How Innovation in Heat Pumps Can Transform Heating and Cooling

17.08.2023

klima uređaj — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Annie Spratt)

Heating and cooling accounts for about half of global energy consumption and is responsible for more than 40 percent of energy-related carbon dioxide emissions.

Considering that only a third of people living in hot climates possess cooling appliances, the energy demand for heating and cooling is expected to surge, especially with global temperatures on the rise. This emphasises the urgent need to transform and decarbonise the sector.

Highly efficient electricity-driven heat pumps will be vital in this effort, especially for space and water heating in buildings where cooling is largely electrified

Heat pumps are devices that use electricity to move heat from one place to another. Think of them as “reversible air conditioners”. Just like a fridge keeps your food cold by taking away its heat, heat pumps can either pull heat from the outside to warm a building or push it out to cool the building. They can get this heat from various sources like outside air, water from rivers or lakes, the ground, or even leftover heat from industrial processes. These same sources can be used as heat sinks in cooling mode.

Heat pumps are very energy efficient devices. They can provide three to six units of useful thermal energy for each unit of electricity consumed. In comparison, traditional combustion-based heating systems only provide less than one unit of thermal energy for each unit of energy consumed.

They are also versatile. In cases where buildings have existing gas infrastructure, heat pumps can be combined with in-place gas-fired boilers to minimise efficiency drops in heat pumps in colder weather, helping to increase users’ confidence in transitioning to an electrified heating supply.

This type of hybrid heat pump solution will supply most of the heat, generating immediate savings in energy costs, as well as reduce the need to increase the peak electricity load on the grid, which might otherwise be required to power heat pumps during severe cold spells, when heat pumps are less efficient.

The ability to switch between two energy carriers – electricity and heat – adds resilience to the energy system and can reduce costs when using smart controls that factor in energy prices. Over time, the remaining gas use could be replaced with decarbonised fuels, such as renewable biogas.

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Krysztof Kotkowicz)

Heat pump advantages go beyond their high efficiency and hybridisation with traditional heating systems. They can be aggregated to provide services to the grid and, in return, revenues to the heat pumps’ owners.

One example mentioned in IRENA’s Innovation Landscape Report is the Swiss company Tiko, which aggregates heat pumps, refrigerators and other electrical appliances owned by many customers to create what is now the largest virtual power plant in Europe. Aggregating more than 7,000 households, Tiko’s virtual power plants have a total capacity of 100 MW, making it one of the largest virtual power plants in Europe.

This type of virtual power plant company uses digital platforms to control these appliances to shift or reduce peak demand, providing valuable flexibility to the grid while also reducing users’ bills. The platform also couples the power consumption of appliances with private electricity generation, such as rooftop PV, to further reduce bills.

To limit rising global temperatures to 1.5°C, IRENA’s roadmap to net zero suggests that nearly 800 million additional heat pump units need to be installed by 2050. This represents a 14-fold increase from the roughly 60 million units installed today, paving the way for a significant scale-up of grid services provided by this highly efficient heating technology.

The innovative uses of heat pumps, their beneficial impact on consumers, and strategies to increase adoption are topics that will be discussed in depth during a session on the electrification of heating and cooling in buildings at IRENA’s Innovation Week taking place in Bonn from 25th to 28th September 2023.

Source: IRENA

EMPOWERING CITIZENS TO BECOME PROSUMERS OF SOLAR ENERGY

16.08.2023

aerial-view-private-house-with-solar-panels-roof — Photo-illustration: Freepik (wirestock)

Serbia is making significant strides toward a cleaner and more efficient energy future with the support of the German government within the framework of the German Development Cooperation program.

PROMOTION OF RENEWABLE ENERGY AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN SERBIA is a project implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in cooperation with the Serbian Ministry of Mining and Energy, which aims to develop the prosumer model further and familiarize the citizens with this new concept in the Serbian power supply system.

This initiative contributes to transforming the Serbian energy landscape and empowers citizens to actively participate in the energy transition.

The greatest contribution to energy sustainability is given when investing in a solar power plant is done after implementing energy efficiency measures. Electricity consumption and thermal energy losses should be reduced, coupled with more efficient cooling and heating systems, and only then self-production of clean energy should come into focus.

IN FOCUS:

The prosumer model, introduced only last year, allows households, housing communities, and businesses to become clean energy producers for their consumption while maintaining the ability to use electricity from the distribution grid when “the Sun isn’t shining,” i.e., when there is no production, or it is insufficient. Also, prosumers can transfer their surplus clean energy to the grid through a two-way meter.

The decentralization and democratization of electricity generation allow citizens to contribute directly to decarbonization and environmental protection. Serbia has excellent potential for solar energy use – up to 30-40 per cent more insolation than Germany – but is far from the installed capacities that exist there. Fortunately, in the last ten years, prices of photovoltaics have dropped significantly, and the path to mass adoption of solar power plants is becoming shorter and easier, at least in terms of affordability.

Another advantage that citizens can have as prosumers is financial savings, as they can produce a significant amount of electricity for their needs and buy less from the power utility. The greatest savings are made when most of the self-produced electricity is consumed directly, during the time of day when production from the solar power plant is highest, which requires certain changes in habits. With good planning of the capacity of the rooftop solar power plant, adjusted consumption, and the subsidies for PV systems offered by the Ministry in cooperation with local self-governments, households can pay off their power plants through savings in electricity bills in less than eight years, and their lifespan is at least 25 years. With the expected increase in electricity prices, this will only be shortened further.

