SERBIAN ATHENS IN LINE FOR THE GREEN CAPITAL OF EUROPE

31.05.2023

serbia-srbija-novi sad — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

The place where European roads and railways have crossed since ancient times, better known among people as “Serbian Athens”, is adorned with a kind of classiness that is reflected in numerous cultural institutions, lowland peace, artistic sensibility, and kindness of its citizens. Last year, Novi Sad won the title of European Capital of Culture, and there is hope that it will soon be the Green Capital. We talked with the mayor of Novi Sad, Milan Đurić, about the numerous green projects that are being implemented in this city, as well as about new bridges, the Botanical Garden and the Creative District.

EP: You are committed to improving energy efficiency. What are the plans for this year?

Milan Đurić: We plan to continue implementing measures related to improving energy efficiency in 2023, and funds in the amount of 40 million dinars have been earmarked for this purpose. All the measures we undertake in cooperation with the Ministry of Mining and Energy, which are related to the improvement of energy efficiency, have been very well received by citizens.

As a strategic document, the energy efficiency program of the City of Novi Sad for 2022-2024 has a significant role in preserving and improving energy efficiency. It contains the planned goal of energy savings, an overview and assessment of annual energy needs, including an assessment of the energy properties of buildings, a proposal for measures and activities that will ensure efficient use of energy, carriers, deadlines, and an evaluation of the expected results of each of the measures that foresee the achievement of the planned goal and the funds needed for program implementation. Concrete measures and activities to improve energy efficiency are elaborated in the one-year Energy Efficiency Plan of the City of Novi Sad. Citizens’ interest indicates that they are informed about current topics and that investing in improving energy efficiency consumes less energy and does not impair the comfort of life.

IN FOCUS:

EP: How much have you managed to improve the area of waste management in the city?

Milan Đurić: The rehabilitation project of the existing unsanitary landfill/garbage dump in Novi Sad was completed, which determined its functioning until its closure and rehabilitation. With the beginning of the work of the Regional Center with the sanitary landfill, the closure of the unsanitary landfill will begin.

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (lazar gugleta)

Within the project “Waste Management in the Context of Climate Change (DKTI)”, which was implemented by the City of Novi Sad and the German Organization for International Cooperation (GIZ), in cooperation with the Ministry of Environmental Protection, GIZ provided funds for design and construction compost field and hangar for the treatment of green waste collected from public areas. To improve the functioning of the compost field managed by PUC “Gradsko zelenilo” Novi Sad, a green waste crushing machine was purchased.

PUC “Gradsko zelenilo” annually collects about 5,000 tons of plant waste from city areas and diverts it to a compost plant instead of driving it to the landfill. Such compost is a high-quality organic fertilizer whose application is multiple in producing and maintaining greenery in public areas. Through this processing, biowaste is returned to the city when new greenery is planted, which means the previous waste received a new purpose and value. The principle of circular economy is fully satisfied.

Before the construction of the compost field, the collected plant waste from the city areas was mostly taken to the landfill. It created costs for taking waste to the landfill, and that waste produced greenhouse gas emissions at the landfills, which negatively affects the environment. Compost production saves more than half a million dinars per year due to the elimination of the costs of taking bio-waste to landfill.

EP: The City has been subsidizing the purchase of bicycles for several years. How is the plan to make Novi Sad a cycling city going?

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Stefan Kostić)

Milan Đurić: The City of Novi Sad attaches great importance to the development of bicycle traffic and infrastructure and is working on adopting the best practices in this domain according to the competencies and possibilities arising from the current regulations in Serbia. In recent years, more and more people from Novi Sad have decided to use bicycles as an environmentally friendly means of transportation. In addition to benefits such as avoiding traffic jams, taking care of a parking space, and saving money and time, there is certainly also the preservation of the environment, a positive impact on air quality, and a contribution to personal and collective health. The general goal of the City of Novi Sad is to be recognizable and functional as a cycling city. The city supports this both with infrastructural development and direct incentives for the purchase of bicycles, supporting promotional and educational activities in this direction and cooperation with the commercial and civil sectors, which makes it unique and a successful example in Serbia. The result of cooperation and work on the development of bicycle traffic in the past 10 years can be seen in the stable growth of the number of everyday cyclists by almost 300 per cent (from an estimated 10,000 to over 30,000 regular cyclists in 2019, while the unofficial estimate is that there are currently over 40,000 regular cyclists in the city). Then, in the past 10 years, about 30 km of bicycle paths were built, and over 10 km were reconstructed. For the allocation of grants to citizens, in 2021 and 2022, the city allocated 38 million dinars through three contests for citizens. Today there are around 3,406 new bicycles on the streets of the city. With the support of socially responsible companies, in 2021 and 2022, 114 bicycles were awarded to the best elementary and high school students. The plan is to continue this activity in the coming years. Also, Novi Sad is the first and only city in Serbia that will encourage its citizens to buy bicycles as an environmentally friendly means of transport for the third year in a row. In 2023, 20 million dinars have been earmarked for citizens’ support in purchasing a new bicycle. In collecting information, the city regularly cooperates with the civil sector, including the organization Novi Sad’s Bicycle Initiative.

EP: In which direction will you direct the investments intended for environmental protection?

Milan Đurić: Nature in the city is extremely important for maintaining human contact with it and is necessary for creating a healthy and sustainable urban society. The city will allocate significant funds in 2023 for the maintenance of existing greenery and the planting of new tree seedlings, shrubs and feathers, flower beds and the reconstruction of lawns to preserve and improve vegetation in the City of Novi Sad territory. Bearing in mind the importance of parks, two new parks were formed and arranged in the previous period: Park near the Ranžirna station and St. Andrew’s Park. The design and technical documentation for the park near SPENS is in progress, while the design and technical documentation for the University Park in Novi Sad is planned for 2023.

Project and technical documentation for constructing the Botanical Garden complex in Novi Sad are also being prepared. The botanical garden will be built on about 4.2 hectares in the suburbs of the Petrovaradin fortress and will be conceived as an object of special importance. With the aim of forming an information base through which trends and activities related to the arrangement, maintenance and improvement of green areas will be monitored, in 2020/21, the creation of the Geographical Information System of Green Areas of the City of Novi Sad was successfully implemented. It represents the first step in forming the Cadaster of Greenery, and now we have to fill that database by entering attributes for each individual or green area. Only when all the data are entered can we talk about the greenery cadaster as a basis for the management of public green areas.

Interviewed by: Milica Radičević

Read the story in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine ENERGETIC EFFICIENCY

MAINTAINING THE BALANCE AND DEVELOPING THE POWER SYSTEM

30.05.2023

marko janković — Photo: courtesy of Marko Janković

Earlier this year, electricity prices in the region and Europe were at the level from two years ago, but this was not a sign of the easing of the energy crisis, but a direct consequence of non-working days in companies. Unfortunately, the high prices trend has been going on for too long, making the talk about an energy crisis almost redundant. We spoke with Marko Janković, Director of the Electricity Market Directorate of Elektromreža Srbije (EMS), about the development of the electricity market in new circumstances and the opportunities for establishing a flexibility and electricity storage service market.

