US Wind Energy Gusts Past 7GW of New Capacity Last Year

30.08.2018

The US wind industry installed more than 7GW of capacity last year, bringing total utility-scale wind capacity across the nation to to nearly 89GW.

That’s according to new statistics from the US Department of Energy (DoE), which show $11 billion (£8.6bn) was invested in the sector as technology costs and wind energy prices continued to fall.

In total, 41 states had utility-scale wind projects in operation – Texas held the lead with more than 22GW of wind capacity, while Oklahoma, Iowa, California and Kansas each possessing more than 5GW.

The report also shows another 13 states have more than 1GW installed and highlights distributed wind capacity in the US crossed the 1GW threshold last year.

The DoE says bigger turbines with longer blades are enhancing wind plant performance, with capacity factors increasing by 79% in recent years compared to projects installed between 1998 and 2001 – the average cost of wind projects installed in 2017 was $1,611 (£1,253) per kW, down a third from peak prices in 2010.

Source: Energy Live News

California Lawmakers Pass Bill for 100% Clean Energy

30.08.2018

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Lawmakers in California have voted in support of a bill to generate 100% clean energy by 2045.

The approval from the California State Assembly means the bill will be sent back to the Senate for the final green light before it goes to Governor Jerry Brown.

The bill would also raise the state’s renewable energy target to 60% by 2030 and require retailers and electric utilities to procure a minimum share of electricity from renewable sources.

In May, the California Energy Commission announced new regulations to require solar panels to be installed on new homes and apartment buildings from January 2020.

The news follows Hawaii’s announcement to generate 100% of its electricity from green sources by 2045 earlier this year.

Source: Energy Live News

Europe Officially Has More than One Million Electric Cars

30.08.2018

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More than a million electric cars can now be seen on the streets of Europe, thanks in part to a sales surge in the first half of 2018. Europe has reached this benchmark more quickly than the United States, which is on track to meet it later this year. Europe and the U.S. have trailed behind China, which reached one million electric vehicle sales in 2017; however, Europe’s achievement is no small feat.

Europe saw 195,000 electric cars sold during the first half of this year, a 42 percent increase from last year. This figure includes electric cars sold in the European Union as well as in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and Norway, the latter of which continues to lead the way, with the highest number of electric vehicles sold.

Industry analyst EV-Volumes estimates that European sales of electric vehicles will reach 1.35 million by the end of the year. The figure includes both fully electric vehicles as well as hybrid plug-in models that switch to conventional engines after their short-distance battery runs out of power.

Industry leaders are optimistic about the outlook for environmentally friendly cars, despite plug-in hybrids only accounting for 2% of market share. Viktor Irle, market analyst at EV-Volumes, commented, “a stock of one million electric vehicles is an important milestone on the road to electrification and meeting emission targets but it is of course not enough.” One thing, though, is certain – Europe definitely has the drive to achieve fossil-fuel-free roads.

Source: Eco Watch

Air Pollution Shortens Human Life by One Year, on Average

30.08.2018

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In a summer marked by air quality alerts as wildfires rage in the western U.S., a study has been published finding that air pollution lowers the average lifespan by one year worldwide.

The study, published in Environmental Science and Technology Letters Aug. 22, was the first to assess the impact of particulate matter pollution smaller than 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5) on human life expectancy on a per country basis, ScienceNews reported.

The researchers used 2016 data from the Global Burden of Disease project in an attempt to make the health impacts of air pollution more concrete.

“Talking about mortality figures and large body counts, you see people’s eyes glaze over,” study author and University of Texas at Austin environmental scientist Joshua S. Apte told ScienceNews. “People care not just about whether you die—we all die—but also how much younger are you going to be when that happens.”

For people living in the U.S., that’s a little over four months, The New York Times reported.

But it can be much more in more polluted developing countries, up to 1.9 years in Egypt and 1.5 in India. In general, countries in Asia and Africa see lifespans reduced from between 1.2 and 1.9 years, according to the study.