Households have an additional advantage – they can create “kilowatt-hour stocks” at a time when their solar power plant production is greater than their consumption, and they can hand over the excess kilowatt-hours to the distribution network, which the distribution operator records through net-metering. Prosumers can use their “stocks” by the end of the accounting period, which lasts from April of one year to the end of March of the following year. However, this practice creates pressure on the network and the supplier because surpluses are created at the time of the year when consumption in the entire system is lower, and the “stocks” are used up when consumption is the highest and electricity production is the most expensive. Hence, the sustainability of this calculation method is in question.

Although solar energy is renewable, it is also a variable source of energy. Production in the solar power plant is only possible during the day, and even then, when it is cloudy, it drops significantly. When prosumers lack enough self-produced electricity, they can get the necessary energy from the grid. But what happens when prosumers have surpluses and many of them at the same time? All surpluses of clean energy go into the grid as a priority source in the energy mix, and the power utility company then supplements this from their production in thermal and hydropower plants.

Source: GIZ

Read the story in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES

ELECTRIC POWER DISTRIBUTION OF SERBIA – CHALLENGES OF CONNECTING PROSUMERS TO THE POWER GRID

15.08.2023

watt-a-lot-8GS8bmor8_A-unsplash — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Watt a lot)

Since the Law on the Use of Renewable Energy Sources in Serbia was adopted in April 2021, there has been a strong interest in installing solar panels.

An increasing number of citizens and companies use the opportunity to produce electricity for their own needs and to distribute the surplus to the national power grid and thus become prosumers.

The prosumer concept focuses, first and foremost, on households and small businesses. At the same time, large industrial consumers will have the opportunity to self-supply with the help of the active buyer concept.

The installation of solar panels in households is also supported through the subsidy programme for boosting energy efficiency for family houses and residential buildings, which the Ministry of Mining and Energy implements together with local governments, which incentivizes citizens to decide to produce electricity.

IN FOCUS:

A multitude of connection requests

Elektrodistribucija Srbija (The Electric Power Distribution of Serbia Company) has received numerous requests from producers who generate electricity from renewable energy sources to connect to the national power grid.

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Ricardo Gomez Angel)

With the passing of amendments to the Law on the Use of Renewable Energy Sources, the new Law comes into force, which prescribes limits for the connection of capacities to produce electricity from renewable sources to avoid overloading the distribution and transmission grids.

Predrag Matić, director of the Planning and Investments Directorate at Elektrodistribucija Srbije d.o.o. says that the prosumer concept was practically introduced in April 2021, while the current amendments to the Law have supplemented and developed it. In his company, the initial interest in the concept was shown in November 2021, after adopting the Decree on Criteria, Conditions and Manner of Calculation of Receivables and Liabilities between Prosumers and Suppliers.

“We can say that the interest is strong, and the procedure for establishing a connection has been significantly expedited compared to the beginning of the application period. So, for example, in April of this year alone, we connected 200 new users to the grid and entered them into the Prosumer Registry,” explains Mr Matić.

Novelties that the Law amendments bring

The amendments mentioned above to the Law stipulate several changes related to the category of prosumers. Predrag Matić says they have no significant influence on citizens who want to install a solar power plant as they are more related to the industry in the prosumer segment.

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Casey Horner)

“Citizens’ interest is not expected to decrease. The only essential change that the power plant’s installed power limit is determined at 10.8 kW for households. The current average for connected users is 8 kW, so it is essential to increase the threshold to make it more profitable to install solar panels,” Mr Matić adds.

An increasing number of solar power plants, like all capacities generated from renewable energy sources, must be connected to the distribution grid after construction. Any new power plant, be it solar, wind power, biogas or hydropower, affects the grid. As a responsible company, Elektrodistribucija Srbije, says Predrag Matić, checks all technical prerequisites for connection to the grid of each production facility, drafts connection studies in which criteria are checked based on operating and grid rules, etc.

He especially underlines the fact that everyone is ready for challenges when it comes to connecting new prosumers to the grid.

When asked if he expects Elektrodistribucija to change the operating rules this year, which will define the possibility of connecting power plants with a battery system, Matić says that that is a matter of laws and by-laws, which comes under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Mining and Energy and does not relate to operating rules. He adds that Elektrodistribucija Srbije must adopt new operating rules only after the prerequisites are met.

Prepared by: Milica Radičević

Read the story in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES

Young people hold the key to Africa’s green economy

14.08.2023

annie-spratt-wtk4VH8EU20-unsplash — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Annie Spratt)

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Ninno JackJr)

Young people across the world are struggling to find meaningful work, with over 73 million unemployed youth globally. But nowhere is this problem more acute than in rural areas of developing countries – especially in Africa.

Across the continent, just three million jobs are created each year despite 12 million young people entering the labour market annually. In 2020 one in five young people in Africa were not in employment, education, or training.

Meanwhile, a changing climate, environmental degradation and growing populations mean producing enough nutritious food has never been more challenging. This is where IFAD steps in.

A green transition

With more than one in four workers globally employed in agriculture and African agribusinesses estimated to be valued at one trillion US dollars by 2030, the green transition promises sustainable development that conserves natural resources and creates opportunities for young people.

