New Report Shows Potential of Renewables as a Reliable Power Source in Refugee Settlements

18.12.2019

Re solutions refugee settlements_img — Photo: IRENA

On-site renewable energy solutions can cost-effectively supply refugee communities with low-cost, reliable electricity, according to the findings of a new report by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in cooperation with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. There are currently almost 26 million refugees in the world today. Unreliable energy exposes them to additional and associated risks which renewables can serve to overcome.

Renewables for refugee settlements: Sustainable energy access in humanitarian situations, released at the Global Refugee Forum currently taking place in Geneva, examines the energy needs at refugee camps and identifies renewables-based solutions for four sites in Iraq and Ethiopia. Solar mini-grids in particular, are highlighted as being able to boost the efficiency of humanitarian operations, avoid costly diesel consumption, and support recently arrived refugees with immediate, reliable electricity access.

The report was launched as both organisations agreed in a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance their existing cooperation on promoting renewable energy solutions for the improvement of the humanitarian situation for millions of people displaced from their homes today.

“In line with our Global Strategy for Sustainable Energy, we aim to ensure that refugees can meet their basic energy needs in exile while also minimizing environmental degradation. Sustainable energy access will bridge this gap, enabling refugees to pursue education, supporting businesses and social enterprises, spurring innovation and exponentially enhancing the safety and well-being of people and communities, until such time that they can return home,” said UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi. “This report and this new partnership between IRENA and UNHCR, is the beginning of an important alliance to mainstream access to energy for refugees and displaced people as well as their local communities, ensuring that they are not left behind.”

“Renewables can quickly and effectively change the lives of refugees for the better,” added IRENA’s Director-General Francesco La Camera. “Off-grid and grid connected small and medium sized solar installations are available, affordable and can bring reliable power to millions of displaced people around the world. We are looking forward to closely work and support UNHCR in its effort to protect life in humanitarian situations. Renewable solutions could become essential to the humanitarian toolkit.”

The study contributes to UNHCR’s Global Strategy for Sustainable Energy 2019-2024 and highlights prime opportunities to strengthen any humanitarian operation which can be replicated in other similar situations.

Findings and recommendations of the new report are based on data collected from field missions to the Darashakran and Domiz camps in Iraq and Tsore and Sherkole in Ethiopia. It concludes that in Iraq, blackouts and brownouts remain frequent even at grid-connected settlements, leaving refugees and the humanitarian community dependent on expensive, polluting diesel generators. In Ethiopia, most refugees lack any reliable access to electric lighting. Stand-alone solar systems with battery banks could cushion the impact of voltage fluctuations on the grid. Larger solar parks could provide electricity in and around settlements, as well as creating an enduring asset for host communities.

Source: IRENA

Green Priorities of Belgrade

18.12.2019

nikola-knezevic-Q3JcLtECTtE-unsplash — Foto-ilustracija: Unsplash (Nikola Knežević)

Foto: Private archive of Milena Vukmirović

The consequences of climate change and global warming are becoming more pronounced in urban areas, and the problem is even greater due to the fact the cities, to a large extent, generate local weather conditions and thus significantly affect the quality of life of their citizens. In this sense, Belgrade shares the fate of the European capitals. Still, unlike the others, it is quite far from a comprehensive approach to dealing with the problem, although there are many ways to cope with global warming, points out Milena Vukomirovic, PhD.

EP: How vulnerable is Belgrade in terms of climate change and what is the biggest problem?

Milena Vukmirovic: Belgrade is extremely vulnerable in terms of climate change, which is primarily reflected in high temperatures during summer period, the increase of floods as well as the increase in the intensity and frequency of storms, as it is documented in the Climate Change Adaptation Action Plan on from 2015 developed by the team of people employed at the Secretariat for Environmental Protection of the City of Belgrade. Key problems that can be singled out are the lack of greenery and the use of solid and non-porous surfaces in paving in densely populated parts of the city, inadequate protective levees in parts of the city prone to flooding, poor condition of the facilities in terms of energy efficiency, a high percentage of private cars users that contributes to the increase of greenhouse gases and other.

In focus:

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Alexander Mils)

EP: In recent years, many panel discussions and conferences have been held on this topic which attended numerous experts, representatives of state bodies, NGOs… Can we say that, in a way, administration of Belgrade has been working on its climate strategy?

Milena Vukmirovic: Discussions, conferences, panels, written reports, some public policy document and that’s it. In my opinion, we are still far away from the general acceptance of the need to deal with this major problem, to which we generally refer only when the temperature exceeds 3or when the Sava floods Obrenovac. Of course, I know a lot of people who seriously and responsible deal with climate change issues, such as colleagues from the Secretariat for Environmental Protection of the City of Belgrade, the Ministry of Environmental Protection of the Republic of Serbia, my colleagues from the Faculty of Forestry, the Institute of Architecture and Urban Planning, the Institute of Public Health of the city of Belgrade, but these are still lonely initiatives, although this should be one of the priority goals.

EP: Given the fact that you were the Advisor to the Chief Urban Planning Officer of the City of Belgrade for four years, can you tell us which activities the city undertook in order to ensure sustainability in the current climate conditions but also in perspective?

Milena Vukmirovic: One large group of activities, conducted by Milutin Folic, who until recently was the Chief Urban Planning Officer of the City of Belgrade, and his team, was based on the principles of applying the concept of sustainable urban mobility and introduction and promotion of environmental awareness and the idea of the necessity of sustainable and natural environment as a precondition for the development of the city. This is how the IME project Identity_Mobility_Ecology was created, a kind of an action plan which included 20 subprojects, which among other things included the expansion of the pedestrian zone of Knez Mihailova Street, introduction of bicycles in the public transportation system, façade renovation according to the principles of energy efficiency and the arrangement of open public urban areas that would increase the intensity of spending time outdoor, the rate of pedestrians, planting of trees… Although the projects were very well accepted at the beginning, their implementation did not go in the expected direction. Here, I am primarily referring to the arrangement and the change of traffic regimes in certain streets, the construction of bicycle lanes, and the establishment of a bicycle renting system, the establishment of the Fund for energy efficiency of the facilities, greening and landscaping.

