones or other small electronics.

The minimal design makes it cheap to produce. “I’ve always been interested in frugal innovation,” Paris says. He first began thinking about the concept nearly a decade ago, but at the time, solar panels were much more expensive. Those costs have dropped dramatically, and 3D printing has made some other parts inexpensive to produce as well. The simplicity of the structure is also key to the low cost.

The bike is designed only to travel at walking speed, in relatively flat areas, so it needs less power. The electric bike motor will run, Paris says, as long as the sun is shining; because the target market is areas near the equator, there is ample sun most of the year. It doesn’t have batteries and doesn’t run at night, but people typically don’t gather water at night for security reasons.

“It would be very easy to think about an autonomous version, for instance, or to think about installing more power or adding batteries,” he says. “This mission creep is something that I’m very used to after working so many years in the car industry–it’s very typical, somebody always has something else to add. This is an exercise in really paring everything down as much possible and being very conscious of it.”

He estimates that an entrepreneur making daily micro-payments on the cart would be able to pay it off in three years. The cart would fit into an existing system of vendors selling water, both in cities and in rural areas. “There’s a market already, and people are paying for this service,” he says. “If you go to Nairobi, there’s enormous kiosks everywhere where they’re selling jerry cans because the water distribution is so unreliable.”

In some cases, water is currently delivered by bike or pushcarts–but that work is done by men because of the physical strength required. The solar-powered cart could also be used by women, who aren’t currently paid for their daily trips.

Paris, who lives in London, plans to test a rough prototype locally or in Spain, and then bring a version to Kenya for more testing in early 2018. If people there want more features–the solar power, for example, could also be used to run a water purification system–the design will evolve.

He sees the design as fitting into an underused category of transportation. “When you look at these developing countries, there seems to be this idea that people just walk, and then they graduate to a Toyota pickup truck . . . in my mind, there’s quite a lot of room in the middle,” he says. “A lot of innovation can happen in those forgotten spaces, that we have forgotten in the West for 120 years, but for them, is crucial. The key thing is now you can add just a little bit of 21st-century technology, and all of the sudden, something from the 19th century becomes super modern.”

Source: fastcompany.com

China Raises Use of Geothermal Energy

03.10.2017

geotermalno-postrojenje — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

China plans to raise the annual utilization of geothermal energy to 70 million tonnes of coal equivalent by 2020 as the country seeks to ease reliance on coal and curb pollution.

The annual utilization of geothermal energy for heating purposes should reach 40 million tonnes of coal equivalent by 2020, according to a plan formulated by government agencies including the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration.

Geothermal energy is heat energy stored in the Earth, which is clean and sustainable. The push for clean energy comes as the government has intensified efforts to fight pollution.

By the end of 2020, renewable energy facilities will supply 1.9 trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity, accounting for 27 percent of total power generation, according to the government’s 2016-2020 plan for renewable energy.

Official data showed China’s energy structure has continued to improve in the first half of 2017 amid the government campaign for greener growth.

Coal consumption, which stood at around 1.83 billion tonnes in the first six months, accounted for 59.8 percent of the overall energy use during the period, down 0.6 percentage point from the same period last year.

In contrast, the share of natural gas and non-fossil fuels in the mix rose 0.3 percentage point to 20 percent. China aims to bring the share of coal in the country’s energy mix down to below 58 percent by 2020.

Source: news.xinhuanet.com

States Lead the Way on Energy Efficiency as Feds Falter

03.10.2017

A recent report card of state energy efficiency policies and programs shows that even in this era of partisan divide, blue and red states alike are embracing smarter energy use as a key strategy for reducing harmful pollution, saving consumers money, creating jobs and driving economic growth.

The annual ranking of states by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) highlights how many states are stepping up efficiency efforts despite the lack of federal leadership. Utilities nationwide spent more than $7 billion on energy efficiency programs in 2016, saving more than 25 thousand gigawatt-hours of electricity. How much is that? It’s enough to power almost 3 million homes and avoid the equivalent amount of emissions spewed from nearly 4 million cars over one year.

