Weak Systems and Funding Gaps Jeopardize Drinking-Water and Sanitation in the Poorest Countries

29.08.2019

sand-dunes-water-africa — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

The World Health Organization (WHO) and UN-Water sounded the alarm for an urgent increase in investment in strong drinking-water and sanitation systems.

The call came as the international water sector meets in Stockholm for its annual conference during World Water Week (25-30 August 2019). It is triggered by a new report published by WHO on behalf of UN-Water that reveals that weak government systems and a lack of human resources and funds are jeopardizing the delivery of water and sanitation services in the world’s poorest countries – and undermining efforts to ensure health for all.

“Too many people lack access to reliable and safe drinking-water, toilets and hand-washing facilities, putting them at risk of deadly infections and threatening progress in public health,” says Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Water and sanitation systems don’t just improve health and save lives, they are a critical part of building more stable, secure and prosperous societies. We call on all countries that lack essential water and sanitation infrastructure to allocate funds and human resources to build and maintain it.”

The UN-Water Global Assessment and Analysis of Sanitation and Drinking-Water 2019 (known as the GLAAS report) surveyed 115 countries and territories, representing 4.5 billion people. It showed that, in an overwhelming majority of countries, the implementation of water, sanitation and hygiene policies and plans is constrained by inadequate human and financial resources. Nineteen countries and one territory reported a funding gap of more than 60% between identified needs and available funding. Less than 15% of countries have the financial or human resources needed to implement their plans.

“If we are to create a healthier, more equitable and stable society, then strengthening the systems to reach those currently living without safe and affordable water, sanitation and hygiene services must be a top priority,” says Mr Gilbert F Houngbo, Chair of UN-Water and President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development. “While we need to ensure that there is sufficient funding to tackle these critical challenges, it is equally important to continue reinforcing national delivery systems.”

While funding gaps and weak systems are holding many countries back, the report also found that countries have begun to take positive steps towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6 on water and sanitation.

“The Sustainable Development Goals have inspired us to take concrete actions at the national level to increase access to sanitation,” says Mr David Molefha, Principal Water Engineer at the Ministry of Land Management Water and Sanitation Services in Botswana. “We have developed a sanitation roadmap and are working to eliminate open defecation. With these actions, we are working to improve peoples’ lives.”

About half of the countries surveyed have now set drinking-water targets that aim for universal coverage at levels higher than basic services by 2030, for example by addressing water quality and increasing access to water on premises. In addition, specifically targeting open defecation will have a dramatic impact on public and environmental health.

As the international authority on public health and water, sanitation and hygiene, WHO gathers scientific evidence, sets and monitors standards, and promotes best policies and practices for ensuring safe, reliable water, sanitation and hygiene for all people.

Source: WHO

Underground Line to Heat Up London Homes During Winter

29.08.2019

train-2331175_960_720 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Anthony Tyrrell)

The sweltering temperatures on the tube’s Northern line will soon begin keeping homes in Islington, north London, cosy through the colder months, under a scheme to harness the heat from the underground.

By the end of the year the project will pipe heat from the underground into hundreds of homes and businesses that are part of a heating scheme in the borough. The project is one of a growing number of schemes across the UK designed to warm homes using “waste heat” from factories, power plants, rivers and disused mine shafts.

The hunt for alternative sources of renewable heat has gained pace after the government’s pledge to ban gas-fired boilers from new-build homes from 2025.

The Islington heat network already keeps about 700 homes warm by channelling heat created in the Bunhill Energy Centre, which generates electricity, into local council housing, schools and a leisure centre.

The next phase of the project, which is due to be completed in the coming months, will extend the network to a further 450 homes.

The tube project could pave the way for district heating schemes across the capital to warm homes with cheap, low carbon heat from underground lines.

The Greater London Authority (GLA) estimates there is enough heat wasted in London to meet 38% of the city’s heating demands.

Tim Rotheray, director of the Association for Decentralised Energy, said district heating schemes were mushrooming across the UK as a low-cost tool in tackling the climate crisis.

“Almost half the energy used in the UK is for heat, and a third of UK emissions are from heating. With the government declaring that we must be carbon-neutral within 30 years we need to find a way to take the carbon out of our heating system,” he said.

“The opportunity that has become clear to the decentralised energy community is the idea of capturing waste heat and putting it to use locally.”

In urban and industrial settings, waste heat is produced wherever there are cooling systems, thermal power plants or heavy industry. The key to harnessing heat is to use it locally.

British Sugar’s factory in Wissington, Norfolk, pipes excess heat produced from cooking syrup into a neighbouring 18-hectare (45-acre) greenhouse used to grow medical cannabis. It also pumps some of its carbon emissions into the greenhouse for the plants to convert to oxygen.

An even greater source of heat lies below many of Britain’s towns and cities: in the geothermal energy trapped in water at the bottom of old mines. Stoke-on-Trent is working on a £52m project to tap energy from hot water deposits deep underground. This will heat conventional water before it is pumped through the network to customers.

Stoke city council estimates the scheme, which will be operational by the winter of 2020, could cut its carbon emissions by an estimated 12,000 tonnes a year.

Read more: Guardian

Tesla Scouting New Factory Locations in Germany

28.08.2019

autos-214033_960_720 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

German newspaper Rheinische Post reported on August 25 that representatives from Tesla have been scouting locations for a possible European factory in the state of North Rhine–Westphalia, which is located in western Germany and shares a border with the Netherlands and Belgium. NRW is that nation’s most populous state and home to three of its major cities — Düsseldorf, Köln, and Bonn. An extensive network of roads and railways connect the region to the rest of Europe.