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Yang Jing)

EP: How important is the design of public urban areas, which is something that you specifically deal with, for the reduction of the greenhouse effect and cleaner air in Belgrade?

Milena Vukmirovic: The design of open public urban areas is of great importance for the reduction of greenhouse gas and pollution, not only of air but also of land, water, noise, biodiversity and more. Particular attention in the context of climate change should be given to comfort, as this criterion can improve the quality and length of time spent outdoors. In this way, the microclimatic characteristics of the environment are also affected, i.e. they regulate temperature, wind drift, emissions of harmful gases and unpleasant sounds, reflection and more. As for Belgrade, it should start with an umbrella document that will thoroughly and responsibly address the challenge of designing open public urban spaces and implementing the concept of green infrastructure. And, of course, to start with the realisation.

Interview by: Gordana Knezevic

This article was published in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine on CLIMATE CHANGE, september-november 2019.

PFAS Pollution Is Widespread in Europe but Risks Are Still Poorly Understood

17.12.2019

chemicals_hemikalije_laboratory_laboratorija — Foto-ilustracija: Unsplash (Louis Reed)

The EEA briefing ‘Emerging chemical risks in Europe — PFAS’ presents an overview of the known and potential risks to human health and the environment in Europe posed by per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS). These extremely persistent and man-made chemicals are used in a variety of consumer products and industrial applications because of their unique properties, for example, to increase oil and water repellence, reduce surface tension, or resist high temperatures and chemicals. Currently more than 4 700 different PFAS exist, which, due to their extreme persistence, accumulate in people and the environment.

Although there is a lack of systematic mapping and monitoring of potentially polluted sites in Europe, national monitoring activities have detected PFAS in the environment across Europe, and the production and use of PFAS have also resulted in the contamination of drinking water supplies in several European countries. Human biomonitoring has also detected a range of PFAS in the blood of European citizens.

The EEA briefing warns that, due to the large number of PFAS, it is a difficult and time-consuming task to assess and manage risks for these substances individually, which may lead to widespread and irreversible pollution. The costs to society due to harm to human health and remediation in Europe have been estimated to be tens of billions of EUR annually. People are mainly exposed to PFAS through drinking water, food and food packaging, dust, creams and cosmetics, PFAS-coated textiles or other consumer products. Taking precautionary actions to limit non-essential uses and promoting the use of chemicals that are ‘safe-and-circular-by-design’ could help limit future pollution, the briefing notes.

The European Commission published its communication on the European Green Deal, which includes a zero pollution ambition for a toxic-free environment. The Commission’s communication foresees a chemicals strategy for sustainability that “will both help to protect citizens and the environment better against hazardous chemicals and encourage innovation for the development of safe and sustainable alternatives.” The communication also states that “the regulatory framework will need to rapidly reflect scientific evidence on the risk posed by endocrine disruptors, hazardous chemicals in products including imports, combination effects of different chemicals and very persistent chemicals.”

Source: EEA

Keeping Montenegro’s Flavours Alive

16.12.2019

medium_3398f7158f5a210b0bec4432f4c07189 — Photo: EBRD-FAO/Dermot Doorly

Danka Sekularac from northern Montenegro lives a life off the grid. Her house runs on solar power. The water is fetched from a nearby stream. Her food is homegrown.

Her surroundings – the mountain ridges of Biogradska Gora National Park with its sprawling pine forests, rolling meadows, pristine streams and glacial lakes – exude an air of a world untouched.

But life can get tough here.

Smallholder farmers like Danka used to rely heavily on agriculture. So much so, that a bad blueberry harvest or honey season could be enough to put their livelihoods at risk. Opportunities were scarce, and young people moved or were tempted to move elsewhere.

But with help from FAO and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), opportunities started opening up.

Some 100 smallholder farmers from mountain villages in northern Montenegro are now reaping the benefits of agro-tourism and/or getting recognition for preserving centuries-old culinary traditions, and a way of life that, elsewhere, has been long abandoned or is slowing dying out.

30-year-old Danka hosts tourists, mostly from other parts of Europe, in “katuns” – centuries-old wooden huts used in the past by nomadic herders. She offers them guided hiking and horse riding, lessons in cheese making, and enthralls them with fresh, organic food.

“We have organic food, always organic. We have blueberries, mushrooms, actually everything. We do not buy anything at the market. That’s the best because we make the food with our hands and we know how it’s made. And it’s very delicious for tourists,” says Danka.

“This is the first year of the tourist season, and it’s a very good season. July was completely full with guests. I did not expect so many guests… My life changed a lot. I have maybe to work more and harder, but it’s very nice because I meet different people and can earn money,” she adds.

The FAO-EBRD project staff has worked with ministries, non-governmental organisations, tourism agencies, hotels and restaurants in Danka’s area and nearby municipalities to promote agro-tourism and local, high quality foods.

Through the project, farmers got connected with restaurant and hotel owners; and farmers and chefs got trained in how to store and cook local products so that their unique quality was enhanced and food safety compliances were met – all with the aim of encouraging locals to keep their traditions alive whilst boosting their incomes.

“Serving traditional dishes directly supports the farmers. Our potatoes, veal, fruits, vegetables and dairy products are all sourced from the local farmers,” says restaurant owner Plana Pejovic who took part in the FAO-EBRD training.

A typical lunch at her Serdar Restaurant near Mojkovac would consist of fresh cream cheese and creamy mushroom soup served with potatoes and cheese. At the entrance, the restaurant also sells blueberry juice, honey and other local products to visitors.

Elsewhere in northern Montenegro, FAO and EBRD, with funding from Luxembourg, helped farmers get international recognition – Geographical Indication (GI) status – for some of their foods thanks to their high quality and unique production process.