EP: In which way will the adapted EU regulations of the third and fourth energy package, adopted in December at the Energy Community’s Ministerial Council session, affect the further development of the electricity market in Serbia?

Marko Janković: Serbia’s electric power system is part of the European interconnection, that is, EMS AD Belgrade is a member of the Association of European Transmission System Operators. The transposition of these regulations means harmonizing the legal framework of non-EU countries with the European legislation that regulates the energy sector in Europe, the European electricity market, and, therefore, the work within the European interconnection. The transposition of the adapted decrees into our legislation and the implementation of the processes and standards defined in the aforementioned decrees must be carried out while being mindful of the technical features of our energy sector. With the adoption of these regulations, there is a possibility now for the merger of the organized electricity market in Serbia with the single European organized market. It will bring stability in terms of electricity prices, making the electricity market in Serbia less volatile and susceptible to speculative actions.

Another benefit of transposing EU legislation into national legislation is the opportunity of integrating the national electricity balancing market into a single European balancing market. Thanks to its proactive approach, EMS became a full-fledged member of one of the four European balancing platforms – the International Grid Control Cooperation – IGCC platform (the unique European platform for imbalance netting) in 2022. The benefit of participating in the IGCC platform is certainly the reduction of the activation of the balance reserve, which makes the operations of the Serbian electric power system more reliable and safer. On the other hand, we have lower balancing costs, which automatically benefits participants in the electricity market in Serbia.

IN FOCUS:

EP: There are more and more requests for connection to renewable energy sources transmission and distribution systems, primarily solar power plants and wind farms. How should we handle this integration?

Marko Janković: The integration of RES must be based on the market principles because we assumed this obligation by transposing European regulations. Europe has long since taken a position on the issue of further integration of RES. Incentives for RES producers are definitely decreasing, and the incentives are mostly aimed at using small power renewable energy sources. Also, there is a growing trend in Europe to direct incentives towards new technologies, primarily electricity storage – green hydrogen and various types of batteries that will enable intermittent sources of electricity to be more easily integrated into the energy sector and the electricity market.

EP: It seems that this integration is not at all an easy task for the energy system.

Marko Janković: For the energy sector, the integration of intermittent RES represents both an opportunity and a threat. First, it must be viewed through the filter of the impact of a large amount of unmanageable production on the balancing of an electric power system. We all know that maintaining the system’s balance is the primary goal and that only in this way can we ensure that all system users can perform their activities without problems. That is why we need to have a clear plan for the integration of RES into an electric power system with, first and foremost, defined preventive measures that would mitigate the negative effects of connecting many intermittent electricity sources. These measures must ensure sufficient base power in the system, which is necessary to integrate intermittent RES. It can be achieved by building new conventional sources of electricity, primarily reversible plants, for which Serbia has the potential, but also by integrating alternative sources such as electricity storage (be it a battery or green hydrogen), as well as taking active participation in manageable consumption through the development of the flexibility service market.

EP: There is a lot of talk about distributed production and flexibility services. Could you elaborate on these new concepts?

Marko Janković: Given the constant increase in distributed electricity from distribution resources, especially RES and other electricity sources (electricity storage), as well as the increasingly frequent inclusion of end customers as active participants in the market in terms of manageable consumption, the key issue of further market development is how to integrate the distribution system users into the electricity market. The answer lies in the flexibility concept. We should also not forget electromobility, the influence of electric car chargers and electric cars on the distribution system’s operation, as well as their role in the future electricity market. Flexibility implies the ability to deliberate, i.e. intentional deviation from the planned (usual) model of consumption or production. In other words, flexibility is the ability of a system user to deviate from its planned electricity consumption (or production) profile in response to price signals or market incentives.

Interviewed by: Milica Radičević

Read the story in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine ENERGETIC EFFICIENCY

TAKE ME AWAY…

28.05.2023

preuzimanje decijih stvari — Photo: ''Take away''

About 2.1 billion metric tons of solid waste are produced on Earth annually, of which 16 per cent is recycled. Unfortunately, as much as 46 per cent of global waste ends up in illegal landfills, in water or is burned. The fact that the situation in Serbia is not any better should not be emphasized. In our country, the amount of produced waste has doubled in the last ten years, and less than 10 per cent is recycled.

Fortunately, there are more and more individuals who have a clear picture of the current situation in the recycling field and society as a whole. Thanks to their excellent ideas, they offer us a solution to certain problems. Jelena Vidanović, project manager of the humanitarian service “Take away”, is trying to solve the problems of waste disposal and environmental protection in a unique way, but also to find an effective way to reduce the level of poverty of citizens, giving the incentive to employ people who do not have qualifications to work.

Humanitarian service “Take away” is a part of the project “Business instead of garbage” implemented by the Republican Union of Collectors of Secondary Raw Materials within the program “Support of the Swiss Government to the development of municipalities through the improvement of good governance and social inclusion – Swiss PRO”. The Government of Switzerland provides the main support in cooperation with the Government of Serbia. The program is implemented by United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) in partnership with the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities (SCTM).

IN FOCUS:

“We believed that every problem is solvable and that we can and must turn detected irregularities into an opportunity that should be used to improve the socioeconomic condition primarily of all marginalized groups of citizens”, explains Vidaković.

Analyzing the current situation, Vidaković concludes that a large amount of communal waste is generated in the household. That waste often ends up next to street containers and in illegal landfills. What citizens define as waste are often actually things or raw materials that can be further used or recycled.

“By primary selection according to the ‘take it from the doorstep of the waste generator’ system, we prevent a large amount of valuable resources from ending up in the landfill. On the other hand, in the interaction with the citizens at the doorstep, the level of environmental awareness can be raised. Our experiences have shown that the concept of waste is relative and is closely related to the degree of the economic status of the individual and the degree of development of environmental awareness. Namely, in practice, it happens that, for example, a certain number of people want to get rid of a piece of furniture, textiles, or an outdated electrical device. While on the other hand, we have a poor group of people who would benefit from it to improve their poor living conditions. By taking over unnecessary things directly from the owner, we ensure the reuse of things, that is, we prevent them from becoming waste”, Vidaković points out.

Prepared by: Milica Radičević

Read the story in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS.

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT – ORGANELA

27.05.2023

The example of Pavle Đorđević shows that childhood dreams can come true. As a boy, he dreamed of having his piece of land where he would grow fruits and vegetables, where he would be able to enjoy the peace and be with nature and in nature. Today, this native of Belgrade practices organic farming on his property in Valjevska Kamenica.

Even as a student at the Faculty of Agriculture, Pavle Đorđević was making plans and developing ideas, but he could not have guessed that he would grow organic fruits and vegetables under his brand on four hectares of his land.

“I was lucky enough to come across an ad in 2017 that brought me to Valjevska Kamenica, a village located fifteen kilometers from Valjevo. As soon as I set foot on the then-abandoned farm, it was love at first sight,” explains Pavle.

The first step was to buy the property; the more difficult step came when he had to get the property in order. It took a lot of effort and work to reconstruct the farm and restore it to its former glory. Fortunately, none of that was difficult for Pavle because he finally had everything he dreamed of as a boy.