Unnamed officials of NRW say initial inspections have already taken place. Although, precisely where in the state is not known. Representatives of the government and of Tesla have declined to elaborate further on the subject.

Just north of NRW is the state of Lower Saxony, which also shares a border with the Netherlands and is a little bit closer to the Scandinavian countries which — particularly in Norway — have embraced the transition to electric cars.

The newspaper also quotes Bernd Althusmann, economics minister for Lower Saxony, as saying Tesla has expressed an interest in his state as well, particularly the port city of Emden and the area known as Emsland. More than a year ago, Elon Musk tweeted the Germany was a strong contender for Tesla’s first European factory.

With Gigafactory 3 in Shanghai on pace to begin building cars before the end of this year, it makes sense for Tesla to turn its attention to Europe. Several European cities, provinces, and countries have been vying for Musk’s attention for years, including Spain, France, Sweden, Poland, Belgium, and more. The cost of shipping cars from California to European destinations must be quite high, and not all of that cost can be passed on to consumers.

Europe is also experiencing a surge in new battery factory construction. Tesla is planning to utilize battery cells made by LG Chem in Nanjing for its Chinese vehicles, so it is logical to assume it would consider using cells made by an outside supplier for any European-built cars.

It will be interesting to find out where Tesla ultimately decides to build its first European factory and why. But no matter the location, the company is clearly not worried about finding enough customers for its cars. Lack of demand? Forgetaboutit!

Source: Clean Technica

India Plans Large Renewable Energy Projects with Public Sector Companies

28.08.2019

rasmus-kuber-CROh0hfuG3I-unsplash — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Rasmus Kuber)

The Indian government is reportedly planning to rope in public sector companies to set up large-scale renewable energy projects on the lines of the ultra mega power projects program launched a few years back.

According to media reports, the central government is planning to assign targets to public sector companies to set up large-scale renewable energy projects with capacities of up to 1.8 gigawatts each. The government may allow the companies to choose the power generation technologies to be installed at these projects.

Public sector companies owned directly by the central government and working in the power sector may form joint ventures with various state governments to set up these projects. Some of these companies could be NTPC, Solar Energy Corporation of India, NHPC, and Power Finance Corporation.

The public sector companies may collaborate with the state governments to identify and acquire land for these projects in order to keep the capital cost expenditure, and the tariffs, as low as possible. Installation of power plants shall be done by private project developers but a major change from several current tenders would be the deep involvement of the central public sector companies in the entire process which would add promote confidence among bidders and developers.

In order to ensure that state governments cooperate in land identification and acquisition, some revenue may be set aside for the states linked with the actual annual generation from these projects.

This ultra mega renewable energy project program, though not officially announced, seems to be in line with a similar program launched by the Indian government to set up coal- and gas-based power plants across the country. Under this program, launched in 2005, the government had planned to set up 15 power plants of 4 gigawatts of capacity each. The government managed to auction only four such projects and only two could be operationalized. While the operational power plants are much more efficient than conventional thermal power plants and are also among the cheapest coal-based power plants, the future of the other 13 power plants remained uncertain.

India already has a program that aims to set up 12 gigawatts of solar power capacity through public sector companies. This program has been designed to help and promote domestic solar cell and module manufacturers. However, the response to the tenders issued under this program has so far been quite poor.

Additionally, there is an ongoing program to set up solar power parks across the country with a cumulative capacity of 40 gigawatts. Several success stories have emerged through the implementation of this program. The added modifications to the proposed program — involving public sector companies and offering incentives to state governments to aid the land acquisition — could prove game-changers.

Source: Clean Technica

ABB Azipod® Takes Marine Propulsion to the North Pole and Beyond

27.08.2019

The_crew_of_KV_Svalbard_at_the_North_Pole._Photo_courtesy_of_the_Norwegian_Coast_Guard — Photo: Courtesy of the Norwegian Coast Guard/ABB

Norwegian Coast Guard’s vessel KV Svalbard has become the first ever Azipod®-powered ship to reach the North Pole, in another milestone for ABB’s leadership in sustainable marine propulsion technology.

Photo: Courtesy of the Norwegian Coast Guard/ABB

With its advanced technology, superior performance in the toughest marine environments and environmentally friendly electric operation, ABB’s Azipod® propulsion system has become an industry standard. In its latest milestone, Azipod® has made history, driving the Norwegian Coast Guard icebreaker KV Svalbard all the way to the North Pole.

KV Svalbard, built in 2001 and equipped with twin 5MW Azipod® icebreaking units, became the first Norwegian vessel to sail to the North Pole this August. The ship travelled through packed polar ice at speeds as high as 6 to 7 knots as part of an international scientific expedition, called Coordinated Arctic Acoustic Thermometry Experiment (CAATEX), that’s led by the Norwegian non-profit research foundation The Nansen Center.

“We were able to navigate through the Arctic waters and reach the North Pole faster than we thought possible,” said Ottar Haugen, Commander of the Norwegian Coast Guard. “This is a significant milestone for us and a proof that we have a vessel in our fleet equipped with a robust propulsion system that enables operations in the harshest ice conditions – all the way to the North Pole.”