The researchers also assessed how much longer lifespans could be if countries limited air pollution to the World Health Organization guideline of 10 micrograms of PM 2.5 per cubic meter of air, ScienceNews reported.

Overall, the global lifespan would increase by a median of more than half (0.6) of a year, equivalent to the health impact of curing breast cancer or lung cancer, the study’s authors wrote.

In Egypt, life expectancies would increase by 1.3 years, and in China, by around nine months. In India, limiting air pollution to WHO guidelines would increase a 60-year-old’s chance of surviving to 85 in that country by 20 percent, ScienceNews reported.

Coal-fired power plants and truck tailpipes are leading sources of PM 2.5 pollution, The New York Times pointed out, and Apte told the Times that air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions were “tightly linked.”

“For example, more efficient cars or cleaner electricity directly benefit both climate and health,” Apte told The New York Times in an email. “Indeed, the near- and long-term health benefits of cleaner and more efficient energy use are one of the best co-benefits of tackling climate change, as we will lead healthier and longer lives.”

Apte’s remarks corroborate a March study that found that if carbon dioxide emissions were reduced enough to limit warming to two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels this century without using carbon capture technology, 153 million premature air pollution deaths could be avoided.

Source: Eco Watch

ABB solar inverters on the roofs of “Ikea” company

29.08.2018

In the endeavour to assist in meeting of the increasing energy demands worldwide, with the minimal negative environmental effects, ABB Company has created extra values for their customers with flexible and innovative solar energy technologies. Integration of the renewable energy sources has become the crucial element of the world energy revolution and the ABB Next Level strategy. ABB has provided the trade chain “Ikea” with the possibility to fulfil their objectives set in the domain of the energy efficiency.

ABB has supplied the trade chain “Ikea” with 20 innovative solar inverters TRIO-50 used for charging of the roof solar system in their leading department store in Singapore. The system is expected to generate 1.3 million kWh annually, which is the volume of renewable energy sufficient to supply more than 280 households. Installation of the solar panels on the “Ikea” department store started in March 2017, and the power plant started to operate in December 2017. With the construction and use of the said installation, “Ikea” expects to reduce electricity costs for 2.4 million dollars in the next ten years.

A few months before the realization of the Singapore project, a similar project was executed on the department store “Ikea” in Belgrade, at the area of 35,000 m². Namely, in cooperation with the project designers and contractors, ABB has realized delivery of the complete electrical equipment required for electricity supply of the “Ikea” facility. This equipment, apart from solar inverters, also included a transformer station of 10/0.4 kW, distribution cabinets in the building and rail distribution. Delivered equipment for the transformer station contained dry-type power transformers for distribution section of the transformer station and for the solar power plant installed on the roof of the department store, air-isolated medium voltage plant UniSec, and the certified electrical distribution cabinet Pro E Power, planned for the electricity of up to 6300 A.

The arrangement of the solar panels and configuration of the roof of the “Ikea” department store in Belgrade has influenced the decision of the project designers and investors to take ABB invertors model TRIO-50, of the power ratings of 50kW. The said solar power plant includes 6 installed inverter units, envisaged for outdoor installation with IP65 protection. All units contain protection and power switch equipment, on both, DC and AC side, and their terminal boards are separable, which enables easier horizontal or vertical installation. The housing is designed for outdoor use which enables normal operation regardless of the weather conditions. The construction of the said inverters is such that it does not require opening during the process of installation and connecting. It is done with the pre-set connection box to which all planned strings are connected. Integrated protection also contains AC and DC load break switches, in accordance with the international standards, and with different configuration options. All electrical connections (fittings and connectors) can be locked. ABB inverter model TRIO-50 has a very high-efficiency degree (98.3 %) in the wide range of powers. It is also characterized by a wide span of the input voltage, topology which does not contain a transformer, as well as extremely fast and accurate MPPT algorithm for monitoring and improvement of the process of power production in real time. Straight efficiency curves enable high efficiency in all output levels, thus providing constant and stable performances in all levels of the input voltage and the output power. Also, there is a possibility of connecting external sensors for supervision of the working conditions.