IN FOCUS:

He was soon joined by agronomists Miloš and Pavle, architect Teodora, neighbor Ljilja, who helps with work on the farm, and Stefan, a graduate in economics. They make up the young team of Organela, which is united by a great love for nature.

“We deal with certified organic production of fruits and vegetables, and this year we organized and improved our processing. On the Organela estate are meadows and orchards, a small lake, and a micro botanical garden where we planted indigenous plants from our region. We pay great attention to the preservation of soil, water, and biodiversity because this is the only way we can preserve nature and improve it”, our interlocutor says honestly.

How does Organela function?

Anyone who wants products from this estate can order them by simply visiting the Organela website. The fruits are picked in the morning and delivered in the afternoon to home addresses in Belgrade and Valjevo. Pavle says they avoid sending to courier services, so they deliver the packages themselves. They are thinking about expanding delivery to other cities, but they lack the logistics for now. However, everyone who would like to enjoy the flavors of organic food can personally come to the farm and pick everything they want.

Pavle and his team also offer the option of service food growing. The process works like this: you get a plot of land on the property where you can grow whatever you want.

“Before the start of the season, we agree on which species you want us to grow and in what quantity. When the ripening season begins, we pick the fruits and deliver them to your home address. This service is currently only available to our regular customers. The user of the garden pays for this service monthly. Our goal is to offer the end customer the organic products he wants at a more favorable price”, says Pavle.

Prepared by: Milica Radičević

Read the story in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS.

Food Price Inflation Escalates Global Hunger Crisis

26.05.2023

italian-cuisine-g62a6d4d34_1920 — Photo-Ilustration: Pixabay (lukasbieri)

Global food price inflation continues to soar, causing significant concern about the escalation of food insecurity across the world. As much as 78.6 percent of high-income nations are experiencing high food price inflation. African countries, North and Latin American nations, South Asia, Europe, and Central Asia are among the hardest hit.

Agricultural indices show a rise in the prices of essential crops such as maize, wheat, and rice over the past two weeks. Despite year-on-year reductions for maize and wheat of 22 percent and 41 percent respectively, their prices are still elevated, according to data by the World Bank. In contrast, rice prices are 14 percent higher compared to the previous year.

There exists a high probability of an El Niño pattern developing, affecting global agricultural production. This weather pattern could lead to average to above-average rainfall in some regions, creating favorable conditions for soybean production but potentially harming maize, rice, and wheat yields.

The Global Report on Food Crises 2023, from the Global Network Against Food Crises, alarmingly notes an increase in acute food insecurity from 192.8 million people in 2021 to 257.8 million in 2022. Key causes include conflicts, economic shocks, and weather extremes, with conflict and insecurity being primary drivers.

Specifically, in Sudan, some reports say that around 41 percent of the population, or 19 million people, struggle to find a daily meal, a number up from 15 million last year. The ongoing violence in Sudan is likely to further exacerbate regional food insecurity.

Meanwhile, the war in Eastern Europe has spurred countries to implement food trade restrictions in an attempt to increase domestic supplies and control prices, worsening the global food crisis. As of mid-March 2023, 21 countries have implemented food export bans, while 10 countries have put in place measures limiting food exports.

In response, the World Bank launched a comprehensive global action plan to tackle the crisis, committing $30 billion to boost food and nutrition security, reduce risks, and strengthen food systems. Numerous projects have been initiated, notably in West Africa, Yemen, Tajikistan, Jordan, Bolivia, Chad, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Egypt, Tunisia, and regions in Eastern and Southern Africa.

The heads of key global institutions issued a joint statement in February 2023 calling for urgent actions to prevent a worsening of the food and nutrition security crisis. Urgent interventions must be balanced with longer-term resilience efforts to adequately address this pressing global challenge.

Energy portal

ENERGY TODAY AND HOW TO CREATE A BETTER TOMORROW

26.05.2023

karsten-wurth-ZKWgoRUYuMk-unsplash — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Karsten Wurth)

The current situation in our energy sector is certainly worrying and with a tendency to be subjected to additional uncertainties. While we are somehow used to being dependent on imported oil and gas, this very dependence when it comes to the import of electricity is much more difficult for us, which brings up a logical question – how did we become importers even in the power sector?

There are many reasons for this. We have not built new production capacities for more than three decades (practically since the 350MW Kostolac B2 and the 80MW Pirot hydropower plant were put into operation in the late 1980s). We have not prepared the mining capacities well enough, so now we are having difficulties with the quality and quantity of coal, and outdated thermal energy capacities can no longer perform as well as we were used to in the past. When you add to this the terrible management of the electricity industry in the last few years, it is not surprising that we have become importers.

When it comes to energy, timely action is essential. Thus, today the delayed construction of Kolubara B (planned originally in the 1980s, as a 2x350MW facility, with 35 per cent usability) is almost a failure because everything has changed since (technologies, attitude towards environmental protection, etc.). At the beginning of this century, a timely decision would be to build a new 700MW block in TENT B3, with usability exceeding 42 per cent. Such missed opportunities are never coming back.

Today, with the eagerly awaited Kostolac B3 unit, which usability stands at 35 per cent and should be included in the power grid as of next year, we are only correcting bad and late decisions in thermal energy. Namely, that block should have been built with better performance and in a much shorter time frame.

IN FOCUS

What should we do next?

The aim is not to give the impression of complete hopelessness. That would also send a bad message. There is the light at the end of the tunnel, as evidenced by the data showing that wind farms (of over 400MW capacity) have already been built, that the gas thermal power plant in Pančevo has become operational and that we expect a lot from the new large solar power plants (which can be included in the grid in the fastest possible way), as well as new wind farms and biogas power plants.

What’s the situation like in Europe and the rest of the world?

The energy transition, also known as decarbonization (abandoning fossil fuels and turning to renewable energy sources), was in full swing in Europe in the last decade when it collided with the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine. As a result, we have reduced deliveries of Russian gas and disruptions in supply chains. Perfidious geopolitical games have replaced engineering and economic logic in energy. Today absolutely everything is in turmoil – interrupted gas supplies, on the one hand, and full gas storages in Europe, on the other. Extremely high prices on the wholesale electricity and gas markets, searching for new gas supply routes from different suppliers and contemplating what and how to proceed.

The decision-makers in our region finally understood that energy must be viewed in the short, medium and long term, and not only from election to election or as a lever for mitigating social inequalities. Developed countries have long treated energy as a profitable and sustainable branch of the economy. We hope to take that approach.

Savings and restrictions

In the short term, it is anyone’s guess whether we will have restrictions on the electricity supply in Serbia and the region this and in upcoming winters. The answer is that the probability of such a scenario is extremely low but not impossible. Namely, extreme cold that lasts for several weeks and a bad hydrological situation can make that scenario more likely. That is why, both in the short and medium term, the construction of production capacities must be accelerated, energy efficiency must be constantly improved, and energy savings must increase. Production has to be higher on both ends – through the construction of large power plants (centralized production method) and decentralized small production units closer to consumption (solar panels, biomass power plants, biogas). Namely, modern energy is based on the axiom that only by using hybrid solutions, which include energy storage, can the optimum energy mix be found. This second distributed type of energy production gives all citizens, companies and local governments the opportunity to contribute to the energy transition and help the democratization of the sector in terms of weakening the monopoly position of power companies.

