Tesla Motors Starts Production on Self-Driving Electric Car

20.10.2016

Tesla Motors is starting to build its electric cars with all the sensors, cameras and other gear needed to drive completely on their own when regulations allow the technology to take over that responsibility.

The announcement made late Wednesday by Tesla CEO Elon Musk marks the Silicon Valley automaker’s next step toward selling cars that can navigate the roads without the help of a human.

Google, ride-hailing service Uber and an assortment of other automakers also are working on a range of self-driving cars in an effort to ultimately turn the steering over to robots.

Tesla has offered an automatic steering and braking system called Autopilot in its cars since last summer, but that technology is meant to be monitored at all times by a driver.

Source: wjhl.com

Solar & Wind Cheaper To Replace Coal In UK Than Biomass

20.10.2016

A new study has concluded that transitioning to wind and solar power would be a cheaper option for the United Kingdom to replace its coal fleet than using biomass electricity generation.

According to a new study published this week by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and conducted by London-based Vivid Economics, which examined the full system costs of renewable energy technologies like wind and solar in comparison to biomass as a replacement for the UK’s coal fleet, wind and solar came out as the cheaper option.

The UK already uses a lot of biomass for electricity generation, with the report concluding that “biomass supplies the lion’s share” of the country’s renewable electricity generation. However, as the authors of the report note:
“…recent science shows that many forms of biomass produce more carbon emissions than fossil fuels like coal and natural gas—especially biomass from forests—increasing carbon pollution precisely when the United Kingdom aims to rapidly decarbonise its electricity sector.”

The study therefore analyzed three key costs:
1. The latest technology costs across biomass, solar, onshore wind, and offshore wind technologies
2. The cost of ensuring a reliable electricity supply
3. The cost of GHG emissions given the United Kingdom’s legislative commitment to keeping global warming below 2 degrees Celsius — the basis for international commitments on climate change enshrined in the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement

The study concluded that, by 2020, “when fully accounting for the total economic cost of different energy technologies, biomass is more costly than wind and solar alternatives.”

“The science already shows that burning biomass on a mass scale for electricity increases carbon pollution and is extremely harmful to the environment,” said Sasha Stashwick, a senior advocate with NRDC, a US-based environmental organization.

“The emissions risks associated with biomass are simply too big to be ignored, and now we see that the economics of biomass don’t make sense as the UK strives to replace coal and decarbonize its power sector. This report clearly indicates that when you account for total economic costs, cleaner alternatives like wind and solar are the lower-cost solution for a coal-free UK. It’s just good economic sense.”

The report further concludes that solar and wind are likely to be the least-cost method to ensure UK reliability of supply by 2025. In addition, biomass is already a mature technology, and unlikely to see further cost decreases, whereas both wind and solar continue to see cost declines, and are predicted to continue to see cost declines into the future.

“Phasing out coal is absolutely necessary as the UK aims to curb climate change, but we can’t afford to backtrack by focusing on unsustainable forms of biomass that are neither clean nor cheap,” added Matt Williams, Policy Officer with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). “It is critical that we focus on renewable forms of energy that deliver emissions reductions and protect wildlife and the natural environment while providing value for money, so as to ensure that the UK hits its legally binding climate change targets.”

Source: cleantechnica.com

Low Cost of Electricity in ND Discouraging Solar Energy Investments

20.10.2016

solar-panel-array-1591359__340 — Photo: Pixabay

North Dakota averages 60 percent of possible sunshine each day, according to the North Dakota State Climate Office. But according to Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Energy Efficiency, the state does not have many goals or incentives for utilities or individuals to invest in solar energy.

According to the North Dakota Century Code, in 2007 the Legislature established an objective of 10 percent of all retail electricity sold in the state be obtained by renewable and recycled energy by 2015. The objective was voluntary, and there were no penalties for providers that failed to meet it.

Jerry Lein, North Dakota Public Service Commission utility analyst, said the state exceeded its goal and reached 16 percent renewable energy by 2015. Lein said he was not involved in setting the 2015 goal, but he believes the goal was made voluntary because of a lack of legislative support for a mandatory standard.

Lein said he does not know if the Legislature will implement any new goals, but he expects the development and use of renewable energy will continue to grow.

South Dakota has the same voluntary objective as North Dakota, while Montana and Minnesota have required renewable energy standards, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The organization said 29 states have mandatory Renewable Portfolio Standards, eight have voluntary goals and 13 have no renewable energy standards or target.

According to the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Energy Efficiency, North Dakota doesn’t offer solar rebate programs or tax credits for solar system purchasers. However, the database states a taxpayer may claim a federal tax credit of 30 percent of qualified costs for a home solar electric system.

The state only offers a sales tax exemption on solar energy systems on a commercial or industrial scale of systems above 100 kilowatts, according to the database.

The North Dakota Century Code states that North Dakota offers an exemption to any locally-assessed solar, wind or geothermal energy device serving a building from paying property tax increases for five years.

North Dakota requires investor-owned utilities to offer net metering to all customers, but electric cooperatives and municipal utilities are exempt, the incentives database says. Net metering requires a utility to monitor how much energy the solar power system produces and how much the user consumes and gives credit for the surplus.

Electricity companies in the state vary in renewable energy offerings and programs available to consumers.

According to Otter Tail Power Co., 20 percent of its energy supply comes from renewable resources. The company also offers the “TailWinds” program, which allows customers to buy wind-generated energy, but no solar energy programs are offered.