This year the scorecard also looks at how well states provide access to programs for low-income customers, who spend a disproportionate amount of their income on energy bills. This will raise the bar of expectations for all states to ensure these customers also share in the benefits of energy efficiency.

In the 2017 State Energy Efficiency Scorecard, we see the usual suspects in the “top five” ranking (Massachusetts, California, Rhode Island, Vermont and Oregon). We also see great improvements in states we wouldn’t necessarily expect (Idaho, Florida and Virginia).

Furthermore, in contrast to states who rolled back efficiency policies (Indiana and Minnesota), others renewed their commitment to help lay the groundwork for future savings (Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada and Ohio). This just goes to show that more states are finding efficiency a critical way to cut energy waste, save customers money and reduce pollution.

However, some states are not living up to their potential or even meeting their past efforts, such as New York State. The good news? Given Gov. Cuomo’s leadership and commitment to tackling climate change and scaling up clean energy, New York could regain its ranking as a national leader on energy efficiency if it takes the right steps to shore up the state’s energy efficiency framework in the coming months.

The Scorecard also highlights how states—even leaders—can do more:
Set up an energy efficiency resource standard and provide sufficient funding to implement it. Such standards, currently on the books in 26 states, require utilities to save energy through efficiency. States with an EERS have shown average energy efficiency spending and savings levels more than three times as high as those in states without an EERS, according to ACEEE.
Promote expanded low-income efficiency programs. Low-income customers pay up to three times as much as the average household for home energy costs and can save money and improve health with energy efficiency programs. Illinois last year required Commonwealth Edison and Ameren Illinois to invest $25 million and $8.35 million per year on programs to increase the efficiency of low-income households. Nevada earlier this year passed legislation requiring big utilities to set aside 5 percent of their budgets for programs that reduce energy costs for low-income households.
Strengthen building codes and improve compliance. Codes help make sure that efficient choices are made from the start so new homes and buildings save customers money on energy bills and cut dangerous climate pollution.
Adopt California tailpipe emission standards and set targets for reducing vehicle miles traveled. Improving overall transportation greenhouse gas reduction performance at the state and metro level is critical to substantially cut emissions and is an action that has gained urgency amid a threatened rollback of federal clean car and fuel economy standards.
Treat qualifying Combined Heat and Power (CHP) efforts on par with other efficiency savings. CHP systems can help improve the efficiency of manufacturing facilities, buildings, and homes; save consumers money on their energy bills; drive business competitiveness, economic growth, and jobs; enhance grid reliability and flexibility; and help protect public health and the environment.
Step up state-led efforts to promote energy efficiency, including investing in research and development of energy efficiency technology and ‘leading by example’ by reducing energy use in public buildings and fleets.
Promote innovative financing opportunities to take advantage of private capital and lower costs of implementing efficiency.

State efforts have gained urgency as President Trump recklessly shrugs off the dangers of climate change and moves to cut back popular—and successful—federal energy efficiency programs. What can you do? In addition to supporting those who focus their work on reducing the impact of climate change, this Thursday is the second annual Energy Efficiency Day where every one of us can take actions to make a difference.

Source: ecowatch.com

Catholic Church to Make Record Divestment from Fossil Fuels

03.10.2017

More than 40 Catholic institutions are to announce the largest ever faith-based divestment from fossil fuels, on the anniversary of the death of St Francis of Assisi.

The sum involved has not been disclosed but the volume of divesting groups is four times higher than a previous church record, and adds to a global divestment movement, led by investors worth $5.5tn.

Christiana Figueres, the former UN climate chief who helped negotiate the Paris climate agreement, hailed Tuesday’s move as “a further sign we are on the way to achieving our collective mission”.

She said: “I hope we will see more leaders like these 40 Catholic institutions commit, because while this decision makes smart financial sense, acting collectively to deliver a better future for everybody is also our moral imperative.”