Author: Professor Nikola Rajaković, PhD

Read the story in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS.

Clean energy investment is extending its lead over fossil fuels, boosted by energy security strengths

25.05.2023

windmills-vetar-vetroelektrana — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay (Pexels)

Investment in clean energy technologies is significantly outpacing spending on fossil fuels as affordability and security concerns triggered by the global energy crisis strengthen the momentum behind more sustainable options, according to a new IEA report.

About USD 2.8 trillion is set to be invested globally in energy in 2023, of which more than USD 1.7 trillion is expected to go to clean technologies – including renewables, electric vehicles, nuclear power, grids, storage, low-emissions fuels, efficiency improvements and heat pumps – according to the IEA’s latest World Energy Investment report. The remainder, slightly more than USD one trillion, is going to coal, gas and oil.

Annual clean energy investment is expected to rise by 24 percent between 2021 and 2023, driven by renewables and electric vehicles, compared with a 15 percent rise in fossil fuel investment over the same period. But more than 90 percent of this increase comes from advanced economies and China, presenting a serious risk of new dividing lines in global energy if clean energy transitions don’t pick up elsewhere.

“Clean energy is moving fast – faster than many people realise. This is clear in the investment trends, where clean technologies are pulling away from fossil fuels,” said IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol. “For every dollar invested in fossil fuels, about 1.7 dollars are now going into clean energy. Five years ago, this ratio was one-to-one. One shining example is investment in solar, which is set to overtake the amount of investment going into oil production for the first time.”

Led by solar, low-emissions electricity technologies are expected to account for almost 90 percent of investment in power generation. Consumers are also investing in more electrified end-uses. Global heat pump sales have seen double-digit annual growth since 2021. Electric vehicle sales are expected to leap by a third this year after already surging in 2022.

Clean energy investments have been boosted by a variety of factors in recent years, including periods of strong economic growth and volatile fossil fuel prices that raised concerns about energy security, especially following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Enhanced policy support through major actions like the US Inflation Reduction Act and initiatives in Europe, Japan, China and elsewhere have also played a role.

Spending on upstream oil and gas is expected to rise by seven percent in 2023, taking it back to 2019 levels. The few oil companies that are investing more than before the Covid-19 pandemic are mostly large national oil companies in the Middle East. Many fossil fuel producers made record profits last year because of higher fuel prices, but the majority of this cash flow has gone to dividends, share buybacks and debt repayment – rather than back into traditional supply.

Nonetheless, the expected rebound in fossil fuel investment means it is set to rise in 2023 to more than double the levels needed in 2030 in the IEA’s Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario. Global coal demand reached an all-time high in 2022, and coal investment this year is on course to reach nearly six times the levels envisaged in 2030 in the Net Zero Scenario.

The oil and gas industry’s capital spending on low-emissions alternatives such as clean electricity, clean fuels and carbon capture technologies was less than five percent of its upstream spending in 2022. That level was little changed from last year – though the share is higher for some of the larger European companies.

The biggest shortfalls in clean energy investment are in emerging and developing economies. There are some bright spots, such as dynamic investments in solar in India and in renewables in Brazil and parts of the Middle East. However, investment in many countries is being held back by factors including higher interest rates, unclear policy frameworks and market designs, weak grid infrastructure, financially strained utilities, and a high cost of capital. Much more needs to be done by the international community, especially to drive investment in lower-income economies, where the private sector has been reluctant to venture.

Source: IEA

SOLUTION FOR MAINTAINING AND EXTENDING THE LIFE OF INDUSTRIAL BATTERIES

25.05.2023

The Lidac Battery Management Company was founded in 2014. Considering that its team of experts gathered to work together even earlier, in 2010, it is safe to say that the company has over a decade of experience working with industrial batteries. It positioned itself with the concept of battery management, adequate servicing, and sustainable development, and this is exactly what the company offers to its service users and customers. Nikola Seratlić, founder and CEO of Lidac Battery Management, says it is possible to maintain and even extend battery capacity. In his interview for Energy Portal (EP), Mr Seratlić explains why that is both possible and important.

EP: What is the battery management concept based on?

Nikola Seratlić: This is the concept of three pillars of sustainable development – or 3Es – where our users can expect visible benefits in energy, ecology, and economy. Our whole operational concept and providing significant benefits for our clients would not be possible without the latest technologies, the know-how and the most advanced skills in maintaining industrial battery systems. The know-how and the complete technology, machines and equipment come from the United States of America, where we have acquired them, and today they are used all over Europe.

IN FOCUS:

EP: Considering that batteries degrade during their lifetime, is it possible to maintain their energy efficiency (capacity)?

Nikola Seratlić: Of course, with the help of new technologies and knowledge, it is possible to restore the battery’s passivated capacity, i.e., its energy efficiency. Since the battery is a chemical source of electrical energy, it is subject to constant chemical processes and reactions that take place inside it. It is impossible to stop the processes and reactions that affect the degradation of the battery. Still, it is possible to recover the battery’s passivated capacity, which occurred due to the aforementioned processes, but mostly due to inadequate maintenance and use. In this case, we are talking about lead-acid industrial batteries, which are still used most. Based on our experience, we can confidently say that it is possible to maintain the battery capacity until the end of the battery life or significantly extend its life in certain cases.

EP: You mentioned the 3E principle – the basic pillars of sustainable development. What do they mean for your user?

Nikola Seratlić: We are talking about the possible and visible benefits of our actions. The user of our services, such as long-term maintenance, servicing or revitalization of batteries, can expect benefits that can be valorized through direct financial savings, maintained and restored energy efficiency of the battery and a reduced amount of disposed of hazardous waste. Every user of our services has observed and confirmed all the advantages mentioned above.

EP: Bearing in mind the energy crisis in full swing, is it possible, with your help or with the help of modern technologies, to reduce the electricity consumption for charging batteries?

Nikola Seratlić: It depends on which batteries we are talking about. It is possible with some types of batteries. The best example is lead-acid batteries for towing vehicles, more precisely, electric forklifts. There are quite a few in our country, considering that all logistics, transport and production companies use these forklifts. For those types of batteries, our partners from Belgium have developed state-of-the-art process chargers that can reduce electricity consumption by up to 30 per cent for charging batteries used in electric forklifts, which you will agree is a substantial saving. If we add to that our regular maintenance and keeping the energy efficiency of the battery at the maximum level, then those savings in electricity consumption can reach up to 50 per cent.

Interviewed by: Nevena Đukić

Read the story in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS.