Xcel Energy owns a utility-scale solar system and purchases power from similar systems, according to its website. The company also offers a Solar Rewards program that assists customers installing their own solar panels and a community program that allows customers to invest in solar without purchasing their own system. However, the rewards programs are not available in North Dakota.

Montana-Dakota Utilities Co. offers renewable energy credit purchase for Wyoming customers, but does not have any renewable energy programs available in North Dakota.

Northern Plains Electric Cooperative doesn’t offer any renewable energy loans, but the co-op is researching solar energy.

Northern Plains Electric Cooperative and Dakota Valley Electric Cooperative installed a 6.56 kilowatt solar system at the Northern Plains office in Carrington in June 2015. The project’s primary objective is to provide information about the costs and benefits of a solar system, states the cooperative’s website.

Northern Plains Electric Cooperative system engineer Ashten Dewald said the solar project has gotten a lot of interest from the public and other co-ops. Dewald said the advice she gives people interested in installing a solar system is to look at the costs and benefits.

“If you want to be eco-friendly and install solar panels for that reason, great, but at this point, it’s not really justifiable with the low cost of North Dakota energy,” Dewald said.

According to the Institute for Energy Research, North Dakota has the seventh-lowest electricity price in the country at 6.81 cents per kilowatt.

Dewald said the co-ops received grants from the state to pay for the project, but without those, it would have taken 30 years to pay off the system. For the average user, it would be about 25 to 30 years to pay off, Dewald said.

However, the price of solar is getting cheaper every day, and installation and system costs are dropping, Dewald said.

“We don’t have anything new planned right now, but with solar being on the rise, I’m not going to rule anything out,” Dewald said.

Cass County Electric Cooperative is also investing in solar. The co-op started a community solar program in September, according to its website.

Prairie Sun Community Solar is a 102-kilowatt solar system made of 324 solar panels on city land in Fargo. Cass County Electric Cooperative members can participate in the program by purchasing full or half panels and will receive solar credits on their monthly bills.

Troy Knutson, manager of technical services for Cass County Electric Cooperative, said the co-op has received a lot of interest about the project and two-thirds of the panels have been reserved.

Knutson said the co-op is hoping to get 100 percent of the panels reserved. He said the co-op was also expecting more interest from commercial members.

The co-op has 40 members who have their own solar systems, but they also have many customers living in apartments, Knutson said. The community project gives them an opportunity to participate in solar, when they otherwise wouldn’t have been able to, Knutson said.

Knutson said the low cost of energy in North Dakota is why solar systems haven’t taken off. The systems have a long payback time, and people want to see results sooner, Knutson said.

The co-op has enough land leased to build a similar-sized project, but nothing is in the works yet, Knutson said.

“We have to wait and see what the level of demand is going to be,” Knutson said. “There almost needs to be an incentive to inspire more development.”

Source: bismarcktribune.com

Construction Completed on the Largest Solar Grid in the Midwest

20.10.2016

Minnesota is now home to the largest solar energy facility in the Midwest.

The North Star Solar Project spans 1,000 acres near North Branch and is made up more than 440,000 solar panels. Officials say it will provide enough energy to power more than 20,000 homes.

The project was proposed after a Minnesota statute required public utilities to produce at least 1.5 percent of retail electricity from solar energy by 2020. In the long term, Xcel Energy plans to be 63 percent carbon-free by 2030.

At the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, partners in the project celebrated the end of the construction that began in April.

Chris Clark, the president of Xcel Energy’s Upper Midwest division, says renewable energy is the nation’s future.

“We’re really excited,” he said. “This is the largest solar installation that we’ve interconnected to our system at over 100 megawatts. This is really part of our energy future.”

The North Star Solar Project also had a great economic impact for the local economy.

The project employed more than 300 workers throughout construction, and it’s estimated to generate $350,000 a year in property and production tax revenues for Chisago County.

The energy from North Star will also help power the State Capitol, along with wind energy from another nearby plant. While construction is done, the project won’t start harvesting the sun’s energy for a few months.

Source: minnesota.cbslocal.com

Air Pollution more Deadly in Africa than Malnutrition or Dirty Water, Study Warns

20.10.2016

Africa’s air pollution is causing more premature deaths than unsafe water or childhood malnutrition, and could develop into a health and climate crisis reminiscent of those seen in China and India, a study by a global policy forum has found.

The first major attempt to calculate both the human and financial cost of the continent’s pollution suggests dirty air could be killing 712,000 people a year prematurely, compared with approximately 542,000 from unsafe water, 275,000 from malnutrition and 391,000 from unsafe sanitation.

While most major environmental hazards have been improving with development gains and industrialisation, outdoor (or “ambient particulate”) air pollution from traffic, power generation and industries is increasing rapidly, especially in fast-developing countries such as Egypt, South Africa, Ethiopia and Nigeria.

“Annual deaths from ambient [outdoor] particulate matter pollution across the African continent increased by 36% from 1990 to 2013. Over the same period, deaths from household air pollution also continued to increase, but only by 18%”, said a researcher at the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development development centre. The OECD is funded by the world’s richest 34 countries.

For Africa as a whole, the estimated economic cost of premature air pollution deaths in 2013 was roughly $215bn (£175bn) a year for outdoor air pollution, and $232bn for household, or indoor, air pollution.

