Some Electric Vehicles Are More Affordable Than Petrol Cars in UK

13.08.2020

car_road_forest — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (JP Valery)

Electric vehicles (EVs) are often seen as being more expensive than petrol cars, but if the fuel saving costs are taken into account and the upfront purchase price is spread across monthly leasing payments, then a new EV could cost the equivalent of less than £200 per month.

If the UK is to meet its 2050 Net Zero target then all new cars on sale need to be EVs by 2035, or possibly earlier — to be confirmed following a government consultation which closed on 31 July. To ensure that the maximum number of motorists are able to make the switch to electric cars over the coming years, EVs need to be as affordable as possible. The following five electric cars are examples of vehicles that motorists can drive today — with zero tailpipe emissions and all the other benefits that electric cars offer, including being virtually silent, very refined and easy to drive.

Editor’s note: The calculations below don’t even take into account big tax savings available with electric vehicles in the UK, which make cheap electric vehicles even cheaper relatively speaking!

5 cheap electric vehicles with monthly costs that can be lower than petrol cars:

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (John Cameron)

1. Smart EQ ForFour 17 kWh Passion Advanced 5dr Auto
Electric driving range (official WLTP combined): 81 miles
Estimated real-world electric driving range: 55 miles
Monthly lease cost: £176.88
Estimated fuel savings per month: £85
Cost per month after fuel savings deducted: £91.8

2. Skoda CITIGOe IV SE 37 kWh 5dr Auto
Electric driving range (official WLTP combined): 170 miles
Estimated real-world electric driving range: 130 miles
Monthly lease cost: £231.55
Estimated fuel savings per month: £85
Cost per month after fuel savings deducted: £146.55

3. Renault ZOE GT Line 50 kWh 5dr Auto
Electric driving range (official WLTP combined): 245 miles
Estimated real-world electric driving range: 195 miles
Monthly lease cost: £279.59
Estimated fuel savings per month: £85
Cost per month after fuel savings deducted: £194.59

4. Volkswagen e-Golf 35 kWh 5dr Auto
Electric driving range (official WLTP combined): 144 miles
Estimated real-world electric driving range: 125 miles
Monthly lease cost: £331.32
Estimated fuel savings per month: £100
Cost per month after fuel savings deducted: £231.32

5. Peugeot E-2008 50 kWh Active 5dr Auto
Electric driving range (official WLTP combined): 206 miles
Estimated real-world electric driving range: 170 miles
Monthly lease cost: £338.30
Estimated fuel savings per month: £120
Cost per month after fuel savings deducted: £218.30

The monthly lease costs are for a 4-year Personal Contract Hire (PCH) covering 10,000 miles per year; they include VAT and there is no initial rental. Estimated fuel savings are based on 14p per kW electricity costs and monthly mileages covered as part of a 10,000 miles per year PCH.

Maintenance costs of EVs are also lower than those of petrol cars, and for company car drivers, EVs have zero Benefit in Kind tax for 2020/21.

Mike Potter, Managing Director of DriveElectric, comments: “There’s much talk about EVs reaching price parity with petrol cars over the coming years, but zero emission electric cars can be more affordable than people think today. Fuel costs of EVs are around 20% of the fuel costs of petrol cars, and spreading the cost of the initial purchase price over monthly leasing payments means that EVs are now typically cheaper than petrol cars from a whole-life cost point of view. This could enable large numbers of motorists to make the switch to EVs to help improve local air quality and achieve Net Zero.

“The driving ranges of the latest EVs are sufficient for many people’s regular driving patterns, and for those such as business users who regularly need to cover lots of motorway miles, there’s an ever-increasing variety of vehicle options available with electric driving ranges over 300 miles.”

DriveElectric is an electric vehicle leasing company that has been helping organisations and individuals to adopt EVs to save money, lower emissions and transition to low carbon energy since 2008. DriveElectric aims to make the switch to electric cars and vans simple for business fleets.

DriveElectric also offers a FlexiHire service which enables businesses to hire an electric car or van for a period of a few months rather than being committed to a lease over a number of years. As there’s also no upfront payment, the FlexiHire service provides a cost-effective way to drive an electric vehicle.

DriveElectric staff are currently working remotely from home and business operations are following COVID-19 government guidelines.

Source: Clean Technica

Status of Climate Risk Management in Latin American and Caribbean Banks

12.08.2020

Karibi_palme — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Rowan Heuvel)

A survey among 78 financial institutions in Latin America and the Caribbean holding 54% of the total assets managed by the banking sector in the region, revealed that 38% of banks incorporate guidelines on climate change in their strategy and 24% have a policy on climate risk evaluation and disclosure.

The study entitled “How the Banks of Latin America and the Caribbean incorporate climate change in their risk management”, presented last week during an online event, was prepared by the UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) and CAF – Development Bank of Latin America, with the collaboration of the Latin American Federation of Banks (FELABAN).

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Random Institute)

About 69% of the participant banks identified forestry and agriculture as the sector most exposed to climate risks, followed by the energy generation sector at 44%. Even 80% of the institutions recognized that the main physical risk to be incorporated in their risk evaluation and management was ‘flooding,’ followed by ‘drought’ (mentioned by 41% of the banks).

Banks in the region have an opportunity to improve the assessment of climate risks in their plans and strategies, with the aim of increasing their resilience and be better prepared to support the transition to low carbon economies.

According to the report, 41% of the institutions that took part in the survey recognized they do not have mechanisms to identify, analyze and manage climate risks.

The authors concluded that climate risks remain unmanaged mainly due to a lack of knowledge regarding the financial impact of climate change, and because of the absence of regulatory demands.

Banks in the region still tend to perceive climate risks from the perspective of how companies impact the environment, and not how exposed these companies are to climate threats. Considering the latter is key for financial institutions in the face of the expected increase in disasters and other impacts of extreme weather, the report notes.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, given current concentrations and on-going emissions of greenhouse gases, it is likely that by the end of this century the rise in global temperature will exceed 1.5°C above preindustrial levels. This will come with higher sea levels and more frequent and intense climate disasters.

“During the last decade, banks in Latin America and the Caribbean have made significant progress in integrating sustainability criteria in their different areas of work. The study that we present today will also contribute to the timely management of climate risks in their financing portfolios”, said Julián Suárez, Vice President of Sustainable Development at CAF.

“Climate risk assessment is key to the goal of aligning the banking industry with a sustainable and equitable global economy in the 21st century, which becomes even more relevant today as we need to build back better after the COVID-19 pandemic”, said Eric Usher, Head of UNEP FI.

