Tesla Makes Offer to Acquire SolarCity

23.06.2016

Tesla’s mission has always been tied to sustainability. They seek to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable transportation by offering increasingly affordable electric vehicles. And in March 2015, Tesla launched Tesla Energy, which through the Powerwall and Powerpack allow homeowners, business owners and utilities to benefit from renewable energy storage.

It’s now time to complete the picture. Tesla customers can drive clean cars and they can use our battery packs to help consume energy more efficiently, but they still need access to the most sustainable energy source that’s available: the sun.

The SolarCity team has built its company into the clear solar industry leader in the residential, commercial and industrial markets, with significant scale and growing customer penetration. They have made it easy for customers to switch to clean energy while still providing the best customer experience. We’ve seen this all firsthand through our partnership with SolarCity on a variety of use cases, including those where SolarCity uses Tesla battery packs as part of its solar projects.

So, Tesla is excited to announce that Tesla today has made an offer to acquire SolarCity. To see Tesla’s offer visit site.

Source: www.teslamotors.com

SolarCity Expands to Houston Area, Launches Popular Solar Service for the First Time

23.06.2016

HOUSTON – SolarCity, America’s #1 solar power provider, is making its popular solar service available to homeowners in Greater Houston for the first time. SolarCity makes it possible for area homeowners to go solar for as little as $40 per month, with design, installation, financing, monitoring and a performance guarantee included. SolarCity will also provide and install a Nest Thermostat at no additional cost for qualifying customers.

SolarCity and local retail electricity provider MP2 Energy give Houston-area customers, whose transmission service provider is CenterPoint Energy, access to full net metering benefits through a unique partnership. The partnership allows SolarCity customers that use MP2 as their retail electricity provider to receive retail credit against future electricity use for any solar electricity they provide back to the utility grid during the day.

SolarCity allows customers to purchase a solar power system outright or finance the purchase of a solar system via a customized solar loan, or lease the solar panel system for the benefit of all the solar power it provides. The company has leveraged its installation volume—SolarCity installed more residential solar in 2015 than the next 50 competitors combined—to negotiate extremely favorable terms with financing partners on behalf of its customers. SolarCity also provides battery storage systems to customers that can allow customers to continue to have access to electricity during storm-related power outages.

SolarCity is currently scouting the Houston area for its first installation center, and expects to hire 50-100 local staff in sales, installation and related fields this year.

Source: www.solarcity.com

EIB Agrees New Investment Totalling EUR 7.4 Billion

22.06.2016

The Board of Directors of the European Investment Bank approved EUR 7.4 billion of new financing for 38 projects across Europe and around the world. Negotiations for the approved loans are expected to be finalised in the coming months.

The Board approved EUR 3 billion of new EIB financing for seventeen projects backed by the EU budget guarantee under the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI). This includes research and development of new wind turbines in Germany, investment in research intensive early stage life science companies in Ireland and the UK, equity financing of small infrastructure projects in France and energy transmission in Italy.

The EFSI initiative will also support safety improvements at Vilnius airport and three biomass power plants in the Lithuanian capital and in Portugal, as well as roll-out of 4G mobile internet in Sweden and the Netherlands. Lending under the Investment Plan for Europe is also expected to support SME investment in Spain, Greece, Italy and Portugal.

A total of EUR 1 billion, also backed by the European Fund for Strategic Investments guarantee, was approved for a new initiative, intended to reduce harmful emissions in the European shipping industry through investment in energy efficient technologies and financing for retrofitting existing vessels and financing new environmentally friendly ships.

“The EIB is delivering on the Investment Plan for Europe. We have already approved projects that account for over a third of the final goal of mobilising EUR 315 billion in new investment. The diversity and scale of new EIB loans approved today and backed by the EU budget guarantee shows that the Plan is unlocking new investment that will transform services and accelerate investment and growth. This new financing backed by the EFSI guarantee will help accelerate pioneering drug treatment, improve security of energy supply and improve airport safety. These are truly innovative projects that benefit all Europeans”, said European Investment Bank President Werner Hoyer.

New financing for strategic investment approved by the EIB Board also included upgrading of the water network in the Spanish region of Vizcaya, upgrading 7 hospitals in Stockholm, social housing in Berlin, including accommodation for refugees, extension of two geothermal power plans in Iceland and construction of a new deep water port in Aberdeen, Scotland.