The study’s author, Rana Roy, is concerned by the pace at which outdoor air pollution is growing in Africa, bucking the downward trend in most countries. Used cars and trucks imported from rich countries are adding to urban pollution caused by household cooking on open fires.

“This mega-trend is set to continue to unfold throughout this century. It suggests that current means of transportation and energy generation in African cities are not sustainable,” said Roy. “Alternative models to those imported from industrialised economies, such as dependence on the individual automobile, are necessary.

“It is striking that air pollution costs in Africa are rising in spite of slow industrialisation, and even de-industrialisation in many countries. Should this latter trend successfully be reversed, the air pollution challenge would worsen faster, unless radically new approaches and technologies were put to use.

“The ‘new’ problem of outdoor air pollution is too large to be ignored or deferred to tomorrow’s agenda. At the same time, Africa cannot afford to ignore the ‘old’ problem of household pollution or to consider it largely solved: it is only a few high-income countries – Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Mauritius, Morocco, Seychelles and Tunisia – that can afford to view the problem of air pollution as being a problem of outdoor particulate pollution alone.”

The study stresses that there is not nearly enough knowledge of the sources of air pollution and its impact in much of Africa. It quotes UK scientist Mathew Evans, professor of atmospheric chemistry at York University, who is leading a large-scale investigation of air pollution in west Africa.

“London and Lagos have entirely different air quality problems. In cities such as London, it’s mainly due to the burning of hydrocarbons for transport. African pollution isn’t like that. There is the burning of rubbish, cooking indoors with inefficient fuel stoves, millions of steel diesel electricity generators, cars which have had the catalytic converters removed and petrochemical plants, all pushing pollutants into the air over the cities. Compounds such as sulphur dioxide, benzene and carbon monoxide, that haven’t been issues in western cities for decades, may be a significant problem in African cities. We simply don’t know.”

Whereas China has reached a level of development that has allowed it to concentrate on solving air pollution, most African countries must grapple with several major environmental burdens at the same time, said the report.

“[They] are not in the position of a China, which can today focus on air pollution undistracted by problems such as unsafe water or unsafe sanitation or childhood underweight,” said Roy.

Henri-Bernard Solignac-Lecomte, head of the Europe, Middle east and Africa unit at the OECD development centre, said the paper made a double case for action. “Air pollution in Africa increasingly hurts people and hinders economic development. Reducing it requires urgent action by governments to change the unsustainable course of urbanisation. Indeed, Africa urbanises at a very fast pace: today’s 472 million urban dwellers will be around a billion in 2050. Today’s investment choices will have decade-long impacts on urban infrastructure and the quality of life of urbanites.

“Bold action to improve access to electricity, using clean technologies such as solar power, can contribute to reducing the exposure of the poorer families to indoor smog from coal or dung-fired cooking stoves.

“As for outdoor pollution, African economies would be well advised to learn from the experience of industrialised countries, for example by developing mass public transportation systems – like Rabat or Addis-Ababa are doing with their tramways.”

Roy warned that the human and economic costs of air pollution might “explode” without bold policy changes in Africa’s urbanisation policies.

She concluded with a call for urgent international action: “If Africa’s local air pollution is contributing to climate change today, at a time when its population stands at 1.2 billion, or 16% of the world’s population, it is safe to suppose that … it is likely to contribute considerably more when its population increases to around 2.5 billion, or 25% of the world’s population in 2050, and thence to around 4.4 billion, or 40% of the world’s population in 2100.”

Source: theguardian.com

Onshore Windfarms more Popular than Thought, UK Poll Finds

20.10.2016

Public support for onshore windfarms is far higher than widely believed, according to a new opinion poll, even in rural areas.

Wind turbines are also far more popular than fracking or nuclear power, contrasting with the UK government’s decision to block onshore windfarms but back shale gas exploration and new nuclear power plants.

The ComRes poll, conducted for climate change charity 10:10, found that 73% of the British public supported onshore windfarms, with just 17% opposed, and the rest not sure. Strong support remained even when only considering the views of those from rural areas, who might live near windfarms: 65% support versus 25% against.

However, when people were asked what level of support they thought windfarms had across the country, just one in 10 said it was more than 70%. The average level of support estimated by people was just 42%, far below the true figure. Research for 10:10 conducted by Imperial College London showed that more than two-thirds of newspaper comment and editorial articles in the last five years were negative overall about windfarms.

“The UK public love wind power and they don’t even realise,” said Max Wakefield, at 10:10, which launched its Blown Away campaign on Thursday. “It’s plainly not true onshore wind is unpopular with the UK public. It’s time our politicians caught up. Onshore wind is already the cheapest tool we have to achieve energy independence, keep bills under control and tackle climate change.”

The government’s own polling has consistently shown that renewable energy has 75-80% public support. But the Conservative victory in 2015, with 37% of the vote, has all but ended onshore windfarm developments, fulfilling a manifesto pledge to do so.

The new poll showed even stronger public support for solar energy – 83% for and 8% against – but ministers have slashed solar subsidies.

Fracking was supported by 34% and opposed by 45% in the poll. Ministers overruled Lancashire council earlier in October to grant permission for shale gas exploration, leading to accusations of double standards, as local communities have the final say over windfarm applications.

Nuclear power was supported by 46% in the new poll and opposed by 37%. In September, the prime minister, Theresa May, gave the go-ahead for a new heavily subsidised nuclear plant at Hinkley in Somerset. Offshore windfarms, which are supported by ministers, are also popular with the public, with 80% supporting and 10% opposing.