Baltic Sea shipping should avoid copper in antifouling paints and open-loop scrubbers to mitigate pollution

24.05.2023

brod , ship — Photo-illustration: Pixabay (dendoktoor)

In the most recent Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) assessment (2011-2016), all the Baltic Sea basins failed to reach good environmental status as defined by the EU Maritime Strategy Framework Directive. HELCOM offers data on various heavy metals reaching the Baltic, from sources such as wastewater treatment plants and industry, plus modelled data of atmospheric deposition of metals such as cadmium and lead. However, it only considers emissions of a few substances from shipping (e.g. nitrogen dioxide) and concentrates on domestic shipping – metal pollution from maritime shipping and leisure boating are not explicitly included in HELCOM assessments.

To address this knowledge gap, researchers used available data to estimate the amounts of nine metals (arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, mercury, nickel, vanadium and zinc) and 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that enter the Baltic Sea from shipping and leisure boating each year. These estimates included discharges of bilge water, scrubber wash water, greywater and sewage, as well as antifouling paint. For leisure boats, only emissions of copper and zinc from antifouling paint were considered. Atmospheric deposition estimates were based on data from six land-based monitoring stations, which may not fully account for PAHs from ship exhaust.

Antifouling paint protects hulls from biota such as barnacles and seaweed. Its active ingredient is usually cuprous oxide, often combined with zinc oxide. Scrubbers wash exhaust gas systems, removing sulphur dioxides. The process produces large volumes of acidic water, containing metals and PAHs. Most scrubbers used in the Baltic are ‘closed loop’ or hybrid systems, which means that they can operate in closed loop mode and hence generate a lower volume of contaminated water than ‘open loop’ systems. Scrubbers operating in closed loop mode generate smaller volumes of wash water than open loop systems, but they can still be a substantial source of primarily metals and PAHs.

The researchers compared shipping emissions with inputs to the Baltic from other sources such as rivers, atmospheric deposition and coastal industry, based on the most recent data available, including the 2018 HELCOM assessment1 and the EBAS database2. From the sources included in this assessment, the most significant pollutant by mass was zinc, 3 932 tonnes (t) of which enters the Baltic Sea annually, followed by an estimated 1 560t of copper and 675t of nickel. After riverine input (at 54 percent), shipping and leisure boating were the second largest source of copper inputs (37 percent), the vast majority from antifouling paints – 509t from shipping and 57t from leisure boats. The researchers highlight that the latter amount is concentrated in the summer months, in sensitive coastal areas, so it is still significant. Scrubber discharge water contributes 7t of copper annually – about a third of the amount of copper that comes from all point sources (19t).

Photo-illustration: Pixabay (PublicDomainPictures)

Contributing 3 132t, rivers made up the largest source (80 percent) of zinc inputs to the Baltic Sea. Shipping and leisure boats contributed 166t (3.6 percent) – again, mostly from antifouling paints. Shipping emitted also other metals in smaller amounts (e.g. 35t vanadium and 10t nickel). As a share of all sources, shipping was found to contribute nearly nine percent of the PAHs Phenanthrene and Anthracene (0.3t and 0.015t, respectively). It was also the source of about two percent (0.075t) of Pyrene and one percent (0.03t) of Fluoranthene. These four PAHs may form during combustion, and some are also used in products such as plastics, pesticides and dyes. All are toxic, and on the European Chemical Agency’s (ECHA) Candidate List of Substances of Very High Concern. Ships probably also contribute from their exhaust to PAHs deposited on the surface of the Baltic Sea, but there is no chemical transport model available to account for this, the researchers note. The study shows that shipping is a significant source of certain metals and PAHs in the Baltic Sea. It is particularly important to address copper emissions, since target levels have been exceeded in most areas of the Baltic [HELCOM 2021].

Baltic ships’ copper emissions could be reduced by a third, suggest the researchers, if alternative, copper-free paints or strategies were used. For instance, silicone-based anti-fouling paint is substantially less toxic for marine organisms, and could even be more effective in preventing fouling than copper-based coatings. However, it is worth noting that the monomers used to produce silicon polymers (D4, D5 and D6) are also on the ECHA’s Candidate List, so the paints would only be good substitutes if they contained very low concentrations of these monomers. On vessels that enter ice, inert coatings (that won’t be damaged by ice) together with hull cleaning are more suitable. As long as copper-based coatings are on the market, however, it is difficult to promote alternatives. The researchers also note that the release rate of copper in antifouling paints varies from 2–66 micrograms (μg) per square centimetre per day. Fouling pressure in the Baltic Sea is low, therefore lower release rates (<5 μg) are sufficient to prevent marine organisms from attaching and growing on the hull.

Another strategy to mitigate pollution would be to restrict scrubbers to closed-loop mode. Possible for most scrubber-fitted vessels in the Baltic, this could massively reduce their metal and PAH emissions. Growing use of scrubbers may have a perverse outcome, however. Since they reduce air pollution from exhaust, ship operators may continuously use high sulphur fuels – which are associated with higher emissions of metals and PAHs to water, compared to alternative fuels. To mitigate pollution, the best practice would be to avoid these fuels. Meanwhile, environmental impacts from the increasing use of scrubbers are uncertain, warn the researchers, and their chemical-laden discharge has been shown to be toxic to marine life. The researchers note that 178 of the 8 900 ships operating in the Baltic in 2018 had a scrubber (more than a ten-fold increase the last time data on their discharges was modelled, in 2012), but that figure may now be close to 500. Finally, since shipping and boating are the largest anthropogenic source of copper to the Baltic Sea, they should be included in HELCOM pollution load compilations, say the researchers.

Source: European Commission

NEW SOLAR MEGAWATT IN POŽAREVAC

24.05.2023

solarni paneli - solar panels — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Renewable energy sources are no longer only a factor in environmental protection but also in maintaining energy security. The crisis that marked the year behind us confirmed the necessity of switching to renewable sources. The sun’s energy is affordable, and solar power plants play a significant role in Serbia’s energy stability, reducing the pressure on Elektroprivreda. The number of built solar power plants is increasing every week, not only the large ones of several megawatts but also those for their own needs, which smaller companies and households are increasingly installing.

Following positive trends, the company MT-KOMEX has recently started the construction of a solar power plant on the roof of one of the popular shopping centers in Serbia. It is important to point out that the value of such projects is recognized, and the construction of solar power plants is planned for each of the 14 buildings in different cities this retail chain has. The projects for all 14 power plants have already been completed.

For the construction of the first photovoltaic power plant, a building in Požarevac was chosen, which has a large number of small stores under its roof. The specificity of this project is the fact that the produced electricity will be distributed percentageally among the stores in proportion to their consumption. At the same time, the excess energy will be handed over to the grid. Two substations power this facility, and the power plant itself will be divided accordingly. The total power of the power plant will be 1 MWp.

IN FOCUS:

Photovoltaic panels with a power of 410 Wp are used to construct the power plant. Exactly 2,414 Luxor Solar LX410M/182-108+(410W) monocrystalline solar panels will be installed, followed by AC distribution cabinets, a Fronius monitoring system and smart meters, which are essential additional equipment to make the solar power plant as efficient as possible. Also, 46 inverters will be installed with different power but from the same manufacturer, Fronius. These inverters are among the best in the world. Given that it is a complex facility, the inverters will be placed outdoors, and a special structure will be made to protect them from the direct influence of external weather conditions.