Church institutions joining the action include the Archdiocese of Cape Town, the Episcopal Conference of Belgium and the diocese of Assisi-Nocera Umbra-Gualdo Tadino, the spiritual home of the world’s Franciscan brothers.

A spokesman for the €4.5bn German Church bank and Catholic relief organisation Caritas said that it was committing to divest from coal, tar sands and shale oil.

In a symbolically charged move, the Italian town of Assisi will also shed all oil, coal and gas holdings the day before a visit by the Italian prime minister, Paolo Gentiloni, to mark St Francis’s feast day.

Assisi’s mayor, Stefania Proietti – a former climate mitigation professor – told the Guardian: “When we pay attention to the environment, we pay attention to poor people, who are the first victims of climate change.

“When we invest in fossil fuels, we stray very far from social justice. But when we disinvest and invest in renewable and energy efficiency instead, we can mitigate climate change, create a sustainable new economic deal and, most importantly, help the poor.”

The origins of the latest church action lie in last year’s climate encyclical by Pope Francis – himself named after St Francis of Assisi – although the project was advanced by the Global Catholic Climate Movement.

Source: businessgreen.com

MILAN LAZIĆ: Environmentally Responsible Companies and Citizens Are Becoming Increasingly Interested in Our Electric Cars

03.10.2017

In this region, the first thing that comes to your mind when you mention Volkswagen is golf, since this car has been a favourite vehicle for decades. Times are changing, new technologies are being introduced, but Volkswagen is still in the top of the automotive industry. It comes as no surprise, when this company has launched completely new version of it. It is of course new e-Golf – at the same time comfortable and sporty, reliable and smart car which meets the latest ecological standards.

To make things even better, this car, as well as other Volkswagen’s hybrid and electric cars, can also be purchased in our country. Our interlocutor Milan Lazić, General Manager of Volkswagen in Serbia, will reveal to us the innovations that e-Golf and e-Up! and other eco cars from their fleet bring to us. He will also tell us something about the obstacles that do not allow us to see more electric cars on the streets and parking lots.

EP: Last spring, at the Car Show in Belgrade, the company Volkswagen unveiled two electric cars to the visitors. Does this mean that you believe Serbia has matured enough to accept the concept of ecology vehicles not only at the level of idea, but also in practice?

Milan Lazić: At this year’s Car Show Volkswagen has presented two electric cars – e-Golf and e-Up! As the part of European car market, Serbia is definitely involved in changes and new trends that are taking place in car industry. Of course, digitalization and electric mobility will not be implemented on our market at the same time and with the same intensity as it is already happening in highly developed European countries, but we will certainly catch up.

EP: Definitely it is not easy to be an importer of such vehicles in the countries of Western Balkans, especially in the countries that still haven’t joined the European Union and have not harmonized regulations on traffic. What would be the main problems you face in Serbia?

Milan Lazić: The first obstacle is certainly the origin of certain components of electric vehicles, such as batteries, heat pumps, etc. that are often manufactured outside the EU so when importing we pay extremely high customs costs. The incentives of any kind are lacking, and charging infrastructure is definitely a problem. However, it is interesting that the process of registration and insurance is quite simple and it is done on the basis of declared power of aggregate, and it is the same with the obligatory insurance.

EP: How interested are customers in buying your hybrid and electric cars in our country? Are there any serious buyers?

Milan Lazić: The sale of Volkswagen’s electric cars has already begun on out market. In 2016 the first cars were delivered. In particular, one international bank has purchased a fleet of 7 e-Up! cars. After almost a year of driving these cars on our roads, the client has only words of praise and they are satisfied with the purchase of their electric fleet. They have participated with us several times in the presentations of electric cars to the media, as well as to our dealers and clients, emphasizing the benefits of driving these cars in comparison to the traditional aggregate.

Ecologically responsible companies as well as individuals are showing greater interest in our new product. Of course, at this moment, everything is still at the level of inquiries about technical characteristics of electric cars, experience from other markets, our forecasts on the development of charging infrastructure and about price policy.