The ComRes poll interviewed 2,037 British adults online on 12-13 October 2016 and data were weighted to be representative of all British adults.

Source: theguardian.com

South Australian Windfarms Revise Safety Settings after Statewide Blackout

19.10.2016

Several windfarm operators in South Australia have already revised their settings to allow them to ride through larger network disruptions, following the storm in September that caused a statewide blackout, according to an update by the Australian Energy Market Operator (Aemo).

New information released by Aemo on Wednesday morning reveals nine of 13 windfarms in the state “tripped” after freak winds blew over several major transmission lines in the state.

The loss of the power lines caused six “voltage disturbances” in the network. Generators, including windfarms, have safety settings which automatically disconnect from the grid when there are more than a set number of such disturbances.

It appeared almost a third of the state’s windfarms had settings that allowed them to ride through the six disturbances, as did all the state’s thermal generators.

Aemo said it was working with both windfarm operators and turbine manufacturers to better understand these “voltage ride-through” settings.

“Several windfarms have already implemented revised settings, allowing them to ride through a higher number of disturbances,” Aemo said in a statement.

When the nine windfarms disconnected, they removed 445 MW of generation from the network, causing a surge of power to be drawn from the Heywood interconnector with Victoria. That caused another automatic safety trip, shutting down the interconnector. In turn, that caused trips at the state’s thermal generators, resulting in the statewide blackout.

The new information was sure to reignite a campaign being launched against renewable energy.

Energy expert Dylan McConnell, from the Melbourne Energy Institute, told Guardian Australia it was likely windfarms needed more conservative “voltage ride-through” settings than coal or gas generators.

But he said the fact that a number of windfarms did ride through the event suggested their disconnection from the grid in South Australia was not a fundamental issue with wind power, but rather an issue with the choice of settings.

However, McConnell said the voltage disruptions were very severe, and potentially big enough to cause damage to generators that remained connected.

The report noted that voltage levels were usually required to be maintained within 10% of a line’s rating. “If voltage levels are not maintained within this range, damage can occur to the network or customer-connected equipment, and power system protection equipment might not operate correctly,” it said.

But three of the disruptions ahead of the blackout involved voltage dropping to 60% below the line’s rating.

McConnell said: “There are obviously questions about whether the preset limit (for voltage ride-through) was too conservative. But there is also a question of whether it [is] reasonable to think that a generator should ride a voltage collapse all the way down.”

McConnell also pointed out that if South Australia had fewer windfarms, this particular event was likely to have played out exactly the same way.

The large number of windfarms in the state was a factor in the shutting of the Northern coal-fired power generator in Port Augusta. If that generator was still running, it would have been cut off from the grid by the downed power lines, creating a similar disruption to the tripped windfarms.

“Yes, if there was gas generator or coal generator in Adelaide, then yes it might have ridden through the fault. But if you’re comparing the current situation to one where there was a coal generator in Port Augusta, you would have had a significant loss of generation,” he said.

McConnell said although the storm was a freak event, the resulting analysis could help network operators, market operators and policymakers create a more robust network.

“There’s a question about having a diversity of renewable energy resources,” he said.

Aemo was continuing to investigate the event.

Source: theguardian.com

Shipping ‘Progressives’ Call for Industry Carbon Emission Cuts

19.10.2016

Many of the world’s biggest shipowners and charterers have called on heads of state to take swift action to force carbon emission cuts on their industry which is the only sector in the world not now bound by climate change targets.

Maersk, Cargill, the Global Shippers’ Forum and 45 other shipping organisations including the Danish Shipowners’ Association said “ambitious” action is needed at a key UN meeting in London next week to bring shipping into line with the world’s 195 countries, all of which have signed up to the Paris climate agreement to curb emissions.

“It is time to recognise the important role which the global shipping industry must play in holding global temperatures well below 2C,” the coalition told the UN’s International Maritime Organisation (IMO).

“Shipping’s emissions are expected to substantially increase over the coming years. To curb this trajectory, IMO countries must demonstrate that they can match the ambition and pace of the UN climate body, the UNFCCC [which oversaw the Paris deal],” say the “progressive” shippers in a letter.

Shipping’s emissions, which stand at around round 1,000m tonnes of CO2 a year, compared to about 781m from aviation, are forecast to rise to nearly 17% of the world’s total over the next 30 years if left unregulated.

But the industry, which carries much of the world’s goods, is the only economic sector not now subject to any treaty on climate change, country-by-country emissions controls or reduction targets of any kind – even though it emits around 3-4% of global gas emissions and has a carbon footprint the size of Germany’s.

Aviation agreed a weak emissions-reduction scheme last month in Montreal, leaving shipping and the IMO exposed and appearing to drag its heels.

“The IMO and the industry needs to act fast. Shipping emissions are forecast to rise by 50-250% by 2050 if unchecked. The IMO sticks out like a sore thumb,” said a spokesman for Transport & Environment, a Brussels-based NGO.

To secure an agreement, the IMO and the progressive shippers will have to overcome strong opposition from some developing countries with major shipping interests as well as lobbying by powerful fossil fuel groups and trade associations. These argue for a global CO2 monitoring scheme to be set up before any agreement is made on reductions.

Led by China, Brazil and some small island states like the Cook Islands, one group has argued in IMO meetings that because shipping is a truly international industry, it cannot be regulated in the same way as countries, and must not be rushed into cuts. It says the world’s 100,000 big ships have already reduced emissions considerably but more data and analysis is needed.