Transport projects approved by the monthly board meeting include upgrading rail signalling in northern Italy and 40 new tram cars for the City of Helsinki. New urban investment including education, renewable energy, energy efficiency, transport, social care, culture and water schemes in the cities of Szeged in Hungary, Oulu in Finland, Presov in Slovakia as well as towns across Germany were backed also backed by the EIB Board.

More than EUR 3.1 billion of the new lending approved by today’s EIB board meeting, will improve access to finance by small business across Europe, including in Germany, Greece, Spain, Italy, Portugal and Turkey . Dedicated lending programmes will support investment by start-up companies and the self-employed in Portugal, by SME’s working with the Spanish innovation agency CDTI and by smallholder farmers and agricultural companies across Africa.

All projects, including those earmarked for support under the EU budget guarantee, need to receive approval of the EIB Board prior to loan contracts being finalised. Loans and guarantees approved by the Board of Directors will be finalised in cooperation with promoters and beneficiaries, and figures may vary.

Source: www.eib.org

Investment Plan for Europe: EIB support Helsinki’s “second city centre”

22.06.2016

The European Investment Bank (EIB) has signed a loan agreement with YIT of Finland, in support of energy efficiency in an urban development project in Helsinki. The loan is guaranteed under the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI).

“We are glad to contribute to “the second centre of Helsinki” as the Tripla project has been dubbed. Urban development and energy efficiency in the pursuit of more sustainable and competitive cities are strategic priority objectives of the EIB, also in connection to our commitment of at least 25% of all our lending going towards climate action. The fact that Tripla will be a near-zero energy building fits very well with that. Importantly, the EIB loan in support of the Tripla project is guaranteed under the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), part of the Juncker-Commission’s Investment Plan for Europe, which allows the EIB to expand its support for energy efficiency projects, amongst other things.” said Vice-President Jan Vapaavuori, responsible for EIB operations in Finland.

The EU Bank provided a EUR 130 million loan in support of the construction of Tripla near-zero energy building project in Helsinki, Finland. Apart from commercial real estate, the project also comprises a completely refurbished railway station and large parking facilities. The project is the cornerstone of commencing a multi-billion urban development and renewal scheme for the Pasila area of the Finnish capital, until recently a sizable rail and transport area but due to house some 12.000 residents by 2040. The Tripla building will be the biggest shopping centre in Finland by number of businesses and will serve as an important transport hub for the citizens.

The operation is fully guaranteed by the European Fund for Strategic Investments, part of the Juncker-Commission’s Investment Plan for Europe. The other financiers supporting the project are the Nordic Investment Bank, Danske Bank and Handelsbanken.

Source: www.eib.org

Photo: www.visithelsinki.fi

Australians Have Spent almost $8bn on Rooftop Solar since 2007

22.06.2016

Solar Citizens says since the 2012-13 financial year, rooftop solar owners have saved about $1bn on their household bills each year.

Australian households and small businesses have invested more than $1bn a year in rooftop solar over the past five years, spending a total of almost $8bn since 2007, new calculations show.

In its latest State of Solar report, Solar Citizens – which campaigns for, and represents the interests of, solar owners – has for the first time estimated Australian’s out-of-pocket investment in rooftop solar, how much money it has saved consumers, and how much carbon it has abated.

Overall, it found Australians have spent $7.8bn on rooftop systems since the 2007-08 financial year, an estimate based on the total amount of solar capacity installed and the cost of those systems.

But since the 2012-13 financial year, Solar Citizens calculated solar owners saved about $1bn on their energy bills each year, with those in the Northern Territory leading the way, saving an average of $1,989 each in the 2014-15 financial year.

In total, solar owners have saved $4.4bn since the 2007-08 financial year.

Although 60% of solar owners said they primarily bought solar systems for financial reasons, 38% said they did so for environmental reasons, according to a poll of 4,300 Solar Citizens supporters from January.

And when it came to environmental outcomes, the report estimated solar owners will avoid 6.3m tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in 2016 – which they found is equivalent to taking a third of all trucks off Australian roads.

The report tried to emphasise the political weight solar owners now have, with about 5 million people living in homes with solar systems.