Crnogorska Govedja pršuta (Montenegrin dried beef meat) and Crnogorska Stelja (Montenegrin dried and smoked sheep meat) received GI status in 2018.

Inspired by the project, five additional products have been registered as GI, including Kolasin Lisnati sir (layered cheese), which is produced mainly by women.

To get the GI certification, the project staff worked with farmers, food processors and local authorities to help them upgrade their products’ food safety and quality standards. This included helping producers develop and agree on a code of practice that they must respect in order to sell their products under the GI label – for example, the food must come from the designated areas, and high quality and hygiene standards must be upheld. The project has also supported policy dialogue and development of appropriate food safety standards in the meat sector at the national level, and raised producers’ and consumers’ awareness about the new standards.

The GI-labelled dried beef, for example, must be made from the best cuts of fresh beef fed mostly on grass, salted with sea salt, beechwood-smoked and dried in the mountain air. This gives the meat its distinctive dark plum colour, consistency and texture and prevents any bitter taste.

“I have been involved in meat production – beef prosciutto and sheep meat – from an early age because my ancestors, my grandfather and grandmother were also doing this,” says meat producer, Almir Aldrovic.

“I’m very excited about receiving the GI certification because this will give us new opportunities, open new markets and businesses,” he adds.

By supporting local traditions to build better livelihoods and empower communities, FAO and its partners are working toward a world free of poverty and hunger.

Source: FAO

Ministerial Council Sets Vision for Post-2020 Climate and Energy Policy in the Energy Community

16.12.2019

Convening under the Moldovan Presidency in Chisinau, the 17th Energy Community Ministerial Council focused on Energy Community Treaty reforms and the 2030 energy and climate framework. Opening the meeting, H.E. Mr. Anatol Usatîi, Minister of Economy and Infrastructure of Moldova said: “2019 marks another year of reforms at national, regional and European level along our commonly agreed goals under the Energy Community Treaty. We worked to live up to the requirements of a single pan-European energy market and we made steps towards setting sustainable development targets for the 2030 horizon. However, 2019 has brought to our energy agenda new challenges and opportunities, adding new tasks to our common mission. On this ground, we have not only to face the current implementation challenges, but also to act and prevent theoretical threats from turning into a real-life crisis. And here, I would like to reiterate that the Energy Community is a pivotal instrument for strengthening energy security in Moldova and the entire Europe”.

On the occasion of the Ministerial Council, Moldova and Ukraine signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the area of security of gas supply. “The significance of this Memorandum is that it for the first time brings to life the principle of solidarity inside the Energy Community,” explained the Director of the Secretariat, Janez Kopac.

Representing the European Union at the meeting, Anne-Charlotte Bournoville, Head of the International Relations and Enlargement Unit of the Directorate General for Energy of the European Commission, underlined: “The Energy Community is an essential part of the external energy cooperation toolkit of the European Union. In order to maximize its role, it is crucial that the Energy Community stays fit for the changing environment around us. This is the principle purpose of the ongoing process to modernize the Treaty. Moreover, the Energy Community needs to follow the EU in its climate neutrality goals and joins the path towards decarbonisation by 2050”.

The Council took stock of the ongoing negotiations to improve the functioning of the Energy Community Treaty. The reforms shall strengthen the Treaty’s enforcement mechanism including by new implementation mechanism similar to those in the EU and introducing new provisions for facilitating energy trade and enhancing market integration between Energy Community Contracting Parties and EU Member States by a system of reciprocal rights and obligations. For the first time, the Treaty will task the Energy Community to combat climate change and underlines the importance of the Paris Agreement. It is expected that the negotiations will be finalized in the first half of 2020.

The European Commission presented ongoing work on 2019 General Policy Guidelines on 2030 Targets and Climate Neutrality for the Energy Community and its Contracting Parties. The proposal on the 2030 targets is now expected in the first half of 2021, alongside the relevant legislative package.

The Ministerial Council did not reach the unanimity required to establish serious and persistent breaches of the Energy Community Treaty on Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia.

Source: Energy Community

Greta Thunberg Says School Strikes Have Achieved Nothing

12.12.2019

climate_protest_klimatski_protest — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Markus Spiske)

The global wave of school strikes for the climate over the past year has “achieved nothing” because greenhouse gas emissions have continued to rise, Greta Thunberg has told activists at UN climate talks in Madrid.

Thousands of young people were expected to gather at the UN climate conference and in the streets of the Spanish capital on Friday to protest against the lack of progress in tackling the climate emergency, as officials from more than 190 countries wrangled over the niceties of wording in documents related to the Paris accord.

In the four years since the landmark agreement was signed, greenhouse gas emissions have risen by 4% and the talks this year are not expected to produce new commitments on carbon from the world’s biggest emitters.

Thunberg, whose solo protest in Sweden in 2018 has since snowballed into a global movement, spoke at a press conference before a march through the centre of Madrid. She said that although schoolchildren had been striking around the world, this “has not translated into action” from governments.

“I’m just an activist and we need more activists,” she said. “Some people are afraid to change – they try so desperately to silence us.”

Thunberg expressed hope for the UN negotiations but doubted whether governments had got the message, and warned the world could not afford continued inaction.

“I sincerely hope COP25 will reach something concrete and increase awareness among people, and that world leaders and people in power grasp the urgency of the climate crisis, because right now it does not seem that they are,” she said.

Although young people would keep striking, Thunberg said, they wanted to stop – if governments made credible promises and showed a willingness to act.

“We can’t go on like this; it is not sustainable that children skip school and we don’t want to continue – we would love some action from the people in power. People are suffering and dying today. We can’t wait any longer,” she said.

The march was scheduled to coincide with protests and youth climate strikes around the world. In the US, Bernie Sanders and Jane Fonda were among the politicians and celebrities planning to join in.

As well as the march and a sit-down protest in the conference centre, there were shows of international solidarity among young people from around the world, including a picnic in a central Madrid park. The conference centre was flooded with hundreds of schoolchildren accompanied by their parents, many with babies in prams, who were kept separate from the rooms where negotiators were working on a draft text to clarify aspects of the Paris agreement.

