Senegal Is Second African Country to Join ‘Scaling Solar’ to Quickly Develop Clean Energy

12.02.2016

IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, signed an agreement on Tuesday with the government of Senegal to develop up to 200 megawatts of solar power under Scaling Solar, a World Bank Group initiative helping African countries procure renewable energy quickly and affordably. The planned utility-scale solar photovoltaic project underscores the government’s commitment to integrate renewable energy resources in the West African country’s energy mix.

The World Bank Group’s Scaling Solar program has gained momentum across sub-Saharan Africa with this new agreement with Senegal to develop large-scale solar power through private investment quickly and affordably with competitive and transparent tendering. It follows an agreement with Zambia in 2015 that has already generated significant market interest. “This innovative partnership with Senegal is important for creating a new market for solar power investment in the region,” said Vera Songwe, IFC Director for West and Central Africa. “Scaling Solar is an excellent example of how World Bank Group expertise can help governments in the region meet their most pressing needs.”

Scaling Solar offers a “one-stop shop” package of advice, project documents, risk management products, finance and insurance that gives even small countries the purchasing power of larger markets and helps attract leading private sector developers to new geographies. IFC will help the Government of Senegal conduct due diligence and tender the solar project, and IFC, the World Bank and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency are expected to support its bidding phase. “Access to electricity is fundamental for Senegal’s economic development,” said Louise Cord, World Bank Director for Senegal. “Scaling Solar will help the Government of Senegal to draw on an abundant renewable energy source to deliver energy quickly and efficiently, helping to meet the objectives of the Plan Senegal Emergent.”

An agreement with Zambia, signed in August 2015, has already led to major advances toward the first large-scale solar facility in the southern African country. Zambia’s Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) has announced that 48 companies sought to prequalify for their two initial 50 megawatt solar projects under Scaling Solar. According to World Bank data, just over half the population of Senegal currently has access to electricity. With energy accounting for an estimated 2.5 percent of Senegal’s gross national product annually, the World Bank Group has doubled its efforts in the sector.

www.ifc.org

Commission welcomes landmark deal on CO2 standard for aircraft emissions

11.02.2016

The Commission welcomes the agreement reached yesterday within the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) on the first ever-global standard to cap CO2 emissions from aircraft. EU Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bulc said, “This agreement is an important step to curb aviation emissions. An ambitious climate policy is an integral part of the Commission’s plan to create an Energy Union, and a priority of the new Aviation Strategy. The EU played a central role in brokering this deal, as it did at the COP21 in Paris. I hope this will create further momentum for the creation of a Global Market-Based Measure to offset CO2 emissions from international aviation, which we hope to achieve this autumn at the ICAO General Assembly.”

Background

Meeting in Montreal, the ICAO’s Committee on Aviation and Environmental Protection (CAEP) agreed on a CO2 standard, which will guide the certification of aircraft towards greater fuel-efficiency. The stringency and the applicability dates, which the CO2 standard imposes, will depend on the weight of the aircraft and whether it concerns a “new type” aircraft or an “in-production” aircraft. For large new aircraft types, a very ambitious standard was agreed, to incentivise ever-greater fuel efficiency performance of future aircraft fleets. For such aircraft types, the standard will apply as of 2020. By 2028, existing aircraft types will also have to apply the new standard. Over the period until 2040, the CO2 standard could help save up to 650 million tonnes of CO2.
This agreement concludes six years of international negotiations. It will be brought before the 39th ICAO Assembly in September for political endorsement, and is expected to be formally adopted by the ICAO Council in early 2017.

Please look here for more informations:
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_STATEMENT-16-267_en.htm

Zumtobel donates efficient lighting to Belgrade, Niš

11.02.2016

LED street lights and a smart operating system will be given by an Austrian company to Serbian municipal authorities, according to an announcement at an event in the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia. Zumtobel Group AG’s donation will be sufficient for two streets. “With the decision to give modern equipment for the improvement of transport in the city streets of Belgrade and Niš, Zumtobel Group confirmed the intention to expand operations in Serbia and the region of Southeastern Europe and remain on this market in the long term.

“This is another proof of the developing economic cooperation of Austria and Serbia,” said Marko Čadež, the chamber’s president, in discussion with the representatives of the firm. The plan is that the company’s experts find the most suitable locations in cooperation with the city officials, so that one street in both Belgrade and Niš can get efficient lighting within a month. Zumtobel, based in Dornbirn and listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange, has 7,234 employees and production facilities in four continents.