Through the Integrated Agribusiness Hubs programme, IFAD helps create employment opportunities for young people so they can stay connected to rural life and earn a living by growing and selling nutritious and sustainable food.

Tomilayo Hamzat is one of 5,500 people taking part in the Agrihub initiative in Nigeria. She trained at the Soilless Farm Lab, where she learned how to grow vegetables using hydroponic methods.

“When I learned about soilless farming, I thought: this is actually different from what I learned in school and what I’ve been taught,” says Tomilayo. “This unique way of farming is one of the things that inspired me to continue in this line.”

Along with training, young people are also given the tools to set up their own agribusinesses, access to financial services and mentorship. As the Agrihubs mature, they will develop into a network of support for youth-led agribusinesses.

Expanding opportunities

A similar initiative is underway in neighbouring Cameroon, creating green opportunities for young people where previously there were none.

“After my degree, my friends and I searched for jobs, but many businesses weren’t recruiting fresh graduates,” says Lionel Patrick Ateba.

Then he came across Family Green Corp, an agribusiness that produces bio-fertilizers and ecological charcoal as climate-smart alternatives to chemical fertilizers and fossil fuels. With funding from IFAD, Family Green Corp now hosts an agribusiness hub that aims to train 75 young people each year.

Thanks to the energy and commitment of young employees, Family Green Corp is flourishing, consumers have greater access to food grown with safe fertilizers and the use of ecological charcoal is helping to limit deforestation.

As the world endures another year of climate disasters, it’s clearer than ever that we need significant and effective investments in a green transition that works for all.

Agrihubs demonstrate how we can find solutions to multiple seemingly intractable problems in one go. Investing in young people to build prosperous rural economies can also unlock green jobs, feed communities and lay the foundation for a sustainable world of work.

Source: IFAD

Flash Flood Guidance System (FFGS): Advancing Women in Meteorology and Hydrology

12.08.2023

weather-effects-composition — Photo-illustration: Freepik (freepik)

Women make up 49.7 per cent of the global population, yet they are often ignored, and their rights violated. The result is a world that excludes and marginalizes half the population of the planet – a problem that will prevent all of us from experiencing a more prosperous, peaceful, and sustainable future. At the root of this problem is gender inequality (UNFPA, 2023).

With climate change, the challenges will intensify. Although climate change affects all segments of society, its impact can vary, often exacerbating existing inequalities. Gender disparities can hinder women’s capacity to adapt to weather-related disturbances. Moreover, as weather events become more frequent and severe, gender inequalities have the potential to persist and escalate (Eastin, 2018; World Bank, 2023).

It has been recognized for decades that women remain under-represented in professional fields in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), particularly on a global scale (UNESCO Institute for Statistics, retrieved from World Bank Gender Data Portal). Meteorology, hydrology, and disaster risk reduction are no exceptions.

The Flash Flood Guidance System (FFGS) project, developed in partnership between WMO and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)/National Weather Service (U.S. NWS), United States Agency for International Development/Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (USAID/BHA) and the Hydrologic Research Center (HRC), provides operational forecasters and disaster management agencies with real-time informational guidance products on the threat of small-scale flash flooding. Beyond its classification of a tool, it functions as a hub for diverse contributions from across 72 countries around the globe and organizes specialized workshops tailored for females and advocates for parity within training sessions and meetings. This concerted effort seeks to cultivate equitable representation, echoing the United Nations top priority of protecting every individual on Earth, including the most vulnerable, with early warning systems by 2027.

A recent instance illustrating this principle was the FFGS Female Empowerment Workshop held in Geneva, Switzerland, from May 25 to 26, 2023. Facilitated by funding from USAID/BHA, the workshop convened 16 FFGS female experts from National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs), representing all 6 WMO Regional Associations (RAs). With a clear directive of fostering practical leadership capabilities, the workshop homed in on enhancing skills in communication, negotiation, and consensus-building. Foremost among the outcomes was the formulation of the Female Empowerment Statement, articulating five recommended actions poised for presentation at the Nineteenth World Meteorological Congress (Cg-19) and the Hydrological Assembly.

Source: WMO

From polluter to grid service provider: How your car can help power the energy transition

11.08.2023

car-auto-punjenje-električni — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

It is common knowledge that electric vehicles (EVs) are cleaner alternatives to conventional vehicles. However, their role in the energy transition extends beyond cutting direct emissions, underlining their crucial importance. This is why policymakers across the globe are dedicating efforts to make the massive deployment of EVs a reality.

Under the International Renewable Energy Agency’s (IRENA) 1.5°C Scenario, the number of electric passenger cars needs to exceed two billion by 2050. Managing this growth and harnessing associated opportunities come with a challenge from a grid perspective. If policymakers want to minimize the cost of grid reinforcements, smart electrification strategies are considered essential.

In the run-up to COP28, IRENA will be hosting Innovation Week in Bonn, Germany from 25-28 September to bring together leaders, experts, industry representatives, academics and policy makers to discuss cutting-edge innovations that can support and accelerate the global energy transition. One important area of focus will be the smart electrification of mobility, particularly the benefits of bidirectional charging of EVs that allow car batteries to be used by the grid to improve its efficiency and reliability.

Cars are designed to transport people, yet they remain idle for the majority of their lifespan, parked near our homes or workplaces. According to most studies, cars spend between 90 and 95 percent of their time unused. If these cars were electric, they would have the potential to add great additional value to their owners and the environment when they are connected to the power grid.