Source: www.theguardian.com

EU Environment Ministers recognize need for a bold reform of the EU carbon market

21.06.2016

Brussels, 20 June 2016 – Key EU Environment Ministers discussing the reform of the EU Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) after 2020 today acknowledged that the Paris Agreement created new conditions for this process, and called for ensuring that a review of the level of ambition in the ETS takes place in the near future. In reaction to the debate at the Environment Council today, Wendel Trio, director of Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe said:

“The Ministers discussed the obvious: the ETS needs an overhaul to be in line with the Paris Agreement goals. Ministers stressed the need for a five year review clause in the ETS Directive, to be able to adapt it to the potential increase of the EU climate target for 2030. It is high time for the EU leaders to step forward and accept that the Paris Agreement requires a revision of all EU policy tools, including the ETS in due time. Only bold reforms can turn the ETS into a functioning policy tool. It is painfully obvious that with the weak reform proposals currently on the table, the ETS will not drive any emission cuts for many years to come, let alone help the EU meet the ambitious Paris Agreement goals.”

Ministers from several EU countries, including Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Sweden and the UK intervened on the need to bring the ETS in line with the Paris Agreement, and called for a review clause to be included in the ETS Directive, the EU to be prepared for the UNFCCC review in 2018, efforts to increase the low carbon price or raising the Linear Reduction Factor, amongst others.

According to CAN Europe, in order to align the ETS with the Paris Agreement and keep the 1.5oC Paris goal within reach:

– the massive glut of surplus pollution permits should be permanently cancelled (by 2020, the ETS surplus will have grown to up to 4.4 billion; this is more than the EU emits annually; under current reform proposals, these can be fully carried over to the next trading period);

– both the 2030 target and the annual Linear Reduction Factor should be substantially raised in the run up to the next UN political moment in 2018 and then revised every five years;

– the starting point for reductions after 2020 should be at actual emissions level (projected to be around 38% below 2005 emissions by 2020; this would significantly reduce the total number of pollution permits).

Source: www.caneurope.org

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ABB Inverter Dramatically Boosts Performance of Solar Power Installations

21.06.2016

Zurich, Switzerland, June 20, 2016 – ABB’s PVS980 central inverter – an essential component in every solar installation that converts direct current (DC) produced in solar panels into alternating current (AC) for use by electrical grids – increases the amount of incoming solar power connected to a single inverter by as much as 40 percent: a dramatic improvement that completely changes the economics of a solar installation. Thanks to its increased power, the PVS980 central inverter also allows operators to use 30 percent fewer inverters than previously.
The high power 1500 VDC central inverter PVS980 is capable of processing more incoming direct current power from photovoltaic (PV) panels through one inverter, reducing the total number of inverters needed onsite, which helps reduce overall costs across the lifetime of a solar plant. Central inverters are used for applications such as large field installations as well as large arrays installed on buildings and industrial facilities. Originally introduced at Intersolar as a concept last year, the PVS980 is now shipping commercially and has already seen strong interest among customers, with a number of pilot projects in place.

Another attribute of the new inverter is that it is designed to seamlessly integrate into digital smart grids and operate efficiently in reducing the carbon footprint of electricity consumption.

ABB engineers have improved the compactness of the device, enabling a power density increase of more than 40 percent making it possible to build large power rated inverters in the same physical size. Avoiding external air entering the critical compartments of the inverter, the inverter can operate from below freezing to extreme heat in 100 percent humidity without jeopardizing functionality. The very wide temperature operating range, designed to withstand the toughest environments, is working without derating to up to 50°C with a water- and dustproof outdoor enclosure.

Using ABB’s innovative self-contained cooling system, the central inverter does not require refilling of liquids, and has no pumps or valves that need to be serviced. With optional remote condition monitoring, plant operators are able to gain operational data and more accurately plan maintenance.

“ABB has pushed the boundaries of development in the inverter area once again,” said Sami Atiya, President of ABB’s Discrete Automation and Motion division. “In line with our Next Level strategy, ABB is fully committed to the solar industry, strongly investing in R&D and regularly launching pioneering products to the market.”

