Biodiversity Convention and WWF Champion Biodiversity Awareness

16.12.2016

The Secretariat of the Convention on Biodiversity (SCBD) and WWF International have signed an MoU to collaborate in implementing CBD’s Global Communications Strategy together with CBD Parties, partners and the broader conservation community to achieve Aichi Biodiversity Target 1 (ABT1) by 2020.

The Memorandum of Understanding, signed by CBD’s Executive Secretary Braulio de Souza Dias and WWF International’s Director General Marco Lambertini, will see WWF working to champion Aichi Biodiversity Target 1 (ABT1) to ensure people understand the value of biodiversity and take the steps necessary for its sustainable use.

This partnership intends to drive CBD’s Global Communication Strategy as a matter of urgency to make progress in achieving that target by 2020.

More information you can find here.

Source: cbd.int

Roxann Laird is the Power-Gen 2016 Woman of the Year

16.12.2016

On Tuesday during the Power Generation Week keynote session, Southern Company’s Roxann Laird was named the 2016 Power-Gen Woman of the Year. The other two finalists for the award were Sheri Blauweikel of Black and Vetch and Caroline Winn of San Diego Gas and Electric.

Each year the Women in Power committee selects three finalists for the Woman of the Year award from a list of women who are nominated by industry peers. In 2016 more than 25 women were nominated to be the 2016 Woman of the Year and the committee deliberated for a long time when selecting the finalists and the ultimate winner.

Having women in leadership roles is important for a company’s bottom line. Indeed, studies have shown that utilities with women in senior management are more profitable. PennWell honors women leaders in the energy industry not only to draw attention to the women who have risen to the top in the energy field but also to inspire more women to enter the energy industry.

Roxann Laird is an engineer who’s current responsibilities include executive leadership of the National Carbon Capture Center where she manages more than 200 employees with an annual budget in excess of $40 million. This world-class neutral test facility, managed and operated by Southern Company for the U.S. Department of Energy, plays a pivotal role in acceleration of advanced carbon capture technologies.

Laird said her first job in the energy industry was with Exxon in Midland, Texas where she quickly realized that “there were not that many women in the oil and gas industry.” She credits the one other woman in her department as helping her transition to that work environment build her confidence. Laird said that creating a successful transition “is crucial in ensuring retention of women in the power industry and creating that pipeline for future leaders.”

Sources: renewableenergyworld.com

With New Pledges and New Projects, Developing Countries Take Clean Energy Lead Globally

16.12.2016

Klimatske promene, Planeta zemlja, Globus — Photo: Pixabay

Developing countries have made unprecedented pledges to consume more clean energy tomorrow even as they are leading the way today with record new wind and solar project completions, the latest edition of Climatescope concludes realised yesterday.

Climatescope, the clean energy country competitiveness index and online tool supported by the UK and US governments offers a compelling portrait of clean energy activity in 58 emerging markets in Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean. The group includes major developing nations China, India, Egypt, Pakistan, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa, as well as dozens of others. Visitors to www.global-climatescope.org can use the site to learn about clean energy policy and activities in individual nations, download extensive datasets, and compare countries on their performance.

This marks the third year Climatescope has been conducted globally and reflects activity in 2015, a year that culminated with the signing of the Paris Climate Agreement at UN-sponsored talks in December. In the run-up to those negotiations, three quarters of the Climatescope nations submitted or reiterated pledges to cut their future CO2 emissions. An even higher number are now on record with promises to achieve certain clean energy consumption goals in coming years.

These countries are not waiting to get started on adding renewable capacity, however. Between them, they added 69.8 gigawatts of new wind, solar, geothermal, and other renewable power generating capacity in 2015 – the same as total installed capacity in Australia today. China accounted for the majority of activity in Climatescope countries, but smaller nations also played important roles. By comparison, wealthier Organisation for Economic and Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries built 59.2 gigawatts last year.

Source: global-climatescope.org

CS Wind Confirms Investment in New UK Offshore Wind Turbine Tower Factory

16.12.2016

The UK is to get a new offshore wind technology manufacturing plant, after CS Wind yesterday confirmed it is to build a new tower factory in Campbeltown, Scotland.

The company said that as a result of a “multi-million pound investment” from DONG Energy it will proceed with the expansion plans as part of a deal that gives the Danish wind energy developer preferred access rights to towers for its offshore wind farms.

