Renewables at the Service of Nature and Society

14.08.2019

mariana-proenca-_h0xG4s6NFg-unsplash — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Mariana Proenca)

Photo: private archive of Stevica Dedjanski

When we read the news in the field of energy, often we stumble upon terms such as feed-in tariff, auction, net metering and prosumer. If you are not familiar with them and they make you stop reading the article for a second, you will get a first-hand explanation. Professor Stevica Dedjanski, Ph.D., state secretary in the Ministry of Mining and Energy, has clarified these linguistic dilemmas to us. He explained that biomass is energy source beneficial to both nature and society due to producing green energy and reducing harmful emissions while creating green jobs. We also learned from him how to reduce our electricity bills by investing only a little money or no money at all.

EP: Was the adoption of the Law on Efficient Use of Energy in 2013 a turning point for more efficient use of energy compared to the previous practice?

Stevica Dedjanski: Its adoption has brought a systematical approach to the field of energy efficiency in the Republic of Serbia and has given a legal framework for transposing European regulations in that field. Until then, ad hoc activities were regulated by law. That is how the energy management for large energy consumers and the public sector has been introduced by law and how the budget fund for improving energy efficiency has been established. Besides that, labeling of energy efficient devices has been introduced; new companies have been recognized – ESCO companies that are financing energy-efficient projects on the basis of realized energy savings. For the first time, criteria of energy efficiency that should be included in the requests for public procurement of products have been clearly defined. Also, obligations in the drafting and implementation of the Energy Efficiency Action Plans resulting from the assumed obligations towards the Energy Community have been defined and methodological approach to determining savings has been adopted.

Energy savings are planned, implemented and recorded according to the national action plans for energy efficiency. According to the latest action plan from 2016, Serbia has achieved more than 90 per cent of savings planned for the period from 2010 to 2015, and almost 50 per cent of all the savings planned for the period from 2010 to 2018.

The law introduces the obligation to save one per cent of primary energy in the current year in comparison with the previous year to the system’s associates in the industrial sector and the public commercial sector.

EP: System of energy management has started functioning in 2017. How?

Stevica Dedjanski: According to the Law on Efficient Use of Energy, the system of energy management represents a system of organized energy management. The system’s associates accomplish the legally prescribed obligations to achieve rational energy use with as little cost as possible.

According to the law, the system’s associates include the enterprises and public companies that use more energy per year than government has prescribed; local self-government units with more than 20 thousands of residents; state administration bodies; other bodies of the Republic of Serbia; the bodies of the autonomous province; and public institutions. They create a program and a plan of energy efficiency for the sake of the achievement of the savings goals prescribed by the government; designate the needed number of energy managers; implement measure ment for the efficient energy use; submit an annual report on accomplishing the energy-saving goals; provide regular implementation of energy audits; perform other duties. The Ministry of Mining and Energy has so far identified more than 70 legal entities in the manufacturing sector, such as enterprises and public companies, as well as nine enterprises in the commerce and service sectors, and 79 local self-government units as the system’s associates.

In enterprises and public companies at the moment, there are 39 appointed energy managers with a license. A total of 45 local self-government units also have a licensed energy manager.

EP: How many energy managers are there in Serbia and has the system come into life practically speaking?

Stevica Dedjanski: Training of energy managers is carried out by the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Belgrade for fields of industrial energy, energy at the municipal level and energy in the building sector. So far, 12 training rounds and 17 energy manager exams have been held. The Ministry has issued 103 licenses for the field of the municipal energy sector, 145 licenses for the field of industrial energy and 42 licenses for the field of energy in the building sector.

System associates continue to learn how to fulfill the legally prescribed obligations and how to achieve energy savings. For now, it is still too early to bring up good examples of energy management. The energy management system is well-conceived, but persistence and support in its implementation are needed.

EP: Although we legally made the first steps towards the improvement of energy efficiency, energy consumption per unit of GDP is about three times higher in our country than in the European Union. Is investing in energy efficiency measures out of the budget of our citizens, or is this a consequence of their insufficient knowledge of the money savings they would bring to them?

Stevica Dedjanski: According to the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia, the share of the household sector in the total final consumption is the highest. It amounts to 35 per cent, the economy 29 per cent, and transport 23 per cent. The analysis of buildings in Serbia has shown that 85 per cent of the building fund does not meet the minimum energy efficiency requirements. The prices of energy and energy will increase in the future, which will increase the cost of living.

Insufficient knowledge of the citizens about the possibilities and potential of energy efficiency, but certainly a limited budget as well, influence the state of energy efficiency in the household sector in our country.

In order to reduce energy consumption, it is necessary to operate in three aspects. In addition to making clear legal regulations and citizens’ awareness of the possibilities and potential of energy efficiency, we need a financial incentive in the form of incentive measures, subsidies and lower interest rates for investments in energy efficiency.

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Angel Videv)

Even though we are behind some of the Western European countries in the fields of energy efficiency and renewable sources, we are heading in the right direction. In comparison to some European countries, we are at a similar level, or we are better. We are giving more and more importance to those fields in every segment of our society.

EP: PVC windows, air heat pump and wall and roof insulation, are some of the more expensive solutions for improving energy efficiency. Tell us several measures that do not require the investment of substantial funds.

Stevica Dedjanski: The cost-optimal energy rehabilitation of existing buildings, or the definition of a package of energy efficiency measures, is best determined by the characteristics and conditions for a concrete building, depending on its state. Those measures, which bring significant savings over time, are often, at the very beginning, a great investment.

However, there are also low-budget measures of energy efficiency such as replacing old bulbs with wire filaments with new LED lamps, installing sealing gums on exterior joinery, then installing curtains on windows and balconies located on the south and west side of the building due to too much sunshine in summer months, investing in energy efficient home appliances, installing thermostatic heads on radiators to optimize heat in rooms, etc.
Training.

Also, besides investment measures, reducing energy consumption is possible by applying measures that affect consumer behavior, for example: controlling if the household appliances are turned on or turned off (boiler, washing machine and oven should not be turned on at the same time), electricity and heating bills control, switching to paying the thermal energy per consumption which is profitable for isolated objects, and so on.