ABB solutions related to solar systems enable corporate customers, such as “Ikea”, to make both financial and operative savings with the reduced emission of harmful gasses. According to the “GTM Research”, the costs of installation of commercial roof solar power plants have been reduced for almost 30% in the last five years, mainly owing to the reduction of the price of solar panels. It is exactly because of the “Ikea” company, and owing to the quick economic feasibility of the solar energy, that the rest of the corporate world has been increasingly interested in and preparing for the construction of the solar power plants.

Designed in such a way to combine the supreme parameters and the price competitiveness in the central inverter, with the portability and flexibility of installation of the “string” inverter, TRIO-50 will continue to spread on other roofs of the trade chain “Ikea”.

Four decades of experience that ABB has gained in development and implementation of inverters, with the offer of the solar plants that moves from small single-phase inverters to three-phase string central inverters, has made this company the global leader in solar systems that produce energy without harmful emissions, contribute to alleviation of climate changes and reduce dependence on the limited conventional energy sources.

You can check their offers of solar inverters at the following link: https://new.abb.com/power-converters-inverters/solar.

ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a pioneering technology leader in power grids, electrification products, industrial automation and robotics and motion, serving customers in utilities, industry and transport & infrastructure globally. Continuing a history of innovation spanning more than 130 years, ABB today is writing the future of industrial digitalization with two clear value propositions: bringing electricity from any power plant to any plug and automating industries from natural resources to finished products. As title partner in ABB Formula E, the fully electric international FIA motorsport class, ABB is pushing the boundaries of e-mobility to contribute to a sustainable future. ABB oper- ates in more than 100 countries with about 147,000 employees. www.abb.com

For more information contact ABB in Serbia:

13 Bulevar Peka Dapcevica
11000 Belgrade
Milan Jevremovic
Phone: 011/3094-322
milan.jevremovic@rs.abb.com
www.abb.rs

This article was published in the tenth issue of the Energy Portal Magazine SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE, in July 2018.

Carbon Emissions ‘Will Threaten Crops and Human Nutrition’

29.08.2018

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Increasing carbon dioxide concentrations will threaten crops and levels of human nutrition around the world.

That’s according to researchers from the Harvard Chan School, which examined the impact of the gas on iron, protein and zinc levels in 225 different foods.

The study suggests atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide are expected to exceed 550 parts per million in the next 30 to 80 years – this increase is expected to reduce the essential mineral content of many staple crops by up to 17%.

The report warns this could cause an additional 175 million people to be zinc-deficient and 122 million to be protein-deficient by 2050.

The scientists behind the work say Africa, South and Southeast Asia and the Middle East are likely to be the regions most affected.

Sam Myers, Principal Research Scientist at Harvard Chan School, said: “Our research makes it clear that decisions we are making every day – how we heat our homes, what we eat, how we move around, what we choose to purchase – are making our food less nutritious and imperiling the health of other populations and future generations.”

Source: Energy Live News

Climate Change Is Melting the French Alps, Say Mountaineers

29.08.2018

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For the tourists thronging the streets and pavement cafes of Chamonix, the neck-craning view of Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the Alps, is as dazzling as ever.

But the mountaineers who climb among the snowy peaks know that it is far from business as usual – due to a warming climate, the familiar landscape is rapidly changing.

“Global climate change has serious and directly observable consequences in high mountains,” says Vincent Neirinck from Mountain Wilderness, a campaign group that works to preserve mountain environments around the world.

One of the consequences of climate change is the ongoing retreat of glaciers.

“In the Alps, the glacier surfaces have shrunk by half between 1900 and 2012 with a strong acceleration of the melting processes since the 1980s,” says Jacques Mourey, a climber and scientist who is researching the impact of climate change on the mountains above Chamonix.