The authors call to follow the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), and to replicate initiatives like the UNEP FI pilot project with 16 of the world’s leading banks to develop analytical tools and indicators that strengthen the assessment and disclosure of climate risks.

The survey revealed that 53% of the banks utilized the Sustainability Report as a mechanism to disclose risks linked to climate change, while only 16% reported through regulatory financial forms as advocated by the TCFD recommendations.

Due to the lack of knowledge regarding climate-related risks definitions, the authors also recommend the banking sector of Latin America and the Caribbean to prepare a common taxonomy on these issues.

Source: UNEP

Solar Power Plant for Pollution Removal

12.08.2020

Photo: Private archive of Gordana Pucar Milidrag

There is talk in the last few years about more intensive use of solar energy in our country’s energy mix. With the desire that such projects come to life and become part of our everyday lives, various companies appear in the market which offer options for potential customers and future electricity producers. Therefore, it is not unusual that solar power plants are emerging, and their primary purpose and unfortunately, sometimes, their only use, is to produce electricity. Rather than this one, science also offers solutions for generating slightly different results.

At the Faculty of Sciences (PMF) in Novi Sad, at the Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Environmental Protection, a research is underway on the use of solar energy with the aim of eliminating hazardous substances from wastewater. Specifically, in this case, it is about removing synthetic dyes from wastewaters which originate from the textile industry. The research is being conducted as a part of Gordana Pucar Milidrag’s PhD thesis.

The potential of solar energy represents 16.7 per cent of Serbia’s total renewable energy potential. Taking into account that the energy potential of solar radiation is for around 40 per cent higher in Serbia than in Central Europe and that the intensity of solar radiation is among the highest in Europe, we come to conclustion that solar radiation is rather sufficient and that it can be used in many different ways. Gordana Pucar Milidrag states that the data show that the average duration of insulation is 2,071 hours, or about 270 days of sunshine, and more than 70 per cent of insulation is generated between April and September.

“When we take into consideration the average weather conditions, atmospheric pollution and humidity, in these areas the real average radiation is about 3.5 kWh/m2 per day. These are the values that provide a reliable massive and economical use of solar energy. It is logical for us, as environmentalists at the Faculty of Sciences, to examine the possibilities of removing pollution by using this resource. We were most interested in removing pollution by applying so-called photo-Fenton process,” says Gordana and lets us know that the process is part of the group of advanced oxidation processes and it is based on the creation of highly reactive hydroxyl radicals in the reaction of iron and hydrogen peroxide.

“Hydroxyl radicals oxidise everything they come across, both organic and inorganic components. By applying this process in the presence of radiation makes the essence of the photo-Fenton process, which is considered to be a good
choice for removing of persistent contaminants (or pollution which is difficult to remove), due to the additional generation of hydroxyl radicals by photoreduction of iron and photolysis of hydrogen peroxide. This makes clear that
solar energy has a concrete implementation in the process,” explains Gordana. In order to test the possibility of applying the photoFenton process, the experiment was performed in a parabolic trough collector (PTC), which is considered to be most appropriate when it comes to wastewater treatment. Such collectors use only direct solar radiation (the higher the amount of radiation is, the greater is the yield). The PTC is small and receives a large amount of energy per unit volume. Gordana says that the main drawbacks are that the collector uses only direct radiation (which means that it is not efficient when it is cloudy), it is expensive dueto a tracking system and it has low optical and quantum efficiency by using this resource. We were most interested in removing pollution by applying so-called photo-Fenton process,” says Gordana and lets us know that the process is part of the group of advanced oxidation processes and it is based on the creation of highly reactive hydroxyl radicals in the reaction of iron and hydrogen peroxide.

In order to test the possibility of applying the photoFenton process, the experiment was performed in a parabolic trough collector (PTC), which is considered to be most appropriate when it comes to wastewater treatment. Such collectors use only direct solar radiation (the higher the amount of radiation is, the greater is the yield). The PTC is small and receives a large amount of energy per unit volume. Gordana says that the main drawbacks are that the collector uses only direct radiation (which means that it is not efficient when it is cloudy), it is expensive due to a tracking system and it has low optical and quantum efficiency.

“Through the implementation of these processes in the collector, a research for removing (degradation) of synthetic dyed molecules which is applied during the fabric dyeing process is carried out. Several different compounds have been successfully degraded by this collector: chromium (VI), dichloroacetic acid, phenols, 4-chlorophenol, dichlorophenol, pentachlorophenol, atrazine, industrial wastewater, etc. However, since the dye molecule itself is ‘large’ (that is, it has a large molar mass) and it is hardly degradable, we wanted to get an impression of how effective this process really is”, Gordana states, adding that the results of the experiment showed that the efficiency of discolouration (removal) of colours was high, around 100 per cent.

“Despite this, there is still no complete neutralisation of organic matter to carbon dioxide and water, given to the relatively short duration of the reaction. This is due to the presence of various salts and dicarboxylic acids, as well as additional reactions which involve hydroxyl radicals that interfere with the flow of the process. That is why such processes must be combined with some other processes and applied, for example, in the tertiary treatment of wastewater in the textile industry.”

In focus:

The goal they were aiming for was mostly met. Gordana says that the implementation of such processes allows the reaction to take place under neutral conditions, which reduces the cost of neutralisation in the first step. In addition, thermal energy collected during the radiation concentration can be used simultaneously for other applications. The fact that a catalyst synthesized from clay bentonite was used as the source of iron, which is a natural, widespread and inexpensive material, and solar radiation, as a renewable and alternative photon source, the results mentioned above should be taken into account when analysing the cost-effectiveness of the process applied. The analysis would include, according to Gordana, the land on which such collectors would be built, the chemicals that would be used during the treatments and the energy savings that would be provided by the use of these collectors, with the fact that the collectors could only be used duringthe sunny days, when radiation intensity is appropriate.

“The construction of these collectors is not cheap, but it would also be possible to use construction materials that are not as expensive as reflective surfaces. On the other hand, the implementation of advanced oxidation processes is considered as a proposal for the best available technique when it comes to the treatment of wastewater in the textile industry, while photo-oxidations are being considered as additional new techniques and the possibility of their implementation in tertiary treatment of wastewaters on semi-industrial systems is being examined”, Gordana presents possible solutions.