ABB promotes complete inverter station solutions for the solar industry, including inverters, transformers and switchgear. ABB’s solutions are state-of-the-art in the industry, with installations in all major countries (US, India, Japan and China), and with an installed base of more than 22 GW. Offering complete solutions is a key part of ABB’s Next Level strategy.

Source: www.abb.com

Stanford Scientists Develop Efficient Zinc-air Battery

20.06.2016

Stanford University scientists have created an advanced zinc-air battery with higher catalytic activity and durability than similar batteries made with platinum and other costly catalysts. The results, published in the journal Nature Communications, could lead to the development of a low-cost alternative to conventional lithium-ion technology widely used today, the researchers said.

“There have been increasing demands for high-performance, inexpensive and safe batteries for portable electronics, electric vehicles and other energy storage applications,” said Hongjie Dai, a professor of chemistry at Stanford and the lead author of the study. “Metal-air batteries offer a possible low-cost solution.”

According to Dai, lithium-ion batteries have attracted the most attention, despite their limited energy density (energy stored per unit volume), high cost and safety problems. “With ample supply of oxygen from the atmosphere, metal-air batteries have drastically higher theoretical energy density than either traditional aqueous batteries or lithium-ion batteries,” he said. “Among them, zinc-air is technically and economically the most viable option.”

Zinc-air batteries generate electricity by combining atmospheric oxygen and zinc metal in a liquid electrolyte, with a byproduct of zinc oxide. When the process is reversed during recharging, oxygen and zinc metal are regenerated.

“Zinc-air batteries are attractive because of the abundance and low cost of zinc metal, as well as the non-flammable nature of the aqueous electrolytes, which make the batteries inherently safe to operate,” Dai said.

“Primary (non-rechargeable) zinc-air batteries have been commercialized for medical and telecommunication applications with limited power density. However, it remains a grand challenge to develop electrically rechargeable batteries, with the stumbling blocks being the lack of efficient and robust air catalysts, as well as the limited cycle life of the zinc electrodes.”

High-performance electrodes are necessary to catalyze the oxygen-reducing reaction during discharge and oxygen production during recharge, he said. In zinc-air batteries, both reactions are sluggish. In recent years, Dai’s group has used nanotechnology to develop novel electrocatalysts with higher catalytic activity and greater durability than conventional electrodes made with platinum, iridium and other precious metals.

For the Nature Communications study, the research team created electrode catalysts made of cobalt oxide, a nickel-iron compound and carbon nanomaterials. “We found that these catalysts greatly boosted battery performance,” Dai said. “We achieved record high-energy efficiency for a zinc-air battery, with a high specific energy density more than twice that of lithium-ion technology.”

The novel battery also demonstrated good reversibility and stability during long charge and discharge cycles over several weeks. “This work could be an important step toward developing practical, rechargeable zinc-air batteries,” Dai said.

Source: news.stanford.edu

Solar Impulse 2 Begins Transatlantic Stretch of Global Journey

20.06.2016

The sun-powered Solar Impulse 2 aircraft set off from New York’s JFK airport early on Monday, embarking on the transatlantic leg of its record-breaking flight around the world to promote renewable energy.

The flight, piloted by Swiss adventurer Bertrand Piccard, is expected to take about 90 hours – during which Piccard will only take short naps – before landing at Spain’s Seville airport.

“It’s my first time taking off from JFK,” Piccard said over a live feed from the aircraft as he headed into the night sky at approximately 2.30am.

The voyage marks the first solo transatlantic crossing in a solar-powered airplane, and is one of the most difficult legs in Solar Impulse 2’s journey around the world.

“Goodbye NewYork! Now looking forward to the vast expanse of the Atlantic Ocean and reaching Europe in a few days,” Piccard tweeted, posting a picture of the darkened sky and city lights below.

The plane, which is no heavier than a car but has the wingspan of a Boeing 747, is being flown on its 22,000-mile (35,000-kilometre) trip by two pilots taking turns, Piccard and Swiss entrepreneur Andre Borschberg.

“I’m in the cockpit this time, but we’re flying together,” Piccard told Borschberg before takeoff.

The pair have alternated legs of the journey, with Borschberg piloting the flight’s final Pacific stage, a 4,000-mile (6,437-kilometer) flight between Nagoya, Japan and Hawaii.

The 118-hour leg smashed the previous record for the longest uninterrupted journey in aviation history.