Home

Malta investing in Montenegro Energy Sector

10.02.2016

Investment in the wind farm at Možura hill is a first step of possible cooperation between Montenegro and Malta in energy sector, prime minister Milo Đukanović said, adding he is sure that the project will be implemented within deadlines. At the meeting with the delegation from the island country, the prime minister of Montenegro said he had been presented many ideas that can be useful in terms of implementing positive experiences in economic and pro-European development, Mina-Business news agency reported. Đukanović said that he discussed primarily about economic cooperation with his Maltese counterpart Joseph Muscat.

The EUR 80 million investment includes use of new energy sources and complements Montenegrin generation capacities in energy sector, he said and expressed hope the project will lead to more cooperation. Namely, there are possibilities for joint use of renewable sources in Montenegro. The Maltese prime minister offered Montenegro to use his country’s experience in the field of tourism development through internationalization of educational and other capacities, Đukanović said. Muscat said the delegation came to Montenegro to visit the construction site of their first foreign investment in many years. “We have chosen Montenegro because we see the potential here. We invest money and credibility, because we have chosen Montenegro among the many options and I welcome the efforts of the Montenegrin government in creating the conditions to ensure facilitating bureaucracy and concluding contracts on time. We can assure you that the project will be implemented,” said Muscat.

The transfer of the agreement on the lease of land and construction of the Možura wind power plant was conducted in Podgorica in November between Montenegro and Enemalta Plc, a company majority-owned by the Government of Malta. After the investors began works for first wind farm in Montenegro near Nikšić, implementation of a similar investment at Možura near Bar, in the south of the country, was launched in the summer. The domestic Ministry of Economy said the construction of these two power facilities will greatly contribute to meeting the national target of 33% share of renewable energy in final consumption.

www.balkangreenenergynews.com

NREL Explains the Higher Cellulolytic Activity of a Vital Microorganism

10.02.2016

Researchers at the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the BioEnergy Science Center (BESC) say better understanding of a bacterium could lead to cheaper production of cellulosic ethanol and other advanced biofuels. Their discovery was made during an investigation into the performance of Clostridium Thermocellum. The scientists found the microorganism utilizes the common cellulose degradation mechanisms known today (free enzymes and scuffled enzyme attached to the cell), and a new category of scaffold enzymes not attached to the cell. The discovery came as a surprise to the researchers and explains the superior performance of C. thermocellum on biomass.

A paper reporting the potential for the bacterium, “Dramatic performance of Clostridium Thermocellum explained by its wide range of cellulose modalities,” appears in the current issue of the journal Science Advances. This anaerobic bacterium is a major candidate for the production of biofuels from biomass feedstock’s because it already possesses both an external cellulose system and the internal metabolic pathways to convert biomass to ethanol. C. thermocellum is ubiquitous and has been isolated from soil, compost, herbivores, and hot springs. “C. thermocellum can be revived from anywhere, no matter where you are, if biomass is present and the temperature is right, it will be there.” said NREL scientist Yannick Bomble, who is the project leader and senior author of the paper.

C. thermocellum uses both a free-enzyme system and a tethered cellulose system (cellulose) wherein carbohydrate active enzymes (CAZymes) are organized by primary and secondary scaffoldin proteins to generate large protein complexes attached to the bacterial cell wall. “These enzyme complexes are an amazing machinery,” Bomble said. “They can include up to 63 biomass-degrading enzymes. One can think of a cellulose as a nan scale octopus wrapping and digesting cellulose micro fibrils from all angles.” BESC researchers at NREL used newly published cloning strategies, enabled by a collaboration with Dartmouth College, to probe the importance of the primary and secondary scaffoldins of C. thermocellum using scaffoldin deletion strains. They found the scaffoldins were essential to the cell wall defibrillation mechanism used by C. thermocellum. Native cellulose are capable of creating or at least maintaining increased substrate surface area during deconstruction by splaying and dividing the biomass particles. This ability is completely lost with any modification of these cellulosomes, such as the removal of the primary or secondary scaffoldins. These interesting observations were not the only discovery the researchers made. Using the same mutant strains as background, they also found a new type of enzyme assembly that is not tethered to the cell and allows the microorganism more freedom to explore for additional biomass or provides a redundancy in its cellulolytic system to assure a consistent source of sugars. The findings have important implications for industry, and were fascinating for the scientists. “We are learning a lot about this microorganism, how it can thrive in almost any environments, and how it operates on biomass. However, we realize that there is still work to be done to bring it to its full potential. We are constantly working to improve its activity on biomass and increase renewable fuel yields,” Bomble said.