Prepared by: Jelena Kozbasic

Read the whole interview in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine ENERGY EFFICIENCY.

Oil Market Report: Economic Woes Hold Sway Over Geopolitics

14.08.2019

charlie-hang-Hf1Wk-T4Lxo-unsplash — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Charlie Hang)

While geopolitical tensions in the Middle East Gulf remain high, with US sanctions recently extended to more Iranian officials and a Chinese oil importer, as well as another tanker seizure, oil prices (Brent) have eased back from the most recent high of $67/bbl. Shipping operations are at normal levels, albeit with higher insurance costs. The messages from various parties that vessels will be protected to the greatest extent possible, and the IEA’s recent statement that it is closely monitoring the oil security position in the Strait of Hormuz will have provided some reassurance.

There have been concerns about the health of the global economy expressed in recent editions of this Report and shown by reduced expectations for oil demand growth. Now, the situation is becoming even more uncertain: the US-China trade dispute remains unresolved and in September new tariffs are due to be imposed. Tension between the two has increased further this week, reflected in heavy falls for stock and commodity markets. Oil prices have been caught up in the retreat, falling to below $57/bbl earlier this week. In this Report, we took into account the International Monetary Fund’s recent downgrading of the economic outlook: they reduced by 0.1 percentage points for both 2019 and 2020 their forecast for global GDP growth to 3.2% and 3.5%, respectively.

Oil demand growth estimates have already been cut back sharply: in 1H19, we saw an increase of only 0.6 mb/d, with China the sole source of significant growth at 0.5 mb/d. Two other major markets, India and the United States, both saw demand rise by only 0.1 mb/d. For the OECD as a whole, demand has fallen for three successive quarters. In this Report, growth estimates for 2019 and 2020 have been revised down by 0.1 mb/d to 1.1 mb/d and 1.3 mb/d, respectively. There have been minor upward revisions to baseline data for 2018 and 2019 but our total number for 2019 demand is unchanged at 100.4 mb/d, incorporating a modest upgrade to our estimate for 1Q19 offset by a decrease for 3Q19. The outlook is fragile with a greater likelihood of a downward revision than an upward one.

In the meantime, the short term market balance has been tightened slightly by the reduction in supply from OPEC countries. Production fell in July by 0.2 mb/d, and it was backed up by additional cuts of 0.1 mb/d by the ten non-OPEC countries included in the OPEC+ agreement. In a clear sign of its determination to support market re-balancing, Saudi Arabia’s production was 0.7 mb/d lower than the level allowed by the output agreement. If the July level of OPEC crude oil production at 29.7 mb/d is maintained through 2019, the implied stock draw in 2H19 is 0.7 mb/d, helped also by a slower rate of non-OPEC production growth. However, this is a temporary phenomenon because our outlook for very strong non-OPEC production growth next year is unaltered at 2.2 mb/d. Under our current assumptions, in 2020, the oil market will be well supplied.

Source: IEA

UNDP and Samsung Unveil Global Goals Partnership

13.08.2019

Samsung launch ©UNDP/Daria Asmolova — Photo: UNDP/Daria Asmolova

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. announced a new partnership to boost awareness of the Sustainable Development Goals today in New York.

The new Global Goals app and accessories were unveiled during Samsung’s Unpacked event at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Samsung Galaxy phones will carry the Global Goals app that defines each of the 17 goals showing users how they can take small actions towards achieving the SDGs.

“This partnership with UNDP and Samsung will not only harness technological innovation in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, but will mobilize the next generation of global citizens to take action and together achieve the goals,” says Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator. “Only with a joint effort by everyone – private sector, civil society, and people across the world – can we truly have impact and change the world for the better.”

The Global Goals app, available on Samsung Galaxy smartphones, aims to increase awareness of the Global Goals and raise funds for UNDP to support its work around the world. In addition, a portion of the proceeds generated from sales of the special edition accessories will go directly to UNDP in support of the Global Goals.

“Now more than ever, we have the potential to use the power of technology to address the world’s most pressing challenges,” said DJ Koh, President and CEO of IT & Mobile Communications, Samsung Electronics. “Our partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will provide Galaxy users with easy, impactful ways to learn about the Global Goals and support the causes important to them so we can collectively make a difference.”

The app will come preinstalled on Galaxy Note10 and Galaxy Note10+ and will be available for download for Samsung Galaxy Smartphones in 19 languages. The special edition phone cases and wireless charger will be available through Samsung.com and select Samsung Experience Stores in the U.S. and Korea.

The Sustainable Development Goals are a set of 17 interconnected goals in a universal call for people, planet and prosperity. By 2030, the SDGs will address the world’s biggest issues like poverty, inequality and climate change.

For more information about Samsung Global Goals, visit https://news.samsung.com/galaxy, http://www.samsungmobilepress.com or https://www.samsung.com/global/galaxy/apps/samsung-global-goals/.

Source: UNDP

Why Is a Tesla So Hard To Steal?

12.08.2019

alex-iby-gJIIGRACueg-unsplash — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Alex Iby)

Many claim Tesla makes some of the most popular cars in the world, but if that were true, why doesn’t anyone want to steal them?

According to the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI), Tesla’s 2016–2018 Model S and X were among the least stolen vehicles, only beaten by the BMW 3 Series. The institute claims this is due to electric cars typically being stored in garages where they’re charged. But if that’s the case, where are the other EVs on the HLDI’s top 20 list?

According to HLDI, “Two of the vehicles on the least-stolen list are the Tesla Model S and Model X. Their low theft rate may be related to the fact that, as electric vehicles, they are usually parked in garages or close to a house [located] near a power supply. In a separate report last year, HLDI showed that electric vehicles from a variety of manufacturers have lower theft claim rates than comparable vehicles.”

Regardless, Tesla has done a lot to earn its (nearly) chart-topping position on this least-stolen list. In addition, the relatively few Teslas that are stolen have an incredible recovery rate. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (via Marketwatch), 112 out of 115 stolen Teslas were recovered from 2011 to May of 2018. In comparison, the overall recovery rate for all vehicles in 2016 was just 58.4%.