Azipod® is an electric propulsion system that enables ships to be highly maneuverable, utilizing an electric drive motor located beneath the hull in a submerged pod, which can rotate 360 degrees to deliver thrust in any direction. An Azipod® propulsion is capable of breaking up to 2.1 m thick Arctic ice and has a proven ability to cut fuel consumption by up to 20 percent as compared to traditional shaftline marine propulsion systems.

When Sovcomflot’s LNG (liquefied natural gas) carrier Christophe de Margerie made the world’s first-ever crossing of the Northern Sea in 2017 without the aid of an ice-breaker, it was powered by ABB’s Azipod® propulsion. Notable for many attributes, this vessel and her 14 sister ships feature some of the most powerful Azipod® thruster units for ice-going conditions produced by ABB (3x15MW).

The success of the Arctic expedition is the latest in a long line of milestones point for Azipod®. Since its introduction in 1990, ABB has delivered Azipod® electric propulsion systems to over 90 icebreakers and ice-going vessels with a combined propulsion power of up to 45 MW. Options for Azipod® propulsion span 1MW to 22MW, and the technology has played a key role in developing ABB’s strong position for environmentally-friendly electric propulsion. Azipod® propulsion systems have accumulated more than 15 million running hours, saving over 700,000 tons of fuel in the passenger cruise segment alone.

Azipod® is the marine propulsion system of choice not just for ice-going vessels but also for everything from cargo vessels to cruise ships, ferries, mega-yachts, offshore supply fleets, research vessels, wind turbine installation boats and drilling rigs.

ABB has continually improved Azipod® over the past three decades, resulting in higher efficiency and reduced emissions. This means that a ship consumes less fuel driving the generators which provide electric power to the Azipod®. Lower fuel consumption means reduced CO2 emissions. That’s important because the global ferry industry, which transports 2.1 billion passengers annually, is under pressure to meet the International Maritime Organization’s target of reducing annual emissions by 30 percent by 2025.

Source: ABB

WHO Calls for More Research into Microplastics and a Crackdown on Plastic Pollution

26.08.2019

julia-joppien-krCTg4cKtVQ-unsplash — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Julia Joppien)

The World Health Organization (WHO) today calls for a further assessment of microplastics in the environment and their potential impacts on human health, following the release of an analysis of current research related to microplastics in drinking-water. The Organization also calls for a reduction in plastic pollution to benefit the environment and reduce human exposure.

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Julia Joppien)

“We urgently need to know more about the health impact of microplastics because they are everywhere – including in our drinking-water,” says Dr Maria Neira, Director, Department of Public Health, Environment and Social Determinants of Health, at WHO. “Based on the limited information we have, microplastics in drinking water don’t appear to pose a health risk at current levels. But we need to find out more. We also need to stop the rise in plastic pollution worldwide.”

According to the analysis, which summarizes the latest knowledge on microplastics in drinking-water, microplastics larger than 150 micrometres are not likely to be absorbed in the human body and uptake of smaller particles is expected to be limited. Absorption and distribution of very small microplastic particles including in the nano size range may, however, be higher, although the data is extremely limited.

Further research is needed to obtain a more accurate assessment of exposure to microplastics and their potential impacts on human health. These include developing standard methods for measuring microplastic particles in water; more studies on the sources and occurrence of microplastics in fresh water; and the efficacy of different treatment processes.

WHO recommends drinking-water suppliers and regulators prioritize removing microbial pathogens and chemicals that are known risks to human health, such as those causing deadly diarrhoeal diseases. This has a double advantage: wastewater and drinking-water treatment systems that treat faecal content and chemicals are also effective in removing microplastics.

Wastewater treatment can remove more than 90% of microplastics from wastewater, with the highest removal coming from tertiary treatment such as filtration. Conventional drinking-water treatment can remove particles smaller than a micrometre. A significant proportion of the global population currently does not benefit from adequate water and sewage treatment. By addressing the problem of human exposure to faecally contaminated water, communities can simultaneously address the concern related to microplastics.

Source: WHO

Cuba Drastically Reforms Fishing Laws to Protect Coral Reef, Sharks and Rays

26.08.2019

hai-nguyen-6-qhtf3qEco-unsplash — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Hai Nguyen)

Cuba has introduced sweeping reforms of its fishing laws in a move seen as smoothing the way for possible collaboration with the US on protecting their shared ocean, despite Donald Trump’s policy of reversing a thaw in relations.

The move is the first time the text of an environmental law in Cuba specifies the need for scientific research, which experts say will mean greater reliance on state-of-the-art US technology.

“If we don’t look for collaboration we can’t have the full picture,” said Jorge Angulo Valdes, a Cuban marine biologist at the University of Florida. Ocean science must continue to transcend political pressures, he said. “Trump is doing everything he can to close the doors on collaboration. Cuba is doing everything to make it easier to keep those doors open.”

Cooperation is as vital to US interests as it is to Cuba, Angulo-Valdes said. The two countries are separated by just 140km (90 miles) of water, and Cuban waters provide spawning grounds for species of snapper, grouper and other commercially important reef fish in the US. Maintaining healthy numbers of bonefish, a lucrative game fish in south Florida, for example, depends on protecting the species in Cuban waters, where the bonefish spawn, said Angulo Valdes.

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Fabio Santaniello Bruun)

The reforms are Cuba’s first major overhaul of fishing laws for more than 20 years and a major step for preservation of some of the world’s most important marine ecosystems, said Dan Whittle, Caribbean director of the US-based Environment Defence Fund (EDF), which has worked with Cuba on conservation and sustainable fishing and brokered several of its key environmental agreements with the US.