“Our mission is to enable and indeed accelerate the emergence of the cellulosic biofuels enterprise through our fundamental research,” said Paul Gilna, director of BESC. “C. thermocellum is recognized as one of the most effective cellulose-degrading bacteria in the biosphere, thus the discovery of this new mode of action represents significant progress in the scientific underpinnings of advanced approaches for biofuel production.” This discovery, enabled by the Bioenergy Science Center, will influence the strategies used to improve the cellulolytic activity of biomass degrading microbes going forward. Biomass conversion affects many areas of science, ranging from herbivore health and biofuels production to the dynamics of hot spring ecosystems. “The multi-institutional nature of the Bioenergy Science Center allows impactful studies such as the one reported here,” said Michael Himmel, one of the authors of the research paper and activity lead in the center. First author of the paper was NREL scientist Qi Xu. Others from NREL include Michael G. Resch, Kara Podkaminer, Shihui Yang, John O. Baker, Bryon S. Donohoe, Stephen R. Decker, Michael E. Himmel, and Yannick J. Bomble. Other authors from the BioEnergy Science Center are Charlotte Wilson, Dawn M. Klingeman, Daniel G. Olson, Richard J. Giannone, Robert L. Hettich, Steven D. Brown, Lee R. Lynd, and Edward A. Bayer. The Bioenergy Science Center is U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Research Center supported by the Office of Biological and Environmental Research in the U.S. DOE Office of Science and provided the funding for this work.

NREL is the U.S. Department of Energy’s primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. NREL is operated for the Energy Department by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC.

www.nrel.gov

China Tops World In Total Installed Solar PV, Passes Germany

10.02.2016

China now represents the largest market for solar photovoltaic (PV) technology in the world — with a total installed capacity of 43.2 gigawatts (GW) — according to the latest statistics from the National Energy Administration (NEA). The new statistics echo those released by the state news agency Xinhua, revealing that the country had recently surpassed the 43 GW of capacity milestone. The news means that Germany has lost its position as the overall top market for solar PV in the world — and very likely will never regain that distinction (particularly due to the size of the country, the competitiveness of solar power worldwide, and the huge growth in the three most populous countries in the world — China, India, and the US).

Much of the country’s aforementioned solar PV capacity was installed just last year — 15.1 GW, to be exact — demonstrating just how rapidly things have been changing in the market. Considering that China is the most populous country in the world currently, and also one of the most robust economically, there’s still a fair bit of room for further growth — which will very likely be demonstrated over the coming years as solar PV installation growth ramps up there.

The country’s solar PV capacity has increased roughly 13-fold since just 2011. Interestingly, though, much of the country’s installed capacity has remained underutilized — with roughly 30% remaining unused in 2015 in the province of Gansu, and 26% in Xinjiang, according to the NEA. This was reportedly the result of grid constraints in the areas involved. Following behind China, Germany currently possesses around 38.4 GW of capacity according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance — or 39.6 GW according to the Federal Network Agency. The US is currently in third — with around 27.8 GW of generation capacity installed.

By Henry Lindon

Source: http://cleantechnica.com

Global initiative introduces first proposal to reduce airplane pollution

09.02.2016

Governments proposed for the first time on Monday to reduce climate pollution from airplanes, plugging one of the biggest loopholes in last December’s landmark Paris agreement. The global initiative was a first attempt to halt carbon emissions from air travel – one of the fastest growing sources of climate pollution. In a call with reporters, White House officials described the standards as “a huge deal”, noting that the aviation authority has also proposed an aspirational goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2020.

But campaign groups, specifically the International Council on Clean Transportation, said the proposed standards were a missed opportunity and would have little real effect in curbing emissions. The standards proposed at an expert meeting of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (Icao) in Montreal would apply to all new commercial and business aircraft delivered after 1 January 2028. But they exclude aircraft that are already in use, and as most airlines have lifetimes of 20-30 years, it will take decades to cover the current fleet. In addition, the standards would on average require only a 4% reduction in the cruise fuel consumption of new aircraft, compared to 2015. The proposals will be put to countries for formal adoption next year.