The roof surface on which the panels are placed is made of a synthetic membrane, which requires using a D-Dome construction manufactured by K2 Systems. It is planned that the panels will be oriented northeast-southwest at an angle of 10 degrees to make the most efficient use of solar radiation. If, for example, the roof surface was in the form of a trapezoidal sheet, the project would have foreseen a different type of construction that follows the roof pitch.

The construction of the solar power plant at the facility in Požarevac began at the beginning of December, and the planned completion date is at the end of January, after which it will be connected to the grid.

The expected production of the power plant on an annual level is 1140 MWh/year, the return on the investment of 925 thousand euros is expected in 6 and a half years, and we would especially emphasize the saving of CO2, which amounts to 535,600 kg on an annual level.

The previously realized projects of the company MT-KOMEX, which will celebrate its 30th anniversary in January 2023, confirm the reliability of the company’s business and the certainty that each project will be done in the best possible way. Among the power plants built by the company MT-KOMEX, so far, there are more than 60 MW of solar power plants in the portfolio, and the largest bifacial solar power plant on earth will soon be built.

Prepared by: Katarina Vuinac

Read the story in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS.

Manufacturing plans for key clean energy technologies are expanding rapidly as investment momentum builds

23.05.2023

solar, obnovljivi izvori — Photo-illustration: Pixabay (mrganso)

Announcements of new manufacturing projects for several essential technologies for the clean energy transition – including solar PV, batteries and electrolysers – have accelerated in recent months, highlighting the growing global momentum behind the new energy economy, according to IEA analysis published today.

Since late 2022, the estimated output by 2030 from existing and announced manufacturing capacity for solar PV has increased by 60 percent, for batteries by 25 percent, and for electrolysers by 20 percent, propelled by policy support and growing interest from investors, says the new special briefing from the IEA’s Energy Technology Perspectives series.

The report, The State of Clean Technology Manufacturing, examines announced manufacturing projects for solar PV, wind power, batteries, heat pumps and electrolysers to gauge how these plans could shape the clean energy landscape by the end of the decade. The new analysis is intended to inform deliberations at the G7 Leaders Summit in Hiroshima, Japan, this weekend.

If all the projects announced to date were built, the anticipated output of manufacturing capacity for the five clean technologies would reach USD 790 billion a year by 2030. In that situation, global manufacturing capacity for solar PV would comfortably exceed the level needed in the IEA’s Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario for that technology. Battery manufacturing capacity would also meet the level the scenario envisaged for 2030.

However, announcements for wind, heat pumps and electrolysers remain some way off the levels implied by the Net Zero Scenario. And it is important to note that for all five technologies, announced projects may not all go ahead, with most of them yet to receive final investment decisions. But relatively short lead-times for new manufacturing projects – from announcement to construction – mean that there is still scope for the project pipelines for 2030 to evolve significantly in the coming years.

To date, manufacturing capacity in clean energy technologies is highly geographically concentrated. The top three markets account for between 80 percent to 90 percent of global manufacturing capacity, depending on the technology. If all announced projects worldwide are completed, the share of manufacturing clustered in these markets would shift to between 70 percent and 95 percent by 2030 for different technologies.

“If we look at the projects that are currently under construction or planned worldwide, China is set to strengthen its leading position in key clean energy technologies,” said IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol. “There is a need for effective international cooperation and further diversification to ensure secure and resilient technology supply chains, meet the world’s climate goals and enable all countries to enjoy the economic benefits of the new global energy economy.”

The increased efforts to diversify manufacturing thus far have been supported by major policy announcements in many countries over the last year that are beginning to expand supply chains in different regions. For example, following the adoption of the US Inflation Reduction Act last year, battery manufacturing announcements in late 2022 and early 2023 alone account for nearly half of the sector’s total project pipeline in the United States.

Other recent examples of flagship policies to boost domestic industrial production include the Net Zero Industry Act in the European Union and key milestones in Japan’s Green Transformation programme. Together with China’s current Five-Year-Plan (2021-2025) and India’s Production Linked Incentive scheme, these policies are transforming industrial policy geared toward clean energy technology.

G7 governments have already recognised the importance of building resilient, secure and sustainable supply chains to accelerate the clean energy transition and reduce vulnerabilities associated with undue dependencies. There is much countries can do domestically to proactively address the risks posed to supply chains – including developing industrial strategies that leverage their competitive advantages. But international co-operation will be crucial to ease, hasten and extend any progress that is to be made. With this in mind, the new IEA report concludes with six recommendations for G7 leaders that are also applicable for other interested governments.

The recommendations are focused on actions that require international cooperation, such as coordinating efforts across supply chains, and identifying and building strategic partnerships both within the G7 and beyond, including through facilitating investment in emerging market and developing economies. Development of a platform to inform the process of identifying strategic partnerships for manufacturing is recommended, as well as sharing best practice and promoting technologies and strategies to enhance resource efficiency, thereby increasing the resilience of the supply chain.

In addition to clean technology manufacturing, the issue of critical mineral security is of strategic importance to many countries and an area where the need for international cooperation is acute. These minerals are an essential component in the clean energy transition and diversification is necessary to mitigate disruptions or bottlenecks in supply chains. To address these issues, the IEA will host the first ever IEA Critical Minerals and Clean Energy Summit on 28 September to focus on measures to promote the secure, sustainable and responsible supply of raw materials that have a central role in clean energy transitions around the world. The Summit will convene ministers from countries in the IEA family and beyond – including both large mineral producers and consumers – as well as business leaders, investors, heads of international organisations and civil society representatives.

Source: IEA

THE CHARGE&GO NETWORK IS EXPANDING!

23.05.2023

If it seems to you that the development of electromobility in our country looks like a comical situation in which you either have a can or an opener, you are not far from the truth. Owners of electric cars, no matter how many there are in Serbia, and word has it that there are as many as 900 registered, both new and used, are constantly searching for information about newly installed chargers. At the same time, charger owners are eagerly waiting for a larger number of electric vehicles to get closer to the planned profitability margin of their business.

It will be enough to make a small overview to determine how electromobility is developing in our country. Not until seven or eight years ago, there were almost no public chargers, and several companies decided on a visionary approach. Hence, they installed chargers in their parking lots to enable the planned replacement of their fleet with electric vehicles. Of course, there were only a few dozen electric cars back then.

Today, things look a bit better. If you look at the map on plugshare.com today, you will see dozens of charging locations in our country. However, changes in the transport sector and the way of using means of transport are yet to come. Undoubtedly, the focus will be on developing a Photographs: charge&GO network of electric vehicle chargers to enable the transition to sustainable transport.

IN FOCUS:

The company Charge&GO, as a leader in the development of electromobility in Serbia, is currently working on expanding its network of chargers. Installation of chargers is currently underway at all locations of the Stop Shop retail chain. From the beginning of August, drivers of electric vehicles can stop by the Stop Shop in Sremska Mitrovica, Lazarevac, and Požarevac and recharge their batteries. A 120 kW charger is available in the Stop Shop parking lot in Vršac, while a 60 kW charger is available to visitors of this retail chain in Zaječar.