How can this work? In two ways:

Unidirectional charging or V1G – Using smart charging, EVs can be charged when electricity is at its cheapest or when supply of renewable energy is high. In this way, connected vehicles can benefit from plentiful solar energy at midday or cheap energy at night.
Bidirectional charging or V2G–The batteries of connected vehicles can benefit from unidirectional charging but the grid can also draw power from them at times of high demand.

Smart charging helps manage demand for electricity; charging batteries when clean electricity production is high and discharging them, in the case of V2G, at times of low wind or PV production. In this way, the EV fleet acts as a giant battery to store and supply renewable energy.

The business case for smart charging is already a reality

The Belgian electric service company Elia, which operates in Belgium and Germany found that EV owners could reduce their energy costs by 15 percent if they used unidirectional smart charging and by 25 percent if they used bidirectional charging.

Uncontrolled charging would raise electricity demand by 1.2 gigawatts in Belgium and 6.5 gigawatts in Germany by 2030, whereas smart charging would reduce the 2030 peak load by 13 percent in Germany and 10 percent in Belgium.

The benefits extend far beyond private vehicles. In France, the electricity network has certified the use of EV batteries from company fleets for V2G smart charging.

In Denmark, the V2G technology company Nuvve uses multiple electric bus batteries to provide a reserve for the Danish electricity network Energinet. Nuvve’s software ensures the buses have sufficient charge to operate but can offer extra capacity to the network.

A spokesperson for Nuvve says that its V2G platform, which can be used by private EVs as well, creates real environmental benefits and keeps the costs of the transition down for all customers. “It also allows electric vehicle owners to generate revenue from their vehicles while parked. This can offset the cost of charging and make electric vehicle ownership more attainable for more people,” they say.

But there are many challenges for policy makers and innovators before these benefits to the consumer and the environment can be fully realised. These include:

Most EVs on the market are only unidirectional. Only a few vehicles are bidirectional including later models of the Nissan Leaf and the Ford F-150 Lightning. Therefore, only part of the smart charging potential is currently being tapped.
Bidirectional charging is more costly than the unidirectional option.
The additional charging and discharging of EV vehicle batteries in V2G systems can cause faster battery degradation and shorter battery lifetimes.

Source: IRENA

Boosting Waste Separation: Novi Pazar and Mojkovac to Receive 2,000 Bins

10.08.2023

garbage-can-ogrnski-otpad-kanta — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Justuf Menke)

Novi Pazar and Mojkovac are taking a significant step towards sustainable waste management with the upcoming arrival of 2,000 additional containers dedicated to separating packaging waste and a recycling press. Supported by the European Union, these environmental protection measures will be facilitated by NALED (National Alliance for Local Economic Development) through the two-year project “BEST Cooperation in Waste Management – Towards a Sustainable Environment.”

Implemented in partnership with the Center for Ecotoxicological Testing, the municipality of Mojkovac, and PUC “Gradska čistoća” Novi Pazar, this project aims to enhance waste management systems in the municipalities of Kolašin, Bijelo Polje, and Tutin as well. Expert support will be provided to all participating local governments in developing waste management plans, circular economy roadmaps, and action measures for public utility companies. Additionally, awareness-raising campaigns will educate citizens about proper waste separation at the household level.

With the introduction of the two-bin system, households in these regions will separate mixed waste from recyclable packaging waste such as PET, glass, aluminum cans, and paper. Through comprehensive training, representatives from PUCs and municipalities will learn the best practices for waste collection and treatment.

By 2025, the goal is to implement the new waste separation system in 1,000 households and ten business centers, with a targeted 20 percent improvement in waste collection rates in Novi Pazar, where only 1.6 percent of recyclable waste is currently properly treated. In Mojkovac, where the current percentage is zero, the aim is to collect and hand over 396 tons of recyclable waste to authorized operators within two years.

Serbia and Montenegro have committed to harmonizing national legislation with EU regulations and fulfilling the requirements of Chapter 27, which focuses on environmental protection, as part of their journey towards European Union membership. Serbia adopted the Waste Management Program 2022-2031 last year, emphasizing the development of a waste management system aligned with EU standards, with local governments playing a pivotal role. By the end of 2029, Serbia aims to establish separate collection systems for paper, metal, glass, and textiles, increase recycling rates, and eliminate illegal landfills. Montenegro faces similar challenges, as roughly half of municipal waste ends up in unsanitary landfills due to a lack of proper disposal infrastructure.

Novi Pazar and Mojkovac are paving the way for sustainable waste management practices, promoting environmental preservation, and working towards a cleaner future for their communities.

Source: NALED

FARMLAND – HOME TO SOLAR PANELS AND CROPS

09.08.2023

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Michael Fortsch)

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Steven Weeks)

Solar power plants require that the land on which they are installed be accessible and sunny and that there are transmission lines nearby to release the generated energy into the power grid. Taking into account the above requirements, agricultural land is the most suitable area for installing such power plants. And while discussing the importance of renewable energy sources, environmental protection, or energy security, we must not ignore the importance of agricultural production. Urban planning and climate change have questioned the security of this sector’s survival, which is why converting every hectare of agricultural land into space for the construction of solar power plants represents an additional burden.

To find a solution that would ensure the satisfaction of all involved parties, scientists are constantly developing and improving agrovoltaics, that is, a system that allows solar panels and plants to be grown on the same piece of land. This system involves placing solar panels above the crops.