The most dramatic demonstration of glacial retreat is shown by the Mer de Glace, the biggest glacier in France and one of Chamonix’s biggest tourist hotspots which would now be unrecognisable to the Edwardian tourists who first flocked there.

“The Mer de Glace is now melting at the rate of around 40 metres a year and has lost 80m in depth over the last 20 years alone,” says glaciologist Luc Moreau.

A stark consequence of the melting Mer de Glace is that 100m of ladders have now been bolted onto the newly exposed vertical rock walls for mountaineers to climb down onto the glacier.

Another key impact of climate change in the mountains is that it is leading to an increase in the number of rockfalls; more than 550 occurred in the Mont Blanc massif alone between 2007 and 2015.

The reason, explains Mourey, is that the permafrost that lies within cracks of rocks and cements them together is now melting.

“As the permafrost melts, whole sections of rock become destabilised and more prone to collapse.”

This is what caused the destruction of the iconic Bonatti pillar, a massive column of rock and popular climbing spot that collapsed in the scorching hot summer of 2005. Significantly, climate change is happening almost twice as fast in high mountains as compared to the rest of the planet.

“Whilst there are many theories as to why this is happening, we don’t fully understand what’s going on,” says Mourey. What is not disputed, though, is that many climbing routes have been drastically altered by climate change.

“A 1970s climbing and mountaineering guidebook to the 100 best routes around Mont Blanc isn’t useable any more as most of the routes have changed and can’t be used,” he says.

The trails to the high mountain huts around Mont Blanc which are used by climbers are becoming more dangerous too, forcing the authorities to adapt and take action.

In 2012 the trail to the Conscrits hut was judged to have become too dangerous following increasing numbers of rockfalls, so a 60m Himalayan-style suspension bridge was built to make access to the hut safer.

A completely new trail, including the installation of fixed ladders, has recently had to be built to the Charpoua hut following the melting of glaciers which made the previous trail too difficult and dangerous.

Given Chamonix’s status as the cradle of modern mountaineering and alpine pursuits, the authorities are now making a determined effort to adapt to these changing conditions to ensure that climbing can continue.

“We want to support the idea that alpinism and its values are not dead and we must keep on climbing safely,” says Claude Jacot, a Chamonix councillor and head of mountain safety for the region.

But for some, the area is already becoming too dangerous.

“This year we’ve deliberately reduced our programmes on Mont Blanc due to the increased rockfall caused by higher temperatures over the last few years,” says Ed Chard from trekking operator Jagged Globe.

So what will happen to climbing around Chamonix in the coming years? Mourey is optimistic that the sport still has a future in the Alps, but future mountaineers will have to adapt.

“You’ll still be able to climb in the future – you’ll just have to change the way you climb,” he says. “If anyone doesn’t believe that climate change exists, they should come to Chamonix to see it for themselves.”

Source: Guardian

Jaguar to Charge Up Electric Production of E-Type Concept Car

29.08.2018

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Jaguar Classic has confirmed it will start production of the all-electric E-type car driven by Prince Harry on his wedding day earlier this year.

The Duke of Sussex drove his bride Meghan Markle from Windsor Castle to their reception in May in the battery-powered vehicle, which was then a one-off.

However, the luxury carmaker has decided to start production of the vehicle following its showcase in conept form last year which received an “overwhelmingly positive reaction”.

It is expecting to start deliveries of the first electric E-type vehicles from summer 2020, targeting a range of more than 170 miles for the zero-emission car, powered by a 40kWh battery which can be recharged in six to seven hours depending on the power source.

It says the all-electric version’s lithium-ion battery pack has the same dimensions and similar weight to the standard E-type six-cylinder petrol engine and in the same location, which means the car’s structure has not changed.

The company will also offer an electric vehicle conversion service for existing E-type owners at the same Classic Works facility in Coventry in the UK.

Tim Hannig, Jaguar Land Rover Classic Director adds: “We’ve been overwhelmed by the positive reaction to the Jaguar E-type Zero concept. Future-proofing the enjoyment of classic car ownership is a major stepping stone for Jaguar classic.