Icao said the standard was aimed at larger aircraft, which were responsible for the vast majority of global aviation emissions. “The goal of this process is ultimately to ensure that when the next generation of aircraft types enter service, there will be guaranteed reductions in international CO2 emissions,” Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu, president of the Icao council said.

“We also recognize that the projected doubling of global passengers and flights by 2030 must be managed responsibly and sustainably.” The exclusion of high-polluting industries such as international aviation and shipping was seen as a major weakness of the historic agreement reached last December. Currently, air travel and shipping together account for about 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, but are projected to account for about 30% by 2050. But emerging economies had balked at the idea of including shipping and aviation in the Paris agreement, and so negotiators left them out of the deal. White House officials said they were satisfied with the proposed standard – given the range of countries’ positions. The European Union and some emerging economics had been reluctant to take stronger action. “This is a really a strong result,” the officials said.

“It’s the first ever CO2 standards for aircraft covering existing aircraft.” But campaign groups suggested the Icao recommendations would do very little to rein in emissions – and in some cases lagged behind technology that was already in use. According to an analysis by the International Council on Clean Transportation, some of the top performing commercial aircraft were already achieving the standard – with room to spare. By 2020, eight years before the proposed standards were even due to come into effect, the average aircraft would already be 10% more efficient than the Icao standard. “Given the substantial lead time for the standards, along with anticipated fuel efficiency gains for new aircraft types already in development by manufacturers, the standards will serve primarily to prevent backsliding in emissions,” ICCT said in a statement.

“Additional action would be required for the standard to reduce emissions below business as usual.” Vera Pardee, an attorney for the Centre for Biological Diversity, said the proposed standard put an additional burden on the Obama administration to make good on earlier promises to cut aviation emissions. The Environmental Protection Agency had been waiting for Icao to bring in its standards before moving to cut emissions from the domestic airline industry. However, the White House would not say whether the EPA would propose those new domestic standards before Barack Obama leaves the White House.

www.theguardian.com

Governor Cuomo Launches $5 Billion Clean Energy Fund to Grow New York’s Clean Energy Economy

08.02.2016

Empire State Building. Njujork — Photo: Pixabay

Clean Energy Fund will advance solar, wind, energy efficiency and other clean tech industries to spur economic development and reduce harmful emissions. Today’s unprecedented action will result in lower energy costs for consumers and business beginning this year. Work also begins to establish the Clean Energy Standard to meet the Governor’s aggressive 50 percent renewables by 2030 mandate.
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the New York State Public Service Commission’s approval of a 10-year, $5 billion Clean Energy Fund to accelerate the growth of New York’s clean energy economy, address climate change, strengthen resiliency in the face of extreme weather and lower energy bills for New Yorkers starting this year. Additionally, the fund will attract and leverage third-party capital to support the Governor’s aggressive Clean Energy Standard, one of the nation’s most ambitious goals to meet 50 percent of our electricity needs with renewable resources by 2030.

The fund will operate four major portfolios:

-Market Development ($2.7 billion): NYSERDA will undertake a variety of activities to stimulate consumer demand for clean energy alternatives, energy efficiency while helping to build clean energy supply chains to meet that growing customer demand. At least $234.5 million must be invested in initiatives that benefit low-to-moderate income New Yorkers during the first three years of the fund;

– NY-Sun ($961 million): The fund finalizes the funding and confirms the long-term commitment for NY-Sun and for the growing solar electric market and industry in New York State, by supporting rapid and continued cost reduction. This will continue to make solar energy more affordable and accessible for residential and commercial solar customers, and will drive the growth of the solar industry in New York, which currently employs more than 7,000 people across 538 solar companies in the state;

– NY Green Bank ($782 million): To leverage private sector investment, expand the availability of capital and increase confidence in lending for clean energy projects, the fund will complete the capitalization of the innovative NY Green Bank. The fund will increase NY Green Bank’s total investment to $1 billion and will leverage an estimated $8 billion in private investment;

-Innovation and Research ($717 million): As New York State moves to a cleaner, more efficient, and more widely distributed energy system, the Clean Energy Fund will help spur innovations through research and technology development that will drive clean-tech business growth and job creation while providing more energy choices to residential and business customers.