Once installed, these solar panels leave about 90 per cent of the surface free, which can also be used for growing crops. Not only do such solar panels leave enough room for the agricultural sector, but they can be collaborators in safer cultivation.

IN FOCUS:

Namely, solar power plants protect crops from bad weather such as hail, showers, wind and strong sun rays. An additional reduction of CO2 emissions is achieved, provided the irrigation system is connected to the supply of power generated by the installed panels.

In this way, with careful planning and design of such a power plant, we can grow almost all agricultural plants on condition that we have chosen the appropriate panels and placed them at a sufficient height and a proper angle. It has been proven eggplant, cabbage, broccoli, artichoke, aromatic herbs and flowers, sugar beet, and other plants can be grown under such panels.

In terms of the usual solar panels, which are opaque, this kind of area is most suitable for growing those plants that do not need a large amount of sunlight. However, regular solar panels can be installed at greater angles to allow more light to pass between them. Also, the technology allows that the angle of installation is not fixed. Still, they can be turned, creating a larger or smaller shade following the sun’s position throughout the day.

Innovative solutions also focus on perfecting transparent panels – solar windows, like greenhouses, would let in large amounts of sunlight. They have already been used in practice. In Greece, a greenhouse with solar windows was made for a vineyard. They absorb UV rays, which the plants do not need, and let those useful for their growth through.

Although a solar power plant needs the sun’s energy, temperatures that are too high can have the opposite effect, i.e. they can reduce their production capacity. Planting certain species under the panels can reduce their temperature, a mutual benefit.

The United Nations have recognized investing effort in finding ways to save water, food, and energy as one of the most important factors of sustainable development because these three resources are the key to the survival of life on our planet. Due to population growth, higher demand for food requires greater amounts of water and energy. On the one hand, energy is used to irrigate crops during the entire cycle – from their growth to processing to a final product. On the other hand, fresh water is already an endangered resource of which agriculture is its biggest consumer and is still very much needed to produce energy from many sources. Agrovoltaics could play an important role in reducing the risk of the abovementioned resources. Solar power plants do not require water to operate. At the same time, they can produce the energy needed for irrigation to avoid using energy obtained from those sources that need a large amount of water. All of this is possible to achieve by installing panels on agricultural areas where they would occupy a minimum of space and thus would not jeopardize the cultivation of crops.

Prepared by: Katarina Vuinac

Read the story in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES

Event Announcement: SEE ENERGY 2023, Regional Energy Conference – October, Novi Sad

07.08.2023

A two-day regional energy conference with an exhibition, SEE ENERGY- Connect & Supply 2023, will be held on October 2nd and 3rd, 2023, at the “Sheraton” hotel in Novi Sad.

The conference, organized by the National Biomass Association “SERBIO,” will cover a wide range of topics, including decarbonization in industry and transportation, the oil industry’s strategy in the energy transition, energy storage and the electricity market, financing renewable energy projects and green financing, as well as the technologies and conditions for heat pump implementation.

Expect a dynamic program featuring panels, presentations, and discussions will bring together leading experts, investors, industry representatives, decision-makers, technology manufacturers, consulting firms, the government, and financial institutions.

The full program can be viewed on the SEE ENERGY 2023 conference website.

Registration is free of charge

All interested parties can attend the conference either in person or through the ZOOM online application by registering on the organizer’s website – REGISTRATION

Energetski Portal, is the general media sponsor, this event.

Source: SERBIO

CHANGES IN THE RES SEGMENT LEAD TO A STABLE POWER SYSTEM

06.08.2023

wind , vetar — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (arteum-ro)

The long-awaited Law on Amendments to the Law on the Use of Renewable Energy Sources resolves the issue of numerous requests for the connection of new solar and wind power plants to the national power grid without jeopardizing the safety of the power system.

Rade Mrdak, Green Energy Adviser to the Minister of Mining and Energy, explains how the changes will help to reach the target of 1,000 MW for wind farms and 300 MW for solar farms over the next three years and whether households will now benefit more from the introduced limitations of power generated by solar plants.

What do the adopted amendments to the Law on the Use of Renewable Energy Sources bring us?

The new amendments to the Law on the Use of RES brought us the improvement of the regulatory framework in this area, while the amendments prescribed the rules that should solve the 20 GW requirements for connecting wind power plants and solar power plants to the national power grid. This capacity exceeds the total installed capacity of all power plants in Serbia by three times which have been built over decades. Without changes in the Law, system operators would be legally obligated to connect capacities that cannot be integrated into the system. It would cause severe financial and technical problems for our operators to ensure the system’s safe and reliable functioning. That’s why we envisioned the possibility that if the operator of the transmission system, in a transparent and public procedure and with the consent of the independent Republic of Serbia Energy Agency, assesses that there is no physically available capacity for the integration of RES power plants, they can temporarily implement the measure which postpones their connection. However, exceptions to this rule do not apply to operators who have already acquired certain rights in the connection procedure. There are about 5 GW of such projects, as well as those investors who do not want to postpone the connection but are ready to provide additional balancing capacity themselves or through another market participant. In practice, these additional capacities will be battery storage.

Other changes pertain to solving the issue of balancing responsibility for producers using RES. Now the guaranteed supplier will not assume the balance responsibility for all producers; only those who have received incentives and only temporary, i.e. until the intraday market comes to life, either through the domestic stock exchange or through the merger with the European single market. Commercial projects will have to resolve the balance liability commercially.