The site will be the first facility in the UK that can manufacture towers for offshore wind turbines and will be located adjacent to CS Wind’s current onshore wind facilities.

CS Wind said it will be able to produce at least 50 towers a year, leading to the safeguarding of 70 jobs. The investment will also enable the company to fulfill a recent contract for 95 offshore wind towers with Siemens Wind Power.

The move was welcomed by energy minister Baroness Neville Rolfe, who said offshore wind would continue to be “a key element in delivering on the UK’s clean energy commitments”.

Last month the government confirmed plans to support a new wave of offshore wind projects through an auction of price support contracts next year, providing a boost to the sector’s medium-term prospects. Industry insiders are also hopeful offshore wind will play a crucial role in the UK’s decarbonisation strategy post 2020, as costs continue to fall across the sector.

“We have seen £52bn of investment in renewable energy in the UK since 2010, and we are supporting more offshore wind than any other country in the world,” said Neville-Rolfe. “This inward investment drives forward positive local supply chain partnerships like this between DONG Energy and CS Wind, delivering economic growth and creating jobs across Scotland and the UK.”

Brent Cheshire, DONG Energy’s UK Country Chairman, hailed investment as a boost for the offshore wind industry as a whole. “The UK is the world leader in offshore wind and a growing market for DONG Energy,” he said. “Our investment means that we and other offshore wind developers will be able to source towers in the UK, which is fantastic news not just for us but the whole UK offshore industry.”

The move comes just a month after Siemens opened a blade factory in Hull, providing further evidence of the growing domestic supply chain for the industry.

“Offshore wind is already delivering major economic benefits to the UK,” said RenewableUK’s executive director, Emma Pinchbeck. “Today’s news highlights the fact that this industry is creating highly skilled, sustainable jobs in Britain. Offshore wind developers are committed to bringing industrial benefits to the UK. Building turbine towers in Britain is a big part of this.”

Meanwhile, MHI Vestas Offshore Wind, DONG Energy and A2Sea this week announced they had completed the installation of 32 of MHI Vestas’ giant 8MW offshore wind turbines at the Burbo Bank Extension project, just weeks after power was delivered to the grid from the first turbine at the site.

Claus Bøjle Møller, project director at DONG Energy, said the company was delighted to have completed the latest milestone on the project. “This is the first time the 8MW turbines have been installed offshore, so it is an exciting time for the entire industry,” he said. “By using more powerful turbines we are able to bring down the cost of providing clean, renewable energy to homes around the UK.”

Source: businessgreen.com

Recycling Rates in England Drop for First Time

16.12.2016

Recycling rates in England have fallen for the first time ever, prompting calls for a tax on packaging and meaning EU targets are now almost certain to be missed.

The amount of rubbish sent to recycling plants by householders had been steadily increasing for more than a decade, but more recently flatlined for three years. Now new government figures published on Thursday show that the recycling rate in England has dropped from 44.8% in 2014 to 43.9% in 2015.

The fall back to levels not seen since before 2012 will be an embarrassment for ministers, who have pledged to lead the first government to leave the environment better than they found it.

It also means the UK as a whole is almost guaranteed to miss an EU target of recycling at least 50% of its household waste by 2020, as England’s size means it accounts for much of the rubbish the country produces. Wales is far ahead of England with households recycling 61% of waste, while Scotland is on 44.2%.

The waste company Suez, which operates more than a thousand rubbish trucks in the UK, called for a tax on packaging manufacturers that would pay to drive up recycling rates again. It said the tax could operate on a sliding scale depending on how much of a product was recyclable and non-recyclable.

“The UK is at a tipping point and without radical change to improve England’s household recycling rates the UK will not meet its EU agreed target of 50% recycling rates by 2020,” said David Palmer-Jones, CEO for Suez recycling and recovery in the UK.

Kate Parminter, the Liberal Democrat shadow environment secretary, said: “The government must act now to reverse this worrying decline. We urgently need better incentives to boost recycling and end Britain’s throwaway culture.”

Recycling is primarily the responsibility of local authorities, which have suffered dramatic, austerity-driven budget cuts during the years when recycling rates have stalled and now declined.

Jakob Rindegren, recycling policy advisor for the Environmental Services Association (ESA), said: “2015 was a perfect storm for recycling, combining cuts to local authority budgets with declining commodity markets for recycled materials. ESA warned at the time that, without policy intervention, England in particular would see a drop in the recycling rate.”

