Uruguay makes dramatic shift to nearly 95% of electricity from clean energy

14.12.2015

renewable-energy — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

In less than 10 years the country has slashed its carbon footprint and lowered electricity costs, without government subsidies. Delegates at the Paris summit can learn much from its success. Renewables now provide 94.5% of Uruguay’s electricity. As the world gathers in Paris for the daunting task of switching from fossil fuels to renewable energy, one small country on the other side of the Atlantic is making that transition look childishly simple and affordable. In less than 10 years, Uruguay has slashed its carbon footprint without government subsidies or higher consumer costs, according to the country’s head of climate change policy, Ramón Méndez.

In fact, he says that now that renewables provide 94.5% of the country’s electricity, prices are lower than in the past relative to inflation. There are also fewer power cuts because a diverse energy mix means greater resilience to droughts. It was a very different story just 15 years ago. Back at the turn of the century oil accounted for 27% of Uruguay’s imports and a new pipeline was just about to begin supplying gas from Argentina.

Now the biggest item on import balance sheet is wind turbines, which fill the country’s ports on their way to installation. Biomass and solar power have also been ramped up. Adding to existing hydropower, this means that renewables now account for 55% of the country’s overall energy mix (including transport fuel) compared with a global average share of 12%. Now, Uruguay is being recognised for progress on decarbonising its economy. It has been praised by the World Bank and the Economic commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, and the WWF last year named Uruguay among its “Green Energy Leaders”, proclaiming: “The country is defining global trends in renewable energy investment.”

Cementing that reputation, Méndez – formerly the country’s national director of energy – has gone to this week’s UN talks with one of the world’s most ambitious national pledges: an 88% cut in carbon emissions by 2017 compared with the average for 2009-13.There are no technological miracles involved, nuclear power is entirely absent from the mix, and no new hydroelectric power has been added for more than two decades. Instead, he says, the key to success is rather dull but encouragingly replicable: clear decision-making, a supportive regulatory environment and a strong partnership between the public and private sector. As a result, energy investment – mostly for renewables, but also liquid gas – in Uruguay over the past five years has surged to $7bn, or 15% of the country’s annual GDP. That is five times the average in Latin America and three times the global share recommended by climate economist Nicholas Stern.

“What we’ve learned is that renewables is just a financial business,” Méndez says. “The construction and maintenance costs are low, so as long as you give investors a secure environment, it is a very attractive.”The effects are apparent on Route 5 from Montevideo to the north. In less than 200 miles, you pass three agroindustrial plants running on biofuel and three wind farms. The biggest of them is the 115MW Peralta plant built and run by the German company, Enercon. Its huge turbines – each 108 meters tall – tower over grasslands full of cattle and rhea birds.Along with reliable wind – at an average of about 8mph – the main attraction for foreign investors like Enercon is a fixed price for 20 years that is guaranteed by the state utility. Because maintenance costs are low (just 10 staff) and stable, this guarantees a profit. As a result, foreign firms are lining up to secure wind farm contracts.

The competition is pushing down bids, cutting electricity generating costs by more than 30% over the past three years. Christian Schaefer, supervising technician at Enercon said his company was hoping to expand and another German company Nordex is already building an even bigger plant further north along route five. Trucks carrying turbines, towers and blades are now a common sight on the country’s roads. Compared to most other small countries with high proportions of renewables, the mix is diverse. While Paraguay, Bhutan and Lesotho rely almost solely on hydro and Iceland on geothermal, Uruguay has a spread that makes it more resilient to changes in the climate. Wind farms such as Peralta now feed into hydro power plants so that dams can maintain their reservoirs longer after rainy seasons.

According to Méndez, this has reduced vulnerability to drought by 70% – no small benefit considering a dry year used to cost the country nearly 2% of GDP. This is not the only benefit for the economy. “For three years we haven’t imported a single kilowatt hour,” Méndez says. “We used to be reliant on electricity imports from Argentina, but now we export to them. Last summer, we sold a third of our power generation to them.”There is still a lot to do. The transport sector still depends on oil (which accounts for 45% of the total energy mix). But industry – mostly agricultural processing – is now powered predominantly by biomass cogeneration plants.