“E-type Zero showcases the incredible heritage of the E-type and the expertise and craftsmanship at Classic Works, while demonstrating Jaguar Land Rover’s dedication to creating zero emissions vehicles across every part of the business, including Jaguar Classic.”

Source: Energy Live News

UK Summer ‘Wind Drought’ Puts Green Revolution into Reverse

29.08.2018

Britain’s long heatwave threw the country’s green energy revolution into reverse and pushed up carbon emissions this summer, leading experts to stress the need for a diverse energy mix.

The summer of 2017 was lauded as the “greenest ever” for electricity generation, thanks to a growing number of windfarms and solar installations edging out coal and gas power stations.

But this year has seen a comparatively dirty summer for power generation, due to the weather’s impact on renewables.

The Met Office said the high pressure that caused much of the country to bask under sunny skies had suppressed windy conditions.

The weather proved a boon for staycations, garden centres and solar panel owners, but windfarms suffered. They usually provide four times as much power as solar each year.

The wind drought meant that at times turbine blades sat idle for days.

Windfarm capacity is up by more than 10% since a year ago, but the share of electricity they supplied dropped from 12.9% last year to 10.4% this summer, figures from National Grid show.

Although record-breaking solar output helped fill some of the gap and nuclear plants provided a bedrock of supply, gas power stations were fired up to meet demand.

The key measure of how green the power grid is – carbon intensity, measured in grammes of CO2 per kilowatt hour – was up by 8% on average over the past three months.

Duncan Burt, director of operations at National Grid, said: “We have seen a slight decrease in wind over the summer linked to the unusually warm weather, which demonstrates why it is important for us to have a diverse energy mix to ensure we can continue to manage supply and demand.”

He welcomed the growth in wind and solar over the past year, and said both were playing an increasingly important role in the energy system.

While this summer showed an uptick in carbon emissions, it is the second greenest ever.

And looking beyond the summer, carbon intensity for the year fell to a record low in the first eight months.

National Grid said the carbon intensity of electricity generation was down 3% to 252g CO2 per kWh between January and August, compared with the same period last year.

Windy conditions and new windfarms boosted wind energy during the winter, and coal use has fallen to new lows despite a brief resurgence during the “beast from the east”.

In June, the UK went 12 days without coal, which supplied less than 1% of electricity that month.

RenewableUK, the wind power industry body, said wind had “become a mainstream power source”.

A spokesperson for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said: “We’re investing up to £2.5bn in low-carbon innovation and are already seeing the results.”

Analysts have told renewable energy investors not to be alarmed about the lack of wind this summer.

After examining 17 years of monthly wind speeds in the UK, Bernstein bank concluded: “We do not find any evidence of a structural trend in wind speed over time.”

Experts also said that the way solar highs coincided with wind lows showed that both technologies were needed in the switch to green energy. Wind power generation is well ahead of solar in Europe.

Pascal Storck, director of renewable energy at environmental measurement firm Vaisala, said: “Often wind and solar technologies are played against each other, but the reality is that a diverse portfolio … will be the solution to long-term variability of this nature.”

Source: Guardian

EU Must Integrate Circular Policies and Bio-Economy’

28.08.2018

The European Environment Agency suggests policies in these areas must converge to maximise green benefits.

Integrating the circular economy and the bio-economy would improve resource efficiency and reduce environmental pressures in Europe.
That’s the verdict from the European Environment Agency (EEA) – the group says the EU’s policies in these areas both have food waste, biomass and bio-based products featured as areas of intervention and also converge in terms of economic and environmental concerns, innovation and the transition towards sustainability.

However, a new report from the organisation suggests supporting policies are too loosely connected and calls for more synergy to be created between them.
It claims under-represented aspects include product and infrastructure design, as well as collaboration among the actors throughout the value chain and calls for policy interventions to be unified to better reduce environmental pressures along the entire product life cycle.