Finally, we made changes related to prosumers by limiting the maximum capacity for households and commercial customers in line with European practice. Prosumers are considered only those end customers who install solar panels up to 10.8 kW for households or up to 150 kW for other categories of end customers. In this way, we directed the prosumer concept towards small customers who should reap the benefits of this model. Big consumers need to be active buyers with greater responsibilities.

IN FOCUS:

Why did the draft amendments to the Law stipulate a limit for prosumers, and will this push ordinary citizens to abandon the prosumer concept?

The amendments to the Law on the Use of Renewable Energy Sources stipulate that the limit for prosumers is 10.8 kW, so with this solution, we have covered 97 per cent of households that mostly install solar panels of up to 10 kW power. The purpose of this limit is to help citizens balance the electricity production from solar panels with their consumption and to demotivate them to use electricity from the power grid, at a higher price, during winter for heating as this electricity is still mostly obtained from coal, which can negate the positive effects of the installation solar panels. We believe that citizens will not abandon the prosumer concept because the profitability of solar panels will continue to grow.

When will a by-law stipulating active buyer’s rights and obligations be adopted?

The Ministry of Mining and Energy is preparing amendments to the Law on Energy, including provisions for active buyers. We want to regulate this issue adequately and enable the industry to valorize all the benefits of self-supply through its production with the help of this new concept. If we adopt the amendments to the Law on Energy by the year-end as planned, we believe that by June 2024, we will have all by-laws ready to implement the active buyer concept.

Interviewed by: Milica Radičević

Read the story in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES

Watts to Wheels: Why EV-Battery Innovation is Key to Sparking a Renewable Revolution

04.08.2023

ev-električni-auto — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Andrew Roberts)

Increasing the uptake of electric vehicles (EVs) is a fundamental part of accelerating the renewables-based energy transition and getting us onto the 1.5°C pathway. The uptake of EVs holds the potential to cut emissions by the replacement of fossil fuel based vehicles but also to enable flexibility in the energy system that allow the integration of larger renewable production which allow a larger emissions reduction. Under IRENA’s 1.5°C Scenario, the number of electric passenger cars is expected to grow to 360 million by the end of 2023, and 2.1 billion by 2050. The transition is being boosted by planned bans on the sales of new fossil fuel–powered vehicles, net-zero emissions targets, climate policies and other pollution-driven regulations.

There are, however, significant barriers. For instance, under the 1.5°C Scenario, electric charging infrastructure would require a cumulative investment of USD 9 trillion through 2050. But the greatest limiter is battery technology. Mobilising such an amount of resources requires the adoption of the systemic innovation approach that involves all actors across the value chain of EVs including technology and infrastructure, market design, system planning and business models.

A key innovation is converting those batteries on wheels into energy storage systems that can enable more wind and solar PV electricity integrated into electricity grids. This innovation unlocks a powerful virtuous circle, where more renewable electricity can be integrated in power grids while such clean electricity is used to power the electric vehicles, a real win-win scenario.

In this sense, the system provision via smart EV charging strategies is identified as one of the key innovations to facilitate the uptake of EVs and provide flexibility to the system. California (US), one of the leading regions worldwide in the transition to EVs and zero-emission vehicles, has already adopted this innovation as part of its smart electrification strategy. Nowadays, California is implementing both unidirectional and bidirectional charging and several projects and pilots are testing vehicle–grid integration. The state’s independent system operator (CAISO) is enabling EVs to participate as a demand response resource in the California wholesale power market. In parallel, the California Public Utilities Commission designed new rules that allow faster deployment of distributed energy resources, including solar and behind-the-meter batteries, and bidirectional V2G charging with a V2G grid code. All this represents a successful example of the application of the systemic innovation approach to achieve a smart electrification of the energy system.

Focusing now on the technology dimension there need to be huge advances in battery innovation for the EV revolution to take place, even though clearly progress is being made. Batteries for new EVs already provide good range, with the best-performing models offering 800 km, and some batteries can be charged in an hour. At the same time, prices have dropped dramatically, from USD 1,200/kWh in 2010 for Li-ion batteries to USD 132/kWh in 2021. The priority continues to be cutting cost, increasing range, and shortening charging cycles.

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Michael Marais)

Further progress, however, requires innovation. Research efforts are currently aimed at improving performance, including energy and power density, safety, ageing, charging times, ageing and cost. But there are complex trade-offs among those properties, and improving one criterion typically results in the deterioration of at least one other – the battery performance dilemma. For instance, an innovation that improves energy density and cost comes at the expense of power density, safety, and cyclical ageing.

This dilemma is not the only challenge. As performance enhancement drives the rapid growth of EV batteries.

The extraction and improper disposal of these materials can carry significant environmental and health dangers. Currently, not all minerals are recycled due to technology pathways and economic incentives. In short, the increasing number of EVs could very well aggravate environmental damage from mining and battery waste unless recycling programmes are expanded, and various challenges are quickly and properly addressed.

Once again, innovation – alongside legislation and regulation – is one of the key pathways to success. Innovation in battery recycling means that recovery rates of nickel and cobalt are about 95 per cent in recycling plants, while that of lithium, manganese and graphite (with impurities) has reached around 95 per cent, and the recovery rate is up to 99 per cent in laboratory testing.