An important factor is the willingness of the state or the investor to support the development of such technologies. While the device is not positioned on the market, the information on its cost-effectiveness is not available. There are similar projects in Spain, Italy and the United States, which does not prevent them from continuous development of new processes for implementing such collectors. Gordana believes that the continuation of this research should go towards the improvement of the process, including the collector itself, in order to ensure complete mineralization. “Like any scientist, I want my work to see the light of the day, not to be a stillborn, rather as something tangible, practical and purposeful. Especially because behind all that is such a strong motive to preserve the planet.”

Prepared by: Mladen Rajic

This article was published in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine NATURAL RESOURCES, march – may, 2020

Carbon Dioxide and Water Successfully Converted Into Ethanol

11.08.2020

nebo_oblaci — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Kenrick Mills)

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could do something useful with excess carbon dioxide other than capture it, compress it, and bury it deep in the bottom of the ocean? Scientists at Argonne National Laboratory may have discovered a way to do precisely that. According to a press release from ANL, researchers at the lab, working with partners at Northern Illinois University, have discovered a new electrocatalyst that converts carbon dioxide and water into ethanol with very high energy efficiency, high selectivity for the desired final product, and low cost. Ethanol is a particularly desirable commodity because it is an ingredient in nearly all US gasoline and is widely used as an intermediate product in the chemical, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics industries.

“The process resulting from our catalyst would contribute to the circular carbon economy, which entails the reuse of carbon dioxide,” says Di-Jia Liu, senior chemist in Argonne’s chemical sciences and engineering division and also a scientist at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago. “The process resulting from our catalyst would contribute to the circular carbon economy, which entails the reuse of carbon dioxide,” he says. The new electrochemical process converts carbon dioxide emitted from industrial processes, such as fossil fuel power plants or alcohol fermentation plants, into valuable commodities at reasonable cost.

The catalyst itself is made up of atomically dispersed copper on a carbon-powder support. It breaks down carbon dioxide and water molecules and selectively reassembles them into ethanol using an external electrical field. The electrocatalytic selectivity or Faradaic efficiency of the process is over 90%, which is significantly higher than it is when using any other reported process. The catalyst operates stably over extended operation at low voltage.

“With this research, we’ve discovered a new catalytic mechanism for converting carbon dioxide and water into ethanol,” said Tao Xu, a professor in physical chemistry and nanotechnology from Northern Illinois University. “The mechanism should also provide a foundation for development of highly efficient electrocatalysts for carbon dioxide conversion to a vast array of value-added chemicals.”

Because CO2 is a stable molecule, transforming it into a different molecule normally requires large amounts of energy, which makes the conversion process costly. Liu says, “We could couple the electrochemical process of CO2-to-ethanol conversion using our catalyst to the electric grid and take advantage of the low cost electricity available from renewable sources like solar and wind during off-peak hours.” Because the process runs at low temperature and pressure, it can start and stop rapidly in response to the intermittent supply of the renewable electricity.

The research took advantage of two facilities at ANL — the Advanced Photon Source and Center for Nanoscale Materials. It also had access to the lab’s Computing Resource Center. “Thanks to the high photon flux of the X-ray beams at the APS, we have captured the structural changes of the catalyst during the electrochemical reaction,’’ said Tao Li, an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Northern Illinois University and an assistant scientist in Argonne’s X-ray Science division.

This results of the research is opening new pathways that could lead to further improvements in catalyst design. “We have prepared several new catalysts using this approach and found that they are all highly efficient in converting CO2 to other hydrocarbons,” says Liu. “We plan to continue this research in collaboration with industry to advance this promising technology.” The research was published recently in the journal Nature Energy.

The Takeaway

The upshot of this new research is the creation of a process that could reuse and recycle carbon dioxide for fuels and chemicals that today are derived from either oil or natural gas. Notice the role that low cost renewable energy plays in this scenario. What we are witnessing is a convergence of technologies that may result in ways to substantially lower the amount of carbon dioxide that gets added to the atmosphere by industry and at far lower cost than previously thought possible.

Ethanol and the other chemicals that could result from this and similar processes are essential building blocks for the plastics industry. If this discovery could be combined with the creation of new recyclable and biodegradable plastics, that would be a major step forward in constructing a circular economy, one that does not destroy the environment in the pursuit of profits.

The Drawdown Project has just published an update of its road map to a sustainable world, which it says can happen today without waiting for new technologies to appear. This latest news from Argonne National Lab could be incorporated with the ideas promoted by this latest Drawdown Review to help create a business environment built on the notion that the Earth’s resources are finite and should be used as wisely as possible.

Author: Steve Hanley

Source: Clean Technica

Melbourne Airport Building Largest Behind-The-Meter Solar Power Plant in Australia

08.08.2020

solar_power_plant_solarna_elektrana — Photo-illutration: Pixabay

This may be a lousy time for the airline industry, but it is the perfect time for Australia’s Melbourne Airport to look to the future. The largest behind-the-meter solar farm in Australia is under construction at the airport and is expected to be completed by the end of September. When it begins operating in January of next year, the 12.4-megawatt facility is expected to produce 17 gigawatt-hours of electricity annually — enough to power all four passenger terminals.

The solar array was developed by Beon Energy Solutions and contracted with Next General Electrical. The team used Canadian Solar monofacial panels specifically selected to avoid glare in the vicinity of the airport’s runways. Many believe the glare from solar panels can be a hazard in the vicinity of an airport, but a recent CSIRO report says those fears are overstated. It says “traditional silicon panels primarily absorb rather than reflect light. There is a precedent for solar farms at airports with Denver International Airport already hosting 2 MW and currently implementing plans for expansion.”

“With the airport’s electricity demand expected to grow the construction of our solar farm makes sense for several reasons. The project is expected to deliver significant annualized energy cost savings, a timely benefit with the impacts of Covid-19 wreaking havoc on the aviation industry,” says airport spokesperson Lorie Argus.

Beon Energy Solutions general manager Glen Thompson says the “airport location brings with it some unique complexities and challenges, which utilizes our collective strengths,” according to a report by PV Magazine. Beon has been responsible for several large ground-mounted behind-the-meter solar installations throughout Australia, including the 112 MW Karadoc installation in Victoria and the 120 MW Bowmen facility in New South Wales.

The new solar installation is expected to supply 15% of the total electrical needs of the Melbourne airport, thereby reducing its annual cost of electricity significantly. Saving money during the travel slowdown imposed by the coronavirus pandemic is a bright spot in an otherwise bleak picture.