The EEA says bio-based approaches should be tailored to maximise the benefits of bio-based and biodegradable products and believes technological innovation should be embedded in wider system innovation able to tackle consumer behaviour, product use and waste management.

It adds promising innovations and technologies for circular biomass use include 3D printing with bioplastics, multipurpose crops and food waste and biowaste treatment.

Source: energylivenews

Exotic Pets Are Most Likely to Be Released in the Wild and Become Invasive Species

28.08.2018

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With imports of Fish and Wildlife-regulated reptiles exceeding one million individuals each year, it is no surprise that many of these animals are finding their way into the wild, where they are threatening natural ecosystems. Exotic pets can be extremely endearing and are bought at a low cost when they are babies. But when these animals get too large to handle or are cast off by wavering attention spans, they invade native ecosystems. This is the case for iguanas, Chinese water dragons and ball pythons, which have become the most commonly released pets in the wild, according to new research.

The massive exotic pet trade, which isn’t fully regulated, has become the leading cause of invasive amphibians and reptiles in the wild. Whether as predatory hunters or as spreaders of “alien” diseases and pests to native populations, the discarded exotic pets are wreaking havoc that ecologists and animal control workers are endlessly working to offset.

Oliver Stringham and Julie Lockwood, leading ecologists at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, researched the prevalence of specific exotic species. The paper was published on Wednesday and cross-references attributes of species that are commonly released versus those that are typically kept by their owners. The study compared data from citizen scientists on numbers of species that were introduced into the wild with figures of imports and sales from online pet stores.

In total, the researchers documented 1,722 species of reptiles and amphibians that were sold on the U.S. market between 1999 and 2016. They found that species that grow to large sizes were most likely to be released. Some of the animals also have long lifespans for pets, as in the case of the boa constrictor, which requires costly care over its 30+ year lifespan.

“These species are so abundant in the pet market, they’re potentially more likely to be bought by impulsive consumers that haven’t done the proper research about care requirements with some small fraction of these consumers resorting to releasing these pets when they become difficult to care for,” Stringham said in an interview with Earther. “Even if released exotic pets fail to become established, they still cause harm to wildlife by spreading new diseases.”

The effects have been catastrophic for many ecosystems. The animal trade-driven chytrid fungus plague alone has devastated amphibian populations on a global scale. In the Florida Everglades, where released exotic pets are the most prevalent, Burmese pythons and tegu lizards continuously scavenge native populations.

Stringham and Lockwood hope that their research will deter importers from selling these wild animals from impulsive buyers in the future; a more likely scenario is the regulation of the amount of animals or the prices for which they are sold.

Source: Inhabitat

Most-Polluting UK Home Fuels to Be Burned Up

28.08.2018

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The sale of the most-polluting fuels used in UK households are to get the chop as part of government plans to reduce emissions.

The burning of wood and coal in homes is said to be the largest single contributor to particulate matter pollution – formed of tiny particles that can enter the body and cause short and long term health problems – and identified as the most damaging air pollutant by the World Health Organisation.

According to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), domestic burning contributes 38% of particulate matter pollution, compared with 16% from industrial combustion and 12% from road transport.

Plans to restrict the sale of wet wood for domestic burning and phase out traditional house coal were initially set out in the government’s draft clean air strategy earlier this year.

The proposals – which include applying sulphur standards and smoke emission limits to all solid fuels and ensuring only the cleanest stoves are sold by 2022 – are expected to prevent 8,000 tonnes of harmful particulate matter from entering the atmosphere every year.

They are also estimated to reduce the costs of air pollution by £1 billion every year by 2020, rising to £2.5 billion a year from 2030.

A report by Public Health England, however, found the health and social care costs of air pollution in England could reach £5.3 billion by 2035 unless action is taken.

Environment Minister Therese Coffey said: “Everyone has a role to play in improving the air we breathe and reducing pollution from burning at home is a key area where we can all take action.

“While we will never be able to eliminate all particulate matter, by switching to cleaner fuels, householders can reduce the amount of harmful pollution to which they unwittingly expose themselves, their families and the environment, while still enjoying the warmth and pleasure of a fire.”