Another possible reason for the reversal in recycling fortunes is the huge budget cuts in recent years to the government’s main body tasked with cutting waste and driving up recycling. Wrap’s budget was cut to £17.9m in 2014, down from £37.7m in 2011.

Liz Goodwin, the agency’s former CEO who now works at the US thinktank the World Resources Institute, told the Guardian: “I think the drop is caused by a number of things. The economic situation has clearly not helped – local authority budgets and central government budgets have been very tight for several years which mean that there hasn’t been funding available to improve infrastructure – but more importantly communicate with householders about the value and benefits of recycling.

“Householders in the UK are still confused about recycling – what they can put in recycling and what needs to go in the residual bin.”

According to the Office of National Statistics, the total amount of waste generated by households was slightly down in 2015, at 22m tonnes in total, or 407kg per person.

Newham borough in London had the lowest recycling rate in England, at 15%, while South Oxfordshire district council had the highest, at 67%.

A Defra spokesman said: “we are recycling four times as much as we were in 2000, but the slight dip in the household recycling rates clearly shows more needs to be done.

“There are some excellent examples of councils improving recycling rates – we will work with local authorities and industry to build on these successes and encourage best practice across the nation as part of our commitment to protect the environment for future generations.”

Source: theguardian.com

ABB Building Automation Applied in the World’s First Energy Self-Sufficient Multi-Family Dwelling

16.12.2016

energieautarkes-mfh_projekt-der-uwa_390x222 No connection to the grid. No gas supply line. Not even a wood burning stove for those cold winter nights. In a building with no less than nine apartments.

The Umwelt Arena in the municipality of Brütten near Winterthur, Switzerland, is an interactive exhibit that helps visitors experience and understand sustainability. The facility has partnered with ABB to build the world’s first multifamily dwelling capable of operating year-round without any external sources of energy. All the power it needs comes from the sun via solar panels. The apartment is not connected to the grid and sets new energy efficiency benchmarks using automation solutions from ABB.

The cornerstone for the world’s first energy self-sufficient multifamily dwelling was laid in January 2015. Since then, construction has been proceeding apace, the objective being to have the first tenants move in during the course of next year.The building’s roof and siding will be covered with photovoltaic modules since the sun is the only/primary energy source. Without a grid connection to feed electricity in and out, provisions must be made to store some of the summer’s excess energy so that it can be used in winter, when consumption peaks.

Power electronics help cut consumption

The cleanest form of energy is saved energy and efficient energy use is one of ABB’s core competencies. In fact it is part of the company’s entire portfolio. Already today, ABB Switzerland is able to deliver products, systems and services that enable efficient power generation, distribution and consumption, as well as significantly improve a facility’s CO2 balance. The key technology is the breed of power electronics developed at ABB’s group research center in Baden-Dättwil (AG). Power electronics are a big part of improving energy efficiency; for example, in applications such as energy transmission and conversion, interconnection of renewable energies, transportation and building automation. Projects such as the world’s first energy self-sufficient building demonstrate what can be done with existing technologies and the potential of efficient resource utilization. ABB’s smart solutions help maximize exploitation of this potential and further minimize energy losses.

Energy efficiency: the key to success

The time displacement between when energy is produced and when it is consumed presents a major challenge. While in summer, electricity generation is very high but consumption comparably low, in winter it is the exact opposite: low production, high consumption. High efficiency solar panels on the roof and the entire building façade produce energy to minimize this power deficit. In addition, the building is extremely well insulated and the efficiency of the household appliances is second to none. Walter Schmid, Chairman of the Board of Directors Umwelt Arena and owner of the solar powered multifamily dwelling stressed: “The key requirement for making a building self-sufficient is to boost efficiency everywhere; from energy production and energy storage to building automation and power consumption.”

Building automation from ABB provides convenience in a networked home

ABB automation and monitoring solutions inside the apartments take care of the complete building control including automated room darkening in summer. ABB’s free@home building automation solution enables tenants of the energy self-sufficient building to intuitively operate and adjust the building control systems.

The innovative system can be used to control lighting, heating, air conditioning, blinds and communications via a smartphone, tablet or personal computer. ABB-free@home makes it easier to access the world of smart living while at the same time ensuring maximum energy efficiency. ABB will use the project to collect valuable experience and extensive data that may lead to even more sophisticated energy efficiency and convenience solutions.