Source: Clean Technica

Remote Working and Online Shopping Could Drive 14 Million Cars Off US Roads

07.08.2020

traffic_jam_saobraćajna_gužva_cars_automobili — Photo-illutration: Pixabay

In 2019, US motorists drove equivalent of 337 round trips from Earth to Pluto.
Lockdown meant a 64% drop in car usage, according to a KPMG report.
14 million fewer cars may be needed if working and shopping trends continue.

As many as 14 million cars could disappear from American roads in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

That’s one of the findings of a KPMG report that estimates almost 40% of all jobs in the United States could be done from home, drastically reducing reliance on the private motor vehicle.

In 2019, US motorists collectively covered a distance equivalent to 337 round trips from Earth to Pluto – around 4.8 trillion kilometres. But as much of the country, and indeed the rest of the world, went into various forms of lockdown, there was a 64% drop in car usage, KPMG found. That decline refers specifically to something called vehicle miles travelled (VMT), an industry measure of cumulative car journeys.

If that trend continues, Americans will drive 435 billion fewer kilometres per year. That’s a drop of just over 9%.

Mission control

KPMG refers to the most common reasons or ‘missions’ Americans have for car ownership. For around 40% of the country’s motorists, those missions are shopping and commuting.

The retail sector has been in a state of flux since the advent of ecommerce. For a growing number of shoppers, the convenience offered by online shopping has become increasingly important. Many brick-and-mortar retailers and large shopping destinations have closed in recent years, citing ecommerce as the cause for their decline.

For many shoppers, the lockdowns that accompanied the coronavirus pandemic were the impetus to increase their online spend. That may have been because physical stores were shut, or to maintain social distancing. But the effect, according to KPMG, was that footfall for non-essential retail fell by 80%. Some 60% of Americans said they were doing more shopping online than offline now, up from 44% pre-pandemic.

That is a trend that KPMG expects to see maintained over the longer term.

Work/life balance

The other mission KPMG referred to was commuting. Unsurprisingly, there was a major fall in commuting due to many businesses shutting their offices and sending staff home to work remotely.

Before the advent of lockdowns and shutdowns, just 3.4% of US workers were full-time home-workers. That shot up to 62% in early April. And while many have now begun to return to work, not all of them will.

Some businesses are adopting a steady-as-she-goes approach, continuing work-from-home procedures while evaluating changes to the economy and the spread of the infection. Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Salesforce and others are extending remote-working through to the end of 2020. Facebook, Slack and Twitter, have said staff who want to work from home permanently will be allowed to do so.

The total number likely to stay at home is still only an estimate. But KPMG thinks it could be between 13 million and 27 million staff – or 10% to 20% of the US workforce.

In March, 74% of respondents to a Gartner survey of more than 300 CFOs and heads-of-finance said they were shifting at least 5% of office staff to remote working.

There were around 273.6 million vehicles registered in the US in 2018. KPMG says that’s an average of 1.97 cars per household, which it anticipates could drop to 1.87 if its forecasts are correct. The cumulative effect of people driving less is that the equivalent of 14 million fewer cars will be needed. But this won’t automatically lead to the disappearance of that many automobiles from US highways. Instead, KPMG thinks there may be a gradual phasing out of second-car households, as the need for more than one vehicle becomes less pressing, which may in turn impact the vehicle sales sector and the wider automotive industry.

Source: WEF

Cities – Where the Fight for a Green Recovery Will Be Won or Lost

07.08.2020

Cities are home to 55 per cent of the world’s population, all jammed together cheek-by-jowl. Little wonder, then, that cities are being hit hardest by COVID-19: an estimated 90 per cent of all reported cases have occurred in urban areas.

But the same concentration of people also makes cities the places where the battle for a green recovery from COVID-19 – which is essential to reduce future pandemic risks and fight climate change – can be won.

Cities are breeding grounds for ideas and the places where many new techniques to reduce climate change, pollution, resource use and biodiversity loss are taking shape. Before COVID-19, many cities had already adopted urban farming, e-mobility, non-motorized transport, and were exploring zero emissions buildings, district energy and decentralized renewable energy systems, nature-based solutions, and retrofitting projects.

The trillions of dollars likely to be invested in COVID-19 recovery packages can accelerate such developments.

“As we respond to the pandemic and work towards recovery, we look to our cities as hubs of community, human innovation and ingenuity,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres at the recent launch of a policy brief on COVID-19 in an urban space. “Now is the time to … recover better, by building more resilient, inclusive and sustainable cities.”

Future-proofing economies

COVID-19 recovery provides an opportunity to future-proof economies: for cities to clear their air, green their open spaces, and embrace solutions that help decarbonize and drive down resource use and related impacts on ecosystems, while creating new jobs.

Urban planning and design that helps create strategically dense cities and connects housing with transport and energy planning, as well as grey with blue and green infrastructure to harness benefits from nature-based solutions, will be critical.

Through this project, UNEP, together with C40 Cities, the World Resources Institute and ICLEI- Local Governments for Sustainability, will work with a range of cities including Freetown to push towards integrated approaches which also includes nature-based solutions.

UNEP is also working with ICLEI, through its Cities Biodiversity Center, to support multi-level governance for people and nature to live in harmony in and around our cities.

“We must pursue a green, resilient and inclusive economic recovery,” said Guterres. “By focusing on high ecological transformation and job creation, stimulus packages can steer growth towards a low-carbon, resilient pathway and advance the Sustainable Development Goals.”

Climate change: the next threat

The need for such action is urgent. COVID-19 may be currently taking centre stage, but climate change is still waiting in the wings.

Coastal cities are already enduring devastating floods, coastal erosion, sea-level rise and extreme weather events linked to climate change. Cities also suffer higher temperature than non-urban areas. Today, around 200 million city-dwellers in over 350 cities live with summer temperature highs of over 35°C (95°F). The number of cities chronically affected by heat-stress is predicted to rise to 970 by 2050. All these factors pose serious threats to people’s health and livelihoods, and our economies overall.

While cities are vulnerable to climate change, some 75 per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions are from cities. This means that the key to a decarbonized transition is held by the mayor and city councilors. Over 70 large cities, representing 425 million people, have committed to carbon neutrality by 2050. This is a start: 227 cities annually produce more than 10 million tonnes of carbon dioxide. We need a five-fold decrease in emissions to limit temperature rise to 1.5°C.

Success is possible. Cities have a long tradition of reinventing themselves, not least in response to previous pandemics that brought the introduction of sewage systems, public parks and housing regulation to improve sanitation and reduce overcrowding.

Connecting nature, climate and land use

Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University Centenary Park is a perfect example of nature-based strategies at the crossroad of health, urban resilience and climate goals. The park’s innovative design reduces flooding risk by absorbing and storing water, which is then used for irrigation in the dry season.