Defra has launched a consultation on the proposals which will run until 12th October 2018.

Source: Energy Live News

Asia’s First Fully Solar-Powered Drone Lifts Off

28.08.2018

In April, a group of students from the Innovation & Design Programme (iDP) at National University of Singapore Engineering developed a quadcopter drone that is powered completely with solar energy, without the need for batteries or other energy storage. In test flights, the aircraft has flown to a height of ten metres and up to a duration of two minutes. This feat is a first in Asia.

Since 2012, different groups of students from the iDP, under the supervision of NUS Electrical and Computer Engineering Associate Professor Aaron Danner, have been working towards building a fully solar-powered quadcopter drone. The first prototype in 2012 achieved only 45 per cent of flight power from solar cells.

“Our aircraft is extremely lightweight for its size, and it can fly as long as there is sunlight, even for hours. Unlike conventional quadcopter drones, our aircraft does not rely on on-board batteries and hence it is not limited by flight time. Its ability to land on any flat surface and fly high off the ground in a controlled way also makes it suitable for practical implementation,” said Assoc Prof Danner.

The current prototype was constructed using lightweight carbon fibre, has a surface area of about 4sqm and only weighs 2.6kg in total. It is fitted with 148 individually characterised silicon solar cells and supported by a frame equipped with four rotors. It can be controlled by remote control, or programmed to fly autonomously using a GPS system installed on the aircraft.

The three team members — then-final year NUS Engineering students Mr Goh Chong Swee, Mr Kuan Jun Ren and Mr Yeo Jun Han, made further refinements to the earlier prototypes of the quadcopter drone, increasing the number of solar cells used as well as adjusting the frame material in order to make the drone more efficient and lightweight. The team, jointly supervised by Teaching Assistant Mr Brian Shohei Teo from iDP, developed three prototypes in total over the two years spent on the project.

— Assoc Prof Aaron Danner, NUS Computer and Electrical Engineering

The many crash landings of their various prototypes throughout the duration of the project were the most memorable part of the experience. Mr Goh commented that they had to “crash to learn”.

“Through each crash we learnt something; like maybe this joint is not done properly, this solar cell is not mounted properly, and the suitability of the flight controller we used,” he added.

“We encountered many engineering challenges when building the drone,” shared Mr Yeo. “These included finding an optimal number of solar cells efficient and light enough to power the propulsion system, which in turn had to be light and at the same time able to produce sufficient thrust to lift the aircraft. Other issues we faced included tuning and calibration of flight controls to enhance flight stability, as well as designing a frame that is lightweight yet sufficiently rigid.”

Using solar energy as a power source for the drone has multiple advantages. The drone is not limited by the size and capacity of a battery or fuel tank; in contrast to many battery-powered drones that can often only fly continuously for about 30 minutes before needing charging, said Assoc Prof Danner. A solar-powered drone could thus potentially be able to fly as long as there is sunlight, fly itself to faraway destinations, recharge itself during the flight and would not need to operate within range of an airbase.

With these advantages, the team sees this aircraft potentially used as a ”flying solar panel” to provide emergency solar power to disaster areas, as well as for photography, small package delivery, surveillance and inspection. Batteries could also be added to power the aircraft when there is no sunlight, or for charging. Other hardware such as cameras could also be incorporated for other applications.

The current aircraft is proof-of-concept that a fully solar powered quadcopter is a possibility, Assoc Prof Danner said. In the future, the team will continue to fine-tune the aircraft, further improving its flight time and duration. They are currently sourcing for better solar cells and looking into ways to reduce the size of the aircraft. The team also hope to build a spin-off company and bring the technology closer to commercialisation in the future.