EP: How many of them give up from buying electric cars due to aforementioned obstacles and decide to buy a car on petrol of diesel?

Milan Lazić: The fact is that almost 100 per cent of our clients still decide to buy a car with petrol or diesel aggregates. However, the times are slowly changing.

EP: What are your predictions for launching of the market in Serbia?

Milan Lazić: Whether the sales of e-cars will develop at a faster or slower rate depends on a variety factors: state’s
subsidies for the purchase of electric cars, development of charging infrastructure, benefits for drivers (such as reserved parking lots with chargers in public garages, the possibility of driving on bus lanes…) and other advantages that exist in other countries.

EP: Can you give us some positive examples that are proved to be successful in developed countries – what are the incentives that importers have, and what incentives do the buyers of “green” Volkswagen’s cars have?

Milan Lazić: Developed e-markets do not have any fees for the import of electric cars. On the contrary, the incentives are mostly financial and they range, depending on the model, from 5,000 to 10,000 euros. In addition, charging (recharging) at public stations is free and the cost of annual registration is less than one euro. Electric vehicles are allowed to enter the immediate city zones, the parking is free and a special benefit is allowed driving on bus lanes.

EP: As the search for public chargers here is still like looking for a needle in a haystack, can you tell us how you meet the needs of potential clients and also tourists or business people who want charge their for example e-Up! on their way through our country? Where can they do that? What are your plans for the development of charging infrastructure?

Milan Lazić: Construction of infrastructure that is setting up the network of chargers is the project which we are intensively working on. The first AC charger was installed a few months ago in front of Porsche Belgrade North’s sales and service centre on Zrenjaninski road. Currently, the strongest available charger of 50 kW will be placed at the same location in the following few weeks. Also, we have a plan for installing a charger in front of sales and service centre of Porsche Novi Sad. Also, there are chargers in IKEA department store, Obilićev venac garage and in a few hotels and shopping malls. There are applications that provide precise information on charger location and charger type as well as other useful notes. These apps definitely make it easier for users to plan charging of their electric vehicles.

EP: Why would one opt for e-Golf? Tell us how many kilometres can you travel with a single charge, that is, what is the battery’s capacity?

Milan Lazić: The new e-Golf has several different available driving profiles so that you can choose a comfortable or sporty type. The maximum range is 300km with a single battery charge in ECO mode.

EP: What are the advantages of e-Up!?

Milan Lazić: The range that e-Up! can reach with a single charge is up to 160 km and that is what makes this car ideal for every day usage. In addition to efficiency, e-Up! is characterized by the latest technological innovations that represent standard in far higher segments. Also, its agility and dimensions make it a perfect city car.

EP: Of course e-Up! and e-golf are not the only electric cars that Volkswagen offers. Tell us something about them and also about the concepts that are still under development.

Milan Lazić: Currently, Volkswagen’s feet has two models of electric cars in its offer, e-Up! and e-Golf. An abundance of electric cars are expected from 2020, and we would single out I.D. concept – SUV model I.D. Cross.

EP: What does Volkswagen offer from freight and passenger programs? Do you work on the introduction of ecomobility on this plan?

Milan Lazić: All brands within Volkswagen Group, including MAN and Scania, are intensively working on the production of models with the electric drive.

EP: Many manufacturers of electric cars have a problem with the battery production technology, can you tell us something about capacities of your batteries? What innovations does Volkswagen plan to introduce in this area?

Milan Lazić: Volkswagen plans to start the production of batteries in two factories that are located in European Union in the next five years.

EP: Given the fact that Tesla car is still beyond reach in many countries, simply because it is too expensive, the experts in electromobility believe that Volkswagen Group is the only one that can draw parallel to Elon Musk with its energy efficient and affordable cars. Can you tell us something about your strategy for the future?

Milan Lazić: I would mention here MEB platform and I.D. gamma vehicles whose characteristics are such that competition will have to make efforts in order to respond adequately.

Interview by: Vera Rakić

The interview was originally published in the eighth issue of the Energy Portal Bulletin, named EKO-MOBILITY.