“These laws also level the playing field because now the US can say that their neighbours are using the most up-to-date science,” said Whittle.

Despite having some of the world’s best preserved marine ecosystems, Cuba has seen declining fish populations, including of key commercial stocks like grouper and snapper. Angulo Valdes said: “Marine resources weren’t doing well, nearly 80% were in critical condition. The old law didn’t cover the private sector and wasn’t working.”

The new laws aim to curb illegal fishing, recover fish populations and protect small-scale fisheries, with increasing use of data-limited methods that allows fisheries to assess which species are most vulnerable, even when scientific data on specific stocks is scarce. The laws also separate sport and recreational fishing and brings fisheries under the management of the food industry ministry (Minal).

A key feature is a new licensing framework for the growing private commercial fishing sector in Cuba. Established in 2009 to increase seafood production and create jobs, this sector now has 18,000 private commercial fishers operating out of more than 160 fishing ports to provide seafood to state markets.

Read more: Guardian

Rummaging Through Trash to Find Clean Energy

24.08.2019

hermes-rivera-landfill-plastic-waste-deponija-smeće-otpad — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Hermes Rivera)

Landfills around the world are filling up. In 2016, humanity generated over 2 billion tonnes of waste. In the next 30 years, that figure is expected to grow to 3.4 billion.

Where will all this waste end up?

A recent report by UN Environment’s International Environmental Technology Centre outlines one technology that has the potential to reduce the volume of waste entering landfills by up to 90 per cent.

Waste-to-energy plants have been around for over 100 years, but today their use is on the rise, with many seeing the plants as a quick-fix solution to growing waste challenges. This phenomenon is especially apparent in Asia, where some 1,200 of the 1,700 plants worldwide are found. Japan alone maintains over 700. China is on track to increase the number of their plants by over 50 per cent, according Yuanyang Ou of SUS Environment, a Chinese investor and operator of waste-to-energy plants.

The core concept remains largely the same as a century ago. Burn solid waste at high temperatures so that the waste is eliminated and use the excess heat to power turbines and create electricity.

Historically, this would also produce significant amounts of ash and toxic gases. Today’s waste-to-energy plants, however, are much cleaner. Advanced technologies help to burn waste at extremely high temperatures, which ensures complete combustion. Emissions are also specially treated, which leaves minimal amounts of toxic byproducts like flue ash. Some tests have even shown that the air emitted by certain waste-to-energy chimneys can be cleaner than the air flowing in.

“Removing waste is the primary benefit of these plants, but not the only one,” says Ou. “Energy capture mechanisms ensure that excess heat can be used for electricity generation.”

Globally, 1 per cent of renewable energy already comes from waste.

Keith Alverson, director of the UN Environment Programme’s International Environmental Technology Centre, points out that the climate benefits of waste-to-energy extend beyond renewables. “Waste-to-energy plants can also reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to open burning and landfills,” he says. “Open burning does not happen at a high-enough temperature for complete combustion, so emissions are dirty. And in landfills, biomaterial will decompose and emit methane, a powerful greenhouse gas.”

While they are typically clean, a mismanaged plant will produce unsafe byproducts, even with advanced emission control technologies. In countries where there are detailed regulations governing waste-to-energy plants, it’s less of an issue. But where countries don’t have strategies for maintenance and monitoring or guidelines on health and safety, there is a much higher risk.

The plants are also hungry beasts. A large-scale modern thermal waste-to-energy plant requires between 100,000–300,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste per year over, delivered daily over its lifetime. If an operator can’t procure enough waste, some plants could potentially drop below their optimal operating temperature. When that happens, efficiency drops, and the risk of toxic emissions is increased.

In an extreme scenario, operating a plant may mean a government has to import waste, or add coal to the waste stream, just to feed the fires.

And while a waste-to-energy plant may significantly reduce the amount of waste going to landfill, it does not eliminate the need for them entirely. The residues that such a plant does produce are hazardous and require safe disposal.

Even with all of the downsides, the increase in the number of waste-to-energy plants is not slowing down. While the refrain used to be NIMBY—“not in my backyard” —these days it’s just as likely to be PIMBY—“please in my backyard”.

“The benefits of the plants are clear, but the technology is not without its problems,” says Alverson. “For those countries eyeing the technology, getting the regulations and the legislation right will ensure the technology does more good than harm.”

Source: UNEP

Amazon Rainforest Fires: Global Leaders Urged to Divert Brazil from ‘Suicide’ Path

23.08.2019

wildfire-1105209_960_720 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

International pressure may be the only way to stop the Brazilian government from taking a “suicide” path in the Amazon, one of the country’s most respected scientists has said, as the world’s biggest rainforest continues to be ravaged by thousands of deliberate fires.

The large number of conflagrations – set illegally to clear and prepare land for crops, cattle and property speculation – has prompted the state of Amazonas to declare an emergency, created giant smoke clouds that have drifted hundreds of miles, and sparked international concerns about the destruction of an essential carbon sink.

“Our house is burning,” tweeted the French president, Emmanuel Macron, who called for emergency talks on the subject at this week’s G7 summit. But the response to the crisis has been mixed: while Norway and Germany have halted donations to the Brazilian government’s Amazon fund, the EU has recently signed a trade deal with South America, and the UK spent this week focusing on post-Brexit business with Brazil.