“Until the IMO CO2 data collection system is up and running, there is insufficient data to determine whether or not it would be realistic for IMO to adopt a firm contribution on behalf of the sector,” says a group which includes the Baltic and International Maritime Council, Intercargo and Intertanko in a paper submitted to the IMO.

They and others fear that a tax on fuel or emissions, or a cap, could vastly increase fuel costs in a sector already suffering an economic downturn.

But the progressives, who are backed by the powerful International Chamber of Shipping – the international trade association for merchant shipowners – say enough information about CO2 emissions is known and an early decision on a timeline for reductions should be agreed in London next week.

The coalition is backed by a further 19 companies in the the Sustainable Shipping Initiative (SSI) which last week also urged the IMO to reflect the Paris agreement’s objective of keeping global warming below 2C. The body proposes a detailed roadmap for establishing shipping’s “fair share” of global emission reductions.

“This should lead to the swift establishment of reduction targets which should be submitted to the UNFCCC. Defining shipping’s ‘fair share’ of CO2 reductions must be balanced between the required ambition to deliver on the Paris Agreement, and the need to be equitable and affordable for the industry, as well as enforceable on a global basis to ensure change,” said the SSI.

The influence of lobbyists is expected to be key in the meeting. They have traditionally been able to pressure some shipping-dependent countries who operate flags of convenience and ship registration schemes to water down, delay or dismiss action on reducing pollution or emissions.

Leaked documents seen by the Guardian show that the Pacific Cook Islands this year reversed the progressive position it took on climate change in Paris last year, to lead opposition in the IMO to emissions cuts being imposed. The documents showed the country’s negotiator claimed this would hurt small island developing countries the most, even though the Cook Islands are low-lying and vulnerable to sea-level rise and climate change.

“Shipping must be profitable and has to keep growing to survive. Any notion on imposing a system that would increase transport cost and availability of freight even further would be extremely detrimental to [least developed countries] and SIDS [small island developing states] and severely impact on our economic security while inhibiting growth and development potential”, the Cook Islands negotiator said.

He would not even countenance the setting up a working group to talk about cuts. “To be honest I am staggered that this was even suggested,” he said.

The meeting will also decide whether to impose a global cap on SOx emissions from 2020 or 2025. This would see sulphur emissions fall from the current maximum of 3.5% of fuel content to 0.5%.

Although cars and land-based industries have greatly reduced pollution, shipping has been allowed to continue burning some of the dirtiest fuels in the world, thousands of times more polluting than the fuel used in cars.

Source: theguardian.com

Six Energy-Harvesting Gadgets Powered by People

19.10.2016

People power is perhaps one of the world’s greatest untapped sources of renewable energy. Smart devices that harness kinetic energy from everyday human activities help the environment in more ways than one. By turning motion into useable electricity, human-powered gadgets help reduce reliance on fossil fuels and batteries that damage the planet. At the same time, kinetic gadgets encourage people to keep moving, thereby supporting a healthier lifestyle. From a dance floor that turns your sweet moves into a luminous display to a clever motion-powered light that keeps runners safe at night, we’ve rounded up six amazing gadgets that take advantage of human movement.

For runners, or anyone else interested in being active after dark, this motion-powered light is a dream come true. Battery-powered headlamps and body lights can flicker out without warning, leaving you invisible after the sun goes down. The Million Mile Light is a small, clip-on LED lamp that draws power from a runner’s movement, and emits a continuously flashing light bright enough to ensure that motorists will be able to spot a pedestrian over 200 yards away. The lamp promises a 100,000-hour lifespan, making it a long-term sustainable lighting option for all sorts of night owls on the go.

Imagine a place where you could dance, dance, dance the night away and then head home knowing you’ve helped generate clean energy. It’s not a far-fetched idea thanks to Energy Floors’ kinetic energy-generating dance floor. To demonstrate the tech, the company created a translucent floor with a dynamic LED display powered by motion from each shimmy and shake. Motion is transferred through the floor to a small generator, and each 30-inch square floor tile can produce up to 35 watts of sustained output.

Mexico-based consortium Bambootec created a clever bicycle that harvests pedal power and turns it into renewable energy. Small gadgets like smartphones and MP3 players can be recharged via a connected power adapter on the go. The bike also sports a navigation dashboard in the handlebars that measures distance and time. The frame is made mostly from bamboo, a sustainably harvested grass, so the bike has a low environmental impact from its origins to its operation.

The simple act of walking could power your small electronic devices — and it could happen sooner than you might expect. University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers created a pair of insoles capable of generating 20 watts of energy from footsteps. The invention prompted the founding of InStep NanoPower, a startup working to produce shoes with the energy-generating insole built right in. Footwear that doubles as a power source would be a boon to busy urban dwellers, college students, long-distance backpackers and anyone else who puts in a lot of steps over the course of a given day.

A suburban shopping mall seems like an unlikely place for renewable energy generation, and yet it makes a lot of sense because there’s lots people walking around. Pavegen, a clean tech firm, installed 68 kinetic floor tiles in a Johannesburg mall last year to raise awareness about the problems rural villages face with unreliable power grids. The tiles power an interactive data screen that displays real-time footfall data, while harvesting electricity to power struggling communities elsewhere in South Africa. The Sandton City shopping mall sees over two million footsteps each month, which translates into a substantial amount of energy and a major impact in the lives of people who simply want light, heat and other basic amenities.