New Study Finds Methane Emissions from Cows 11% Higher

03.10.2017

cow-759018__340 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Actual global methane emissions from livestock are much higher than previous estimates and could help account for the dramatic upswing in methane emissions over recent years, according to new research.

A study published last week in the journal Carbon Balance and Management updated measures used to calculate livestock methane emissions, finding that emissions in 2011 were 11 percent higher than their projected IPCC estimates.

Global methane emissions began to surge in 2007 after flattening in the early 2000s. Livestock is “not the biggest contributor to the annual methane budget in the atmosphere,” lead author Julie Wolf told the Washington Post, “but it may be the biggest contributor to increases in the atmospheric budget over recent years.”

As reported by AFP:

“Methane accounted for about 16% of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2015, according to the IPCC.

Carbon dioxide—produced mainly by the burning of fossil fuels—accounts for more than three-quarters of planet-warming emissions.

‘As our diets become more meat- and dairy-rich, so the hidden climate cost of our food tends to mount up,’ said professor Dave Reay from the University of Edinburgh reacting to the study.

‘Cows belching less methane may not be as eye-catching as wind turbines and solar panels, but they are just as vital for addressing climate change.’

Source: ecowatch.com

World Can Meet Growing Food Demands and Limit Warming to 1.5°C, Study Says

03.10.2017

desert-2165985__340 — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

Agriculture and food production is responsible for around 30 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Slashing the sector’s emissions is considered to be key to limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, which is the aspirational target of the Paris agreement.

However, adopting negative emissions strategies, such as soil carbon management, will be essential to help the farming industry reduce its carbon footprint without threatening the global food supply, the lead author told Carbon Brief.

The new study marks an important step in our understanding of how to tackle the “wicked problem” of food insecurity in a changing climate, another scientist told Carbon Brief.

Food production contributes to global warming in a number of ways. Agricultural machinery and the transportation of crops and animals cause the release of CO2, crop fertilizers release nitrous oxide, and methane is released by rice paddy fields and livestock.

Growing demand for food has also led to the global expansion of farmland at a rate close to 10 million hectares (approximately 24.7 million acres) per year during the past decade. Some of this land once supported rainforests, which stored huge stocks of carbon.

Overall, the production of food is thought to account for around 30 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions.

Cutting emissions from agriculture is, therefore, considered to be vital to limiting warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. To slash agricultural emissions, it is likely farmland expansion into forests will need to be scaled back, fertilizers used more efficiently and lost trees replanted.

However, these mitigation techniques will take up precious farmland and could have an impact on global food production, explained Dr. Stefan Frank, a researcher at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Vienna and lead author of the new study published in Environmental Research Letters. He told Carbon Brief:

“Reducing global emissions may affect food availability as agricultural land could be diverted from food production to energy use for fossil fuel substitution, such as biofuels. Mitigation efforts may also limit land available for agricultural expansion due to the need for protection of high carbon landscapes, such as forests.”

His research investigates how strategies to cut emissions from the agriculture, forestry and other land use (AFOLU) sector could affect both global warming and food availability by 2050.

The research uses mathematical models to simulate the expected fall in emissions if the agricultural and land use sector employed mitigation strategies with the aim of limiting warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels by 2050.

The study found that, if key mitigation strategies are implemented, the agriculture and land use sector could cut its emissions from 12 billion tonnes of CO2 a year to around 600,000 million tonnes of CO2 a year by 2050.

One way to meet this goal would be to introduce a “carbon tax” on food, the study found, whereby foods that cause high carbon emissions during their production, such as beef and rice, are taxed the most.

This tax could encourage agricultural businesses to find ways to reduce their carbon emissions, Frank said. He added:

“For this study, we use an economic land use and mimic different climate change mitigation policies implementing emission reduction targets and bioenergy demands. The emission reduction targets are achieved by implementing a carbon price in the model, which incentivizes the shift towards more greenhouse gas efficient production systems.”