Méndez attributed Uruguay’s success to three key factors: credibility (a stable democracy that has never defaulted on its debts so it is attractive for long-term investments); helpful natural conditions (good wind, decent solar radiation and lots of biomass from agriculture); and strong public companies (which are a reliable partner for private firms and can work with the state to create an attractive operating environment).While not every country in the world can replicate this model, he said Uruguay had proved that renewables can reduce generation costs, can meet well over 90% of electricity demand without the back-up of coal or nuclear power plants, and the public and private sectors can work together effectively in this field.

• This article was amended on 4 December 2015. An earlier version described Ramón Méndez as Uruguay’s national director of energy; he was formerly, but Olga Otegui now holds that post.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Small nations, renewable giants

14.12.2015

Uruguay gets 94.5% of its electricity from renewables. In addition to old hydropower plants, a hefty investment in wind, biomass and solar in recent years has raised the share of these sources in the total energy mix to 55%, compared with a global average of 12%, and about 20% in Europe.

Costa Rica went a record 94 consecutive days earlier this year without using fossil fuel for electricity, thanks to a mix of about 78% hydropower, 12% geothermal and 10% wind. The government has set a target of 100% renewable energy by 2021. But transport remains dirty.

Iceland has the advantage of being a nation of volcanoes, which has allowed it to tap geothermal sources of 85% of its heating and – with the assistance of hydropower – 100% of its electricity. This has made it the world’s largest green energy producer per capita.

Paraguay has one huge hydropower dam at Itaipu, which supplies 90% of the country’s electricity.

Lesotho gets 100% of its electricity from a cascade of dams that have enough spare capacity to export power to South Africa.

Bhutan’s abundant hydropower resources generate a surplus of electricity that accounts for more than 40% of the country’s export earnings. But over-reliance on one source can be a problem. In the dry season, it has to import power from India.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Serbia was among the first countries to deliver its national commitments UNFCCC*

10.12.2015

Christine MORO — ????????????????????????????????????

By entering the industrial era, mankind entered the era of climate change on the planet. People’s activity is directly affected by the increase in emissions of greenhouse gases, in addition there was a threat that will die 20 to 30 % of animal and plant species, the level of seas and oceans is increasing, and all this affects the new migration and far-reaching social and economic changes. Global warming is causing severe meteorological changes such as floods, drought, natural disasters, storms … All of this will be discussed at the COP21 conference about which we talk with the Ambassador of France in Serbia, Mrs Christen Moro who on behalf of the host country speaks for our special edition about organization of the conference in Paris, the significance of this event, the activities of Serbia when this topic comes and more…

EP: The Conference COP21 is the biggest diplomatic event ever, that will take place in France, and 195 countries and EU delegation are expected delegations. Do you expect that the effects of this event are grandiose like the event itself?

CHRISTEN MORO: Grandiose is not the appropriate word, we do not seek a “show off” effect but a breakthrough in negotiations which have already lasted for too long without decisive result, while the evolution of climate is rapidly deteriorating.

The negotiations in Paris have been prepared well in advance, with a close cooperation between the current presidency of the COP (Peru who presided over COP 20) and the incoming presidency, France, responsible for COP21. We have used all methodological means to make the positions converge towards our target: a universal, though differentiated, agreement, a binding agreement, a regular monitoring and upward revising mechanism.

On the way to COP21, the preparations have already produced very good and encouraging results: to date, 167 countries have submitted national commitments (“INDCs”), covering 91% of global greenhouse gas emissions by 2011. This high number is in a way a plebiscite showing that the purpose of this negotiations is understood and shared worldwide. Serbia has contributed to this successful preparation: it was among the first countries to deliver, last June, its national commitments to UNFCCC.

With the collected commitments, we are on the right track: the INDCs are already making a significant shift in trajectory even though they are not sufficient to limit the rise in average temperature below 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius – which is the target.

A good progress has been made in recent weeks, just ahead of the Conference, to find convergence in the remaining causes of dissent. The most important is that the political leaders are aware that decisions must be taken NOW, and we count on them to give the necessary impulse. The declaration of the G20 meeting in Antalya is contributing to this political impulse.

The involvement of civil society ahead of and during the Conference is also very important. In spite of the recent dramatic events in Paris we have decided to maintain the Conference itself – which will be a moment of hope and confidence in the future – including the events with civil society – as long as they take place in spaces where security can be guaranteed.