The plane, now on the 15th leg of its east-west trip, set out on 9 March, 2015 in Abu Dhabi, and has taken the aircraft across Asia and the Pacific to the United States with the sun as its only source of power.

“Smooth takeoff and all Si2 systems have been checked here at the Mission Control Center for the Atlantic Crossing,” Borschberg posted on Twitter soon after Solar Impulse 2’s departure.

Prince Albert of Monaco, a patron of the project, gave the flight the go-ahead from its mission control center in Monaco, telling Piccard “you are released to proceed.”

A third of the journey still remains for the plane, which will fly through Europe and on to the Middle East back to Abu Dhabi after crossing the Atlantic.

The single-seat aircraft is clad in 17,000 solar cells. During night-time flights it runs on battery-stored power.

Ball Packaging Europe’s recan fund celebrates 10 years of sustainability success within the Serbian marketplace

20.06.2016

Ball packaging announce recently that 3.5 million cans collected, 2.5 million people reached and 20.000 school-age children educated – with these note-worthy statistics, the Serbian-based recan fund proudly celebrates its 10-year-anniversary. Founded in 2005 by beverage can producer Ball Packaging Europe, the organization is a driving force behind beverage can recycling within the country by using a pioneering approach toward public education and awareness.

The recan fund’s unique programs and campaigns are focused on the importance of recycling and its positive impact to the overall environment. They include a large variety of consumer-related projects, targeted to multiple age groups and resulting in significant success. During the last 10 years, more than 3.5 million beverage cans have been collected, equaling the amount of metal needed to produce more than 7,000 bicycles.

For many recan activities, young people are the main target audience, with the goal of raising awareness around the environmental benefits of recycling from an early age. A great example of how this works is the “Recycling Theatre” campaign, for which recan was awarded the ‘Best Nonprofit Campaign’ in 2014 by the Belgrade-based City Magazine. In lieu of buying a ticket, children can bring five empty beverage cans for entrance. Children who arrive early and bring 10 additional cans receive books and meet the initiative’s mascot “Li-menom,” who shows them videos about recycling and how to crush their cans in a recycling box.

Popular Serbian music festivals like the Belgrade Beer Fest or Exit Festival have also proven very successful for recan. By providing recycling boxes and inviting visitors to participate in humorous competitive games around can recycling, the organization increases overall awareness and educates attendees in a fun and casual way.

The ‘Can by Can’ recycling program also continues to grow. “We started in 2006 with 20 schools. Now it is operational in more than 450,” explains Jelena Kis, who has managed the organization since its beginning. The program provides information to schools about the valuable resource that metal is, prepares teaching materials about can recycling and arranges educational workshops and competitions. “For us, it’s crucial that the kids understand from an early age how recycling can make a big difference for the future of our environment and that you can start to contribute to this with just a single beverage can.” The program has also been established in 58 offices, 25 restaurants, 47 cafés and 18 fitness clubs by providing free recycling boxes and educational leaflets.

Over the years, recan has become a reliable partner for the government as well as the beverage/packaging industry. The organization monitors recycling activities in Serbia to point out potential opportunities for improvement. The foundation is also part of the European “Every Can Counts” initiative and provides expertise, shares best practices and informational material with other recycling networks. In 2013, recan , even spread its engagement to neighboring country – Montenegro.

Source: www.ball-europe.com

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Antarctic CO2 Hits 400ppm for the First Time in 4m Years

20.06.2016

We’re officially living in a new world.

Carbon dioxide has been steadily rising since the start of the Industrial Revolution, setting a new high year after year. There’s a notable new entry to the record books. The last station on Earth without a 400 parts per million (ppm) reading has reached it.

A little 400 ppm history. Three years ago, the world’s gold standard carbon dioxide observatory passed the symbolic threshold of 400 ppm. Other observing stations have steadily reached that threshold as carbon dioxide spreads across the planet’s atmosphere at various points since then. Collectively, the world passed the threshold for a month last year.

In the remote reaches of Antarctica, the South Pole Observatory carbon dioxide observing station cleared 400 ppm on May 23, according to an announcement from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. That’s the first time it’s passed that level in 4 million years.