New York State Public Service Commission Chair Audrey Zibelman said, “Under the Clean Energy Fund, every dollar of clean energy spending will achieve greater savings and enhance private investment, spurring innovation and new technologies that will bring more choices and value to New York consumers. We will build on the success of previous energy-development programs in a way that meets evolving customer and market needs and transition away from approaches that rely almost exclusively on ratepayer subsidies, which is unsustainable if we are to meet our ambitious goals in the long-run.”

www.unfccc.int

China’s new wind power capacity hits record high

08.02.2016

China’s newly installed wind power capacity reached a record high in 2015 amid increasing efforts from the government to boost clean energy. The new wind power capacity jumped to 32.97 gigawatts last year, more than 60 percent higher than 2014, the National Energy Administration (NEA) said on Tuesday.

Wind power generated 186.3 terawatt hour of electricity in 2015, or 3.3 percent of the country’s total electric energy production, data showed. Promoting non-fossil energy including wind power, China is in the middle of an energy revolution to power its economy in a cleaner and sustainable manner. The government aims to lift the proportion of non-fossil fuels in energy consumption to 20 percent by 2030 from present around 11 percent. China’s energy mix is currently dominated by coal. However, the NEA warned of the suspension of wind farms in Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang and Jilin. The phenomenon occurs in the early stage of wind power capacity construction due to the mismatching of new installation and local power grid.

www.news.xinhuanet.com

First Anaerobic Digestion Biogas Plant Opened in Macedonia

04.02.2016

The first organic waste to biogas anaerobic digestion facility in Macedonia has been officially opened by the country’s Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy, Mihail Cvetkov last Friday. Located on a cattle farm in Bitola, the 3 MW biogas plant represents a EUR 20 million investment by the Pelagonija agricultural company. “I hope there will be similar investments in agriculture in the future with funds provided by the budget,” said Minister Cvetkov.
“I.E. direct investments projected at over EUR 100 million and the rural development program from which EUR 50 million are singled aside every year. The third financial source is the IPARD 2 program estimated at EUR 106 million,” he added.

The biogas plant offers state-of-the-art environmental-friendly solution by processing manure with which 3-megawatt power will be produced. “Renewable energy is generated with this system. This domestic investment takes care of the environment, the production process and quality products,” said Bitola mayor Vladimir Taleski. He added that the investment was a confirmation of the cooperation established between the local self-government, the government and investors.

http://waste-management-world.com

Paris climate deal could ‘displace millions of forest dwellers’

04.02.2016

šuma, Svetski dan šuma, zaštita šuma, — Foto: Pixabay

The Paris climate agreement could make millions of forest dwellers homeless, according to a new analysis. Many developing countries will try to curb carbon emissions by setting aside forested areas as reserves. But experts are worried that creating national parks often involves removing the people who live in these areas. The study indicated designating forest reserves in Liberia and the Democratic Republic of Congo could displace as many as 1.3 million people. With funding from Norway, Liberia has proposed 30% of their forests become protected areas by 2020. DR Congo, funded by Germany and the Global Environmental Facility, aims to set aside 12-15% of their forested lands. Consultants TMP Systems concluded:

In Liberia, up to 335,000 forest dwellers could be affected
In DR Congo, it could be as many as one million

“Governments have targets to expand their protected areas, and now with new climate funding being available the risk is they will use this to expand in a way that doesn’t respect local rights,” said Andy White, from the Rights and Resources Initiative, the campaign group that sponsored the research. “It could result in the displacement of millions of people.”

Making matters worse

Analysts say that this type of displacement has already happened in sub-Saharan Africa, South East Asia and Latin America, and sometimes caused violent conflict. “I don’t think the international community wants to displace rural dwellers in Liberia – but I think if we go about it in the way we are talking about it right now, that is going to be the result,” said Constance Teague, from Liberia’s Sustainable Development Institute. “We need to recognise that indigenous communities respect the forest and they have worked on [it] for hundreds of years. “It may not look like what the international community may expect, but this effort to conserve the land does exist.” Liberia had the largest forest space left in West Africa, largely because of the indigenous communities, she added.

The report also looks into the costs of compensating people for the loss of their lands in both Liberia and DR Congo, which range from $200m (£137m) to more than £1bn. The main argument for setting up reserves is to: protect the lands from deforestation, limit emissions, preserve the carbon in the trees.