Multiple storage systems

Project engineers estimate that one hour of sunlight is enough to cover the energy needs of the tenants of the world’s first multifamily dwelling for an entire day. The excess energy generated while the sun is still shining (about eight hours per day in summer) can be used to charge short and long-term storage facilities. The short-term storage bank (batteries) will be able to bridge energy deficits for up to three days. A long-term thermal energy medium and a hydrogen tank ensure that the available energy will be used efficiently. These two long-term storage systems are supplemented by a battery and a heat pump. The self-sufficient apartment concept includes one electric and one gasoline powered vehicle, which draw their energy for a distance of 10,000 km each annually from the solar panels or recycled kitchen waste. ABB will also provide power distribution products, switches and electrical outlets, as well as components for electric charging stations.

The world’s first energy self-sufficient building demonstrates that sustainable construction without sacrifice is possible. ABB’s products and solutions ensure that individual needs can be conveniently and intuitively met without wasting valuable energy.

Source: abb.com

USGBC Announces International Ranking of Top 10 Countries for LEED

16.12.2016

USGBC announced the Top 10 Countries for LEED, a list that highlights countries outside the United States that are making significant strides in sustainable building design, construction and market transformation. These countries represent the ever-growing international demand for LEED-certified green buildings. This year, China moved from second to first on the list as the largest user of LEED, with 34.62 million gross square meters (GSM) of certified LEED space. Canada, India, Brazil and the Republic of Korea rounded out the top five countries on the list, respectively.

“By recognizing these leading countries, we are showcasing the exponential growth of LEED in the global marketplace and an international commitment to the creation of a sustainable built environment,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, president and CEO, USGBC. “As we pursue a worldwide effort to mitigate climate change, LEED and the green building industry have created a path forward for market transformation while changing the way we think about how buildings, communities and cities are planned, constructed, maintained and operated.”

Global green building is expected to double every three years, according to a Dodge Data & Analytics World Green Building Trends 2016 SmartMarket Report, to which USGBC was a contributing partner. Conducted in 70 countries, the report found that emerging economies like China, India and Brazil will be engines of green growth, with development varying from twofold to sixfold over current green building levels. Increased consumer demand has also pushed the world’s green building market to a trillion-dollar industry, a surge that has led to a corresponding increase in the scope and size of the green building materials market, which is expected to reach $234 billion by 2019.

LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is the world’s most widely used green building rating system. The analysis used to develop the list ranks countries in terms of cumulative LEED-certified GSM space as of December 2016. LEED-certified spaces use fewer energy and water resources; save money for families, businesses and taxpayers; reduce carbon emissions; and prioritize environmental and human health.

Currently, there are more than 82,000 commercial projects participating in LEED, totaling more than 1.4 billion GSM of space worldwide. An additional 112,000 residential units have been certified under LEED Homes. An estimated 170,000 GSM of space achieves LEED certification every day in more than 162 countries and territories across the globe.

As buildings currently account for an estimated one-third of global emissions, green buildings are one of the most cost-effective solutions to climate change because they generate significant environmental, economic and societal benefits. Last year, USGBC joined 25 other green building councils from around the world to commit to scaling the use of LEED over the next five years to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and ensure that the building and construction industry plays its part in limiting global warming. USGBC is working toward a net zero carbon designation to recognize leaders in the building sector, and to drive reductions in the carbon footprint across the buildings sector as is necessary for successful implementation of the Paris Agreement. All of the countries on this list, with the exception of Taiwan, have signed the historical Paris Agreement.

For more information visit usgbc.org.

Source: usgbc.org

Photo: proudgreenhome.com

Spain to Auction 3 GW of Renewables in the First Half of 2017

16.12.2016

The government of Spain has announced details of the next auction for renewable energy projects which it will launch in coming weeks and which will be open to multiple renewable energy technologies.

On Tuesday Spanish Energy Minister Álvaro Nadal released details on the next renewable energy auction which the Spanish government will hold, in which around 3 GW of capacity will be awarded.

“What will be announced today is that in a few weeks we are going to launch the installation of new renewable energy capacity,” stated Minister Álvaro Nadal. This auction “will have to be resolved before the end of the first half of 2017”, he said in a session of a parliamentary energy commission.

The minister confirmed that this auction will be “technology neutral”, and is supposed to be open to the participation of different renewable energy technologies, including solar PV. “The new auction will be conducted according to competitive principles,” stated Álvaro Nadal. He added that this will include the “principle of cost efficiency”.