EP: France wants to play an exemplary role in this process. EU member states have committed to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases by 40% by 2030, and France takes a step further by trying to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions by 60% until 2040. What type of resources and potentials does France need in order to implement this plan?

CHRISTEN MORO: Climate change is a priority of French government since the early 1990s. By representing only 1.2% of global emissions, while it accounts for 4.2% of global GDP (gross domestic product), France is among industrialized countries that emit less greenhouse gases. Between 2008 -2012, France has reduced by more than 10% its emissions of greenhouse gases thanks to “low carbon” technologies in the areas of transport, land use and agriculture.

Recently we have adopted the law on the energy transition, which paves the way to a more sober economy in energy consumption, while renewable energy is increasing its share in energy production. We are convinced that it is possible to develop a green economy without sacrificing growth, and avoiding huge expenses for damage caused by global warming. We plan that the energy transition will create around 100,000 new jobs in various fields including renovation of buildings, renewable energy, recycling economy, etc.

Industries and companies used to wait for incentives or coercive policies to act. Today, they show their voluntarism: they have become aware that their own economic interest is to commit themselves to low-carbon practices. And they have understood that the fight against climate change is a source innovation and competitiveness. More than 1500 French companies already published their quantified commitments to climate change.

EP: The French Embassy in Serbia is active, and has launched a series of exhibitions, debates, seminars that included the local community on the topic COP21. What are the results of these activities?

CHRISTEN MORO: Serbia has understood where its interests lie, and is aware of the constraints and damages caused by the effects of climate change: natural catastrophes such as droughts and floods, consequences of global warming on agriculture, public health … For several years France has had a good cooperation with Serbia in those fields and we understand each other. We have found in that preparation of COP21 common grounds for joint actions with the government, local authorities, schools and universities… We have also worked together with researchers and innovation stakeholders, NGOs and citizens. A broad involvement is essential, not only having COP21 in view, but more broadly having in view the period after COP21: the success of the commitments taken will not be possible without participation and support from all levels and fields within the country. The actions taken have raised the awareness of the public, who understands better what is at stake, what is the cost of inaction, what are the benefits of action and what can be done at individual and collective level.

*United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

Interview by Vesna Vukajlovic

ABB presents electric bus system in Paris as COP21 climate conference gets underway

08.12.2015

ABB’s innovative electric bus charging technology was one of the highlights of the show of sustainable transport systems around the Eiffel Tower in Paris, where world leaders are meeting to seek a global agreement to tackle climate change.
Organized by RATP, the French capital’s public transport authority, the show presented solutions for the future of urban transport. The ABB system, known as TOSA (a French acronym for Transport with Optimized Power Supply System) was the only all-electric solution for an articulated bus among the vehicles on display.

ABB TOSA technology was launched in 2013 in Geneva, where it is used on a line connecting the airport with the city’s main venue for trade fairs. Designed for urban transport of high-capacity, the articulated bus can be charged in just 15 seconds while passengers alight and board at selected stops along the route, with longer top-ups at each terminus. “The tremendous interest in TOSA in Paris reflects the attractive business prospects for this solution,” said Olivier Augé, Global Product Manager for TOSA. “Public transport authorities in cities around the world are planning to switch to less polluting technologies, and many are now looking at our zero-local-emission systems as potential solutions.” In Paris, RATP aims to have 80 percent of its buses running on electricity by 2025.

A controlled moving arm on the roof of the TOSA e-bus automatically connects with a charger at selected bus stops in less than a second. This feature and the 15-second charging time minimizes time needed at the bus stop. The TOSA e-bus stores its energy in compact batteries mounted on the roof of the bus, increasing passenger space on board. The e-bus is also able to recover energy while braking to further reduce the total energy consumed by the vehicle. At 18.75 meters long, the bus has a capacity of 143 passengers.

A further advantage of the TOSA system is that, unlike trams and trolleybuses, very little infrastructure is required along the route, reducing both the visual pollution caused by catenary systems, and the required maintenance.

ABB’s electric bus solutions, and each addresses a different market need

ABB is a global leader in fast-charging solutions for electric vehicles. Alongside the TOSA e-bus system, it produces fast DC chargers for electric buses and its e-bus product portfolio includes drivetrain solutions (the components that deliver power from a vehicle’s engine to its driving wheels) and prefabricated e-bus substations.