The chart below shows how a tax on carbon emissions could affect the price of food in relation to today’s prices. Deep red represents a scenario whereby a tax of $150 dollars per tonne of CO2 emissions is applied, whereas pale pink shows a scenario where a relatively lower tax of $10 dollars per tonne of CO2 emissions is introduced.

However, although the introduction of a carbon tax could help to cut farming emissions, it could also threaten the food security of the world’s most vulnerable people, the research suggests.

This is because a tax on food could restrict the calorie intake of low-earners who are vulnerable to food price hikes. In many parts of the developing world, poor people spend as much as 60 to 80 percent of their income on food, according to the World Food Programme.

Using models that consider these caveats, the researchers simulated how a range of carbon taxes on food production could affect the average calorie intake across the globe by 2050, if efforts are made to limit warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

They found that carbon taxes on food production could result in global food calorie losses ranging from 110 to 285 kcal per person, per day, by 2050, depending on the level of tax that is introduced and the market conditions. This could translate into a rise in undernourishment of 80-300 million people in 2050, the researchers said.

However, the assumption that a fall in calorie intake will lead to a rise in undernourishment and lower food security could be too simplistic, said Tim Benton, a professor in population ecology at food security at the University of Leeds, who was not involved in the study. He told Carbon Brief:

“[The analysis] tackles only a part of the whole issue. Globally, poor diets are driving ill-health through providing too many calories and not enough nutrition, so what we produce and how we produce it needs to change to provide healthier diets: calories are not a good proxy for food security.”

However, the potential rise in undernourished people as a result of a carbon tax on food could be stemmed if “win-win” emissions mitigation strategies are also implemented, the research suggests.

One “win-win” strategy outlined by the research is soil carbon sequestration, or the introduction of farming methods that encourage soil to absorb more carbon from the atmosphere. It is considered to be a “win-win” mitigation strategy because it can help to boost crop productivity as well as lower agricultural emissions. Frank said:

“There are of course uncertainties related to the mitigation potential from soil carbon sequestration, but if these potentials were to be achieved, the impacts on food security could be significantly eased.”

The research found that introducing soil carbon management on a global scale could enable us to achieve the target of limiting warming to 1.5°C at a “considerably lower calorie cost,” said Frank.

The models found that introducing good soil management could reduce the fall in daily calorie intake by 65 percent, when compared with scenarios that do not consider carbon sequestration.

Using “win-win” strategies, such as soil carbon management, could make limiting warming to 1.5°C while maintaining food security a realistic goal. Frank explained:

“There are several other “win-win” options such as reducing food waste and harvest losses, or societal dietary change that were not explicitly assessed in this study but if realized together, they could even enable us to achieve this goal [of limiting warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels] without compromising food security at all.”

The study offers us insight into how the causes of food insecurity as a result of climate change are often complex and indirect, said Benton:

“Rising food insecurity is painful to contemplate, but it is a wicked problem. Without mitigating climate change, its impacts on food security are also likely to increase the number of food insecure, either directly or indirectly (through promoting conflict).

“This is an important study which shows that carbon pricing can drive positive effects, but can also drive negative effects. It sets an agenda about how to avoid the negatives, whilst embracing the positives.”

Source: ecowatch.com

30% of Europe’s Electricity Could Be Wind Powered by 2020

02.10.2017

wind-turbin-vetroturbina — Photo illustration: Pixabay

A pair of reports released by WindEurope asserts that by 2030, 30% of the electricity consumed in Europe could be generated from the wind. The continent is on track to overhaul its energy infrastructure. According to the reports (Wind Energy in Europe: Outlook to 2020 and Wind Energy in Europe: Scenarios for 2030), the progress could potentially avoid the release of 382 tonnes (421 US tons) of CO2 emissions.

Bloomberg points out that 716,000 jobs could be created with these efforts. The wind power industry could see 351 billion euros ($417 billion) of investment by 2030.