“That’s about as good as it gets,” explains Fank Scafidi, director of public affairs at the National Insurance Crime Bureau. “I’m wondering if the thieves’ intellect might have been overwhelmed just sitting in a Tesla, much less figuring out how to operate it for any length of time.”

While most new cars have advanced tech to prevent theft, the Silicon Valley automaker outshines the industry in both minimal thefts and recovery rate. So, what makes Tesla’s cars such a headache for thieves? Much of this can be attributed to three key Tesla security features: GPS Tracking, Sentry Mode, and Pin to Drive.

GPS Tracking

GPS tracking has been a security feature since Tesla’s early days. From within Tesla’s phone app, owners can receive real-time data on vehicle location. If a Tesla is ever stolen, owners can use their phone to tell officers exactly where their car is located. It’s happened plenty of times already and likely accounts for a large portion of recovered stolen Teslas. One downside to this feature is that in order to save battery life, the car only updates real-time while driving. And a knowledgeable thief, in theory, could remove the car’s SIM card to prevent tracking altogether.

Sentry Mode

Tesla’s Sentry Mode is another method used to deter thieves before they even attempt to steal the car. Enabling this feature will leave the vehicle in a “monitoring” state. The two side cameras, front camera, and sensors will remain active even while the car is off. In turn, the Tesla observes its surroundings, ready to notify its owner and any individual too close to the vehicle in the unlikely event that a theft is in progress. The display flashes a “recording in progress” message, and the vehicle does just that. For the majority of thieves, this is enough to reconsider. And for those daring thieves who still forge ahead, they run the risk of simply getting caught.

Pin To Drive

Okay, so let’s say a knowledgeable thief was able to successfully accomplish a relay attack, ignores the recording in progress, and pulls out the car’s SIM to prevent tracking. The thief will still have trouble driving away thanks to the Pin to Drive feature. This security feature requires you to enter a pin in order to drive the Tesla. The location of the pin-pad even shifts with each startup in order to prevent reading of fingerprint smudges. The only way to reset the pin is to enter your Tesla account credentials.

In this case, using the owners’ account credentials is just about the only way to drive away with a stolen Tesla. Fortunately, most petty car thieves lack the skills necessary to hack into your Tesla account through phishing, social engineering, brute force methods, etc. And if a Tesla owner is still concerned about these types of corner cases, there are some helpful steps they can employ in order to defend against car hacking.

Sources: EVBite, Clean Technica

Hyundai Launches First Car with Solar Roof Charging System

11.08.2019

Hyundai Motor is launching its first car with a solar roof charging system.

This groundbreaking eco-friendly technology will provide vehicles with additional electrical power, as well as increasing fuel efficiency and driving range.

Hyundai Motor’s solar roof charging system makes its debut on the New Sonata Hybrid. The system supports the vehicle’s electric power source, improving fuel efficiency and reducing CO2 emissions.

In the coming years, Hyundai will roll out the technology to other vehicles across its range. This is the latest application of a smart solution from Hyundai advancing the mobility industry towards a more sustainable future.

The solar roof system includes a structure of silicon solar panels that are mounted on the car’s roof. Being able to charge even while driving, the solar roof system can charge 30 to 60 per cent of the battery per day. With 6 hours of daily charging, it is expected to increase drivers’ travel distance by an extra 1,300 km annually.

The system is composed of a solar panel and a controller. Electricity is produced when solar energy activates the solar panel’s surface, which converts this energy by using photons of light from the sun. This creates the electron-hole pairs in silicon cells, which generate solar electricity.

The electricity from this process is converted to the standard voltage by the controller, then stored in the battery. Hyundai Motor took not only efficiency but also design into account while developing the solar charging system.

While the solar roof system currently plays a supporting role, it opens up perspectives for vehicles no longer need fossil fuel to operate.

The New Sonata Hybrid

The New Sonata Hybrid is equipped with the world’s first Active Shift Control (ASC) technology and solar roof charging system. It boasts a hybrid-exclusive design with enhanced dynamic elements, as well as a Smartstream G2.0 GDi HEV engine and 6-speed hybrid transmission. Hyundai’s new model also supports a ‘Digital Key’ function via a dedicated smartphone app.

The New Sonata is now on sale in Korea and will soon be sold in North America. Hyundai currently has no plans to expand sales of this model to the European market.

Source: Hyundai

IRENA and UN Climate Change Join Forces to Accelerate Renewables as Climate Solution

09.08.2019

IRENA_UNFCC_MoU_Accelerate Climate Solutions_2019_press release — Photo: IRENA

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and UN Climate Change (UNFCCC) are jointly ramping up efforts to fight climate change by promoting the widespread adoption and sustainable use of renewable energy. The new strategic partnership builds on a long history of cooperation that aims to ensure a low-carbon climate-resilient world in line with the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement.

In a Memorandum of Understanding signed today in Bonn between the heads of IRENA and UN Climate Change, the two organisations have agreed to step up the exchange of knowledge on energy transition, collaborate more closely at expert meetings, increase capacity building to promote renewables and undertake joint outreach activities.

Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) said: “The rapid transition to clean energy is crucial to meet the central goal of the Paris Climate Change Agreement, which is to hold the global average temperature rise to as close as possible to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Time is running out – we are already seeing worsening climate change impacts around the world –including unprecedented heatwaves – and we need to grasp all opportunities to rapidly deploy clean, renewable energy at scale to prevent the worst climate scenarios form becoming a reality.”

Francesco La Camera, Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) added: “Falling technology costs have made solar, wind and other renewables the competitive backbone of energy decarbonisation and, together with energy efficiency, the most effective climate action tool available.

Renewable energy delivers jobs, delivers on sustainable development and will deliver a viable climate solution. The renewables-based energy transition provides a clear opportunity to increase ambition in the reviewing process of the national climate commitments under the Paris Agreement. IRENA will fully support countries in realising this opportunity on the way to COP25 in Chile this year and to COP26 in 2020.”

UN Climate Change and IRENA are already working together to promote renewable energy, notably at expert meetings and through publications.

At a practical level, the organisations have jointly provided capacity building on renewable energy through training sessions, for example to several African countries.

IRENA is also one of the biggest supporters of the UNFCCC’s Global Climate Action work, designed to mobilise climate-related activities of cities, regions, businesses and investors.