And Mr White said: “We need to make evidence available that makes it clear that the woods are full of people, and it makes more sense to help them rather than kick them out. “Where indigenous peoples rights are protected and they are able to use their forests for their own livelihoods, they have more carbon per hectare than protected areas. “They are active protectors, you don’t have to pay a park guard, because they protect their forests, and that is what the world needs.” Some 1.5 billion indigenous people inhabit or claim most of the land in the world – but, according to a study released last year, they have legal rights to just 10%.

www.bbc.com

Entrepreneurs Key to Circular Economy Success

04.02.2016

Every year, the World Economic Forum (WEF) brings together the world’s business, economic and political leaders in Davos to discuss the challenges and future of the world economy. The theme for this year is Mastering the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Learning how humankind can benefit from this revolution while addressing its challenges was also the central aim of the WEF Annual Meeting this year. According to Professor Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the WEF, “It is important that leaders and citizens work together to shape a future that works for all by putting people first, empowering them and constantly reminding ourselves that all of these new technologies are first and foremost tools made by people for people.”
Entrepreneurship has been identified as one of the drivers of sustainable economic growth. Entrepreneurs create new businesses, drive and shape innovation, speed up structural changes in the economy, and introduce new competition – all of which contribute to productivity.
Entrepreneurs create and bring to life new technologies, products and services, building new markets and jobs along the way. However, the most common challenge that many entrepreneurs face, namely funding, has not been addressed adequately. If we are to truly make a significant global change in growing the economy through entrepreneurship, then we need to look at ways of supporting and developing our entrepreneurs and small businesses.

The circular economy

The WEF recently hosted The Circulars 2016, the annual awards that recognize innovation and achievement in the circular economy. According to Accenture Strategy Research this is done for two reasons: Companies both large and small can make a big impact with circular models across multiple sectors. And the opportunity is one of massive growth. By simply shifting from today’s model of ‘take, make, waste’ the global economy could unlock $25 trillion of otherwise lost revenue by 2050. The circular economy focuses on creating and promoting new business opportunities that entail entrepreneurship and eco-innovation.
Entrepreneurs will be the key custodians in leading the transition to a circular economy business model and closing the loop on dwindling resources. This is what we need to be focusing on – pairing entrepreneurial spirit and the concerted effort to finding solutions with the many challenges and problems that we face as a country and a continent.

http://waste-management-world.com

Circular economy to have considerable benefits, but challenges remain

03.02.2016

The environmental benefits of adopting a circular economy in Europe could be considerable – reducing waste, and minimizing the continent’s heavy dependence on imports of raw materials. A new report published today by the European Environment Agency (EEA) draws attention to both the benefits and challenges of such an economic transition. The report also describes possible ways to measure progress and highlights the areas where more attention is required from research and policy in order to turn the concept into reality.
The EEA report Circular economy in Europe – Developing the knowledge base describes the concept of the circular economy and outlines its key characteristics. Creating a circular economy requires fundamental changes throughout the value chain, from product design and production processes to new business models and consumption patterns. Recycling will turn waste into a resource and extending product lifetimes will help preserve natural resources. The European Commission’s 2015 circular economy package plays an important role in bringing this about.

‘The concept of a circular economy has recently gained traction in European policy making as a positive, solutions-based perspective for achieving economic development while respecting environmental limits. The EEA is prepared to support the transition to a circular economy through analysis and assessments,’ said EEA Executive Director Hans Bruyninckx.

Unlike the traditional take-make-consume-dispose approach, a circular economy seeks to respect environmental boundaries through increasing the share of renewable or recyclable resources while reducing the consumption of raw materials and energy. Emissions and loss of resources will thus be reduced. Approaches such as eco-design, sharing, re-using, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing products and materials, will play a significant role in maintaining the use of products, components and materials and retaining their value.

Key findings

The benefits of a transition towards a circular economy in Europe could be considerable, reducing environmental pressures in Europe and beyond and minimising the continent’s high and increasing dependence on imports. Increasingly, this dependence could be a source of vulnerability. Growing global competition for natural resources has contributed to marked increases in price levels and volatility. Circular economy strategies could also result in considerable cost savings, increasing the competitiveness of Europe’s industry while delivering net benefits in terms of job opportunities.

Challenges – As new circular approaches emerge, frictions between the existing linear system and the new approaches are bound to arise. These may be perceived as threats by some stakeholders, but as opportunities by others.

Good practice examples exist. For instance, businesses are already employing or experimenting with new business models such as service- and function-based business models and collaborative consumption. Governments increasingly foster waste prevention, reuse and repair.