For the next three years, Europe may see an average installation rate of an additional 12.6 GW per year. This would allow wind power alone to meet 16.5 percent of the continent’s energy demand, with a total of 204 GW of wind-generated power. The goal for 2030 would see that capacity to reach 323 GW.

Individual European countries are taking big steps to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels by investing in and building renewable energy generating installations. The topographical diversity of the continent allows for a great deal of diversity in the ways energy can be generated. Scotland is leading in wind and tidal power generation, and the whole of the UK is taking advantage of the low cost of solar power to boost its renewable energy capabilities. All of this will amount to the continued decline of global reliance on fossil fuels and will help turn the tide in the fight against climate change.

Source: futurism.com

Degraded Tropical Forests Now Release More Carbon Than They Store, New Study Finds

02.10.2017

Tropical forests may no longer be acting as carbon sinks and could be releasing more carbon than they store, according to troubling new research.

A study published Thursday in the journal Science finds that forests across Asia, Latin America and Africa release 425 metric tons of carbon per year, which is equivalent to nearly one-tenth of the U.S.’ annual carbon footprint.

Researchers found nearly 70 percent of this loss is caused by small-scale degradation, the result of selective logging, drought and wildfire. All is not lost for forests, however. Researchers say that policies to curb deforestation, reduce degradation and restore land could turn forests back into carbon sinks.

“These findings provide the world with a wakeup call on forests,” the study’s lead author, Alessandro Baccini, a scientist with the U.S.-based Woods Hole Research Center, said in a statement.

“If we’re to keep global temperatures from rising to dangerous levels, we need to drastically reduce emissions and greatly increase forests’ ability to absorb and store carbon.”

Source: ecowatch.com

Climate Change May Allow Forest-Destroying Beetles To Move North Rapidly, Study Finds

02.10.2017

green-forest — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

The range of the southern pine beetle could expand significantly further north than it now does within just a few decades as the result of increasingly warm winters in the regions in question, according to a new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change.

What the implications of the study are, in practice, are that before too long the southern pine beetle will likely be found in quantity throughout much of the northern United States and southern Canada.

Considering how rapidly southern pine beetles can destroy forests, especially those already weakened by drought and/or by centuries of clearcutting, the news should be disconcerting, as it means that many regions that are now carbon sinks will become net-carbon-emitters.

As it stands, essentially the only thing limiting the range of southern pine beetles are the cold winter temperatures that often occur in the northern parts of North America. What the research notes, though, is that average lows are rising much more rapidly than even averages as a whole are — in other words, the nights are warming in the regions in question much faster than even the days are, resulting in much lower beetle mortality rates.

According to study lead author Corey Lesk, these findings point to “huge vulnerability across a vast ecosystem. We could see loss of biodiversity and iconic regional forests. There would be damage to tourism and forestry industries in already struggling rural areas.”

Perhaps more notable, though, would be what would follow the events Lesk describes — that is, enormous forest fires across much of the north.

“Until recently, southern pine beetles lived from Central America up into the southeastern United States, but in the past decade or so they have also begun appearing in parts of the Northeast and New England. Substantial outbreaks began occurring in New Jersey in 2001. The beetles were first found on New York’s Long Island in New York in 2014 and Connecticut in 2015,” a press release explains.

“Lesk and Horton project that by 2020, the beetles will establish themselves along the Atlantic coast up to Nova Scotia. They say that by 2050, 78% of the 48,000 square miles now occupied by pitch pine forests from southern Maine to eastern Ohio will have climates newly suitable to the beetles. By 2060, they expect the beetle will further establish itself from southern New England through Wisconsin, and by 2080, climates suitable for the beetle should reach 71% of red pines and 48% of jack pines, which extend across more than 270,000 square miles of the northeastern United States and southern Canada.”

These figures are likely fairly conservative, as a result of the methodology used, so don’t be too surprised if the advance of the southern pine beetle is even faster than what’s discussed above.

A separate possibility, worth noting here, is that worsening climate instability would result in changes to atmospheric and oceanic circulation patterns. This could alter the expected outcome in various ways.

Source: cleantechnica.com

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