It is expected that chargers ranging from 24 to 120 kW will soon be put into operation in Čačak, Subotica and Smederevo, and by the end of the year at other Stop Shop locations throughout Serbia.

Fast and ultra-fast chargers can be found on the map of the Charge&GO network at GAZPROM gas stations, as well as at four toll points on the highway near Vrčin, Horgoš and Trupala-Niš.

The easiest way to access chargers is the Charge&GO app, which allows electric car drivers to charge their vehicle, make a payment, and view charging sessions. The user must register first; after that, he can enjoy all the benefits, such as lower prices. In addition to the network of chargers in our country, thousands of chargers throughout Europe that are part of the partner network are also available to the application users.

Prepared by: Milica Radičević

Read the story in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS.

ENVIRONMENTAL BOOK

22.05.2023

Ruke — Photo-Illustration: Environmental book

In 2019, she first turned her love for writing, nature, and children into the fairy tale “Sounds of the forest”, and this autumn, her second book, “Environmental book”, was published. The book was written with the desire that children should not perceive it as a textbook but be encouraged to search and explore further. The content is divided into chapters on water, air, forests, earth, energy, ozone layer, sound, and animals, both those in nature and those in distress, whether abandoned or in zoos and circuses. The text is accompanied by interesting facts from all over the world, and to get the little ones more interested, Katarina gave the chapters interesting names such as Air – it’s not good when we see it, Sound – noise is not in vogue or Ozone layer – let’s patch it together.

“Environmental book” is a natural sequence of what I have been doing for a long time, what I am fighting for and what I believe in. I try to inform children, not to educate them but to give them new ideas with the hope that they will teach their parents and the elderly in general so that together we can heal what can still be healed on our planet,” Katarina said.

IN FOCUS:

The book is intended for elementary school students, but even the younger generations have started reading it. As the author states, it is important for parents to read the book with their children, to bring the material closer to the peculiarities of each child, their age, knowledge, interest, and creativity. The reader is accompanied by illustrations, which can help younger children understand the text and think through visualization. Although children at that age cannot understand every piece of information written in the book, Katarina says that it is important that they connect with ecology in different ways every day because this will develop empathy towards nature in their subconscious.

Children were particularly interested in the tasks at the end of each chapter, which tell them what they can do to contribute to the preservation of the planet. This interactive moment of the book contributes to the fact that children at that age are aware that each individual has their own role and that we must not hand over the fight for nature to someone else.

“When I write for children, I wake up my inner child, which rarely sleeps for that matter, and it seems to me that when I put myself in children’s shoes when I create, it is not difficult to make reading interesting for them”, said Katarina, explaining how she adapts a very serious topic to children. In addition to love, due to the responsibility of writing such a book, professional knowledge is also needed, which is why her friends with knowledge in biology, ecology, pedagogy, veterinary science, and children’s literature participated in its creation.

To round up the environmental story, the book’s special edition was printed on recycled paper, and not just any kind. We are talking about paper produced manually, according to an ancient Japanese technique from empty cigarette packs in a social enterprise, “Naša kuća”. This organization was founded at the initiative of parents of children with developmental disabilities.

Katarina is a post-graduate student to confirm a Master’s degree at the Faculty of Political Sciences, majoring in Environmental Policy. She is a member of the environmental associations for the protection of the Rzav River and the Zvezdara Forest, the “Society for the Protection and Study of Birds of Serbia”, as well as the informal associations “Šljunkara” and “Women’s Green Power”. She initiated various actions and participated in numerous activities that led to the defence of the Zvezdara Forest and other green areas, as well as one aged chestnut tree. She is also proud of all the struggles she led with her like-minded fellows, in which they failed, because, as she says, those struggles are even more important.

“Ecology and the fight for nature have been my everyday life for many years. In addition to writing for children about ecology, I teach children about birds and nature in general. It seems to me that there is not a day in which I am not dedicated to a greater or lesser extent to some struggle for a green area, a tree, a river,” Katarina said and added that she feels best in the forest, next to the river and with her hands deep in the ground.

In the end, the author of “Environmental book” called on the youngest to always trust their hearts, and to lead their parents and all of us, adults, to a better tomorrow in which our planet will be protected and peaceful thanks to them.

Prepared by: Katarina Vuinac

Read the story in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS.

NEW LIFE FOR OLD THERMAL POWER PLANTS WITH CEEFOR

21.05.2023

Snimak ekrana 2023-05-19 143257 — Photo-ilustration: Unsplash (Albert Hyseni)

Although the Electric Power Industry of Serbia (EPS) still relies on coal, for the most part, the idea to shut down certain thermal power plants (TPP) and build solar ones instead is approaching realization.

The winner of the last year’s tender for the drafting of a study based on which solar power plants will be built at the coal-ash ponds of TPP Morava in Svilajnac, and TPP Kolubara A in Veliki Crljeni was the renowned domestic company CEEFOR, which has been designing solar power plants for more than 10 years.

Isidora Mladenović, one of the 11 engineers working for the company CEEFOR who were engaged in drafting the study, guided us through this process immediately after the study was submitted to EPS.

According to her, the project lasted precisely one year and was implemented in four phases. EPS’ initial plan was to shut down the two power plants mentioned above and build solar power plants on their sites.

After analyzing the locations and potential of the available surfaces, solar radiation, and temperature in the study’s first phase, the CEEFOR team estimated that the full surface capacity of TPP Morava was 45MW and 71MW of TPP Kolubara A.

IN FOCUS:

Similar solar power plants in the world were considered when drafting the study, including the solar power plant built in 2015 on the ash pond in Visonta, Hungary. The 16MW facility was the largest solar power plant in Hungary at the time and the largest energy concept in Central Europe that relies on renewable energy sources.

Foto-ilustracija: Unsplash (Dominik Vanyi)

A 4MW solar farm was built on the surface of a former coal mine in Saarland, Germany. The German company BayWa r.e. developed the project in 2012 to utilize an exhausted coal mine for energy production. This process brings numerous benefits to the owners of power plants and mines, bearing in mind that it has been estimated that the costs of converting such sites into solar plants are much lower than using them for other purposes, such as the development of agriculture or tourism.

Similar projects have been implemented in Belgium, Poland, England, the USA, France, China, and other countries, which proves that the domestic power-generating industry is not lagging behind the rest of the world.

EPS plans to initially build two solar power plants, each with 10MW power, so the second and third phases of the study focused on this pilot project.

The best solutions come from CEEFOR

The other two study phases covered a complete technical, construction and electrical solution for two potential solar power plants. An economic and financial analysis of the profitability of the mentioned 10MW capacity was also included.

As Isidora Mladenović explained to us, in the case of the solar power plant at the Morava thermal power plant site, the expected annual production will be 13,850,589 kWh. At the same time, the return on investment is estimated at 8 years and 11 months.

The reduction of carbon dioxide emissions will amount to 270,094 tonnes annually, and the money saved from reduced emissions will amount to close to 22.6 million euros.