There’s a lag in how carbon dioxide moves around the atmosphere. Most carbon pollution originates in the northern hemisphere because that’s where most of the world’s population lives. That’s in part why carbon dioxide in the atmosphere hit the 400 ppm milestone earlier in the northern reaches of the world.

But the most remote continent on earth has caught up with its more populated counterparts.

“The increase of carbon dioxide is everywhere, even as far away as you can get from civilization,” Pieter Tans, a carbon-monitoring scientist at the Environmental Science Research Laboratory, said. “If you emit carbon dioxide in New York, some fraction of it will be in the South Pole next year.”

It’s possible the South Pole Observatory could see readings dip below 400 ppm, but new research published earlier this week shows that the planet as a whole has likely crossed the 400 ppm threshold permanently (at least in our lifetimes).

Passing the 400 ppm milestone in is a symbolic but nonetheless important reminder that human activities continue to reshape our planet in profound ways. We’ve seen sea levels rise about a foot in the past 120 years and temperatures go up about 1.8°F (1°C) globally. Arctic sea ice has dwindled 13.4 percent per decade since the 1970s,extreme heat has become more common and oceans are headed for their most acidic levels in millions of years. Recently heat has cooked corals and global warming has contributed in various ways to extreme events around the world.

The Paris Agreement is a good starting point to slow carbon dioxide emissions, but the world will have to have a full about face to avoid some of the worst impacts of climate change. Even slowing down emissions still means we’re dumping record-high amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year.

That’s why monitoring carbon dioxide at Mauna Loa, the South Pole and other locations around the world continues to be an important activity. It can gauge how successful the efforts under the Paris Agreement (and other agreements) have been and if the world is meeting its goals.

“Just because we have an agreement doesn’t mean the problem (of climate change) is solved,” Tans said.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Energy Department Invests $82 Million to Advanced Nuclear Technology

20.06.2016

nuclear-power-plant — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Last Monday the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced over $82 million in nuclear energy research, facility access, crosscutting technology development, and infrastructure awards in 28 states. In total, 93 projects were selected to receive funding that will help push innovative nuclear technologies toward commercialization and into the market. These awards provide funding for nuclear energy-related research through the Nuclear Energy University Program, Nuclear Science User Facilities, and Nuclear Energy Enabling Technology programs. In addition to financial support, a number of recipients will receive technical and regulatory assistance through the Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) initiative.

“Nuclear power is our nation’s largest source of low-carbon electricity and is a vital component in our efforts to both provide affordable and reliable electricity and to combat climate change,” said Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz. “These awards will help scientists and engineers as they continue to innovate with advanced nuclear technologies.”

Nuclear Energy University Program

DOE is awarding nearly $36 million through its Nuclear Energy University Program (NEUP) to support 49 university-led nuclear energy research and development projects in 24 states. NEUP seeks to maintain U.S. leadership in nuclear research across the country by providing top science and engineering students and faculty members opportunities to develop innovative technologies and solutions for civil nuclear capabilities.

Additionally, 15 universities will receive nearly $6 million for research reactor and infrastructure improvements – providing important safety- performance- and student education-related upgrades to a portion of the nation’s 25 university research reactors as well as enhancing university research and training infrastructure.

For more info visit: www.energy.gov

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VW Shifts to Electric Cars

17.06.2016

To catch up with rivals, Volkswagen plans to introduce more than 30 electric cars by 2025. It forecast sales of as many as 3 million of its battery-powered vehicles annually by then, the equivalent of as much as 25 percent of its global sales.

Volkswagen also plans to establish a mobility-solutions business that will develop its own services and acquire companies in areas such as ride-hailing, robo-taxis and car-sharing. The goal is to generate billions of euros in revenue from the efforts by 2025, the carmaker said. A $300 million investment last month in ride-hailing app Gett was Volkswagen’s first foothold in the burgeoning field.

To vie with Google’s efforts to develop self-driving vehicles, Volkswagen aims to create its own system for autonomous vehicles and license it to other companies by the end of the decade.

The new strategy may also include an expansion of Volkswagen’s truck operations into the U.S. The division, which owns the Europe-focused MAN and Scania brands but isn’t active in North America, is targeting a significant presence in “all key regions,” the company said.