On Wednesday, the UK trade minister Conor Burns was shaking hands with his counterparts in Brasilia and declaring a desire to “deepen relations”. Asked about the fires, he declined to comment but reportedly said Bolsonaro’s government had “legitimate ambitions to bring prosperity to its people”.

Scientists say the ongoing destruction will have dire consequences for Brazil and the world.

Carlos Nobre, a senior researcher with the Institute of Advanced Studies at the University of São Paulo, said the surge in deforestation was taking the rainforest closer to a tipping point beyond which swaths of the usually humid forest would become a dry savannah, with dire consequences for the climate, wildlife and forest dwellers.

Nobre said deforestation was on course to rise by 20-30% this year and was “very likely” to pass 10,000 sq km for the first time in more than 10 years. The trend has been worsening for several years, but it has accelerated under Bolsonaro, who has weakened the environment agency and expressed support for miners, farmers and loggers.

“The situation is very bad. It will be terrible,” Nobre told the Guardian. “A very large number of these fires are due to the cultural push that ministers are giving. They are pushing deforestation because it is good for the economy. Those who do illegal deforestation are feeling empowered.”

Nobre co-authored a study last year that predicted the southern, eastern and central regions of the Amazon would reach an irreversible stage of degradation once 20%-25% of the forest was cleared. This was not expected for 20-25 years, but Nobre said the tipping point was likely to be brought forward by about five years if this year’s rate of forest destruction continued.

Read more: Guardian

USA’s First 100% Solar Airport Comes Up at Chattanooga

22.08.2019

andreas-gucklhorn-Ilpf2eUPpUE-unsplash — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Andreas Gucklhonrn)

A few weeks back, Tennessee’s Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (CMA) became the first US airport powered by 100% solar energy. For the fact keepers, the world’s first airport to go completely solar was the Cochin International Airport (CIAL) in Kochi, India.

The current feat was achieved by CMA in three phases over a period of eight years. It now boasts of a capacity of a 2.64 MW ground-mount solar power system.

The blue sea of solar panels is located in the southwest corner of the airfield on land which is otherwise unusable for aviation purposes. Here are the coordinates if you want to dive into it! Remember to switch to the satellite mode and adjust the zoom/resolution level if you have to.

Interestingly, back in 1969, Chattanooga, Tennessee’s fourth-largest city, was declared to be the dirtiest in the United States due to high levels of ozone, particulates and other toxic substances in the local air.

Fifty years fast forward, the city has been proactively going green and was recently chosen by Volkswagen to setup a new EV manufacturing plant.

In fact, Chattanooga Lookouts recently announced that they will become the first minor league baseball team in the US to play a game that is 100% carbon neutral. Their home game against Montgomery on August 23, 2019, will be powered through locally-generated solar energy credits provided by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and the local power company EPB.

To celebrate this historic partnership, the Lookouts will be donning special green jerseys during the game. How cool is that!

Back to US’ first solar airport, CMA has made available a publicly accessible dashboard to track the power generated from its solar farms. You can check it out at this link.

Construction of the first phase of the solar farm started back in 2011 with the installation of 1 MW solar PV capacity. On the completion of the second phase of 1.1 MW in 2013 the airport was able to meet 85% of its power needs by itself. With the final phase now completed the airport can run on 100% solar energy.

Built at a cost of US$10 million, as per reports, the microgrid system also has battery storage units (though I am guessing it is not a full backup) which will allow operations to continue after sundown.

CMA counts TVA and EPB to be important partners in its bid to go solar. The electricity from the solar farm will be sold to TVA and CMA will receive reduced utility bills from EPB.

The savings from utility bills are expected to payback for the solar system under a period of 20 years. CMA expects the solar farm will last between 30 and 40 years.

Apart from the distinction of being the first completely solar powered airport in the US, the Chattanooga airport has probably also became carbon-neutral. An article on its website, however, pegs a requirement of 3 MW solar capacity for the second target.

The solar farm was funded through a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Voluntary Airport Low Emission (VALE) Grant which aims to improve airport air quality. In fact, for the first phase as much as 95 per cent of the installation cost was covered by federal funding.

Beyond solar power, CMA has been taking a number of steps to become more sustainable. Among other initiatives like energy efficiency measures and asphalt recycling, it has also been working towards LEED certification for all new construction projects.

Back in 2015, India’s Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) at Kochi, Kerala, became the world’s first 100% solar powered airport. Since then the solar capacity at CIAL has grown from the then 13.1 MW to about 40 MW. There were however news reports that some of this capacity would be reduced.

CIAL further one upped its game by using the land covered by its solar panels for the cultivation of organic fruits and vegetables. In 2018, the airport reported an yield of over 80 tons!

Surprisingly, apart from generating additional revenues (the produce is sold at the arrivals section of the airport itself), this has a number of additional benefits. Not only do the plants help keep the solar panels dust free, but it also saves the cost of de-weeding the land.

Water efficient drip irrigation is used to grow a variety of produce in over 45 acres of land which is otherwise mostly covered with solar panels. Even the water used to clean the panels (detergent free) is channeled back to irrigate the plants. To some extent the plants help increase the efficiency of the solar panels by reducing the ambient temperature.

Author: Anand Upadhyay

For Drives and Motors

21.08.2019

Electrical powertrains – the motors, generators, drives, converters, bearings and gearboxes that drive pumps, machinery or other process equipment – are particularly critical components of many processes and must be kept running. ABB has now introduced the ABB Ability Digital Powertrain to improve engineering efficiency, safety, equipment uptime and production output while reducing risks and costs in everyday operations. ABB Ability Digital Powertrain keeps operations running efficiently – and even predicts failures before they happen.