The new agreement is designed to build on this work, and to expand regional activities in the field of clean technology.

Source: IRENA

Australian Solar Could Power Singapore Within a Decade

08.08.2019

solar-1593008_960_720 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

When the 720 km power cable from Norway to the UK made landfall two years ago it was hailed as the longest in the world. Now a Singaporean renewable energy company has plans for an undersea power line five times longer.

Sun Cable plans to generate electricity using solar power in Australia’s Northern Territory and transmit it to Singapore along a 3,800 km subsea cable. As well as being the longest on the planet, the cable would turn Australia into a major green energy exporter.

Although the Norweigan electricity delivered to the UK will come from hydro-electric generation, the Australian project would take the export of sustainable energy to a new level. In much of the world, renewable energy is generated for local consumption.

The company wants to build the world’s largest solar farm, covering 15,000 hectares. The 10 gigawatt installation will be backed up by battery storage to provide 24-hour supply to the city of Darwin as well as providing one-fifth of Singapore’s energy needs.

Green hydrogen

In the Pilbara region of Western Australia an even larger green energy project is underway. The Asian Renewable Energy Hub (AREH) plans to use wind combined with solar to generate up to 15 gigawatts of electricity from what the consortium of energy leaders say will be the world’s biggest wind/solar hybrid site.

Both projects are still at the planning stage and the AREH team are working with the indigenous Nyangumarta people on whose land the 6,500 square kilometre project will be built.

AREH plans to use one-fifth of its output to supply local needs, including serving the tourist town of Broome, with the remainder devoted to a hydrogen manufacturing hub.

The aim is to use the hydrogen to power local mineral industries, helping Australia move away from being an exporter of raw materials to a manufacturer of finished product by, for example, replacing coke in steel blast furnaces.

Reducing CO2 emissions

Australia is currently the world’s biggest exporter of coking coal and iron ore, the second largest exporter of liquified natural gas (LNG) and has the world’s largest economically recoverable reserves of gold.

The nation was placed at number 43 in the World Economic Forum’s 2019 Energy Transition Index, largely due to a low score on environmental sustainability because of its reliance on coal for electricity generation.

The Australian government has argued that transitioning to greener energy sources will raise consumer bills. The Forum’s report highlights the need to ensure equitable distribution of the costs of energy transition to avoid placing lower-income citizens in fuel poverty.

By greening its industries and becoming a major exporter of renewable energy, Australia would be able to reduce its carbon emissions which, including its coal, oil and gas exports, now account for 5% of the global total. This is in part due to an increase in LNG exports, which rose by 22% last year.

Author: Douglas Broom

Source: WEF

Why Forest Elephant Extinction Will Make Climate Change Much Worse

07.08.2019

marc-bombenon-FzZWp6yrwEY-unsplash — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Marc Bombenon)

Forest elephant extinction would exacerbate climate change. That’s according to a new study in Nature Geoscience which links feeding by elephants with an increase in the amount of carbon that forests are able to store.

The bad news is that African forest elephants – smaller and more vulnerable relatives of the better known African bush elephant – are fast going extinct. If we allow their ongoing extermination to continue, we will be also worsening climate change. The good news is that if we protect and conserve these elephants, we will simultaneously fight climate change.

Elephants are fascinating animals, and I have studied them for more than 15 years. They are intelligent, sentient, and highly social. But their single most remarkable feature is their size. Evolutionarily, elephants gambled on becoming massive enough to deter predators like lions and tigers.

In exchange, they became slaves to their appetite. Elephants need huge amounts of food everyday, something like 5-10% of their body mass. A typical three-tonne female could eat 200 kg of plant material in one day. Her family may need to consume more than a tonne of food per day.

It is not easy to find so much food, especially in tropical rain forests, where plants have high concentrations of chemical defences (toxins) to avoid being eaten. Elephants spend most of their life eating and looking for food. We can think of them as “eating machines”. African forest elephants are particularly fond of saplings, young trees, and the plants that first grow into newly opened gaps in the forest. These “early succession” plants are specialised in growing fast following a disturbance and they invest less in chemical defences. Early succession trees also have lower wood density than slow-growing late-succession tree species.

Elephant eating manners are also remarkable. They feed by breaking stems and branches, pulling down lianas, uprooting whole plants, stripping leaves off twigs, and so on. It is easy to notice their presence because of the mess they leave behind.

How elephant disturbance affects carbon stocks

The key novelty of the new study, by the ecologist Fabio Berzaghi and colleagues, is they include, for the first time, the effect of elephant feeding disturbances in a computer modelthat simulates demographic processes in forest ecosystems. They found that “elephant disturbance” – all that messy eating – results in forests having fewer, larger trees. Elephants filter out small early-succession (i.e. low wood density) trees, promoting the dominance of late-succession (high wood density) trees, which ultimately leads to long-term increases in the total biomass. Berzaghi and colleagues were able to validate their model predictions with data from real forest plots in the Congo Basin.

By promoting these larger, woodier trees, elephant feeding disturbances therefore mean the forest stores more carbon. These results have important and far reaching implications for elephant conservation and carbon policy. The authors estimate that the disappearance of African forest elephants would result in a loss of as much as 7% of the carbon stocks in Central African forests, which they valued at around US$43 billion, based on a conservative carbon stock price. In short, forest elephants are our allies in the fight against climate change and their existence saves us tens of billions of dollars in climate responses.

Forest elephants could soon disappear

The situation of African forest elephants is particularly dramatic. Once numbered in the millions, their population is now less than 10% of its potential size and, in the decade from 2002 to 2011, as many as 62% of forest elephants might have been killed. This decline is mostly due to poaching to feed Asian demand for ivory as well as increasing human encroaching of their habitats. What a sad reason for a massacre and an ecological disaster.

Scientists largely recognise African bush (Loxodonta africana) and forest (L. cyclotis) elephants as different species. However because of practical challenges (such as dealing with abundant hybrid populations), the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which officially tracks endangered species, has kept the two together. The problem is that the more populous bush elephants have masked a drastic reduction in their forest cousins.