Medellin in Colombia, meanwhile, has embraced nature as a cooling solution through its ‘Green Corridors’ project, transforming 18 roads and 12 waterways into lush, green havens of cool shade. The project has reduced the surface temperature in Medellin by 2-3°C while improving air quality and biodiversity.

Multi-level governance crucial

Cities and nations are increasingly working together on socio-economic recovery through multi-level governance on decision-making. Ministers and mayors recently came together to accelerate climate action in an event organized by UNEP, the United Nations Development Programme, UN-Habitat, the Global Covenant of Mayors, ICLEI and United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG).

Over 300 participants – including ministers from Italy, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, South Africa, Chile, and over 25 mayors and governors – discussed coordination on climate change, particularly in key sectors such as buildings, transport, agriculture and waste management.

Green strings for stimulus packages

As all levels of government plans for socio-economic recovery, stimulus packages could support cities’ transition to decarbonization. Urban investment can promote compact, integrated, mixed-use cities that reduce the distance between place of work and place of residence. The regeneration of green spaces, rethinking urban mobility and promoting public and non-motorized transport, investing in retrofitting buildings to reduce inequalities will help improve well-being and create more jobs.

“Cities are on the frontline of impact, but also of the solutions,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP. “Greening cities has health benefits, helps climate mitigation and adaptation and creates jobs.”

Source: UNEP

An App Made in Heaven

05.08.2020

patrick-fore-miAcjhLaWPQ-unsplash — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Patrick Fore)

Fresh Agriculture Technologies is developing software solutions to assist in fruit production. A team of seven people of different professions, from agronomists through developers to economists, contributed to the digitisation of agriculture by designing the MapMyApple application, which even Delta Agrar has included in its production.

One of the members of Fresh Agriculture Technologies, Jovana Djordjic, announced that she and her colleagues would not stop at apples, but would also help those who cultivate peaches, cherries and pears, Coming from their computers to the Android and Apple app stores and then our gadgets, in the future we can also expect MapMyPeach, MapMyCherry and MapMyPear to arrive. But let’s first get to the core of their “firstborn”!

“Since the founding of the company, we want to implement the agronomic knowledge of apple growing experts into one simple application. We live in an era when every person has a phone at hand at all times, so our starting idea was to provide every fruit grower with the information they need to do the orchard work as effectively and accurately as possible with just one click on a mobile device”, she explained. She added that MapMyApple creates daily recommendations for the implementation of basic agricultural measures such as irrigation, nutrition and protection. An additional feature it offers to its users is the early identification of disease and the presence of pests based on photography.

Their first “virtual agronomist” was intended for apple growers because it is by far the most popular fruit in the world. As many as 5 million hectares planted, an average yield of 30 tonnes per hectare and about 2.5 million people
involved in apple cultivation – those are just some of the figures that pushed them to make MapMyApple their initial step in linking agriculture and information technology.

“From the discussions with the fruit growers we have concluded that the knowledge of agronomists and environmental protection experts is expensive for many them, and at the same time, it is important if they are striving for responsible and serious business. For this reason, our application is affordable for small and medium-sized agricultural holdings and monitors the situation in the orchard 24/7. MappMyApple takes into account parameters that people without the help of computers are unable to simultaneously follow and coordinate, such as apple variety, planting year, weather, orchard location, satellite plot monitoring, soil analysis, chemical and mechanical characteristics of soil and so on. After processing all of the above, the application defines a plan for optimal production, which ultimately aims to increase yields and reduce the consumption of fertilisers, water, chemicals, as well as human power, in parts where the biological potential of the soil and plants is weaker,” the interviewee revealed, adding that the app is available for download on the Google Play Store and the App Store. The trial period is 30 days after registration, and after that, the usage is charged monthly.

In focus:

Why should a fruit grower trust this network of algorithms instead of the word of an expert in real life?

“The advantage to the virtual agronomist is that the machine based application simultaneously collects and processes alarge amount of information from orchards and their environment that affect the agricultural activities. The next important point is accessibility, both when it comes to its affordable price and the continuous support – a MapMyApple user can ask questions or report a problem through an app and receive an agronomist’s response immediately, without waiting. However, not all farmers are ready to switch to using the application completely and lose contact with the person who will tell them on the phone what, when and how to do in the orchard. That’s what the real agronomists benefit from! The trend of technology adoption is on the rise, and I believe that every farmer will transition to using it in the very near future because of the speed, precision and timeliness of the data”, Jovana said.

She also outlined the differences that she noticed between local and other markets. “The cult of precision agriculture is being cultivated much more abroad, and people can educate themselves in many more places, such as international fairs, webinars and conferences. With that in mind, we strive to provide our users with education and to convey to them the atmosphere and novelties from the events we participate in, as well as to organise meetings with them and to enrich their knowledge through blog texts and other marketing channels”, she emphasised and stated that their breakthrough into the “digital” world, despite the partial backlash of Serbian farmers, still started in our country. “So far, we have targeted Serbia the most. The reason is, first of all, the closeness of the users. The whole team is here, so it’s easy to get around. We also had a lot of users from North Macedonia, more precisely the Resen region, where a lot of apples, are grown”, Jovana concluded, pointing out that the next targets of Fresh Agriculture Technologies are America and Turkey.

Prepared by: Jelena Kozbasic

This article was published in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine NATURAL RESOURCES, march – may, 2020

BP to Cut Oil Production 40% by 2030, and Invest Billions Into Green Energy

05.08.2020

oil_platform_nafta — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

bp today introduces a new strategy that will reshape its business as it pivots from being an international oil company focused on producing resources to an integrated energy company focused on delivering solutions for customers.

Within 10 years, bp aims to have increased its annual low carbon investment 10-fold to around $5 billion a year, building out an integrated portfolio of low carbon technologies, including renewables, bioenergy and early positions in hydrogen and CCUS. By 2030, bp aims to have developed around 50GW of net renewable generating capacity – a 20-fold increase from 2019 – and to have doubled its consumer interactions to 20 million a day.

Over the same period, bp’s oil and gas production is expected to reduce by at least one million barrels of oil equivalent a day, or 40%, from 2019 levels. Its remaining hydrocarbon portfolio is expected to be more cost and carbon resilient.