Young people voiced their frustration at protests inside and outside the conference centre on the outskirts of Madrid.

Brianna Fruean from Samoa, speaking for the Pacific Climate Warriors, told the conference: “World leaders need to know that people like me are watching them. The text we put down today on paper at COP is what our future will look like.”

Many of the young people joining the conference from developing nations around the world bore personal witness to suffering they had experienced or seen.

“I’ve had typhoid. I’ve had malaria. My grandmother died from cholera. I know what I’m talking about,” said Jimmy Fénelon, the national coordinator of the Caribbean Youth Environmental Network in Haiti. “We need to raise awareness among young people. We can get them to work together and send a strong message.”

Renae Baptiste, also from CYEN, said: “For us, climate change is no longer a concept or theory, it’s our new reality. It’s affecting our lives now.”

The activist Miguel van der Velden said: “These things are not games. They’re getting worse. They’re affecting millions of people around the world. I come here because I have hope that we can work together.”

Source: Guardian

Balthazar from Fruska Gora

11.12.2019

For some passers-by, Milivoj Pejin’s house in Sremska Kamenica is a seemingly ordinary family home that does not differ from its surroundings. More informed people are aware that this is not the case because the basic building material of this house is straw. The third group of people is we who have had the opportunity to go inside. Stepping inside Milivoj’s thatched walls, we felt as if we had entered the portal to the world of the unusual inventor Balthazar from the cartoon of the same name. There are a lot of similarities between him and our host, and you will conclude from the following lines which similarities are these.

Milivoj Pejin is a retired traffic engineer. He spends his leisure time perfecting several different inventions. He pro-tected five or six of them. However, due to the high cost of retaining that right on an annual basis, Milivoj is forced to give up patents one by one. He will not give up the one he has the most faith in, under no circumstances.

The device in question is a so-called electrical conductor, one of a kind apparatus for warming air by free circulation which is, according to its conceptual creator, entirely better than the competition in the market.

In focus:

“First of all, it’s better because no heating device has such a constructed heater. Three sheet heaters with individual power of 1 kW are installed between the perforated aluminium sheet metals. They draw electricity in cycles with lower hourly consumption, but still sufficient for the warmed-up heater to deliver more energy than the heaters used in cycles. It allows the application of two bimetallic thermostats that maintain the heater’s temperature between 160 and 200 degrees Celsius. With one heater it can deliver 153 kg/m3 per hour, and with three heaters in the same conditions less than 200. This device does not save but makes maximum use of the available electricity from the distribution, and electrical and mechanical design solution of the machine enables the delivery of power, more than the amount consumed,” our interviewee reveals, adding that the electric conductor weighs 6 kg.

“The parts cost around 35,000 dinars, and it takes approximately five hours to assemble them. If these activities were done industrially, the cost of production would be lower. However, given the effects generated by an electrical conductor compared to the existing devices, its sales price could be higher if financial mathematics were applied,”
Milivoj points out.

He did not forget the role of his friend Branko R. Babic in the creation of an innovative device. The two enthusiasts met ten years ago at a Tesla fest in Novi Sad. Milivoj then complained to Branko that he was unsuccessfully trying to develop a heating system that would be cheaper than a market offer. The friend offered him to use his contrivance
– perforated aluminium sheet metals, as a starting point. They are now the essence of not only the electrical conductor but also Milivoj’s versions of air condition without compressor, computer coolers and solar collectors.

Even though we were visiting the Pejin family during one hot June day, the inventor wanted to show us how the electrical conductor works, so we simulated optimal laboratory conditions in the basement of the house.

Equipped with a notebook, a pen and a temperature gauge, we closely monitored the performance of the apparatus. The inlet air temperature was 22 degrees Celsius, and the outlet air temperature was 160 degrees Celsius.

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Justin Kauffman)

By recording the key values and incorporating them into the appropriate formulas, we calculated that in the given circumstances, work of an electrical conductor, with one heater on, would result in more than double energy savings. We have concluded that within 24 hours, the electrical conductor would only consume 18-kilowatt hours and deliver 40-kilowatt hours.

“That way a kilowatt-hour would cost half as much, no matter what EPS cost zone the household is in, which is a significant economic contribution,” Milivoj explains. He then flatteringly told us that in an hour, we had perfected our skills enough to carry out similar experiments independently.

In the end, the only question is whether, after reading our report from the slopes of Fruska Gora, the comparison we used in the introduction is clearer to you.

Prepared by: Jelena Kozbasic

This article was published in the new issue of Energy portal Magazine CLIMATE CHANGE, September – November 2019.

Kaiserwetter to Help Accelerating the Transition to Clean Energy and Mitigating Climate Change

10.12.2019

Be_Well._Do_Well._(1280x853) — Photo: Kaiserwetter

With global greenhouse gas emissions projected to reach another record high this year, IntelliTech-company Kaiserwetter Energy Asset Management LLC (Kaiserwetter) today launched its new cloud-based AI platform, ARISTOTELES Sky – The Energy Cloud for Nations, to help governments speed up the transition to lower carbon sources of energy and mitigate transition risks. ARISTOTELES Sky harnesses energy asset generation data collected through IoT enriched with spatial data to simulate national and regional energy systems. The new platform will give governments the necessary data intelligence to govern and manage the transition to clean energy sources and help them attract the necessary domestic and foreign investment to do so.

Global emissions have risen for three consecutive years, when they should be starting to drop if nations are to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. Kaiserwetter has identified that a major barrier for governments in the fight against climate change is the lack of detailed insights to create a new energy future characterized by a demand-side approach where power supply follows specific load profiles.

“Global carbon dioxide pollution is higher than it’s ever been—this is deeply, deeply troubling,” said Hanno Schoklitsch, CEO of Kaiserwetter. “We believe that data intelligence holds the key to helping governments turn the tide and reform their energy systems. ARISTOTELES Sky will give nations unprecedented insights and actionable intelligence to effectively transition to cleaner sources of energy by mitigating the transition risks.”