Berzaghi and colleagues emphasise the need for forest elephants to be finally acknowledged as their own species. This would give them a separate IUCN Red List status – probably marked as “endangered” – and trigger important policies and actions.

Conserving elephants helps fight climate change

Berzaghi and colleagues show that forest elephants produce ecosystem services in the form of climate stability from which we all benefit, including people like you and me who might never visit the forests of Central Africa. If we are all beneficiaries of elephant conservation, we should be also responsible for it. It is very important that more affluent societies assume a bigger share of the responsibility to conserve the elephants and other tropical biodiversity from which we benefit.

In the past decade we have learned a lot about how important elephants and other large animals are for functioning ecosystems. It is time to apply this knowledge. Berzaghi and colleagues produced evidence linking the behaviour of a single species – feeding disturbances by African forest elephants – to global-scale climatic impacts. As mentioned earlier, the bad news is that we humans are killing elephants and ruining our planet. The good news is that we could synergise efforts and fight climate change by effectively protecting and restoring forest elephant populations and their habitats. The choice seems obvious to me.

Author: Ahimsa Campos-Arceiz

Source: WEF

Extreme Water Stress Affects a Quarter of the World’s Population, Say Experts

06.08.2019

ken-treloar-UbT39c9a60E-unsplash — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Ken Treloar)

A quarter of the world’s population across 17 countries are living in regions of extremely high water stress, a measure of the level of competition over water resources, a new report reveals.

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Ken Treloar)

Experts at the World Resources Institute (WRI) warned that increasing water stress could lead to more “day zeroes” – a term that gained popularity in 2018 as Cape Town in South Africa came dangerously close to running out of water.

Qatar, Israel and Lebanon were ranked as the most water stressed countries in the world, with Badghis in Afghanistan and Gaborone and Jwaneng in Botswana the world’s most water-stressed regions.

WRI said the data reveals a global water crisis that will require better information, planning and water management.

“Water matters,” said Betsy Otto, global director for water at WRI. “We’re currently facing a global water crisis. Our populations and economies are growing and demanding more water. But our supply is threatened by climate change, water waste and pollution.”

The global research organisation compared the water available to the amount withdrawn for homes, industries, irrigation and livestock.

In the 17 countries facing extremely high water stress, agriculture, industry, and municipalities were found to be using up to 80% of available surface and groundwater in an average year. When demand rivals supply, even small dry spells, which are set to increase because of the climate crisis, can produce dire consequences.

Twelve of the 17 high-risk countries were in the Middle East and North Africa.

The level of water stress in India, a country of more than 1.3 billion people, was striking, experts noted. India ranked 13th in the report.

In July, taps in the southern city of Chennai ran dry and satellite photographs showing an empty lake in the city went viral on social media.

“The recent water crisis in Chennai gained global attention, but various areas in India are experiencing chronic water stress as well,” said Shashi Shekhar, former secretary of India’s ministry of water resources, and senior WRI fellow.

Although the US did not have high levels of water stress overall, a handful of states – including New Mexico and California – were found to be facing significant strains on their water supplies that will only intensify with global heating.

World Bank research has emphasised that “while the consequences of drought are often invisible, they are significant and cause ‘misery in slow motion”.

The report paints a worrying image of water risk and warns of other social and political problems attached to water shortages.

Around the world, stress on water supplies can exacerbate conflict and migration, threaten food supplies and pose risks for water-dependent industries, including mining and manufacturing, WRI notes.

Students Changing the World – This Year’s Google Science Fair Winners

05.08.2019

GSF2019_Fionn_Celestine.max-2000x2000.jpg — Photo: Google

When Google Science Fair launched last fall, students were challenged to channel their curiosity and ingenuity to invent, code or build a solution to a problem they’re passionate about. Thousands of students participated, and past weekend Google welcomed their 24 finalists—from 14 countries around the world—to explore Google’s headquarters to reveal the winners.

These changemakers tackled issues across sustainability, healthcare, and accessibility. The company saw impressive entries that used a variety of STEM disciplines—from using AI to help detect disease in plants to finding new ways to diagnose heart disease.

Ready to find out who the winners are?

Grand Prize: Fionn Ferreira—a West Cork, Ireland resident who wants to help save the oceans by extracting harmful microplastics from wastewater.
Virgin Galactic Pioneer Award: Celestine Wenardy— a student from Indonesia who set out to find affordable, non-invasive ways for members of her community to test their blood sugar levels.
Scientific American Innovator Award: Tuan Dolmen—a Turkish science enthusiast who found a way to harness energy from tree vibrations.
National Geographic Explorer Award: Aman KA and AU Nachiketh—two young scientists from India who found an eco-friendly way to coagulate rubber.
Lego Education Builder Award: Daniel Kazanstev—a Russian student who wanted to find a better way to help those with impaired hearing communicate with the world around them.

Google was joined by a panel of judges, including their partners: Lego Education, Scientific American, Virgin Galactic and National Geographic. Mariette DiChristina, Editor in Chief of Scientific American and the chief judge for this year’s competition praised Fionn for his “tenacity and dedication to solving an important environmental problem embodies the spirit of exploration.”

Behind every ambitious student are parents and teachers (hats off to you!) who cheer them on, and push them to keep learning. And to the students, you rock. We can’t wait to see what you do next.

Source: Google

We Must Change Food Production to Save the World, Says Leaked Report

05.08.2019

piglet-1639589_960_720 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Attempts to solve the climate crisis by cutting carbon emissions from only cars, factories and power plants are doomed to failure, scientists will warn this week.

A leaked draft of a report on climate change and land use, which is now being debated in Geneva by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), states that it will be impossible to keep global temperatures at safe levels unless there is also a transformation in the way the world produces food and manages land.

Humans now exploit 72% of the planet’s ice-free surface to feed, clothe and support Earth’s growing population, the report warns. At the same time, agriculture, forestry and other land use produces almost a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions.

In addition, about half of all emissions of methane, one of the most potent greenhouse gases, come from cattle and rice fields, while deforestation and the removal of peat lands cause further significant levels of carbon emissions. The impact of intensive agriculture – which has helped the world’s population soar from 1.9 billion a century ago to 7.7 billion – has also increased soil erosion and reduced amounts of organic material in the ground.