By 2030, bp aims for emissions from its operations and those associated with the carbon in its upstream oil and gas production to be lower by 30-35% and 35-40% respectively.

bp also today sets out a new financial frame to support a fundamental shift in how it allocates capital, towards low carbon and other energy transition activities. The combination of strategy and financial frame is designed to provide a coherent and compelling investor proposition – introducing a balance between committed distributions, profitable growth and sustainable value – and create long-term value for bp’s stakeholders.

As part of the investor proposition, bp’s board has introduced a new distribution policy, with two elements:

the dividend reset to a resilient level of 5.25 cents per share per quarter, and intended to remain fixed at this level, subject to the board’s decision each quarter, supplemented by
a commitment to return at least 60% of surplus cash to shareholders through share buybacks, once bp’s balance sheet has been deleveraged and subject to maintaining a strong investment grade credit rating.

The strategy is built around three focus areas of activity and three distinctive sources of differentiation, underpinned by a new sustainability frame and advocacy for policies that support net zero.

The focus areas are:

Low carbon electricity and energy: building scale in renewables and bioenergy, seeking early positions in hydrogen and CCUS, and building out a customer gas portfolio to complement these low carbon energies.
Convenience and mobility: putting customers at the heart of what bp does, helping accelerate the global revolution in mobility, redefining the experience of convenience retail, and scaling bp’s presence and fuel sales in growth markets.
Resilient and focused hydrocarbons: maintaining an absolute focus on safety and operational reliability, bp intends to drive capital and cost productivity up and emissions down. bp intends to complete the ongoing wave of major projects, decreasing capital intensity, and to continue to high-grade the portfolio, resulting in significantly lower and more competitive production and refining throughput. bp will not seek to explore in countries where it does not already have upstream activities. Rosneft is a fundamental part of bp’s broader portfolio and provides bp with a strong position in Russia.

The three sources of differentiation to amplify value are:

Integrated energy systems: along and across value chains, pulling together all bp’s capabilities to optimise energy systems and create comprehensive offers for customers.
Partnering with countries, cities, and industries: as they shape their own paths to net zero.
Digital and innovation: to enable new ways to engage with customers, create efficiencies, and support new businesses.

Delivering the strategy will see bp become a very different company by 2030. By then, bp aims for:

– investment in low carbon energy to have increased from around $500 million to around $5 billion a year;
– developed renewable generating capacity to have grown from 2.5GW in 2019 to around 50GW;
– bioenergy production to have risen from 22,000 b/d to more than 100,000 b/d;
– hydrogen business to have grown to have 10% share of core markets;
– global customer interactions to have risen from 10 million to 20 million a day;
– electric vehicle charging points to have increased from 7,500 to over 70,000; and
– energy partnerships with 10-15 major cities around the world and three core industries.

Over the same time:

– Upstream oil and gas production is expected to reduce from 2.6 million barrels of oil equivalent a day (mmboe/d) in 2019 to around 1.5mmboe/d; and
– refining throughput is expected to fall from 1.7 million barrels a day (mmb/d) in 2019 to around 1.2mmb/d.

Through this change, bp will continue its commitment to performing as it transforms – maintaining its focus on safety, operational excellence and financial discipline.

The introduction of the new strategy and transformation of bp are expected to deliver material progress towards its ambition to become net zero by 2050 or sooner and its supporting aims. By 2030, bp aims to have delivered significant progress against its first five Aims:

1. Aim 1 – emissions from operations, 30-35% lower than in 2019;
2. Aim 2 – emissions associated with the carbon in bp’s upstream oil and gas production, 35-40% lower than in 2019;
3. Aim 3 – carbon intensity of marketed products, more than 15% lower than in 2019;
4. Aim 4 – measurement of methane in place by 2023, and progress underway to halve its intensity;
5. Aim 5 – investment in low carbon increased from $0.5 billion to around $5 billion a year – and to $3-4 billion by 2025.

bp will give more detail on its strategy, business plans and investor proposition in its capital markets day presentations on 14-16 September.

Source: BP

This App Plants Trees When People Make Lower-Carbon Choices

03.08.2020

tree_drvo_seed_seme — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Ant Forest is a mobile game that has become China’s largest private sector tree-planting scheme.
The game has funded the planting of more than 120 million trees, covering more than 100,000 hectares.
The project has contributed to China becoming the world’s leading tree-planting nation. Ant Forest was awarded the UN’s Champions of the Earth award, its top environmental honour.

What if you could turn a good deed into a new tree?

An award-winning mobile app game from China does just that, and is responsible for more than 120 million trees being planted in some of the country’s most arid regions.

Since its launch in 2016, over half a billion people have used Ant Forest to convert lower-carbon activities such as using public transport into real trees.

The game is helping China lead the way in re-greening the planet and is serving as a model for tree-planting schemes elsewhere.

It’s the kind of innovation the World Economic Forum is seeking through UpLink, a platform for crowdsourcing sustainable development solutions to challenges including how to plant a trillion trees.

The Ant Forest model

“Ant Forest taps into the best of human ingenuity and innovation to create a better world,” says Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme – which in 2019 gave the project the UN’s top environmental award.

So how does it work?

To start with, Ant Forest has plenty of potential players, being part of China’s Alipay mobile payments app, which is used by more than a billion people.

Each time a user performs a lower-carbon activity, such as paying a utility bill online or cycling to work, they are rewarded with “green energy points”.

However, rather than immediately spending those points on a real tree, Ant Forest turns its users into game players. The green energy points “grow” into a virtual tree on the user’s app. And users can share green energy with friends and see how their virtual forests compare with others.

For every virtual tree grown, Ant Forest donates – and plants – a real one. And this gamification has had real-world impacts.

A greening China

According to a study in Nature Sustainability, NASA satellites have revealed a 5% increase in global green leaf cover since the early 2000s – with China leading that growth.

While a third of Chinese greening is due to the expansion of agriculture, 42% comes from projects to plant forests. According to the UN, Ant Forest has become the country’s largest private sector tree-planting scheme – so the game is a big part of China’s greening.

And the locations for planting are ambitious: arid areas of Northern China like parts of Inner Mongolia, Gansu and Shanxi. Many of the 122 million Ant Forest trees have been planted in areas that have become deserts.

There has been some criticism. In 2019, the journal, Nature, reported concerns that holding back deserts with trees could put pressure on water supplies. Scientists in China respond that local conditions are taken into account. Drought-resistant varieties, such as the “saxaul” shrub, are used by Ant Forest.

The project is certainly ambitious. In 2019, Alipay’s parent company, Ant Financial Group, said the trees covered some 112,000 hectares. And there are sizeable spillover benefits too.