A team of Georgia Tech engineers recently developed a hybrid textile that uses solar power and kinetic energy to produce clean energy. The futuristic fabric could be used to create wearable clothing, household window dressings and even camping tents. Solar cells made from polymer fibers and triboelectric nanogenerators meshed with wool threads are woven together to create a flexible, lightweight, breathable fabric capable of generating substantial amounts of electricity. The material’s inventors are working on ways to make it waterproof and to improve its long-term durability. It will be quite a while, then, before you can buy a shirt that can charge your smartphone, but we’re getting closer.

Source: engadget.com

Park City, Utah Commits to 100% Renewable Energy

18.10.2016

Obnovljivi izvori — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

Park City, Utah is on the front lines of global warming as it grapples with decreasing snowfall and a shorter winter season that traditionally draws thousands of skiers and snowboarders from around the world. However the mountain community isn’t waiting for the snow to melt to take climate action – Park City just committed to 100 percent renewable energy by the year 2032. The announcement comes just months after Salt Lake City, Utah made the same pledge to transition to clean power.

“Park City’s commitment for 100% renewable electricity is driven by our community,” said Mayor Jack Thomas. “The passion for the natural environment and our responsibility to take care of it is part of the fabric of what makes Park City a very special place to live. Park City can’t do it alone. I challenge other communities to across the nation join us in this goal.”

A total of 19 American cities have now committed to 100 percent renewable energy, joining a growing global list of hundreds of cities, regions, countries and institutions – including the mountain community of Boulder, Colorado that in September committed to 100 percent clean energy by 2030. Last year, Aspen, Colorado became the third US city to reach 100 percent renewable energy after Burlington, Vermont and Greensburg, Kansas.

Park City is also aiming to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2022. Reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2022 and 100 percent renewables by 2032 are ambitious goals in a state thatrelies on coal for 80 percent of its power. But Park City is well on its way, with more than 1,200 solar panels installed on city facilities, a robust energy efficiency program and soon zero emissions electric buses transporting riders on city streets.

Source: inhabitat.com

Green Subsidies to Push UK Energy Bills Higher than Planned

18.10.2016

Household energy bills in four years’ time will be £17 higher annually than planned because of the number of windfarms and solar panels installed in recent years, according to the government’s spending watchdog.

The amount of money levied on bills each year to pay for renewable energy subsidies is capped under a system called the levy control framework, to limit costs for consumers and businesses. The cap was set at £7.1bn for 2020/21, but government officials warned last year it was on track to hit £9.1bn because so much green energy was being deployed.

The National Audit Office revised this down on Tuesday to £8.7bn, or £110 of what is forecast be a £991 average annual household bill by 2020, up £17 on what it would have been if the cap was met.

But energy department officials were quick to point out that the new forecast is within the 20% of ‘headroom’ that is allowed over the cap.

The NAO said the framework had failed to provide value for money because the expected overshoot meant there was now little money to support further new renewables up to 2020. Spending more later would have been more cost-effective because the price of building green energy is coming down, the watchdog said.

Sir Amyas Morse, auditor general of the NAO, said: “The levy control framework has helped make some of the impacts of renewable energy policies on consumers clearer. But government’s forecasting, allocation of the budget and approach to dealing with uncertainty has been poor, and so has not supported value for money.”

In a report published on Tuesday, the NAO blamed the expected overspend on the energy department being slow to see that more renewable energy was being deployed than expected because of the subsidies. Offshore windfarms have generated more electricity than expected, too. Officials were also accused of failing to gather market intelligence frequently enough.

But lower than expected fossil fuel prices had also played a small role, because the most recent subsidy schemes for windfarms – contracts for difference – pay their operators a top-up payment above the price of wholesale electricity, which has been lower than was forecast.

“The department took too long to discover that it was on course to exceed the framework cap,” said the report. “One reason for increased forecast costs was the global slump in fossil fuel prices, a development which energy market experts in general were not expecting.”

The NAO said the Department of Energy and Climate Change, now part of an enlarged business department, had got better at managing the framework since 2015. The future of the framework and support for green energy beyond 2020-21 is not yet clear, but energy experts have said they hope for clarity in the autumn statement.

The report also said that the cost of paying gas and coal power station operators to provide standby power during the winter – under the ‘capacity market’ – would account for an increasing cost on bills. The scheme, plus a levy to make the draughtiest homes more efficient and the cost of fitting smart meters is expected to make up £54 of an average household bill in 2020, though these are not covered by the levy control framework.

A spokesman for the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said: “Our top priority is ensuring that families and businesses have a secure, affordable, clean energy supply. Our actions have reduced projected costs on the levy control framework by around £520m, and we continue to make further improvements to deliver value for money for consumers.”

Source: theguardian.com

OPEC Ministers, Secretary General Hold Oil Talks in Istanbul

13.10.2016

OPEC Conference President HE Dr. Mohammed Bin Saleh Al-Sada and the Organization’s Secretary General HE Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo held a series of informal meetings with OPEC and non-OPEC oil and energy ministers on the sidelines of the 23rd World Energy Congress (WEC) here yesterday.

HE Al-Sada, who is Qatar’s Minister of Energy and Industry, and HE Barkindo met from OPEC, Algerian Minister of Energy HE Noureddine Boutarfa, and Venezuelan People’s Minister of Petroleum HE Eng. Eulogio Del Pino, in addition to Russian Minister of Energy Alexander Novak.