“We are also going to establish additional controls to ensure the completion of projects which are awarded,” he continued. “We will ask for deposits.” The last renewable energy auction, which was held last year, only contained categories for wind and biomass. Additionally, the mechanisms to ensure the completion of the projects awarded in this auction have been widely criticized.

The new auction is part of the measures to reach Spain’s 2020 renewable energy objectives laid out by the European Union. The Spanish Energy Ministry estimates that the actual participation of renewable energy currently stands at 17.3%. “We have to reach those objectives,” he stated.

In the session of the parliamentary committee, Socialist Parliamentarian Pilar Lucio asked the minister to make those objectives concrete, and criticized the failure of planning in this regard. Spain’s National Photovoltaic Union (UNEF) has repeatedly asked the government to establish a plan for the incorporation of renewable energy and to establish a annual calendar for auctions.

The Ministry of Energy has already expressed that this year it would prepare a new auction for renewable energy projects. For solar, this auction should be the first national program for PV plants following the cancellation of the feed-in tariff program for new projects in January 2012.

Source: pv-magazine.com

Serbia Expecting Call from Brussels to Open Chapter 27

16.12.2016

Serbia is expecting confirmation from Brussels to open negotiating Chapter 27 on the environment, and the first draft of the negotiation platform will be ready in mid-2017, said Stana Božović, state secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection.

“In discussions with senior representatives of the European Commission, the Directorate-General for the Environment and the Directorate-General for Climate Action, we heard that Chapter 27 will be opened without hindrance,” she said at the presentation of a project aimed to help Serbia adapt to EU environmental standards.

Adapting to those standards will require investing EUR 10 billion, and passing or amending 700 regulations. Planned activities will last for 25 years, so Serbia will seek the so-called transitional criteria, or postponement of the implementation of some European standards until after the accession.

This year’s European Commission report on Serbia points out the need to improve administrative capacity, calls for closure of irregular landfills, investment in waste separation and recycling and enhancing air quality, as well as improving the management of river basins.

Bozovic said the pre-accession funds for 2017 provide EUR 100 million for infrastructure projects in Brus, Blace, Kraljevo and Nis, which will double the current national capacity for municipal wastewater treatment.

The Green Fund, which is scheduled to start functioning on January 1, 2017, in accordance with the National Environmental Approximation Strategy, will also help adjusting to EU standards, she added.

Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Oscar Benedict said that the environment is the most extensive chapter in the process, as well as among the most complex and challenging ones in terms of financing.

“Chapter 27 is about one third of total European legislation. It is expensive and requires huge investment, but it is also important, because it concerns the quality of life of all citizens,” said Benedict.

The presented project “Further implementation of the National Environmental Approximation Strategy” will last until October 2018, with financial support from the EU, and will help Serbia implement European regulations and plan environmental protection projects.

Source: balkangreenenergynews.com

Methane from Livestock Nearing Worst-Case Scenario for Climate Change

16.12.2016

Exhaust emissions from gasoline and diesel cars get a lot of attention from policymakers attempting to combat climate change. But another very large source of carbon emissions has nothing to do with transportation. Emissions of methane have increased dramatically over the past few years, with livestock raised for human food as the largest source by far.

Methane emissions from food production have gotten so high, in fact, that they are approaching a “worst-case scenario” for climate change, according to a pair of studies co-authored by Rob Jackson, chair of the Earth System Science Department at Stanford University. Jackson is also head of the Global Carbon Project; that effort focuses primarily on measuring emissions of carbon, but it also organized these studies. Like carbon dioxide (CO2), methane is a greenhouse gas.

More attention is often paid to CO2 emissions, despite the fact that methane’s potential for global warming is greater and its lifespan in the atmosphere much shorter. “Carbon dioxide has a longer reach,” Jackson said in a Stanford press release on the studies, “but methane strikes faster.” Humans are responsible for 60 percent of methane emissions, and most of that total comes from agriculture and livestock farming, according to the research.

The major sources include livestock, which emit methane through bodily functions, and rice fields, which emit the gas when flooded. Emissions from food production may actually pose a greater threat to the Earth’s climate in the future than emissions generated by burning fossil fuels, Jackson said. If left unchecked, Jackson and his colleagues estimate these emissions could cause global temperatures to rise as much as 6 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s equivalent to about 4 degrees Celsius, or twice the amount scientists generally consider to be the limit for preventing irrevocable environmental damage. To avert this, scientists advocate changes to food-production processes.