The Digital Powertrain is a suite of digital products, software and services for motors/generators, drives/converters and mechanical powertrain components such as bearings. Surprisingly, over 80 percent of powertrains are currently not monitored. Therefore, providing a simple, costefficient solution like the Digital Powertrain will be a game-changer. Each powertrain can send data to the cloud that is then visible to the operator on a simple dashboard. Data analytics and connectivity with ABB experts make operations efficient, predictable and safe.

Digital Powertrain Internet of Things (IoT) solutions encompass devices, software and services. ABB Ability Condition Monitoring for powertrains, for example, is a service product that visualizes the data of the individual assets of an electric powertrain in a unified monitoring system and, with the help of ABB’s expertise, delivers comprehensive insights as to maintenance, repair or replacement needs. Other service products in the ABB Ability Digital Powertrain cover life cycle assessment, virtual commissioning and remote assistance. These products are complemented by physical devices such as ABB Ability Smart Sensors for pumps, mounted bearings and motors, and wireless Internet gateways. The digital powertrain opens up many fields for additional actionable insights, analyses and informed decision making. It shows the way forward so that modern industry can achieve better reliability, uptime and efficiency – and reduce costs.

For more information contact ABB in Serbia:

13 Bulevar Peka Dapcevica
11000 Belgrade
Phone: 011 39 54 862
www.abb.rs

This article was published in the fifteenth issue of the Energy Portal Energy Efficient, june-august 2019.

Two Tigers Seized from Traffickers Every Week, Report Finds

21.08.2019

frida-bredesen-76dgUcMupv4-unsplash — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Fida Bredesen)

Two illegally smuggled tigers per week are being seized by officials, according to a report, but this represents only a tiny fraction of those being killed.

The report, by the wildlife trade experts Traffic, was released at a summit of 183 countries under the Convention in the International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites), where many delegates have called for stronger action.

Traffic also found a surge since 2012 in seized carcasses, skins and bones from tiger farms. International trade in the species is banned, but the researchers said the captive-breeding facilities, mainly in China, undermine their protection by maintaining demand in domestic markets and enabling the laundering of wild tiger products.

There are fewer than 4,000 tigers in the wild but more than 7,000 in tiger farms, which sometimes masquerade as zoos. In 2016, more than 180 animals were seized at a tiger temple in Thailand.

Products from 2,359 tigers were seized between 2000 and 2018 across 32 countries, according to the report. “The numbers should be taken as the bare minimum,” said Kanitha Krishnasamy, the south-east Asia director at Traffic. “There is a high chance we are intercepting only a very small percentage of illegal trade.”

She said Cites delegates should enforce long-mooted proposals for action, including the immediate closure tiger farms and tougher penalties on traffickers. In China, long jail sentences are handed out but in many other countries, such as Indonesia, only small fines are levied.

“The time for talking is over: words must be turned into action to prevent further tiger loss,” Krishnasamy said. “Every single one being taken out of the wild really matters.” Wild tiger numbers are highest in India but recent reports of a growing population there may be the result of better counting.

Songbirds were also on the agenda at Cites, with delegates from Sri Lanka and the US calling for better protection for the world’s 6,000 species, many of which have experienced severe declines in population.

The causes are habitat destruction, trapping for food and to sell as cage birds as well as for entry into singing competitions, which are particularly popular in Latin America.

Madhu Rao, the south-east Asia director at the Wildlife Conservation Society, said: “Songbirds may be silenced if we don’t take action now on their behalf. This is a global problem.”

Elsewhere at the summit, an unusual method of detecting smuggled wildlife – using giant sniffer rats – was announced. Miriam Schneider, a senior researcher at the NGO Apopo, outlined the results of a proof-of-concept study that showed African giant pouched rats could be trained to detect pangolin scales and hardwood, even when the contraband was hidden among other materials.

Giant pouched rats have been used to detect and disarm 140,000 landmines and identify 15,000 tuberculosis patients without any harm to the animals. Schneider said the rats were smart, cheap to keep and transport, and happy to work for food treats.

Source: Guardian

South Africa Gets Go-Ahead to Increase Black Rhino Trophy Hunting

20.08.2019

black-rhino-857448_960_720 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

South Africa has won permission to almost double the number of black rhinos that can be killed as trophies after arguing the money raised will support conservation of the critically endangered species.

The decision was made at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) after receiving support from some African nations and opposition from others.

Poachers supplying the illegal trade in rhino horn decimated numbers in the past but the population is now growing. About 5,000 black rhinos exist today, almost 2,000 of them in South Africa.

Since 2003, South Africa has been allowed to sell hunting rights for five black rhinos a year. The latest decision means it can take up to 0.5% of the population, meaning nine rhinos at today’s levels. South Africa said adult males would be targeted, to protect breeding females.

The request was opposed by Gabon, whose delegate said: “It is a very small population and threatened by poaching.” Kenya’s delegate said the move, along with poaching, would mean almost half the black rhino population increase each year being lost. NGOs also opposed the move, with Born Free’s delegate noting South Africa rarely used its existing quota.

But South Africa was supported by other rhino range states including Botswana, Zimbabwe and Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), as well as the EU and Canada. South Africa agreed not to use the full quota if the rhino population fell below a certain level, but did not specify what this would be.