These are just some of the challenges that governments, academia and the private sector must overcome if the global energy and transport sectors are to decarbonise in line with the 1.5°C Scenario.

Source: IRENA

GREEN TRANSITION – AN OPPORTUNITY TO DEVELOP SUSTAINABLE ECOSYSTEMS

02.08.2023

spencer-davis-so4ElujJVP8-unsplash (3) — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (spencer davis)

The Republic of Croatia has been strongly encouraging the use of renewable energy sources (RES) for some time now. According to EUROSTAT data for 2021, RES had a 31.3 per cent share in the country’s gross direct consumption. A new national goal of at least a 36.6 per cent share of renewable energy sources in the final gross energy consumption by 2030 has been set. The Croatian Ambassador to Serbia, H.E. Hidajet Biščević, told us that the European Parliament’s and European Council’s Directive 2018/2001 from 2018, which promotes the use of energy generated from renewable sources, was incorporated into the Croatian legislation when the country adopted the Law on Renewable Energy Sources and High-Efficiency Cogeneration.

“The law regulates issues important for implementing the energy transition towards the use of RES following the 2030 Energy Development Strategy with projections until 2050 and the Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan for Croatia, covering the period from 2021 to 2030. These are fundamental acts for implementing the energy policy in the part that specifically refers to the sale and use of renewable energy in the electricity and heat markets,” Ambassador Biščević said.

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How is the use of renewable sources regulated by the Law on Renewable Energy Sources?

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (tom wheatley)

Transparent and unambiguous rules have been put in place to calculate the share of energy from renewable sources, define these sources, fulfil reporting obligations to the European Commission, as well as prescribing the possibility of cooperation on joint projects with other EU Member States and the statistical transfer of the share of renewable energy. The regulation also stipulates possibilities for incentivizing the use of renewable energy so that the shortcomings of the energy market in the development of new production facilities are eliminated, and clear rules, scope and dynamics of support are implemented following the possibilities of planning the development, construction, and modernization of energy systems. A straightforward procedure for the certification of privileged energy producers is implemented too. It prescribes drafting a manual on administrative procedures and obtaining permits to construct facilities to produce energy from renewable sources. It regulates issues of guarantee of origin, establishing and managing a renewable energy sources register, transferring energy from RES to gas and heating systems, and increasing use in the heating and cooling sector.

How much the country subsidizes projects related to the use of solar, geothermal and sea energy?

Croatia plans to continue providing incentives for the production of electricity from RES until 2030 to reduce CO2 emissions in the energy sector, which also implies increasing production and ensuring a greater quantity of electricity for the country’s needs. Croatia has to improve its power system to achieve that goal and meet all the technical prerequisites for the planned growth.

The National Recovery and Resilience Plan foresees allocation of 400 million euros for the revitalization, modernization, and digitization of the electric power system. In this way, better access to new power plants will facilitate electricity production capacity from renewable sources by 1,500 MW by the end of 2024. There is also the Modernization Fund intended for the decarbonization of industry in the form of support for investments in the modernization of the energy system and the improvement of energy efficiency.

In the new Competitiveness and Cohesion Programme covering the financial period from 2021 to 2027, 279 million euros have been allocated for the energy sector, including micro solar plants and heat pumps. The funds are intended for citizens to ensure their self-sustainability energy-wise while reducing financial expenses for energy consumption in households.

How much did EU membership contribute to Croatia’s environmental protection and sustainable development progress?

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (matthias mullie)

At the time when the country was in the process of joining the EU, Croatia used a lot of technical assistance from TAIEX in the transfer of the know-how related to climate change needed for the establishment of the EU system of trading, monitoring and reporting on greenhouse gas emissions (EU ETS).

We have also established important cooperation with Slovenia due to the smaller language barrier. Even after Croatia joined the EU, the TAEIX instrument was still used to implement EU legislation. During the adoption and implementation of EU legislation, the Member States participate in the Commission’s technical meetings where the fulfilment of all obligations, including the new ones prescribed by secondary EU legislation, are discussed. It is a good opportunity to exchange experiences and best practices, contributing to successfully implementing environmental protection and sustainable development policies.

Croatia is strategically focused on clean energy, but you are partly supplied with electricity from the Krško nuclear power plant. What is the future of this power plant?

Croatia has been investing a lot of effort into incentivizing energy production from renewable sources and new technologies and developing a grid to transfer this energy. We own half of the nuclear power plant in Slovenia, and Croatia has nothing against nuclear energy as a low-carbon energy source. About 16 per cent of our electricity is produced by the Krško nuclear power plant, and we are interested in being included in the Krško 2 project if the Slovenian side decides to invite us. We believe nuclear energy is clean energy, doesn’t produce CO2 emissions, and can significantly contribute to reaching our climate goals and decarbonizing the economy.

Interviewed by: Mirjana Vujadinović Tomevski

Read the story in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES

URBAN BEEKEEPING REQUIRES LOCAL INITIATIVE

02.08.2023

kosnice USCE SC krovu — Photo: MPC Properties

Urban beekeeping involves setting up and maintaining beehives with bees on the flat roofs of buildings in urban areas. Still, we can say that the real answer is environmentally conscious citizens, companies and institutions, those who recognize the importance of bees in the ecosystem, their vulnerability, and who decided to take care of bees and thus contribute to the preservation of the biodiversity of plants, bees and nature.