ARISTOTELES Sky produces an optimized match between future national energy demand and the power generation supply, providing insights into where to locate new sources of energy, what types of sources are needed and how to reform the grid to accelerate the growth of a decentralized energy future.

“Nations around the world spend a tremendous amount of money on national security intelligence, but very little on the intelligence needed to effectively combat climate change—the greatest existential threat facing mankind. This has to change,” remarked Schoklitsch. “ARISTOTELES Sky gives governments the information they need to make smart planning decisions to transform their energy system to renewable sources and attract capital investment to finance this transition.”

Nations using ARISTOTELES Sky will have a private national cloud for data management that is secure and does not impede the IT infrastructure of supply systems in national markets. Kaiserwetter’s technology partner, SAP, is the market leader in AI, IoT and advanced analytics technologies, and the ARISTOTELES Sky platform incorporates the latest advances in these technologies. Further, with SAP as a partner, Kaiserwetter is offering a globally scalable solution with industry leading data security, protection and privacy.

To learn more about Kaiserwetter’s ARISTOTELES Sky platform, visit www.kaiserwetter.energy.

About Kaiserwetter Energy Asset Management LLC

Kaiserwetter is the market’s first energy IntelliTech company, providing Data Analytics as a Service (DAaaS) to catalyze investment into renewable energy and reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. Kaiserwetter’s multiple award-winning, cloud-based IoT platform ARISTOTELES uses smart data analytics, predictive analytics and machine learning (AI) to minimize investment risk and maximize investment returns.

Established in 2012, the company is headquartered in Hamburg and has offices in Madrid and New York. In 2020, the company will open offices in China and India.

For more information about Kaiserwetter, visit www.kaiserwetter.energy, or follow the company on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Contacts

Jenny Wang
jenny.wang@kglobal.com

Room & Board Introduces Business Interiors for Hospitality & Workplace Environments

09.12.2019

Naomi sofa, Plimode chair, and Parsons desk images — Photo: Courtesy of Room & Board Business Interiors

Room & Board, the modern home furnishings company synonymous with American craftsmanship and sustainability, announced the launch of Room & Board Business Interiors with a collection of contract-grade hospitality and workplace products. As the company’s commercial arm, Business Interiors is poised to meet the modern demands of commercial interiors and businesses.

Fusing the brand’s signature style with commercial capabilities and customer-centric solutions, the forward-thinking venture is intended to disrupt the traditional contract furniture model. To date, Business Interiors has already worked with more than 50,000 businesses, ranging from Google and Twitter to the W Hotels and United Airlines.

“This is a natural step for the brand,” explains President and COO Bruce Champeau. “We are taking a progressive approach to perfecting products and services for an unmatched customer experience—bringing to the contract market what our customers have always valued, a comfortable modern aesthetic paired with transparency and quality.”

Photo: Room & Board

Born from customer and designer requests, it grew organically out of the company’s stellar reputation for quick-ship modern, quality, and sustainably sourced products. Business Interiors features a curation of Room & Board’s most durable, best-selling residential products backed with ANSI/BIFMA-tested furniture, ACT® performance textiles, and 5-and 10-year warranties. Marrying design with peace of mind, the hand-picked collection offers an array of products from: office furniture with sit-stand and ergonomic solutions that facilitate wellness in the work environment to seating, tables, and storage to outdoor furniture and beds suited for hospitality spaces.

Instilling a consumer-inspired level of service, specifiers will receive advantages, including: complementary space planning and furniture specifications services, transparent pricing, high-volume discounts, flat-rate shipping, white glove delivery, free return delivery service, COM, custom table and desk sizes, and customized storage configurations plus unheard of aggressive lead-times (as few as six days for in-stock items and four weeks for custom items). Commercial orders can also be complemented with rugs, lighting, and other accessories from the residential line in a single purchase order, creating a seamless transaction, delivery and one-stop design solution.

Keeping sustainability at the forefront and holding true to company ethos, more than 90% of products are crafted in the US to provide the best combination of quality and price, and fastest delivery, with the least amount of environmental impact. As a founding member of the Sustainable Furnishings Council (SFC) and one of Fast Company’s 2019 Most Innovative Companies, the brand notably received top marks on the prestigious Wood Furniture Scorecard for its commitment to upholding conservation values, proper forest management and responsible wood sourcing.

Key pieces from the curated collection will be on display at the brand’s 16 US showrooms and available directly through Room & Board Business Interiors.

ABOUT BUSINESS INTERIORS

Room & Board Business Interiors merges residential style with commercial capabilities, combining everything you love about Room & Board’s modern home furnishings with specialized services and commercial-grade furniture options for the contract industry, designers and architects. Contact Business Interiors.

Contacts

MEDIA
Sarah Claypool
sarah@novitapr.com

Georgia – Untapped Potential, Liberalized Market, and Renewable Energy on the Rise

07.12.2019

Grluzija — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Jairph)

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Iman Gozal)

The energy sector of Georgia is very attractive in terms of its untapped potential, developing infrastructure and increasing local and regional demand. In particular, investors and developers are seeing increasing renewable energy opportunities in the country.

RE Market Opportunities Appealing

Domestic demand is expected to almost double by 2030 from current consumption of 13.4 TWh. Georgia’s generation capacity will not be enough to meet domestic demand in the long term without additional generation sources. Estimated deficit by 2025 is more than 3 TWh.

Starting from 2008, Georgia has liberalized and deregulated the energy market. The State Programme Renewable Energy 2008 stipulates the rules and procedures regarding construction of new renewable energy projects. The electricity may be sold to any buyer in Georgia, based on freely negotiated prices, and/or to the electricity market operator (ESCO) based on the guaranteed power purchase agreement.

Energy Week – Georgia 2020

Georgia has well-developed transmission grid infrastructure. The whole territory of the country is covered with over 3,000 km of high, medium and low voltage lines and about 100 substations. In 2013, a new 400 KV line with HVDC back-to-back substation connecting Georgia with Turkey was commissioned, adding to already significant transmission capacity with all neighboring countries.