Tom Milliken of Traffic, a wildlife trade monitoring group, said the higher quota could help increase black rhino numbers. Older males could cause conflicts, prevent younger males from breeding and even kill females, he said. “It is a positive: you are basically preventing bar-room brawls and getting faster reproduction rates going,” Milliken said.

He said the black rhino was one of the highest-priced trophy animals, costing tens of thousands of dollars to hunt.

An earlier vote at the Cites meeting delivered a ban on wild African elephants being exported to zoos. Zimbabwe has sold dozens of elephants to Chinese attractions in recent years. The new rule says the only acceptable destinations are wild, native habitats.

The vote outcome could be overturned in the final session of the summit, which signs off all decisions. This is because the EU, which opposed the move, failed to vote.

The meeting of 183 nations, being held in Geneva, also considered the plight of sea creatures, and there was unanimous support for giving seahorses more high-profile protection. They are much sought after in the aquarium trade and for traditional Chinese medicine.

Cites has restricted international trade in all 44 seahorse species since 2002. Trade in live and dried specimens has fallen by 75% and 90% respectively in the past decade, but many millions still change hands each year.

The summit also agreed to increase focus on the soaring trade in marine ornamental fish, including many coral reef fish and sharks. The trade supplying public and private aquariums has increased 60-fold since 2000, with 1.5bn fish now sold each year.

Read more: Guardian

Australian Power Stations Among World’s Worst for Toxic Air Pollution

19.08.2019

hassan-afridhi-PyLLL1J2mRs-unsplash — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Hassan Afridhi)

Power stations in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley and New South Wales’s Lake Macquarie region have been named on a list of the world’s biggest hotspots for toxic air pollution.

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Hassan Afridhi)

A new report by Greenpeace, published on Monday, used satellite data published by Nasa to analyse the world’s worst sources of sulphur dioxide (SO2) pollution, an irritant gas known to affect human health and one of the main pollutants contributing to deaths from air pollution worldwide.

The greatest source of SO2 in the atmosphere is the burning of fossil fuels in power stations and other industrial facilities.

Australia ranks 12th on a list of the top-emitting countries for human-caused sulphur dioxide emissions and is singled out in the report for air pollution standards that allow power stations to emit sulphur dioxide at higher rates than in China and the EU.

It comes as state and federal environment ministers are reviewing Australia’s air pollution standards for sulphur dioxide, now 11 times higher than what is recommended by the World Health Organisation.

India, China and Russia rank first, second and third respectively in the Greenpeace report for emissions of SO2 in 2018.

The report also ranks the worst individual sources of toxic emissions, with two locations in Australia appearing in the top 50, and a further two inside the top 100.

The biggest source of SO2 pollution in Australia is a complex of mining operations with copper, lead and zinc smelters in Mount Isa in Queensland. This site ranked 32nd in the report, producing 207 kilotonnes of sulphur dioxide emissions in 2018, according to the analysis.

The Yallourn, Loy Yang A and Loy Yang B power stations in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley ranked 49th at 151 kilotonnes.

The Vales Point and Eraring coal-fired power stations in the Lake Macquarie region of NSW ranked 79th, and the Liddell and Bayswater power stations near Muswellbrook in the Hunter Valley 91st.

The Victorian SO2 air pollution hotspot covers a population of more than 470,000 people, and the NSW hotspot covers an area of more than 1.7 million people, but Greenpeace said the the impacts from secondary pollution covered a far greater population.

In Sydney alone, more than 100 premature deaths a year are thought to be caused by pollution from coal-fired power stations. Nationally it’s more than 4,000.

“Australian coal-burning power stations are polluting at levels that would be illegal in China and most other parts of the world,” said Jonathan Moylan, a campaigner with Greenpeace Australia Pacific.

Sulphur dioxide can cause health problems including heart and lung disease, and asthma.

Ben Ewald, a doctor with Doctors for the Environment Australia, said there were places in Australia that had “a serious SO2 problem” and limits were set well above what was needed to protect human health. He said the same was the case for nitrogen dioxide, another airborne pollutant.

Read more: Guardian

Forest-Friendly Chocolate

17.08.2019

fruit-cocoa-farming-kakao — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Rodrigo Flores)

Sougue Kadjatou is a 45-year-old farmer who lives with her husband and two children in Agboville, a village in Côte d’Ivoire. Her cocoa plantation, where she works every day from morning until early afternoon, is a 40-minute walk from the village. “I’m glad they told me to plant banana and timber trees in my cocoa plantation,” she says. “It’s good to plant various trees. The bananas give me something to eat and sell, whereas the timber is a friend of the cocoa—it gives it shade. Later on, I’ll be able to sell the timber for home building and furniture which will hopefully give me enough money to build my own house for my family.”

Kadjatou is not the only one practising agroforestry. “Before I used to plant cocoa without planting other trees,” says Guitty Saidou, a farmer from the same village. “Worse, I would take a piece of forest and clear all the trees away and then plant my cocoa. But for the past five years, I’ve been introducing banana, timber, orange and avocado trees and now things are much better for me. With the other trees around it, the cocoa gives a good harvest because the trees are healthier.”

A vicious cycle

Côte d’Ivoire has the fastest rate of deforestation in Africa—and one of the fastest in the world. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the Ivorian forest cover is down to 8 per cent.

The consequences have been dramatic: a major drop in rainfall and other devastating alterations in local climatic conditions that threaten the culture of cocoa, Côte d’Ivoire’s main agricultural commodity.