That includes developing rice that requires less flooding of its fields, changing livestock feeding regimens to alter intestinal processes, and even promoting less meat-intensive diets. Other sources of methane, such as leaks and flares from natural-gas drilling and coal mines will have to be addressed too, as will emissions from landfills. Before widespread mitigation efforts can begin, though, scientists will have to gain a better understanding of methane emissions. Currently, emissions are not rigorously tracked like those of CO2, making effective planning of mitigation efforts difficult.

The Global Carbon Project recently announced that global CO2 emissions have been flat for the last three years. As CO2 emissions level off and potentially decrease, methane will begin to account for a larger share of overall greenhouse-gas emissions, and will thus become more important.

Source: greencarreports.com

Gazprom Expanding Cooperation with Japanese Partners

16.12.2016

A Gazprom delegation headed by Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Company’s Management Committee, paid a working visit to Japan.Tokyo hosted high-level meetings with the top officials of the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy under Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Mitsui & Co., Ltd. (Mitsui), Mitsubishi Corporation, and Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC).

The participants of the meetings expressed their appreciation for the partnership between Gazprom and Japanese companies in the gas sector, focusing, inter alia, on liquefied natural gas (LNG) cooperation. It was noted that there was great potential for expanding collaboration between the companies.

A number of bilateral documents were signed as part of the visit.

Alexey Miller and Satoshi Kusakabe, Commissioner of the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy under Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, signed the Agreement of Cooperation. According to the document, the parties will coordinate efforts aimed at furthering research and development, production and investment partnership between Gazprom and Japanese companies.

Alexey Miller and Masami Iijima, Representative Director and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Mitsui, signed the Agreement of Strategic Cooperation. The document envisages collaboration in various areas, including Sakhalin II project expansion and LNG bunkering.

Alexey Miller and Ken Kobayashi, Chairman of the Board of Mitsubishi Corporation, inked the Agreement of Strategic Cooperation. The document stipulates the development of cooperation in the LNG sector, including joint efforts in adding the third train to the Sakhalin II LNG plant. The parties also voiced their intention to broaden their partnership in various business fields, including but not limited to the current LNG project.

Alexey Miller and Tadashi Maeda, CEO and Executive Managing Director of JBIC, signed the Memorandum of Understanding outlining the basic principles of cooperation in securing financing for Gazprom’s projects with the involvement of Japanese companies.

“Gazprom continues to successfully cooperate with companies from the Asia-Pacific region, the world’s fastest-growing gas market. As usual, Japanese companies are our main partners in the LNG sector. The documents signed today give a much broader dimension to our joint efforts on LNG and create ample opportunities for collaboration in other areas of the gas industry,” said Alexey Miller.

Source: Gazprom.com

A Memorandum of Understanding to Intensify Energy Cooperation Between the EU and the EBRD

16.12.2016

A new Memorandum of Understanding to enhance energy cooperation between the EU and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has been signed in London last week by EU Commissioner Arias Cañete and EBRD President Chakrabarti.

The new agreement will broaden the existing cooperation to a significant number of areas, including scaling-up energy efficiency financing, increasing investment in renewable energy, developing smart grids, and enhancing our resilience to climate change. The Memorandum will also contribute to enhance Europe’s energy security by further promoting the interconnectivity of our energy systems, and by promoting nuclear safety and decommissioning. It will extend cooperation to related areas like regulatory and financing criteria issues. Until now, cooperation focused mainly on energy security, energy efficiency and nuclear decommissioning.

EU Commissioner for Energy and Climate Action, Miguel Arias Cañete, said: “The new MoU comes at the best possible moment: enhancing the bilateral cooperation between the EBRD and the Commission will help us make the most of each other’s expertise and support our actions to promote investment in key areas like energy efficiency, renewables and infrastructure.”

EBRD President Sir Suma Chakrabarti said: “I am delighted to sign this MOU, which will establish even closer relations between the EBRD and the EU on a range of energy issues. The EBRD and the EU already collaborate closely, but this MoU will help us to take our co-operation further, including scaling-up energy efficiency financing, increased investment in renewable energy and the development of smart grids.”

The new Memorandum of Understanding replaces a previous document signed in 2007. It will be implemented through an enhanced coordination of policies and activities and through the optimisation of financing synergies.

The EU is one of the largest donors to EBRD green projects and has contributed more than €290 million in support of the Bank’s green ventures since 2006. The EBRD’s green investments have reached a value of €20 billion in over 1,000 projects during this period. This has helped to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 80 million tonnes each year, which is equivalent to the annual GHG emissions of Romania.