Source and photo by www.abb.com

Nevena Djukić

Global concern about climate change, broad support for limiting emissions

07.12.2015

air-pollution — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Pew Research Institute made a research before conference COP 21 in Paris, here you can find some interesting facts about this issue. As world leaders prepare to negotiate an agreement that will frame a global climate change agenda for the next decade and beyond, a new Pew Research Center survey finds there is an international consensus that climate change poses a serious challenge. Majorities in all 40 nations polled say climate change is a serious problem and a global median of 54% consider it a very serious problem. A median of 78% support the idea of their country limiting greenhouse gas emissions as part of an international agreement to be discussed at the 2015 UN Climate Change Conference in Paris, or COP21. Worries are especially strong in Latin America and Africa. And Americans and Chinese, whose economies are responsible for the greatest annual CO2 emissions, are among the least concerned. In the U.S., 45% of people surveyed say global climate change is a very serious problem and 18% of people surveyed in China say the same.

“The global consensus is that climate change is a serious challenge, not a distant threat,” said Richard Wike, Director of Global Attitudes Research. ” In fact, majorities in most of the nations surveyed say the world’s changing climate is either causing harm in people’s lives now or will cause harm to them in the near future.” Across the nations surveyed, a median of 51% believe people are already being harmed by climate change and another 28% think people will be harmed in the next few years. More than half of those polled in 39 of 40 countries are concerned it will cause harm to them personally during their lifetime, and a global median of 40% are very worried about this. “But such broad, general support masks significant partisan differences,” said Bruce Stokes, Director of Global Economic Attitudes. “Opinions on climate change tend to fall along partisan lines in many of the world’s wealthier nations, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and Australia.” There is general agreement about what should be done to deal with global warming. Majorities in 39 nations say they support their country limiting its emissions as part of a climate accord. Even in China and the United States, large majorities support an international agreement to limit greenhouse gas emissions. These are among the key findings from a new Pew Research Center survey, conducted in 40 nations among 45,435 respondents from March 25 to May 27, 2015. Additional key findings in the report include:

CLIMATE CHANGE CONSEQUENCES: People worldwide are concerned about a variety of possible consequences of climate change, but drought tops the list. Drought is the most commonly named consequence (or tied for the most commonly named) in 31 countries, including the U.S., where 50% say this is the possible effect that concerns them most. Fears of drought are particularly prevalent in Latin America and Africa. In both regions, a median of 59% say this is their top concern.

LIFESTYLE CHANGES: According to most respondents, confronting climate change will entail more than just policy changes; it will also require significant changes in how people live. A global median of 67% say that to reduce the effects of climate change, people will have to make major changes in their lives. A median of just 22% believe technology can solve this problem without requiring major changes. Even in the U.S., a country known for its technological innovations, 66% believe people will need to significantly alter their lifestyles.

WEALTHY NATIONS SHOULD DO MORE: In most countries, people tend to believe much of the burden for dealing with climate change should be shouldered by wealthier countries. Across the nations polled, a median of 54% agree with the statement “Rich countries, such as the U.S., Japan and Germany, should do more than developing countries because they have produced most of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions so far.” A median of just 38% believe “Developing countries should do just as much as rich countries because they will produce most of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions in the future.”

PARTISAN DIVIDES: In the U.S., Democrats (68%) are much more likely than Republicans (20%) to believe climate change is a very serious problem and Democrats (82%) more than adherents of the GOP (50%) are supportive of government action to limit greenhouse gas emissions. Partisan divisions on perceptions of climate change are also seen in several other relatively wealthy nations. In Canada, 45% of the supporters of the Conservative party believe that global warming will harm them personally. This compares with 71% of Liberals, who just assumed leadership of the country. In Australia there is a similar difference, just 31% of Liberals see climate change as harming them, compared with 65% of Labor Party supporters and 72% of Greens. In Germany, 51% of CDU/CSU followers are worried about the personal effects of global warming, but 63% of SPD supporters and 76% of Greens hold this view. Similarly, in the UK, followers of the Conservative Party (39%) are far less worried than backers of the Labour Party (49%).

SUPPORT FOR EMISSIONS LIMITS: Roughly two thirds (69%) of Americans favor Washington agreeing to a multilateral commitment to limit the burning of pollutants such as coal, natural gas or petroleum. In China, the nation responsible for the greatest annual release of CO2 into the atmosphere, about seven-in-ten (71%) support an international treaty to curtail emissions. Regionally, the greatest enthusiasm for limiting emissions is in Europe (a median of 87%). Support is also strong in Latin America (median of 83%). The lowest backing, while still high, is in the Middle East (73%).