In future these problems are likely to get worse. “Climate change exacerbates land degradation through increases in rainfall intensity, flooding, drought frequency and severity, heat stress, wind, sea-level rise and wave action,” the report states.

It is a bleak analysis of the dangers ahead and comes when rising greenhouse gas emissions have made news after triggering a range of severe meteorological events. These include news that:

• Arctic sea-ice coverage reached near record lows for July;

• The heatwaves that hit Europe last month were between 1.5C and 3C higher because of climate change;

• Global temperatures for July were 1.2C above pre-industrial levels for the month.

This last figure is particularly alarming, as the IPCC has warned that rises greater than 1.5C risk triggering climatic destabilisation while those higher than 2C make such events even more likely. “We are now getting very close to some dangerous tipping points in the behaviour of the climate – but as this latest leaked report of the IPCC’s work reveals, it is going to be very difficult to achieve the cuts we need to make to prevent that happening,” said Bob Ward, policy director at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment.

The new IPCC report emphasises that land will have to be managed more sustainably so that it releases much less carbon than at present. Peat lands will need to be restored by halting drainage schemes; meat consumption will have to be cut to reduce methane production; while food waste will have to be reduced.

Helping a Warming World to Keep Cool

03.08.2019

photo-1502745785315-67f3193a7a10 — Photo-illustration: Unsplash

Heatwaves this summer that have left many Europeans sweltering highlight the growing demand for air conditioning in a warming world. Access to cooling services is becoming a major issue, especially in developing countries where owning an air conditioner is still uncommon.

Nearly 2.8 billion people today live in hot countries, where the average daily temperature is greater than 25°C. Less than 10% of them own an air conditioner, compared with ownership of more than 90% in countries like Japan and the United States. And while as many as 2.5 billion people in hot countries are projected to have an air conditioner by 2050, another 1.9 billion could still be going without.

Recent IEA analysis examines the amount of energy that would be needed to provide access to affordable and sustainable cooling solutions for all. We consider in our Cooling for All scenario the challenges and implications of achieving access to air conditioning for more than 90% of people living in hot climates by 2100. That comes in the context of the much bigger challenge of first providing reliable access to electricity in developing countries.

That fundamental issue informs the IEA’s Sustainable Development Scenario, which charts a path to universal electricity access by 2030 and other sustainable energy goals. In that scenario, more than one-third of the 900 million people currently living in rural areas without electricity gain access through off-grid solutions, and another 400 million gain access via mini-grids.

Our Cooling for All analysis considers two possible approaches to providing cooling services for areas in which off-grid technology solutions are likely to be used for electricity access. Under the first approach, people in hot countries gain access to cooling services using a diesel generator distributed to individual households with one small air-conditioning unit to cool around 20 square metres of space. The second approach uses a solar photovoltaic (PV) unit with battery storage in the same situation.

In both cases, access to air conditioning is assumed to increase significantly over the next 30 years, with as much as 75% of the total population living in hot countries potentially having an air conditioner by 2050. This means that an additional 720 million people, or equivalently 175 million households, beyond those already expected to purchase one, would have access to an air conditioner by 2050. This grows to as much as 1.6 billion people by 2100 – giving access to cooling to the equivalent of the current populations of India and Brazil combined.

Achieving this would come with significant challenges. Providing access to an air conditioner is only one element of a Cooling for All scenario. How often households use the air conditioner and how affordable it is are also important factors to consider, particularly as cooling is only one piece of the puzzle of improving access to modern energy services in many developing countries.

Other energy needs – such as clean cooking, lighting and refrigeration – are also critical parts of the energy access story. Even the use of just a small air conditioner for a few hours every day would represent a significant share of a household’s electricity demand.

Air Conditioning Powered by a Diesel Generator

High energy performance of ACs would drastically reduce the necessary diesel consumption for electricity generation. For instance, if the average performance of the ACs distributed to households were to improve by 50% by 2050, the yearly running cost for the diesel generator for three hours of daily cooling would drop by more than a third. These cost estimates could vary substantially when taking into account the differences in diesel prices based on a household’s location. For example, transportation costs are higher for difficult-to-reach areas. The risk is that some households may not use the air conditioners because of operational costs, defeating the ambitions of affordable access to cooling even with energy-efficient air conditioning. Other factors, such as local air pollution created by diesel fuel consumption, could also affect the use of air conditioners.

Air Conditioning Powered by a Solar Panel and Battery

Improvements in solar technologies, including lower costs, are offering new opportunities to make significant progress on electricity access in developing countries. Solar PV packs are a growing market for providing off-grid access. Expanding that access to include cooling services via an AC would require greater electricity generation and battery storage capacity. But it could potentially offer an affordable form of access to cooling for populations in hot countries.

Initial analysis suggests that a large single solar module with a maximum capacity of 250 W and a lithium-ion battery would not be sufficient to cover the entire electricity demand of a typical household based on an air conditioner performance of less than 3.5 EER. But on a sunny day, it could cover around 80% of the demand.

As with diesel generation, this underscores the critical need for high-performance AC equipment to reduce the net impact of electricity demand from household AC use. This case also shows the need to increase the net solar module capacity to meet overall electricity needs.

For example, a more efficient air conditioner would enable to the solar module to cover nearly 95% of the electricity demand on a good day. But the solar module would probably still have difficulty meeting the household’s energy demands over the course of the entire day, particularly during peak hours in the evening.

One solution to this challenge could be to provide greater solar and battery-storage capacity or, for example, to use more efficient cold storage, such as chilled water or ice making (which, however, could only be used for cooling services and not the additional electricity loads).

Hybrid systems that supplement the solar PV generation with some diesel capacity are already common in some developing countries today and could also be a sensible solution for meeting household electricity demands more reliably. The operational costs of a hybrid system would be much more affordable than a diesel generator.

Low-Tech Solutions

There are numerous additional measures that should be considered when addressing access to cooling, such as basic building design.