The bee is the most important insect, responsible for pollinating an incredible 85 per cent of flowering plants. The fact that bees produced every third bite of food speaks vividly about the invaluable role of bees as pollinators of various plant species that people use in their diet. The disappearance of bees in the last ten years has contributed to the fact that more and more people in cities are engaged in beekeeping.

IN FOCUS:

Why are bees disappearing? The answer is not simple, and the fact that the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has included some species of bees on the European Red List of endangered species threatened with extinction shows how serious the situation is.

What are we doing to save the bee? There are various mechanisms and ways in which ecologically conscious individuals, organizations and government representatives try to point out the danger of bees and take concrete actions to preserve them.

As much as the disappearance of bees is a global problem, urban beekeeping requires local action. Urban beekeeping needs a city. The global problem of disappearing bees through the revival of urban beekeeping becomes a local challenge, and its ecological aspect comes to the fore.

One of the pioneers in the development of urban beekeeping in Belgrade is the company MPC Properties, which, in cooperation with the Belgrade Beekeepers Association and the Mad Med Association, has installed as many as 12 beehives on the roofs of its shopping and business centers, including the UŠĆE commercial complex and the Navigator Business Center 2. In just a few months, the bees in these hives produced 130 kg of honey. In addition, as part of promoting and implementing its ESG strategy, MPC launched a series of green events and workshops, including a honey spinning series and a presentation on the importance of bees for children, to introduce them to the topic of urban beekeeping in an inclusive way. At the honey-making workshops, many MPC business partners had the opportunity, for the first time, to witness the process of making honey live, to get to know better how bees are organized, and to taste fresh honey directly from the MPC hives.

The beekeeping workshops for children, Let’s buzz together, were organized in UŠĆE Hub in cooperation with the educational center Košnica Dorćol. They also attracted a lot of attention from the community, where the little ones had the opportunity to visit MPC beehives and plant honey plants in the garden in front of the UŠĆE business complex.

The MPC Properties company gave a good example of concrete actions to save bees from extinction while at the same time improving the environment in cities. If you have a suitable place for a mini apiary, contact the Belgrade Association of Beekeepers and the Mad Med Association, whose experienced beekeepers will evaluate each location and, in cooperation with MPC Properties, propose an urban beekeeping project.

Source: MPC Properties

Read the story in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

EU’s domestic material consumption remained stable in 2022

01.08.2023

wide-angle-shot-machine-landscape-made-sand-stones — Photo-illustration: Freepik (wirestock)

In 2022, the domestic material consumption of the EU economy remained relatively stable at around 14.5 tonnes per person, indicating a very slight increase of 0.4 percent compared with 2021 (14.4 tonnes per person). Since 2000, the EU reduced its domestic consumption of material by 0.9 tonnes per person.

Non-metallic minerals accounted for more than half of the domestic material consumption (54 percent), biomass for almost a quarter (23 percent), fossil energy materials for close to a fifth (18 percent) and metal ores for five percent.

This article presents a handful of findings from the more detailed Statistics Explained articles on material flow accounts and resource productivity, resource productivity statistics and physical imports and exports.

Different materials, different consumption trends

In terms of the different materials that make domestic consumption, it’s important to analyse the importance of various materials, their potential for reuse, recovery or recycling, and their consumption trends.

The consumption of biomass remained fairly stable during this period, unlike the consumption of metal ores and non-metallic minerals, which were both highly influenced by the financial and economic crisis of 2008-2009 and by the measures taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, the consumption of biomass materials fell to the lowest value since 2015 while metal ores also saw a decrease compared with 2021 but remained at a level similar to 2019.

As for non-metallic minerals, consumption has been increasing steadily since 2012, reaching its highest value in 2022, following a slowdown due to the pandemic.

Meanwhile, the consumption of fossil energy materials declined steadily over the past two decades, aligning with reduced CO2 emissions. However, after a significant drop in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a rebound in consumption started in 2021 (five percent from 2020 to 2021) and continued in 2022.

Large differences in material consumption across the EU

Domestic material consumption differed significantly among the EU members in 2022. While the levels of material consumption were below or equal to 10 tonnes per person in Spain (8.8), Italy (9.1), and the Netherlands (10.0), other EU countries stood out as high consumers, notably Finland (43.7), but also Romania (28.8), and Estonia (27.7).

Domestic material consumption in each country is influenced by natural endowments with material resources, which may form an important structural element of each economy.

Furthermore, consumption of the main material categories also varied across EU countries.

In 2022, consumption of non-metallic minerals ranged from 1.6 tonnes per person in the Netherlands to 28.8 tonnes per person in Finland. Further low levels were registered in Spain (4.2) and Italy (4.4), while high consumption values were also recorded in Romania (23.3) and Estonia (15.5).

Cross-country differences can be a result of varied levels of construction activities (investments), population densities and sizes of transport infrastructures, such as road networks.

Biomass consumption varied from 1.1 tonnes per person in Malta to 7.5 tonnes per person in Ireland. Economies with high biomass consumption are often specialised in certain livestock production (Ireland 7.5, Denmark 7.4) or timber production (Finland 6.9).

Consumption of fossil energy material varied from one tonne per person in Latvia to 6.9 tonnes per person in Estonia.

Metal ores consumption ranged from as low as 0.1 tonnes per person in Latvia to around 5.8 tonnes per person in Sweden.

Source: Eurostat

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