Environment and people

The young trees maintain and repair eroded soils, as well as reduce global CO2 levels.

Another major gain from the project has been employment. Ant Financial Group says 400,000 job opportunities have been created through Ant Forest, many for local farmers.

But if the trees are donated by Ant Financial, why not simply plant the trees and cut out the virtual ones?

The reason, as the UN puts it, is “significant behavioural change”; gamification has encouraged millions of people to adopt lower-carbon lifestyles.

The success of the project has now led to a similar initiative in the Philippines, launched by the mobile payments provider, GCash.

The project is an encouraging step, according to the UN’s Andersen.

“Although the environmental challenges we face are daunting,” she says, “we have the technology and the knowledge to overcome them and fundamentally redesign how we interact with the planet.”

Source: UNEP

Is It Possible to Grow Berries Under Solar Panels?

03.08.2020

berries_bobičasto_voće — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Together with its Dutch subsidiary, GroenLeven, BayWa r.e. has now built one of Europe’s largest AgriPV projects at the Piet Albers fruit farm in Babberich, as well as four new test projects across the Netherlands.

These four new pilot projects will investigate how solar panels can be combined with a variety of different berry crops.

Stephan Schindele, Product Manager AgriPV at BayWa r.e., said. “Following the success of our pilot project last year, we have now expanded the project to increase its size to 2.7MWp, this latest extension to the project involves the installation of 10,250 solar panels across 3.2 hectares of raspberry crops, generating enough clean energy to power close to 1,250 households.

“Careful monitoring throughout the pilot study showed that the climate under the panels is in fact more stable than under traditional plastic arches. The panels created a more favorable lower temperature and better protected the crops from the weather.”

The successful AgriPV project, had to overcome a number of challenges in its development.

This included the fair distribution of scarce photons from the light spectrum for raspberry growing and solar power generation on the same area. BayWa r.e. designed a unique semi-transparent solar module allowing sufficient sunlight for the plants to pass through while at the same time protecting the crop from hail, heavy rain, and direct sunlight.

Dr. Benedikt Ortmann, Global Director of Solar Projects at BayWa r.e. commented “AgriPV is a form of renewable energy that sits closest to our hearts. BayWa AG has been supporting farmers and rural regions with agricultural services for close to 100 years. AgriPV can bring a social, environmental, and economic benefit to farmers. No land-use conflict, better landscape integration if foil systems are replaced, less waste, less labor and investment cost.”

Piet Albers, the berry producer, confirms: “The solar panels are a more sustainable form of protection for the crops. Whereas previously we used traditional plastic arches, these had to be removed yearly, tore in strong winds and were thrown away every six years. Hail and extreme heat also remained a risk, but with the solar panels we are no longer affected by this and at the same time we also generate green energy.”

Alongside to the AgriPV project at the Piet Albers fruit farm, GroenLeven has teamed up with Wageningen University (WUR) to investigate four additional test projects which involve other berry crops including red currant, blueberries, blackberries and strawberries.

“Our new study will investigate the effect of the solar panels on these soft fruits and sensors will monitor the climate under the panels. In addition, we will monitor the plants health and fruit growth”, explains Stephan Schindele.

AgriPV is currently not suitable for every country but finding space for solar parks without converting agricultural land is a key challenge for the renewables sector and one that BayWa r.e. is committed to solve. Land-neutral photovoltaic implementation like AgriPV and floating PV show huge market potential for the near future, which BayWa r.e. is eager to untap.

Together with apple and pear producers the company is developing further pilots demonstrating that AgriPV is supporting farmers to adapt to climate change, while at the same time contributing to de-carbonization and global warming mitigation.

The ultimate goal is that through research and monitoring, the BayWa r.e. AgriPV projects will not only promote the use of solar panels with crops, but show that they actually improve the quality of the fruit and reduce the cost of its production. A win-win for the agricultural and renewable sector – together against global warming.

Source: BayWa r.e

Beyond Tourism – Investing in Local Communities to Protect Africa’s Wild Spaces

02.08.2020

For ten years, Dixon Parmuya has guided tourists on bush walks around Amboseli National Park in Southern Kenya. But since COVID-19 swept through Kenya in mid-March, the country’s tourism industry has dwindled, leaving many locals without jobs and animals without protection.

The coronavirus pandemic is creating what experts are calling a brewing conservation crisis in Kenya, a country home to some of Africa’s most iconic animals. Most of Kenya’s programs to protect wildlife are funded directly by tourist dollars and with visitor numbers down, money for conservation is drying up, say experts. There are also fears that poaching will rise, leaving wildlife protection hanging in the balance.

“If there is no tourism, there is no conservation,” says Parmuya.

But the pandemic is encouraging countries to change that.

“Tourism can be fickle,” says Doreen Robinson, Chief of Wildlife at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). “We have to be more creative to expand revenue streams that can directly support local communities and protect natural assets.”

In Africa, UNEP is working closely with governments and partners to encourage wildlife-based economies – where local communities are central to protecting the wildlife areas they inhabit, for mutual benefit of both. This includes going beyond tourism to attract other kinds of green investment in wildlife areas, like using natural resources to produce consumer goods in a sustainable way.

“We have to ensure that money gets reinvested into locally protected areas, and benefits are shared with the communities protecting biodiversity and wildlife, because these communities are creating the conditions for long-term, sustainable conservation in Kenya,” says Robinson.

That is something Purity Amleset agrees with. She is part of a team of all-female rangers with the International Fund for Animal Welfare that is working to raise awareness about the importance of wildlife to Kenya’s economy and its identity.

“As a ranger, I’m creating that conducive environment between the wild animals and my community. I come from that community, so they understand me well when I tell them the importance of wildlife,” she says.

Source: UNEP

Verkor, Europe’s New Battery Cell Producer, Begins Its Industrial Journey

31.07.2020

idec_group_verkor_aerienne_low — Photo: IDEC GROUPE, via InnoEnergy

Verkor, a French industrial company, is set to amplify battery cell production in Europe, with the support of EIT InnoEnergy, Schneider Electric and the GROUPE IDEC. The new venture will accelerate the production capacity of low-carbon batteries in southern Europe to meet growing demand for electric vehicles and stationary storage.

Production in Verkor’s first Gigafactory is scheduled to begin in 2023, with a capacity of 16 GWh of battery cells which will increase to 50 GWh in line with market dynamics. The facility will require an initial investment of €1.6bn and will create more than 2,000 direct jobs while supporting thousands more in its supply chain and ecosystem. The search for 200+ hectares of land is already underway.