COUNTRY-SPECIFIC FINDINGS: A median of 51% of people across the countries surveyed believe people are already being harmed by climate change, but that figure varies widely by country. In Brazil, 90% of people surveyed agree, 59% of people in France, 49% in China, 42% in India, 41% in the U.S. and 31% in South Africa. A median of 40% of those in the nations polled believe climate change will harm them in their lifetime. That figure was 78% in Brazil, 69% in India, 39% in South Africa, 35% in France, 30% in the U.S. and 15% in China.

SOURCE:
www.pewresearch.org

Edited by Vesna Vukajlović

NYC to Create the Largest Electric Vehicle Fleet in the US

07.12.2015

električni-auto — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

NYC Clean Fleet, named by NYC mayor Bill de Blasio, is the newest idea in cutting vehicle emissions. This electric vehicle fleet will be the largest to hit cities in the United States. This plan will cut municipal government vehicle emissions in half by 2025, and by a staggering 80% by no later than 2035.
“By building the largest municipal electric fleet in the country – and potentially the world – New York City is continuing to lead by examply,” de Blasio said. “Cities are setting the pace on climate action, and with our city and our planet’s very future at stake, we need national leaders in Paris to take note and take action.”

These talks came after a large electric vehicle fleet was decided upon for England. With over 550 electric vehicles currently on the road in European countries, and more than 100 EV’s delivered to taxi companies across Europe. American drivers and leaders are beginning to stand up and take notice of the strides being made in countries other than our own.
With de Blasio’s current plan to cut vehicle emissions across the city 80% by 2050, the government has a lot of work to do. Because more than 11,000 sedans and SUV’s are operated by municipal employees, the work will be considerable and quite costly. The capital investment of $50-$80 million over the next decade, starting with replacing 2,000 fossil fuel vehicles in the next 10 years alone.

Transportation makes up one quarter of the emissions in New York City. With California becoming a leader in the fight to cut emissions, more vehicles being purchased there than all other states. Over half the EV’s purchased in the US come from California.
New York City will not only boost the EV’s for the municipality, but will offer incentives for those that drive EV’s, such as more options for charging and parking specific to EV’s.

Source: www.greenoptimistic.com

Photo by: www.greenoptimistic.com

Edited by Vesna Vukajlović

Ride a wind turbine in this crazy wind farm amusement park

02.12.2015

Theme parks can be fun for children. Shouldn’t there be a theme park that adults can feel good about? If you’ve ever wanted to see the views from atop a wind turbine, your wish may soon come true. The Dutch renewable energy company Qurrent just unveiled plans to transform a wind farm into the “world’s first sustainable theme park.” Designed in collaboration with Jora Entertainment, the park will be packed with adrenaline-pumping rides from the world’s tallest spiraling water slide to an incredibly fast attraction on a turbine blade booster.

While Qurrent’s planned 8,000-square-meter theme park won’t be the first to be powered by wind, it will be the first to turn wind turbines into amusement park rides. The eco-theme park will also offer more than thrills and novelty. Qurrent envisions the park as a “celebration of environmental contribution” that will showcase Dutch renewable energy and educate the public on sustainable practices.

Some of the featured rides will include Beaufort Buster, a waterslide with a spiral slide wrapping around a wind-turbine. Another great idea is the Blade Runner: a ride ON a turbine blade. Can you imagine spinning around on a windmill blade? This is roughly the same idea. This company will produce a ride that speeds around at a “shockingly” rapid rate.The “Newton Nightmare” is a drop tower that will descend 95 meters in 1.5 seconds flat. Whether young or old, this speed will knock your socks right off. The roller coaster will always be the great standby, and luckily, Qurrent is providing Happy Hurricane Roller coaster.

“Within ten years from now, wind energy will be ubiquitous,” says Richard Klatten, CEO of Qurrent. “We strive to be ahead of things, and shape the future of renewable energy.

Creating an environment where people can experience clean energy in a fun and educational way could be one of those. And hey – how neat would it be to tell your friends you took a ride on an actual wind turbine?”

Photo by: Qurrent

Source: www.inhabitat.com

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