Major Potential for Hydropower

Georgia is one of the top countries in terms of water resources per capita and more than 80% of total electricity in the country is generated by HPPs. At the same time, only 25% of economically feasible hydro potential is exploited today.
There are 118 ongoing HPP projects, divided by the following categories:
• 74 projects up to 13 MW – total installed capacity 363 MW and about $ 400 million investment;
• 44 projects from 13 MW – total installed capacity 2 986 MW and about $ 5.7 billion investment.

Wind and Solar Considerations

Georgia has significant wind potential through which average annual electricity generation is evaluated at 4 bln. KWh and installed capacity of 1,500 MW. There are 18 wind energy projects on feasibility study stage with a total installed capacity of 462 MW. Among largest projects are Imereti 1 Wind Farm (300 MW), Central Wind Farms (120 MW), Pirveli Wind Farm (110 MW) and Kartli 2 Wind Farm (100 MW).

There are 6 solar projects at feasibility and construction stages with a total installed capacity of 93 MW. Among largest projects is a 50 MW AE Power Tbilisi Solar Farm.

Energy Week Georgia 2020

The opportunities these developments can offer to investors, EPC and engineering companies as well as contractors internationally will be discussed during the upcoming Energy Week Georgia 2020. The high-level event will take place on 28-30th January in Tbilisi with the support of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Developent of Georgia. To find out more about Energy Week Georgia 2020, visit www.geenergyweek.com.

Renewable Energy Ambition in NDCs Must Double by 2030

06.12.2019

wind_energy_windpark_vetropark_energija_vetra — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Andrea Boldizsar)

Countries are being urged to significantly raise renewable energy ambition and adopt targets to transform the global energy system in the next round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), according to a new report by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) that will be released at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP25) in Madrid. The report will show that renewable energy ambition within NDCs would have to more than double by 2030 to put the world in line with the Paris Agreement goals, cost-effectively reaching 7.7 terawatts (TW) of globally installed capacity by then. Today’s renewable energy pledges under the NDCs are falling short of this, targeting only 3.2 TW.

The report NDCs in 2020: Advancing Renewables in the Power Sector and Beyond will be released at IRENA’s official side event on enhancing NDCs and raising ambition on 11 December 2019. It will state that with over 2.3 TW installed renewable capacity today, almost half of the additional renewable energy capacity foreseen by current NDCs has already been installed. The analysis will also highlight that delivering on increased renewable energy ambition can be achieved in a cost-effective way and with considerable socio-economic benefits across the world.

“Increasing renewable energy targets is absolutely necessary,” said IRENA’s Director-General Francesco La Camera. “Much more is possible. There is a decisive opportunity for policy makers to step up climate action by raising ambition on renewables, which are the only immediate solution to meet rising energy demand whilst decarbonising the economy and building resilience”.

“IRENA’s analysis shows that a pathway to a decarbonised economy is technologically possible and socially and economically beneficial,” continued Mr. La Camera. “Renewables are good for growth, good for job creation and deliver significant welfare benefits. With renewables, we can also expand energy access and help eradicate energy poverty in line with the UN Sustainable Development Agenda 2030. IRENA will promote knowledge exchange, strengthen partnerships and work with all stakeholders to catalyse action on the ground. We are engaging with countries and regions worldwide to facilitate renewable energy projects and raise their ambitions”.

NDCs must become a driving force for an accelerated global energy transformation. The current pledges reflect neither the past decade’s rapid growth nor the ongoing market trends for renewables. Through a higher renewable energy ambition, NDCs could serve to advance multiple climate and development objectives.

The report will be available at https://www.irena.org/publications.

Source: IRENA

Christmas Jumpers Add to Plastic Pollution Crisis

06.12.2019

xmas_jumper_božićni_džemper — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Toa Heftiba)

Britons’ love of novelty Christmas jumpers is helping to fuel the world’s plastic pollution crisis, a report has warned.

Whether emblazoned with flashing lights or alpine motifs, 12m jumpers are set to be snapped up this year, despite 65m already languishing in UK wardrobes.

But as well as triggering huge levels of waste, the research by the environmental charity Hubbub has shown that most new sweaters contain plastic. Its analysis of 108 garments on sale this year from 11 high street and online retailers – including Primark, George at Asda and Topshop/Topman – found that 95% of the jumpers were made wholly or partly of plastic materials. The charity said the garment had become one of the worst examples of fast fashion, now recognised as hugely damaging to the environment.

With so-called Christmas jumper day – an annual publicity push by the charity Save the Children – looming on Friday 13 December, millions of consumers are expected to scour shops for eye-catching festive woollies.

Hubbub’s research found that two out of five Christmas jumpers are only worn once over the festive period, and one in three adults under 35 buys a new Christmas jumper every year.

The plastic fibre acrylic was found in three-quarters of the jumpers tested, with 44% made entirely from acrylic. However, only 29% of consumers realised that most Christmas jumpers contain plastic.

A recent study by Plymouth University found that acrylic was responsible for releasing nearly 730,000 microfibres per wash, five times more than polyester-cotton blend fabric and nearly 1.5 times as many as pure polyester.

Sarah Divall, the project coordinator at Hubbub, said: “We don’t want to stop people dressing up and having a great time at Christmas but there are so many ways to do this without buying new. Fast fashion is a major threat to the natural world and Christmas jumpers are problematic as so many contain plastic. We’d urge people to swap, buy secondhand or rewear, and remember a jumper is for life not just for Christmas.”

Its tips for eco-friendly options include customising existing sweaters and hunting for charity shop and vintage bargains.

On behalf of the retailers in the study, Leah Riley Brown, a sustainability policy adviser at the British Retail Consortium, said: “Consumers can be assured that, on average, the clothes they are purchasing have lower environmental impacts. Retailers are making strides to ensure old clothes can be turned into new ones for a more circular economy. They are creating more takeback schemes so clothes can be reused and recycled to divert them away from landfill.”