And separately, HE Barkindo met with the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, HE Nicolás Maduro Moros, who gave a presentation to the WEC, one of the energy industry’s premier events, on Monday.

At the informal meetings, the officials discussed the situation in the international petroleum market and the possibility of taking further action towards helping to stabilize it.

Today, ministers and high-ranking representatives from both OPEC and non-OPEC Countries will meet to discuss the oil markets further.

The meetings in Istanbul follow OPEC’s landmark agreement reached in Algiers, Algeria on 28 September, when the Organization’s 14 Member Countries committed to reducing their overall output in support of securing a more orderly market.

The 170th (Extraordinary) Meeting of the OPEC Conference decided to opt for an OPEC-14 oil production target ranging between 32.5 and 33.0 million barrels/day, in order to accelerate the drawdown of the existing substantial overhang in oil stocks and bring the rebalancing of the market forward.

The output move will be discussed further at the 171st Meeting of the OPEC Conference, due to be held in Vienna, Austria on 30 November 2016.

The five-day World Energy Congress, which began on 9 October, has as its main theme ‘Embracing New Frontiers’.

According to the WEC, the event has brought together more than 10,000 participants, including world leaders, dignitaries from the fields of energy, industry, government, and international organizations, as well as universities and the media.

Source: opec.org

World Energy Council Notes Key Role of Nuclear Power

13.10.2016

Nukelarna elektrana — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

Unexpectedly high growth in the renewable energy market, in terms of investment, new capacity and high growth rates in developing countries have contributed to a change in the energy landscape, the latest World Energy Resources report released by the World Energy Council (WEC) yesterday shows. However, it says nuclear energy “is increasingly seen as a means to add large scale baseload power generation while limiting the amount of greenhouse gas emissions”.

The publication, updated every three years, “comprises a comprehensive and unique set of global energy resources data and related information,” according to WEC. “This information allows energy decision-makers to better understand the reality of the energy sector and the resource developments.”

The 24th edition of World Energy Resources – launched during the World Energy Congress in Istanbul, Turkey – covers 12 energy resources, together with carbon capture and storage (CCS) and energy storage.

The report shows total global renewable energy generating capacity has doubled over the past decade, from 1037 GWe in 2006 to 1985 GWe by the end of 2015. Over this period, wind energy capacity increased from 74 GWe to 432 GWe, while solar capacity rose from 6 GWe to 227 GWe. Hydropower capacity, meanwhile, grew from 893 GWe to 1209 GWe. Together, renewable resources now account for 23% of global power generation of 24,098 TWh.

In the chapter on nuclear energy – compiled with the assistance of the World Nuclear Association – the report notes that at the end of December 2015 global nuclear generating capacity stood at 390 GWe, representing about 11% of the world’s electricity.

In a press conference to launch the new report, World Nuclear Association director general Agneta Rising said: “2015 was a very good year for nuclear energy because it doubled the capacity put online. This is compared with the last 25 years. So in 2015 there were 10 GWe of new nuclear capacity put online and it had been below five and even zero during the previous 25 years.”

“The development of nuclear power is today concentrated in a relatively small group of countries,” the report says. China, South Korea, India and Russia accounted for 40 of the 65 reactors under construction at the end of last year.

Rising added, “There is also nuclear power construction in other parts of the world. In the USA there are four reactor constructions, Europe five, the United Arab Emirates four, and we have also have reactors under construction in Pakistan, Argentina, Brazil, Ukraine and Belarus too. There are also countries with one reactor under construction. But we also see countries that are starting projects or continuing projects that have been suspended. Turkey is one of those examples that are choosing to introduce nuclear generation.”

It says, “The outlook for nuclear up to 2035 will depend largely on the success of the industry in constructing plants to agreed budgets and with predictable construction periods. It is evident in a number of countries that median construction times are stable.”

Beyond 2035, the report expects fast reactors to make “an increasing contribution in a number of countries by building on the experience of operating these reactors in Russia and with developing the Generation IV prototypes, such as the Astrid reactor being designed in France.”

The WEC report says global uranium production increased by 40% between 2004 and 2013, mainly because of increased production by Kazakhstan, the world’s leading producer. In an assessment of global uranium resources, WEC says total identified resources have grown by about 70% over the last ten years. As of January 2015, the total identified resources of uranium “are considered sufficient for over 100 years’ of supply based on current requirements”.

Source: world-nuclear-news.org

Plans for an Electric Car Charging Point in Every New Home in Europe

12.10.2016

Elektromobil, Twizy, Renault — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

Car manufacturers welcome plans by the EU to boost the convenience of electric cars by increasing recharging facilities.

Every new or refurbished house in Europe will need to be equipped with an electric vehicle recharging point, under a draft EU directive expected to come into effect by 2019.

In a further boost to prospects for the electric car market in Europe, the regulations due to be published before the end of the year state that by 2023, 10% of parking spaces in new buildings in the EU zone will also need recharging facilities.

The EU initiative is intended to lay the infrastructure for the sort of electric car boom envisaged by Norway and the Netherlands, which both plan to completely phase out vehicles with diesel engines by 2025.

As well as extending the driving range and convenience of electric cars, the mushrooming number of recharge stations would allow vehicles to feed their electricity back into the grid.