Volkswagen plans to expand in these new areas while also seeking to rein in research and development spending. That calls for changes such as streamlining its component operations. The company is also negotiating with labor unions for as much as 8 billion euros in productivity gains, especially at Volkswagen’s namesake brand, the 12-brand group’s largest unit, which was struggling even before the emissions cheating hit its image.

By the end of this year, Volkswagen will present detailed steps to implement the plan, including financial targets for its units. On the group level, Volkswagen expects to raise its operating return on sales to between 7 percent and 8 percent by 2025, up from 6 percent before special items last year.

Source: www.bloomberg.com

Picture: www.inhabitat.com

Marks & Spencer Crowdfunds Solar Panels for its Stores

17.06.2016

solar-panel-1393880__340 — Photo: Pixabay

Marks & Spencer is using crowdfunding to back the installation of solar panels on its stores.

The retailer is partnering with Energy4All, a not-for-profit group that helps community groups set up energy co-ops, with the aim of raising £1.23m to put panels on nine large stores including Torbay in Devon, Truro in Cornwall and Cheshunt in Hertfordshire.

A new entity, M&S Energy Society, is inviting investments of between £100 and £100,000 to install and own 891kWh-worth of panels for 20 years from which the retailer will buy energy. The group is offering a target interest rate of 5% each year for those who invest.

Lydia Hopton, Plan A project manager at M&S, said: “This project is a great opportunity for customers to invest in green energy and help the environment, while also supporting local community groups. We’re really excited that M&S will be the first retailer to launch a scheme of this kind.”

Profits from M&S Energy Society will be distributed through a community benefit fund to help support local energy-related projects, such as improving insulation on community buildings or helping local residents cut fuel consumption. Members of the scheme will be able to vote on the charities and initiatives which benefit.

The scheme is the first corporate tie-up for Energy4All, which has backed 20 renewable energy co-ops around the UK, most of which are based around wind power.

A spokeswoman for the group said it hoped its tie-up with M&S would be the first of many corporate joint ventures, but a 65% cut in government incentives in January had now made this unlikely.

She said the group had been able to pre-register the M&S stores in January so that they would benefit from the previous more generous tariff but that would not be possible in future.

“We did want this to be the blueprint for more but the changes in tariff have put a dampener on that,” said the spokeswoman.

The Energy Society scheme is part of M&S’s plan to source 50% of electricity used in its UK buildings from small-scale renewables by 2020. M&S installed the UK’s largest single array of rooftop solar panels on its distribution centre in Castle Donington in 2014.

A number of other retailers have also invested heavily in renewable energy. Sainsbury’s is one of the largest rooftop solar operators in Europe. The supermarket installed more than 170,000 panels above stores and distribution centres as part of a plan to go off-grid eventually.

Kingfisher, the owner of B&Q and Screwfix, is putting solar panels on its distribution centres and some stores as part of a £50m investment to cut its reliance on the National Grid.

Last year, Ikea, the world’s biggest furniture retailer, pledged to spend €1bn (£700m) on renewables as part of its plan to generate all the energy required by its shops and factories from clean sources by 2020.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Energy Community legal framework on energy efficiency brought under one cover

17.06.2016

The Secretariat of Energy Community published a special edition of the Energy Community legal framework focused solely on energy efficiency Energy EE. The publication brings together in one place the legal acts in force, relevant Ministerial Council decisions and procedural acts amending the original EU acquis as well as all implementing directives and delegated regulations on energy labelling currently in force in the Energy Community.

The publication was launched at the 11th meeting of the Energy Efficiency Coordination Group on 1 June in Vienna. The meeting gathered around 60 experts from Contracting Parties and Observers (Armenia, Georgia and Turkey) together with the Energy Community Secretariat, European Commission and donors community to steer the implementation of the energy efficiency acquis.

The experts discussed progress in the development of the National Energy Efficiency Action Plans (NEEAPs), due by 30 June 2016, and reported on exemplary energy efficiency projects and good implementing practices in the Energy Community. In particular, they shared their experience with respect to the Energy Services Company (ESCO) model. The success of the Regional Energy Efficiency Programme (REEP) for the Western Balkans in its first two years of implementation was also assessed.

The series of energy efficiency events continues in June with a workshop on the implementation of the Energy Efficiency Directive and options for financing. The workshop is co-organised together with the World Bank.

Source: www.energy-community.org

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