A transition requires a substantial expansion of the knowledge base to chart progress and identify where more work is needed to achieve change. Some indicators exist already. For example, Europe is reducing the amount of waste generated and recycles more and more of its waste. But more information is needed to inform decision making and combine thinking about environmental, social and economic impacts. Better insight is needed in production structures and functions, consumption dynamics, finance and fiscal mechanisms, as well as triggers and pathways for technological and social innovations.

www.eea.europa.eu

The smart money is going green

02.02.2016

Last month, the world reached a landmark agreement on climate change in Paris. This week, business leaders gathered in Davos for the World Economic Forum need to start breathing life into that deal. The Paris Agreement delivered a clear and credible signal that the world economy is moving in a low-carbon direction. Now it’s time for companies and investors to make 2016 a ‘Year of Green Finance’ by putting efforts to reduce emissions on their priority list for investment and risk management.

Over the past few years, businesses have learned that strong climate action can deliver economic growth. Shares in companies taking the lead in this area outperformed the Bloomberg world index of top companies by almost 10% from 2010-2014. Investors can see the way the wind is blowing, which is why the value of green bonds for sustainable infrastructure has exploded, hitting $41 billion in 2015. Over 400 investors representing $24 trillion in assets have pledged to seek out and scale up low-carbon and carbon-resilient investments.

Cost of renewable energy falling fast

One reason investors are so excited is because innovation is lowering the price of renewable energy much faster than anticipated. The cost of solar panels has fallen 80% since 2008, and solar and wind energy can now compete on cost with fossil fuels in many regions worldwide. This has led to a drastic market shift: In 2013, new clean power capacity exceeded that of new fossil fuel capacity for the first time ever. We can expect the shift to continue. The cost of investing in carbon intensive sectors is increasing. According to research from Corporate Knights, 14 funds holding over $1 trillion in assets could have saved $22 billion had they shifted investments from the highest carbon companies to those that receive at least 20% of revenues from environmental markets or clean energy.

The awareness of the risks of high-carbon investment is growing, though it could still use a push. The financial community should expect increasing pressure on companies to disclose their exposure to climate risk, and to be more transparent about the carbon intensity of their investments. The Portfolio Decarbonization Coalition a joint effort by United Nations Environment Programme, its Finance Initiative, and major funds and asset managers announced last month that over $600 billion in assets had been committed to de-carbonization, six times its original target.

This is a clear indication that the smart money is already moving in the right direction. Businesses and investors are acting fast, but what can policymakers do to support the clean energy transition? For one, they can enact carbon pricing, which offers a win-win opportunity for climate and the economy. Revenues from such programs have helped to balance budgets or have been used to address other public priorities, such as employment generation or reducing inequality.

Green investments are making money

The transition will also require policymakers to throw their support behind green finance institutions and tools, including green banks and public capital for renewable energy and other low-carbon investments. Green banks are already successfully leveraging private capital in a number of countries and proving that such investments can be profitable. For instance, the UK Green Investment Bank expects to earn taxpayers a return of 10% in 2015. In developing countries, public capital must play a key role. Without financing, the upfront costs of clean energy can deter investors and obscure the future cost advantages from lower fuel and operating costs.

This is an urgent issue if ambitious renewable energy targets in countries like India are to be realized. Other countries like China and Brazil have provided low cost, long-term debt for renewable energy. We could all learn from their successes in providing cheap public financing. The Paris Agreement gave the world a clear signal. Early movers in business and finance will see important gains over competitors. But much work still lies ahead.

Author: Caio Koch-Weser is a member of the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate, chair of the Supervisory Board, European Climate Foundation, and vice-chairman of Deutsche Bank. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

www.cnn.com

Renewable Energy Technologies

02.02.2016

This book presents currently available renewable energy technologies (RETs) and explores their possible integration into the economically viable and green residential micro grids of tomorrow. The emphasis is on the importance of RETs in today’s energy-efficient building designs, and on those RET mathematical models suitable for both performance simulation and economic appraisal. A range of energy storage alternatives, as well as typical energy consumption patterns, are also thoroughly described and precisely simulated. After selecting the right components for a hybrid system, readers are introduced to problems of system integration and optimization, using simulations that support alternative scenario exercises and comparative analysis. The multi criteria comparison also includes detailed investment appraisals, using both conventional methodologies and the authors’ novel green-accounting-based appraisal to investigate the impacts on the economic efficiency of the project.

Authors: Marko Batić, Mladen Stanojević, Sanja Vraneš

www.springer.com

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