Source: ec.europa.eu

U.S. Solar Surges in Record – Breaking Quarter

16.12.2016

One megawatt of solar power was installed every 32 minutes in the U.S. from July to September, for a record total of 4,143 megawatts of new, clean energy, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and GTM Research’s U.S. Solar Market Insight report.

That brings total installed solar capacity in the U.S. to 35.8 gigawatts, enough to power 6.5 million homes. Solar power may double from 2015 to 2016. SEIA said.

“The United States solar market just shattered all previous quarterly solar photovoltaic (PV) installation records,” stated SEIA.

Through the end of September, solar accounted for 39 percent of all new electric generating capacity brought on-line in the U.S. Both utility-scale installations and residential installations grew strongly. Electric power utilities accounted for 77 percent of additions to the grid, while both corporate and residential customers added capacity as well.

“The solar market now enjoys an economically-winning hand that pays off both financially and environmentally, and American taxpayers have noticed,” said Tom Kimbis, SEIA’s interim president.

Community solar represents another growing trend. In these programs, both residential and business customers share a large, central installation. These work well for renters and condo owners, homeowners who can’t install rooftop solar panels or owners of historic buildings that are not permitted to alter the structure.

Currently, 25 states have active community solar projects, serving both cities and smaller communities. In Boulder, Colorado, the sold-out Boulder Cowdery Meadows Solar Array generates 496,455 kilowatts. A 52-kilowatt installation is up and running in Wayne, Maine, serving nine Central Maine Power customers. Other projects can be found in Orlando, Seattle and Springfield, Missouri.

Community solar is expected to add 200 megawatts this year, a fourfold increase over 2015 according to SEIA. Much of the demand is being driven by the nosedive in solar system costs. Overall pricing fell by 6.9 percent in the 3rd quarter, with costs now below $3 per watt.

“The phenomenal boom in U.S. solar is being driven by dramatically lowering solar costs, to the point where solar is in many cases now the most affordable power and smartest investment for homeowners, businesses, and cities,” said Glen Brand, Maine chapter director for the Sierra Club. “And this is despite the enormous subsidies for dirty fossil fuels and the coordinated attacks on state solar policy by monopoly, private utilities.”

Municipalities, which are often large users of electricity for government buildings, streetlights and other needs are adding cost-effective solar as well. The village of Minster, Ohio, was the first. A 3-megawatt solar array is saving the town $1 million per month.

Peterborough, New Hampshire, completed its 1-megawatt installation in 2015 and Portland, Maine, plans to build a 660-kilowatt solar project on an a closed landfill that will power city hall and the 1,900-seat Merrill Auditorium.

Looking ahead, SEIA forecasts a decline in new installations in 2017 and 2018. Some near-term pullbacks are due to delays in utility connection projects, which currently see an 8-gigawatt backlog. SEIA expects growth to resume in 2019.

The solar industry employs 209,000 workers in the U.S. In contrast, the oil industry has shed 350,000 jobs as the price of oil has collapsed since 2014.

Source: ecowatch.com

Nissan and Renault to Share Common Electric-Car Platform in Future

15.12.2016

The Renault-Nissan Alliance currently leads all other makers in total global sales of electric cars. The Nissan Leaf remains the best-selling electric car in history, while the Renault Zoe is the best-selling electric car in Europe at the moment. These two cars account for the vast majority of the alliance’s electric-car sales, with the Leaf selling in substantially larger volumes than the Zoe.

The two cars are also quite different from each other. The Leaf is larger than the subcompact Zoe, and each uses a different powertrain and battery pack. But future generations of the Leaf and Zoe could share a common platform, according to Arnaud Deboeuf—senior vice president of Renault-Nissan BV, the company’s strategic management unit—in a recent interview with Automotive News (subscription required). The two battery-electric models will have different styling, he said, but will share basic underpinnings and powertrains.

Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn has recently pushed for greater cooperation between the two automakers on core components and architectures, which he hopes will produce cost savings through economies of scale. Deboeuf said the converged Leaf and Zoe will compete in the same segment, but did not say whether the Leaf would shrink to a subcompact or the Zoe would grow to match the current Leaf’s size.