In terms of TPP Kolubara A, Mladenović presents similar figures – the expected annual production of the power plant will amount to 13,627,597kWh. At the same time, the return-on-investment period is estimated at close to 9 years and savings at 3 million euros.

The CEEFOR team proposed EPS, a fixed photovoltaic system, considering that such a system proved to be the optimal solution from the production aspect and that it corresponds to the solar potential in the local climate. Also, this system is easy to use and maintain and generates a decent income from power plant production.

Given that EPS agreed to the photovoltaic panels being fixed, the shadows cast by the rows of panels mutually affect each other. To reduce the impact of shadows and thereby avoid losses in the power plant’s production, the distance between all rows of panels was set at 4 metres, which facilitates the minimum permissible impact of shading.

It is proposed to use modern photovoltaic panels with a maximum power of 640-665W, whereby twenty panels will form one chain (string). Nine chains, or 180 panels, will be connected to one 100kW inverter. The total number of inverters will be 100, while the total number of panels will be 18,000, says Mladenović.

“The entire study is an innovative project, the first of its kind in Serbia, whereby the available and unutilized areas of the ash pond would be used to construct solar power plants and produce green energy. Examples of similar regional projects were of great importance to us,” said our interlocutor.

She adds that with this study, CEEFOR’s portfolio is now enhanced with another unique experience which creates the opportunity to build a solar power plant on a hitherto unknown type of land.

“We also owe special thanks to our peers from EPS, with whom we had excellent cooperation throughout the entire process of drafting the study, as well as to their colleagues from other services who contributed to the successful completion of the study and all accompanying procedures,” Isidora Mladenović says for Energetski Portal.

Prepared by: Milena Maglovski

Read the story in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS.

Europe Needs to Step up Circular Economy Efforts, Including on Waste Prevention

20.05.2023

priroda-cveće — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Nathan Anderson)

The EEA briefing ‘How far is Europe from reaching its ambition to double the circular use of materials?’ shows that, in 2021, about 11.7 percent of all materials used in the EU came from recycled waste, up from 8.3 percent in 2004.

Enhanced recycling will speed up this progress but it needs to be complemented with reducing the overall material inputs to meet the target of doubling the share of recycled waste in the use of materials by 2030. Getting closer to the target could, for example, be achieved by increasing the recycling rate of all treated waste from current 40 percent to 70 percent, decreasing overall material inputs by 15 percent, and reducing the amount of fossil fuels used by 34 percent.

Moreover, a special focus should be paid on non-metallic minerals, such as construction materials, as these account for about half of all materials used in the EU. From an environmental perspective, it would also be beneficial to focus efforts on materials with the highest negative impacts in their production, especially fossil fuels and biomass.

Monitoring waste prevention

Waste prevention is one of the key strategies to achieving a circular economy because it can reduce resource use, maximise the useful life of products and materials, and promote demand for more sustainable products. However, it remains difficult to establish a link between waste prevention polis and waste generation in the EU.

The EEA analysis ‘Tracking waste prevention progress’ proposes a new set of indicators dedicated to monitoring long-term trends in waste prevention. The indicators focus on the drivers of waste generation, waste prevention policies enablers, and resulting outcomes in reduced waste and emissions. Putting this monitoring framework in full use, however, requires more specific data and information collected across the EU in a systematic and harmonised way.

Currently, almost all EU Member States have some quantitative targets and indicators on waste prevention but these targets and indicators vary widely, the EEA report notes. Setting EU-level waste prevention targets, such as the food waste reduction target that is currently being developed, can also help to set the direction and an objective for measurement and to strengthen obligations on waste prevention.

Tracking waste prevention progress

Supporting the two assessments, the EEA has also published updated ‘Waste prevention country fact sheets’, which show country-specific data and analysis on waste prevention efforts in EEA member and cooperation countries across Europe.

Revised monitoring framework

The European Commission published a revised Circular Economy monitoring framework earlier this week. The revised framework helps to better track progress in the transition to a circular economy in the EU and considers how it can contribute to climate neutrality, resilience and global sustainability.

Source: EEA

Porto Montenegro Will Host High-Level Energy Week Western Balkans 2023

19.05.2023

On 18-19th October, the high-level renewables investment conference Energy Week Western Balkans 2023 will take place at the new location, Porto Montenegro.

Launched in 2022 by a UK-based Invest In Network, Energy Week quickly became the region’s premier event bringing together state authorities, regulators, utilities and TSOs from Montenegro, Serbia, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Albania, and Kosovo as well as IFIs/DFIs and a large pool of global developers targeting this lucrative market.

Energy Week Western Balkans is well-positioned to encourage regional cooperation as well as to support the transition to secure, clean and affordable energy. Utilising vast renewable energy potential, increasing interconnection and facilitating system flexibility and market liberalisation are of paramount importance. And while investing in renewable energy in the region is getting momentum, cooperation and interconnectivity become key to reaching targets set by the countries.

Among the topics to be discussed in 2023:

The regulatory framework needed to ensure just transition;
Auctions and private PPAs;
Renewable energy revenue streams;
The most important developments and new construction projects in the wind and solar industry;
Encouraging small hydropower installations vs. repowering of existing large hydropower;
Innovative opportunities explored in the regions, such as floating solar and agrivoltaism;
Energy storage solutions and many more.

Energy Week is internationally recognised as a high-impact event with targeted audience and exceptional networking opportunities and is attended by financial institutions, global renewable energy producers and the world’s most innovative technological companies, such as EBRD, EIB, The World Bank, IFC, DEG (Germany), Proparco (France), Green For Growth Fund (Luxenbourg), MUFG Bank (Japan), Raiffeisen Bank International (Austria), Erste Bank (Austria), Akuo Energy (France), Emergy (Norway), Scatec (Norway), CWP Global (Australia), Notus Energy (Germany), Statkraft (Norway), EDF (France), European Energy (Denmark), Fotowatio Renewable Ventures (Spain), Acciona Generación Renovable (Spain), Voltalia (France), ITOCHU Corporation (Japan), Hitachi Energy (Japan), General Electric (USA), and many others.

Official website: www.wbenergyweek.com

Source: Energy Week Western Balkans 2023

1...525354...385 Page 53 of 385

IN FOCUS:

IN FOCUS:

IN FOCUS:

IN FOCUS:

MORE:

IN FOCUS

More:

IN FOCUS:

More:

IN FOCUS:

More:

IN FOCUS:

IN FOCUS:

IN FOCUS:

More:

Newsletter

Calendar of events

2024 October

Events for 31 October

Events for 1 November

Events for 2 November

Events for 3 November

Events for 4 November

Events for 5 November

Events for 6 November

Events for 7 November

Events for 8 November

Events for 9 November

Events for 10 November

Events for 11 November

Events for 12 November

Events for 13 November

Events for 14 November

Events for 15 November

Events for 16 November

Events for 17 November

Events for 18 November

Events for 19 November

Events for 20 November

Events for 21 November

Events for 22 November

Events for 23 November

Events for 24 November

Events for 25 November

Events for 26 November

Events for 27 November

Events for 28 November

Events for 29 November

WRITE US