Low-tech and generally low-cost building measures, including passive cooling solutions, can drastically improve thermal comfort in buildings and therefore reduce or eliminate the need for cooling that consumes energy. This includes commonly used solutions such as overhangs, shutters and cool- or light-coloured roofs. Additional low-tech solutions – such as rammed-earth wall construction, green roofs and urban vegetation – can also improve thermal comfort in buildings.

Alternative technologies to air conditioning – such as high-efficiency fans, evaporative coolers (in dry climates) and dehumidifiers (in humid climates) – could help to improve access to thermal comfort in the evening, when people return home, while using far less electricity than an air conditioner. These measures could also fit well with current solar PV module deployment in many countries.

At the same time, air conditioners may make a lot of sense for applications outside the home. For instance, some of the hottest parts of the day in many countries are in the mid- to late-afternoon when people are often outside their homes in places like schools, hospitals and health centres, public buildings and community centres. Access to air conditioning in those facilities may make sense in terms of energy emissions and affordability, as well as offering other potential benefits such as improved health and greater productivity.

Autors: Chiara Delmastro and John Dulac

Source: IEA

ABB Delivering Digital Solutions for China to Harness Maximum Heat from the Sun

02.08.2019

Solar_concentrated_power_plant — Photo: ABB

ABB is supporting the Chinese government in its efforts to produce emissions-free electricity, delivering automation control solutions at the country’s first two concentrated solar power (CSP) plants.

Building on the successful delivery of power at the first 50 megawatt CSP in Delingha with China General Nuclear Power Group in late 2018, ABB has been awarded a second contract to deliver an integrated automation solution for a 100MW Urat solar energy project in Inner Mongolia province, China.

“We are delighted to have been awarded a second project to deliver our digital solutions as part of the 20 pilot CSP solar program, aimed at boosting China’s efforts to meet the 2030 target of producing 20 per cent of its overall electricity from renewable sources,” said Kevin Kosisko, Managing Director, Energy Industries, ABB.

“As a digital leader in the energy transition, ABB offers innovative digital solutions that are future-focused. This is complemented by our customer focus and heritage in intelligent project delivery, ensuring confidence in ABB as an automation provider.”

The plant is the first of its kind in Inner Mongolia, and one of the largest capacity solar parabolic projects in China’s 20 pilot plant initiative at 500 hectares. It is set to save approximately 90,000 tons of coal per year.

ABB will deploy its flagship ABB Ability™ Symphony® Plus distributed control system (DCS), incorporating a power island, heat storage and transfer, as well as auxiliary controls, and coordination control of solar fields. The distributed control system (DCS) will unify all the plant’s production processes into a single user-friendly system, including the heat transfer system, which transports the heat to molten salt tanks where it is stored, and the power block where the electricity is generated and fed into the transmission grid. ABB Ability™ Symphony® Plus is the world’s market-leading distributed control and SCADA system for the power generation and water industries.

“We chose ABB to deliver this project because of their expertise as a world-leading supplier of integrated electrical and automation systems for CSP plants, with demonstrable experience that extends across Asia, North and South America, Europe and North Africa,” said a spokesperson of China Shipbuilding New Power Co. Ltd.

With over 174GW solar power generation capacity in 2018, China is the leading producer of solar power globally. With more than $430 million in subsidies provided by the Chinese government for new solar power projects in a recent year, China is considering various efficient technologies to harness energy from the sun. CSP technology, unlike Photovoltaics (PV), concentrates radiation from the sun, and converts light into heat, which drives an engine that connects to an electric generator. Whereas PV does not store heat, thermal energy from CSP can be stored to help overcome intermittency issues, due to the availability of sun or environmental fluctuation.

With over USD 368 million total investment, this greenfield project led by China Shipbuilding New Power Co. Ltd is anticipated to be delivered soon.

ABB Energy Industries ABB is writing the future of safe and smart operations for industry, with ABB Ability™ delivering integrated and secure digital solutions that deliver value for customers with increasing autonomy, sustainability and optimized performance. ABB Energy Industries brings deep domain knowledge and technical expertise in energy and water, oil and gas, specialty chemicals and primary pharmaceutical industries. Building on our heritage, a spirit of collaboration and innovation inspires our digital leadership as we engineer and provide products, services and solutions that support our partners for success, both today and tomorrow as we look ahead to a new energy future.

ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a pioneering technology leader with a comprehensive offering for digital industries. With a history of innovation spanning more than 130 years, ABB is today a leader in digital industries with four customer- focused, globally leading businesses: Electrification, Industrial Automation, Motion, and Robotics & Discrete Automation, supported by its common ABB Ability™ digital platform. ABB’s market leading Power Grids business will be divested to Hitachi in 2020. ABB operates in more than 100 countries with about 147,000 employees.

Source: ABB

Heatwaves Amplify Near-Record Levels of Ice Melt in Northern Hemisphere

02.08.2019

greenland-81241_960_720 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

The frozen extremities of the northern hemisphere are melting at a near-record rate as heatwaves buffet the Arctic, forest fires tear through Siberia and glaciers retreat on Greenland fjords and Alpine peaks.

Unusually high temperatures are eating into ice sheets that used to be solid throughout the year, according to glaciologists, who warn this is both an amplifying cause and effect of man-made climate disruption across the globe.

Greenland – which is home to the world’s second biggest ice sheet – is likely to have shrunk more in the past month than the average for a whole year between 2002 and now. Surface ice declined in July by 197 gigatonnes, equivalent to about 80m Olympic swimming pools, according to Ruth Mottram of the Danish Meteorological Institute. An additional third of that amount is likely to have been lost from glaciers and icebergs.

The trend is accelerating. Wednesday was by far the biggest single-day melt-off of the year.

With more than a month of the melt season to go, 2019 is already one of the top 10 years for ice loss in Greenland. The extent is thought unlikely to beat the record in 2012, but Luke Trusel, an assistant professor of geography at Penn State university, said the strength of the melt was greater.

Temperatures have been 10C or more above normal this week. Even at the summit of the ice sheet – which is 3,200 metres above sea level – there were 10 hours at or above freezing temperatures yesterday, which is extremely rare, he said. More broadly, ice core analysis has shown that the runoff is at levels expected only once every century, possibly even every millennium.

“What was highly unusual in the recent past is becoming the new normal. The Arctic is far more sensitive to warming now than even a few decades ago,” Trusel said.