Cocoa has brought prosperity to the country. However, decades of production have exhausted the soil. The decreasing fertility of unsustainably-operated plantations has led local farmers to encroach on forests in search of more productive land. As a result, the cocoa sector, a casualty of the climate crisis, is also the main driver of deforestation in Côte d’Ivoire.

Agroforestry, or zero-deforestation agriculture

The issue is so serious that Côte d’Ivoire signed the UN New York Declaration on Forests in 2014 and committed to restoring the national forest to 20 per cent of the territory by 2030. Within this context, one of the most promising solutions is planting associated trees in cocoa plantations.

“Agroforestry, though not the only solution to deforestation, is potentially one the most effective,” says Jonathan Gheyssens, REDD+ and Sustainable Land Use Programme Officer at the UN Environment Finance Initiative. “It means the diversification of revenue streams and reducing monoculture risks for smallholder farmers who face fluctuating cocoa export prices. It also increases their resilience to climate variations and makes a positive contribution to climate change mitigation.”

The UN-REDD Programme, a joint global initiative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the United Nations Development Programme and the UN Environment Programme, works with cooperatives such as the one in Agboville where both Kadjatou and Saidou are members.

The cooperative helps the farmers switch to agroforestry through training. “The shadow of the trees protects the roots of the cocoa plant,” says trainer Amory Parfait, explaining the importance of planting other trees besides cocoa. “We started this diversification two years ago, and we now plant avocado, orange and mango trees amongst the cocoa.”

In addition to promoting agroforestry, the UN-REDD Programme also advocates for increased agricultural productivity with improved plant material while making use of good practices.

“A lot of forests were destroyed to make way for plantations,” says Jean Paul Aka, national sustainable land use finance specialist and REDD+ expert. “Half of it went to cocoa production, the rest to palm oil and rubber.”

Old cocoa seeds used to require a lot of land because the yield was low. New cocoa varieties can yield up to four times as much product, but only with the right knowledge. They do not resist the harsh sun, for example, but they do produce very fast—after 18 months instead of four years—and three times more than the older generation of cocoa trees.

“For the new seed to work, a lot of shadow, fertilizer and protection against diseases is needed and the farmers need advice on good agricultural practices,” says Aka. “If you use the new seeds, you have better production and you can harvest all year long, provided there’s enough rain.”

Source: UNEP

Sports Arenas Around the World Score Sustainability Points With ABB Technology

16.08.2019

Nearly half the world watched when Kylian Mbappe secured France’s second FIFA World Cup, scoring in the 4-2 win against Croatia. Fans in the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia or in front of their TV’s didn’t miss a beat thanks to the optimal lighting, controlled by ABB’s i-bus KNX System.

The historic stadium, that hosted the 1980 Summer Olympics and the 2008 Champions League, is one of the many arenas in the world that rely on ABB technology to light up their events in an energy-efficient way.

Event arenas, which attract large gatherings of people, have tremendous potential in setting the stage for sustainability. Stadiums are increasingly adopting more sustainable ways of operating, such as efficiently using energy and utilizing renewable sources of energy. With ABB’s offerings across smart electrification and control solutions, venues such as the Luzhniki Stadium become more sustainable.

ABB has supplied its i-bus KNX system to Luzhniki, as part of its rebuilding for the World Cup. While managing the lighting throughout the stadium, the ABB system uses energy-saving algorithms that evaluate the time of day, natural illumination and the overall load on the power grid, resulting in significant energy savings and paving the way for an environment-friendly future.

In Norway, the Odd soccer club’s Skagerak Arena in Skien has its entire rooftop covered with 5,700 square meters of solar modules. They have a nominal power of 800kWp. The battery energy storage and the energy management system, provided by ABB, ensure maximum use of renewable power even when there is low light.

The photovoltaic system not only powers floodlights at the team’s home soccer games, but also provides the neighborhood with locally-produced electricity. ABB’s technology is also perfectly in tune with the Odds soccer club’s aim to be the greenest soccer club in Europe and the club’s largest supporter Skagerak Energi’s aim to form an energy lab.

ABB’s technology is also used at the Tissot Arena, world’s largest in-stadium solar power plant, located in Biel, Switzerland. The enormous sports complex features an extended roof which has about 16,500 square meters of space available for the solar modules, equivalent to a total size of two soccer fields. It is also a showcase project for the use of solar energy throughout Switzerland. The annual energy production of the plant equals the consumption of approximately 500 average Swiss households.

ABB’s power management technology, which includes the modular ArTuk distribution switchboards and switchgears, has helped the Ekana International Cricket Stadium and Sports Complex in India to stage international matches after a gap of two decades. Cricket, which has a huge fan following in South Asia, relies on energy intensive technologies to aid accurate refereeing decisions with real-time data from strategically positioned sensors, on-field cameras and gigantic screens around the field. ABB’s power management technology allows operators to maintain continuous and reliable power supply, while ensuring higher power savings during games.

ABB has also helped create a “smart” soccer stadium for FK Austria in Vienna, Austria. The Generali Arena has incorporated the latest in smart building technology and energy efficient power distribution. ABB has provided several components, including the KNX system which allows all components of lighting, shading, heating, air conditioning and ventilation in the stadium to be networked, ensuring maximum energy savings.

ABB has also provided dry transformers, which comply with the latest energy efficiency standards of the European Union. These transformers use a vacuum casting resin technology, developed by ABB, instead of oil. ABB’s smart solutions are helping the Generali Arena become the first sustainable soccer venue in Austria.

Source: ABB

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