Source: Guardian

A Road to Greener Development – China’s Story of Eliminating Freon

05.12.2019

fridges_frižideri_freon — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Ozone-depleting substances, or ODS, have posed a serious threat to the Earth’s fragile ozone layer. To mitigate the hazardous influence, in 1989, a universal agreement known as the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, entered into force. In 1991, China officially ratified the protocol. Since then, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) has helped China implement over 50 projects to eliminate ODS in the refrigeration, foam, pharmaceutical and agricultural production sectors.

“They have brought us new ideas and more advanced technologies. They also helped us to prepare programme files to apply for the support of the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol, and arranged overseas tours for us,” said JIANG Feng, president of the China Household Electrical Appliances Association.

The organization has collaborated with more than 30 Chinese companies. Haier is one of the enterprises that first adopted Freon-free refrigeration technology in China. Since 1995, Haier has been working with UNIDO to phase out Freon.

“We have the obligation to fulfill international commitments and protect the ozone layer. This is an important task for Haier as well,” said ZHAO Yanhe, vice president of the Haier Group.

Stephan Sicars, who is now director of UNIDO’s Department of Environment, worked as a Senior Programme Officer with the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer for ten years. He highly commended the efforts made by China and UNIDO. “They (UNIDO) helped significantly reduce the climate impact of China’s industry, and that happened through leapfrogging technologies far beyond those of Western countries at the time.”

In total, UNIDO’s projects to clean up China’s refrigerator and air conditioner sector have phased out over 10,000 tonnes of ozone-depleting substances, reduced pollutants equivalent to 33 million tonnes of CO2 and helped the companies increase energy efficiency by up to 12 percent.

Two decades later, China’s home appliance industry has come a long way. Now Haier has become one of the world’s leading manufacturers of home appliances. Reports in 2019 say it ranked number one in international sales for 10 consecutive years.

JIiang Feng explained that green development is necessary for China’s home appliance industry. “As China’s home appliance industry develops, especially in the refrigerator production sector, we need to export a larger amount of products. If we had not carried out projects to eliminate ODS and enhanced our capacity for environmentally friendly development, our exports to other countries would have been hindered.”

“This is a step necessary to achieve the high-quality economic development,” Jiang added.

China has now become an industrial powerhouse, moving beyond its initial successes in low-end sectors such as clothing and footwear, to the more sophisticated production at the higher-end, such as computers, automobiles, and chips.

In March this year, China announced that it has phased out a total of 280,000 tonnes of ozone-depleting substances (ODS) listed in the Montreal Protocol, accounting for over half of the total reduction by developing countries.

David Ma, deputy representative of UNIDO Beijing Office, said the relationship between UNIDO and China has shifted from “technical assistance” to “technical cooperation.”

“China has already accumulated a lot of experiences in relevant sectors… and China’s technology is more affordable for developing countries,” Ma said, hoping to share China’s practices with more developing nations.

Currently, China’s contribution to UNIDO accounts for around eight percent of UNIDO’s total assessed contributions. China also provides various forms of assistance to the industrial development of other developing countries through other schemes.

“Our choices of a more modern and greener technology industry will inevitably influence the trend of the world in terms of home appliance production. It is fair to say that Chinese companies have made significant contributions to phasing out Freon and contributed to the protection of the world’s environment,” Jiang concluded.

Source: UNIDO

Don’t Pursue Economic Growth at Expense of Environment – Report

04.12.2019

TUZAN-PATAK663 Foto Nikolina Osmić — Photo: Nikolina Osmic

Pursuing economic growth at the expense of the environment is no longer an option as Europe faces “unprecedented” challenges from climate chaos, pollution, biodiversity loss and the overconsumption of natural resources, according to a report from Europe’s environmental watchdog.

Europe was reaching the limits of what could be achieved by gradual means, by making efficiencies and small cuts to greenhouse gas emissions, with “transformational” change now necessary to stave off the impacts of global heating and environmental collapse, warned Hans Bruyninckx, executive director of the European Environment Agency.

“Marginal efficiency gains are not enough – they are not working to bring down emissions,” he said. “There is also a higher cost to marginal efficiency gains, if we keep investing in that. If we focus on making current technologies more efficient, there are limits. If we stick to what we know, it may seem easy but it doesn’t work in the long term.”

The EEA scored 35 key measures of environmental health, from greenhouse gases and air pollution, waste management and climate change to soil condition and birds and butterfly species, and found only six in which Europe was performing adequately.

“Incremental changes have resulted in progress in some areas but not nearly enough to meet our long-term goals,” said Bruyninckx. Further marginal changes would grow only more expensive, he predicted, making large-scale change necessary. “We already have the knowledge, technologies and tools we need to make key production and consumption systems such as food, mobility and energy sustainable.”

Wholesale changes could include banning internal combustion engines and scaling up public transport, abandoning fossil fuels in favour of 100% renewable energy, stipulating that products must be designed and manufactured to create no waste, and changes to our diets and agricultural production. Environmental goals could not be seen as separate to or lesser than economic goals, and accepting environmental damage as an inevitable cost would lead to ecological collapse, Bruyninckx warned.

The old system – of “continuing to promote economic growth and seeking to manage the environmental and social impacts” – would not deliver the EU’s long-term vision of “living well, within the limits of the planet”, the report warned.

The report, known as European Environment – State and Outlook (SOER), is a comprehensive study produced every five years and details the health or otherwise of all natural systems across EU member states and others including Norway, Switzerland and Turkey. The 2020 edition was brought forward to inform the incoming European commission as they discuss a promised “green new deal”, and for delegates at COP25, the UN conference on climate change currently taking place in Madrid.