The impact on sea level has not yet been calculated, but the high temperatures are likely to accelerate the calving of the giant Petermann glacier, where at least two huge cracks have been identified in recent years. Giant chunks of ice – each several kilometres in length – are expected to collapse into the ocean in the next few years.

The Russian government has belatedly declared a state of emergency in four Siberian regions and reportedly sent troops to help extinguish forest fires that have ripped across an area the size of Belgium.

This follows record-high temperatures in several locations.

In the Canadian Arctic, which is warming two times faster than the global average, locals have suffered record wildfires, and permafrost is melting decades ahead of predictions.

European mountains have been affected too. Authorities have warned that the slopes below the Matterhorn’s 4,480-metre peak are increasingly prone to avalanches and landslides because the ice-core is warming. High-altitude lakes of meltwater have also been reported in the Mont Blanc mountain range in France.

In Switzerland, the threat to alpine glaciers has been so alarming that more regions are using giant fleece blankets to try to insulate the ice from the hot air.

Samoa Makes History with the First Green Pacific Games

01.08.2019

tahiti-tree-planting — Photo: Samoa’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE)

They have been dubbed the “Miracle Games”. After the original host country withdrew, many were wondering if there would be a 16th iteration of the Pacific Games at all in 2019.

Replacement host nation Samoa shouldered the impossible task of organizing the Games in only 18 months. Against all odds they succeeded, making history along the way. The largest Games in the competition’s 56-year history became the stage for some historic achievements.

The two-week event saw a Vanuatan racer win the women’s half marathon wearing only socks and the host country’s Prime Minister become the oldest Games participant in history, competing at archery.

But it was Samoa’s campaign exclude single-use plastics and deliver the first green Pacific Games that set this Games apart from all others that came before.

“There have been attempts to carry this out in previous years, but this is the first time there has been a serious effort by a host country to execute a “green” Pacific Games,” said Kosi Latu, the Director General of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme and co-chair of the Greening of the Games committee.

Plastic pollution continues to be a major challenge for Pacific island nations. With limited waste management facilities, island nations can often struggle to eliminate the piles of single-use plastic found in most modern packaging. In addition, marine litter discarded in countries thousands of miles away will also find its way to Pacific countries, washing up on pristine beaches and endangering wildlife and ecosystem health in surrounding waters.

By greening the Pacific Games, the quadrennial sporting competition between countries in the Pacific region, organizers were looking to not only protect the environment but also to shift the mindsets Pacific islanders.

“The challenge is really in changing behaviours and one of the ways we can achieve that is by getting people whom we all look up to, to try and set a good example. I think we can all agree that sport is very important to the people of the Pacific, and so using a platform such as this is exactly what we need to try and get our people to change their behaviours,” said Sefanaia Nawadra, head of UN Environment Programme’s Pacific Office.

The 4,000 athletes at the games were all given reusable water bottles in lieu of the usual single-use plastic bottles. Over 300 water stations were erected around the venue where both athletes and spectators could fill up with fresh, clean water. Now that the games have wrapped up, hundreds of these stations will be gifted to local schools for students to enjoy clean drinking water without a need for a single-use bottle.

In addition to eliminating single-use plastic water bottles, there were no plastic or polystyrene plates or cutlery used at any of the venues, dining halls or in the athlete’s village.

Eliminating single-use plastic wasn’t the only way the Games went green. Distances in the Pacific are large, and athletes and officials traveling to Samoa were encouraged to offset their carbon footprints by planting trees in their home countries before they left. A “2 million trees” campaign, organized by Samoa’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, provided anybody attending games a chance to plant a tree.

Photo: Samoa’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE)

Rounding out the efforts was a large-scale public information campaign that encouraged Samoans and visitors to keep the island nation clean and plastic-free.

International partners, including the UN Environment Programme and the Governments of Australia, France, New Zealand and the United Kingdom contributed funding of US$153,000 to support the greening initiative.

Samoa and the Pacific region have been taking other steps to protect against marine litter beyond greening the Pacific Games. Pacific countries recently adopted a regional action plan on marine litter. And several Pacific islands have joined UN Environment’s Clean Seas campaign with policy commitments to turn the tide on plastic.

Latu hopes the efforts this year are the beginning of a tradition of greening the Pacific Games. Speaking at a ceremony at the beginning of the games, he said, “Last week I met with the Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands, who will be hosting the next Pacific Games in 2023, and he informed me that they are looking at adopting the same theme of a plastic-free Pacific Games in four years’ time.

“The Samoa 2019 Pacific Games is the catalyst for more environmentally friendly Pacific Games to be held in the future.”

Source: UNEP

Starvation Deaths of 200 Reindeer in Arctic Caused by Climate Crisis, Say Researchers

30.07.2019

reindeer-2023720_960_720 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

About 200 reindeer have been found dead from starvation in the Arctic archipelago Svalbard, an unusually high number, the Norwegian Polar Institute has said, pointing the finger at climate crisis.

During an annual census of the wild reindeer population on the group of islands about 1,200km (746 miles) from the north pole, three researchers from the institute identified the carcasses of about 200 deer believed to have starved to death last winter.

Ashild Onvik Pedersen, the head of the census, said the high degree of mortality was a consequence of climate crisis, which according to climate scientists, is happening twice as fast in the Arctic as the rest of the world.

“Climate change is making it rain much more. The rain falls on the snow and forms a layer of ice on the tundra, making grazing conditions very poor for animals,” she said.

In winter, Svalbard reindeer find vegetation in the snow using their hooves, but alternating freezing and thawing periods can create layers of impenetrable ice, depriving the reindeers of nourishment.

According to Onvik Pedersen, a comparable death toll has been recorded only once before – after the winter of 2007-2008 – since monitoring of the reindeer population started 40 years ago.

The increased mortality is also due in part to a significant increase in the number of reindeer in the Norwegian archipelago. That is partly thanks to climate crisis and the warmer summers, meaning more individuals compete in the same grazing areas.

Since the 1980s, the number of reindeer has doubled in Svalbard, and now stands at about 22,000, according to the Norwegian Polar Institute.

Source: Guardian

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