In September, Nissan was reported to be considering a subcompact electric car that shared underpinnings with the Zoe. It would slot below the Leaf, but not directly replace it. While the next generation of Leaf and Zoe will share powertrains, no decision has been made as to whether they will use lithium-ion battery cells from the same source. Today’s Leaf uses cells manufactured by Automotive Energy Supply Corporation (AESC), a joint venture of Nissan and Japanese electronics firm NEC, while the Zoe uses cells purchased from LG Chem.

The current Zoe went on sale in 2012, and an updated longer-range version was unveiled in September at the 2016 Paris Motor Show. By far its most significant change is a larger, 41-kilowatt-hour battery pack that essentially doubles range, to 300 to 400 kilometers (185 to 250 miles) on the European test cycle. The Leaf has been on sale in its current form since 2010, receiving a 30-kWh battery pack in 2016 that is rated at 107 miles of range on the U.S. EPA test cycle.

Using a standard seven-year model cycle, the Leaf is now due for a redesign for the 2018 model year, and the Zoe would follow the next year. A second-generation Leaf is expected sometime over the next 18 months, although Nissan has been entirely silent on that prospect and little industry intelligence has emerged thus far. If the two cars do indeed shift to the same platform, a redesigned Zoe might appear shortly after the launch of the second-generation Leaf.

Source: greencarreports.com

Environmental Approximation Strategy in the Republic of Serbia

15.12.2016

The recently awarded project to EPTISA in consortium with Project Management from Ireland and Environmental Protection Agency from Austria and financed by the EU, will provide assistance with transposition, implementation and enforcement of acquis through further implementation of principles from Environmental Approximation Strategy (EAS).

In view of the candidate status of the Republic of Serbia for the EU Membership, and forthcoming process of the negotiations, the EAS is one of the most important documents in terms of European integrations in the field of environment. It will be the basis for accession negotiations for the Chapter 27 (Environment), which is considered one of the most difficult and complex negotiation chapters.

Overcoming this challenge requires sustained progress in three particular areas: transposition of the EU’s environmental legislation into national legislation, putting in place the administrative capacity to implement, monitor and enforce that legislation, and establishing the infrastructure required for compliance with the legislation.

Over the next 24 months, a team of local and international experts will support the Ministry in charge for environment (MAEP) and Negotiating Group 27 in ensuring further alignment with the EU environment Acquis, with the specific focus on development of institutional capacities and enforcement of national legislation and strategic planning.

More specifically, the activities will focus on preparation of the Action Plan for development of administrative capacities, which includes assessment of the institutional capacity needed for implementation of Serbian environmental legislation harmonized with the EU legislation at all levels of governance. Also, assistance will be provided for enhancement of implementation planning capacities through coordination of investment and financial planning among sectors and through development of 8 Directive Specific Implementation Plans (DSIPs).

Source: eptisasee.com

A Place for Waste in 2017

15.12.2016

In the United States, approximately 34 million tons of food is delivered to landfills annually, accounting for 35 percent of total landfill waste. Once in the landfill, this food slowly decomposes, emitting large volumes of methane, a particularly harmful greenhouse gas and contributor to global climate change. What many people may not realize is that landfills produce 20 percent of the total U.S. methane emissions.

In response to these troubling statistics, some action has already been taken—on the national and statewide level—to reduce impacts both environmentally and economically. In September, 2015, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and EPA announced the first ever domestic goal to reduce food loss and waste by half by the year 2030 and currently five states and three cities have their own legislative goals and specific restrictions to more properly manage food waste forcing businesses and municipalities to make changes.

In July, for example, New York City implemented a law that requires high waste generating businesses to find alternative disposal methods for their food waste. To comply with the new law, many businesses have turned to on-site solutions like aerobic digestion. Other municipalities, like Berkeley County, W. Va., are adopting technologies that convert incoming solid and food waste into clean alternative fuel.

As we enter into a new era of more state and local control over environmental regulation, there are tremendous opportunities for local governments to focus on waste, set targets and goals, and reward innovation and technology adoption in an industry which has been traditionally slow to adapt. If done correctly, waste diversion can be attractive for everyone as businesses can cut costs and minimize inefficiencies, fewer garbage trucks will be on the roads, and sparse landfill space will be salvaged.

Waste diversion through food waste bans, aerobic digestion, and waste-to-fuel technology at the local level may not be the silver bullet solution to global climate change, but it is without a doubt a vital step in the right direction.

Looking forward to 2017, the waste industry’s will continue sustainable evolution.

Source: waste360.com

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