There has been little improvement since the last report in 2015, despite promises, policies and targets, according to SOER 2020. Fewer than a quarter of protected species and only 16% of habitats are in a good state of conservation. Reduced pollution has improved water quality, but Europe will miss by a long way its goal of having a “good” rating for all water bodies by 2020. Though air quality has improved, about a fifth of the urban population live in areas where concentrations of pollutants exceed at least one EU air quality standard, and 62% of ecosystems are exposed to excessive nitrogen levels.

Global heating has added to the risks to health. For instance, Bruyninckx pointed to the melting ice and permafrost in the far north as a little-considered danger. “Russia has buried some very toxic chemicals beneath the ice and we expect melting ice to release some of them,” he said. “Some chemicals are also sensitive to heat, so if we have more heatwaves that is a risk too.”

Lorenzo Quinn’s Sculpture ‘Support’ to Warn of Rising Sea Levels at COP25

04.12.2019

A 3-meter version of Lorenzo Quinn’s monumental sculpture “Support” is on display at the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP25 in Madrid (2-13 December) to remind participants of rising sea levels that threaten Venice and all coastal cities around the world.

The installation, first unveiled by Quinn at the Venice Biennale in 2017 and commissioned by Halcyon Art International, shows two gigantic hands of a child emerging from the Grand Canal in Venice to protect and support the historical building of the Ca’ Sagredo Hotel.

The 3-meter version of the sculpture is being brought to COP25 in Madrid as part of a partnership between UN Climate Climate Change, Lorenzo Quinn and Halcyon Art International.

“Venice, the floating city of art and culture that has inspired humanity for centuries, is threatened by climate change and time decay and is in need of the support of our generation and future ones”, said Quinn. “Let’s join ‘hands’ and make a lasting change”.

Given the record floods that hit Venice earlier this month, reaching the highest levels in more than 50 years and leaving the world heritage site sunk in almost two meters of water, Quinn’s alert sounds more urgent than ever. If the city is unable to adequately protect itself from worsening flooding, it could lose its status as a World Heritage Site, warned UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre.

According to experts, there are two main causes for the floods in Venice: while the city is sinking into the mud it was built on, it is also threated from rising sea levels due to climate change.

Quinn’s sculpture illustrates humanity’s capacity to damage the environment but also its ability to save it. While “Support” creates a sense of fear in highlighting the fragility of the Venetian building surrounded by water, as a sign of hope, the hands which hold up the walls of a building remind us of our capability to re-balance the world and address global issues such as climate change.

The 3-meter version of ‘Support” will be displayed at the Blue Zone of the COP 25 venue, and three smaller replicas of the sculpture will be on display at the UN Climate Change pavilion.

About partnerships between UN Climate Change and non-Party stakeholders

The partnership with Lorenzo Quinn and Halcyon Art International is part of a series of partnerships between UN Climate Change and relevant stakeholders to support climate action. The partnerships for COP25 with non-Party stakeholders are foreseen in the Marrakesh Partnership for Global Climate Action (MPGCA).

The MPGCA was launched at COP22 by the Conference of the Parties, explicitly welcoming climate action of all non-Party stakeholders, including the private sector, to help implement the Paris Climate Change Agreement. All entities of society and business are strongly encouraged to scale up their efforts and support actions to reduce emissions, as well as to build resilience and decrease vulnerability to the impacts of climate change.

Source: UNFCCC

How About Being a Tourist in Belgrade?

04.12.2019

električni_trotinet_elektrotrotinet — Foto-ilustracija: Unsplash (Bence Boros)

Although the winter is already here, we could still remember summer rides on electric scooters in city streets and nature spots. Now we are waiting for warmer days, long walks and two-wheelers that will get us outside during next spring. Meanwhile you can read our article about last summer and fall in the streets of Belgrade.

September brought the first cold days and some citizens already brought out sweaters and jackets in the light. But, if we can trust meteorologists, October may bring us pleasant Indian summer so that we can put back those warm clothes in the darkness of our wardrobe for a while. We should thank Ada Ciganlija, our salvation from the city crowd, once again by absorbing vitamin D at the beach and wearing out shoe soles in the forest path or wheels of our bicycles, roller-skates and electric scooters on the roads. For everyone who doesn’t own a vehicle that suits him, at Belgrade seaside, it has been available for years to rent roller-skates and bicycles, but the electric scooters are new – they are here less than two months.

In focus:

A new post was opened in July for rental of electric scooters at the beginning of the path on the Sava side. During the last year, electric scooters timidly started conquering streets all around the world. This year the breakthrough was even more aggressive. The number of people riding them multiplied in the capital of Serbia, successfully avoiding traffic jams and construction sites barricades. Due to its affordability, it is estimated that interest in alternative, ecological, fast and comfortable ride to the desired destination will increase. Until you are bold enough to buy an e-scooter for yourself, you have an excellent opportunity to put them on trial at Ada Ciganlija, where you can rent one for an hour or the whole day ride.

Electric scooters can develop speed up to 35 km/h and the battery can take you about 40 km from the start point without a problem. Maximum payload is 110 kg – which is, you have to admit, impressive for a two-wheeler of ten kilograms.

According to the research results, one-third of the drivers of electrically powered scooters are tourists. When was the last time you enjoyed the beauty of the city you live in from that perspective? Have you ever tried to look through their eyes the plates with the names of crucial politicians in Yugoslavia posted in front of trees in the Park of Friendship or beautiful building of The National Theatre? In what way does a person perceive our city, his simultaneous slowness and rush and taking it in a relaxed manner as an integral piece of city charm and not as an obstacle on the way home after a stressful day at work.

For the next weekend, we suggest you take the role of a curious man living far from Belgrade. Ada Ciganlija could be your starting point. With an electric scooter, the tourist perspective in your city has never been closer, and with the battery reach of 40 kilometers, even Zemun isn’t far away. Nacional star company enabled electric scooter rental at this artificial island. You can find them in Novi Beograd, address 12, Urosa Martinovića St (shop number 6) – for rental or purchase.

Prepared by: Jelena Kozbasic

This article was published in the new issue of Energy portal Magazine CLIMATE CHANGE, September – November 2019.

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