That in turn would open the door to a futuristic world in which cars supply energy to Europe’s power network at all times of the day and night, balancing shortfalls from intermittent renewable energies when the sun is not shining and the wind not blowing.

“This kind of market stimulus is not just positive, it is mandatory if we want to see a massive rollout of electric vehicles in the near future,” said Guillaume Berthier, sales and marketing director for electric vehicles at Renault, which recently unveiled an electric vehicle with a 250-mile range. “The question of how you recharge your car when you live in an apartment within a city is a very important one.”

Air pollution and electric cars

The EU moves are designed to help cut roadside emissions, however, in the short term they may lead to a higher than expected sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions from road transport by 2050 according to a recent report by the European Environment Agency (EEA).

Magda Jozwicka, the project manager of the EEA’s research, said there would be a five-fold increase in SO2 emissions by 2050 from electricity production compared to a situation with no electric vehicles. Although this assumption was based on the current energy mix projected by the European commission, which includes coal-burning power plants.

The EEA report, which calls for new sulphur dioxide abatement measures in the EU, also says that the additional power demand from a burgeoning electric vehicle sector, which is predicted to account for 80% of cars by mid-century, will strain supply capacity.

This could require the construction of 50 new power stations across Europe by some estimates.

Martin Adams, the head of the EEA’s air pollution unit said: “A higher amount of electric vehicles will need additional power to be generated. The source of this extra energy is of prime importance. It is clearly feasible that we use clean renewable sources but when you think of where the different countries are at, I think some fundamental decisions are needed to develop a more sustainable energy system across Europe.”

Local power storage

The French carmaker Renault said that it accepts that electricity supply problems could emerge as the vehicles’ market share increases exponentially, although it sees a solution.

“We could make a huge investment to green our electricity but I personally think the future will be built around local storage with a second life battery,” Berthier said.

Vehicle batteries that have worn down still contain energy which can be topped up with energy from on-site wind and solar power generators and sold back to the grid at peak times.

Renault is strategically partnering with companies such as Connected Energy in second-life projects, while last month, BMW opened a similar 2MW power station near Hamburg, using 2,600 used electric vehicle batteries.

Source: theguardian.com

Another Strong Year for China’s Wind Industry

11.10.2016

The proposal for new feed-in tariffs for onshore wind in the draft NEA decree:

The Chinese wind market continued to power ahead during the first half of 2016. According to the Chinese Wind Energy Association’s unofficial estimate, H1 installations were 9-10 GW, which indicates that this year’s total should be over 20 GW again.

Installations are driven by the pressure of the next downward adjustment of the feed-in tariff, which is expected to come into force in January 2018. Talks about the 2018 tariff adjustment have been going on for a long time, and the Chinese National Energy Administration (NEA) released a draft decree just one day before China’s Golden Week on Sept. 29. The draft NEA decree on “Lowering down of tariff of Renewable Energy” affects the renewable energy sector as a whole; tariffs for solar PV and for both onshore and offshore wind were all touched upon.

The most discussed are the tariffs for offshore wind and solar PV. The onshore wind tariff adjustment did not change from previous drafts, which have already been circulated.

The new proposed tariff for offshore wind is ruthless towards the industry with a reduction of 0.05RMB/kWh for each category(offshore and intertidal):

This downward adjustment of the FIT is driven by the large scale installations of both wind and solar PV. The National Renewable Energy Fund, which was formed by money raised from renewables surcharge to finance renewable energy, had a RMB 55 billion (US $8.2 billion) deficit in the first half of 2016, according to a government official at a recent workshop celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Renewable Energy Law.

In the meantime, curtailment continues to worsen. According to NEA’s statistics, the first half year’s curtailment rate reached 21 percent, which is 5 percent higher than last year. The heavy curtailment, together with a worsening of the lack of connections for new projects has caused local governments and grid companies to call for a temporary halt on project licensing in some of the provinces in northern and western China, such as Jilin, Gansu, Heilongjiang and Ningxia; and this is diverting investment into lower wind areas in the central and eastern provinces.

Offshore wind development has yet to take off in China. The sector seems to continue with its “medium pace” development in 2016 and this is likely to be the case for the next few years. The offshore tariff adjustment, together with the difficulties in investments in onshore wind projects in the northern and western provinces, might bring more investment into the offshore sector, but that won’t make a huge difference. The reality of the difficulties in the offshore sector is keeping many Chinese OEMs and developers away. So far only a handful of OEMs are competitive and active in the offshore market. None of the international OEMs has set foot in the offshore business in China (Siemens formed a joint venture with Shanghai Electric, but the JV partnership has now ended). The low tariffs are the major reason for this. Four OEMs — Shanghai Electric (joint venture with Siemens until recently), Sinovel, Envision and Goldwind — account for 86 percent of the offshore market.

In 2016, the first real offshore project, over 10 km from shore and in waters more than 10 meters deep, was fully commercialized, using the Shanghai Electric-Siemens’ 4-MW machines. All in all, with the current tariff level and the current market setup, it is hard to see a huge surge in the offshore market in the short term.

The Chinese offshore industry is indeed following the old Chinese saying: to cross the river by feeling the stones. Without a proper investment environment that is friendly to international players in the offshore market, the Chinese offshore wind sector will continue with its current development pace for some years to come.

This and much more will be discussed in detail at China Wind Power taking place from Oct. 19-21 in the New China International Exhibition Center in Beijing.

Source: renewableenergyworld.com

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