Verkor was founded in response to the growing gap between the expected demand for batteries and the committed and planned European supply. Indeed, the expected growth in demand this decade will require two to three Gigafactories in France alone. The European industrial ecosystem is therefore compelled to establish a sustainable and indigenous European battery supply chain, which in turn will reduce reliance on imports.

France’s affordable and low-carbon electricity, prominent automotive manufacturers, leading energy providers, and its demonstrated industrial prowess make it the ideal location for Gigafactories in southern Europe, a region which falls short of such projects when compared to northern and central Europe.

Benoit Lemaignan, the CEO of Verkor, is passionate: “Our team is made up of industrial entrepreneurs who have accumulated vast experience in the field, especially in battery-cell manufacturing. We are multinational and growing fast with the addition of new talent from all over the world. We are working in an agile, fast-follower mode to bring locally manufactured, low-CO2 battery cells to the market.

“Combined with the expertise of our strategic partners, I am confident that we are aligning the winning conditions to start the construction of a highly efficient manufacturing Gigafactory in 2022, deliver our first cells in 2023, and stepping up of industrial activities, key to accelerating low carbon mobility in Europe.”

Source: InnoEnergy

Resalta Begins Third Energy Retrofit Project of the City of Ljubljana

30.07.2020

ljubljana_slovenia_slovenija — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Resalta, Petrol and the City of Ljubljana signed the agreement for the third energy retrofit project of the City of Ljubljana. The project includes 27 municipal buildings, of which 17 will undergo a complete energy retrofit and 10 a partial retrofit. The aim of the public-private partnership is to optimize energy efficiency, lowering consumption and CO2 emissions, through a variety of measures that will also improve user and employee comfort.

The retrofitted buildings include schools, kindergartens, sports centres and an indoor arena. Measures that will be implemented include the renovation of HVAC systems, the replacement of interior lighting with more energy-efficient equipment, the replacement of existing heating systems with systems that will exploit renewable energy sources, the replacement of windows and doors, the renovation of facades, the insulation of roofs. 9,700 new LED lights will replace inefficient lighting systems and 29,000m2 of façade and roof insulation will be renovated.

The implemented measures will result in 4,465 MWh of energy savings annually, the equivalent of energy consumption of 274 households. This optimization of energy will reduce CO2 emissions will be by 968 tons annually. For reference, it takes 46,000 trees to absorb this amount of CO2 from the atmosphere in a year.

Combined with the results from the first energy retrofit project, completed in 2018, and the second project completed in 2019, the City of Ljubljana will save a total of 14,970 MWh of energy each year thanks to the implemented measures, enjoying an annual CO2 emissions reduction of 4,383 tons. This series of projects are a benchmark for improving energy efficiency in municipalities throughout Europe and are in line with Ljubljana’s reputation of European Green Capital (2016).

The energy retrofit is implemented as part of a public-private partnership between the City of Ljubljana and the consortium od Resalta and Petrol. Under this model, the project generates financial savings for the public partner, which then help pay for the project. An advantage of the public-private partnership model is that the City will benefit immediately from the savings and use them to repay the private partners over the 15-year contract period. Once the contract expires, the City of Ljubljana will enjoy the full benefits from the energy savings achieved. Resalta and Petrol will also provide management and maintenance of the equipment and systems installed as part of the energy retrofitting for the duration of the contract. The total value of the project is €16.9 million, with the consortium providing 51% of the funding. The EU Cohesion Fund, the Republic of Slovenia and the City of Ljubljana will provide the rest of the investment.

Luka Komazec, CEO of Resalta, said: “The third energy retrofit of the City of Ljubljana is proof that sustainability is an ongoing commitment, not a one-off investment. Energy efficiency in its various applications always offers room for improvement and immense potential for savings and better working and living conditions – it is immensely reassuring that the City of Ljubljana recognizes this, and we are honoured to have once again been chosen to accompany the City of Ljubljana in its transition to a carbon neutral city.”

Source: Resalta

ABB Breaks Ground on $30 Million Facility for EV Chargers to Meet Global Demand

29.07.2020

ABB has marked the start of construction at its new facility in San Giovanni Valdarno, Italy, which will serve as a global Center of Excellence and production site for electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The 16,000 square meter facility is expected to be operational by the end of 2021.

As a global market leader in e-mobility solutions, the $30 million investment in this new facility is further evidence of ABB’s continued commitment to driving innovation in this fast-growing sector. It follows a $10 million investment in a new fully sustainable, global e-mobility headquarters and Research and Development (R&D) center built on the TU Delft Campus, Heertjeslaan, Netherlands which is set to officially launch later this year.

The new plant will produce ABB’s entire portfolio of direct current (DC) electric vehicle battery chargers, from domestic systems to systems for installation in public areas and those dedicated to urban public transport. It will also help to further support ABB’s growth and innovation in the e-mobility sector.

Giampiero Frisio, head of ABB’s Smart Power Division comments: “Today represents a significant milestone in our e-mobility business. At ABB we have been driving progress in the sector for more than a decade and this new state of the art facility will contribute significantly to further advancing the global move towards zero-emission electric mobility.”

The new facility will be characterized by the integration of ABB Ability digital solutions. They will allow complete visibility and optimization of the production of every individual product and interconnect automated warehouse management systems with factory departments. Automated equipment for the assembly of printed circuit boards and monitoring and testing systems will be connected to the factory information system.

R&D activities will take place in a dedicated 3,200 square meter space for development and prototyping. They will focus on the implementation of innovative solutions, new software and product life cycle management tools to fully integrate R&D activities with manufacturing activities, both internally and with external electronic manufacturing services.

Meanwhile, the integration of renewable energy sources such as solar panels on the roof, an optimized heating and cooling system and the introduction of an electric fleet of vehicles for employees, logistics, sales and service teams will help to reduce the environmental impact of the facility.

Frank Muehlon, Head of ABB’s global business for E-mobility Infrastructure Solutions concludes: “As global demand for sustainable transport continues to increase this new facility will ensure that ABB can meet that demand and remains the go to provider for our end to end e-mobility solutions.”

ABB has unrivaled expertise in developing sustainable transport solutions. Since entering the EV-charging market a decade ago, ABB has sold more than 14,000 ABB DC fast chargers across more than 80 countries. ABB recently received the Global E-mobility Leader 2019 award for its role in supporting the international adoption of sustainable transport solutions.

ABB recently announced that it will provide the charging technology for the Gen3 cars in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship – the first all-electric global race series.

Source: ABB

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