Source: NUS

Recent Figures Reveal Spain’s Human Population Is Now Outnumbered by Pigs

27.08.2018

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Environmentalists are alarmed by recent data that reveals Spain’s pig population now outnumbers its human one by 3.5 million. This is the first time the number of pigs in Spain has exceeded that of humans, and the discrepancy is adding to concerns about the environmental impact of the pork industry. This impact stems primarily from greenhouse gas emissions, nitrate discharges, and water consumption.

The number of pigs in Spain has increased by nine million in the last five years; in 2017 alone, Spain’s pork industry produced about four million tons of pork products. Environmentalists are calling on producers to slow down, and for good reason. Each pig in Spain drinks close to four gallons of water per day, and the total amount consumed is enough to satisfy the water needs of Spanish cities Zaragoza, Seville and Alicante combined. Pig farming also contributes to greenhouse gas emissions from livestock overall, which is the fourth-largest emissions generator in the country.

The enormity of the industry also makes it difficult to regulate. “When you don’t control an industry in which traditionally there’s a lot of fraud, because there’s a lot of demand but not a lot of product, this is what happens,” said Francisco Espárrago, a jamón ibérico de bellota producer in Extremadura, in reference to numerous quality control issues that have plagued Spain’s pork industry. It appears that stricter – or perhaps better enforced – regulations would benefit Spain’s longstanding pork traditions that have existed since Roman times, protect local producers, and alleviate environmental infractions which are cause for national concerns.

Source: Inhabitat

19 Global Cities Commit to Make New Buildings Net-Zero by 2030

27.08.2018

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The world’s most iconic skylines are going green. Nineteen city leaders from the C40 coalition signed the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Declaration on Thursday to ensure all new buildings operate with a neutral carbon footprint by 2030.

The mayors of Copenhagen, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Montreal, New York City, Newburyport, Paris, Portland, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Monica, Stockholm, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto, Tshwane, Vancouver and Washington, DC also pledged to ensure all buildings in the cities—old or new—will meet net-zero carbon standards by 2050, according to a press release. The cities are home to 130 million people combined.

Buildings are often a city’s largest source of greenhouse gas emissions due to fossil fuels being used for heat, hot water and other energy needs. About 39 percent of the total energy consumption in the U.S. comes from the residential and commercial sectors. In megacities such as London, Los Angeles and Paris, buildings account for more than 70 percent of their overall emissions. These structures are not only driving climate change, but the air pollution emitted from the buildings is also a public health concern.

Net-zero buildings, however, are incredibly energy-efficient and meet any remaining energy needs from renewable energy sources. Not only are these green buildings environmentally and socially beneficial, but they also offer economic benefits, such as cost savings on utility bills for tenants and higher property value for owners.

“Combating climate change is a moral necessity, an environmental imperative, and an economic opportunity—and Los Angeles is proud to be a leader in creating our clean energy future,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti in statement. “By pledging to reduce the carbon footprint of our buildings, cities are moving us another step closer to the goals of the Paris Agreement–and the promise of lower emissions, less pollution, and more renewable energy innovation.”

The pledges were made ahead of the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco next month and align with the Paris agreement goal of keeping global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius.

“Delivering on the commitments made today will require a united effort, as city governments do not have direct control over all the buildings in a city. This commitment includes a pledge to work together with state and regional governments and the private sector to drive this transformation, and calls on national governments for equal action,” the press release stated.

As part of the commitment, the cities will develop a roadmap to reach net-zero carbon buildings as well as a suite of supporting incentives and programs. Each year, they will release a report on their progress towards meeting their targets.

“Paris is home to some of the world’s most beautiful and iconic buildings. As mayors of the world’s great cities we recognize our responsibility to ensure every building, whether historic or brand new, helps deliver a sustainable future for our citizens,” said Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, in a statement. “With this commitment cities are getting the job done, concretely delivering on the Paris Agreement and building better cities for generations to come. One more time, the future is taking place in cities.”

Source: Eco Watch

Fast-Melting Lakes Could Increase Permafrost Emissions 118 Percent

27.08.2018

frost-3425157_960_720 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Scientists may need to more than double their assessment of how much carbon dioxide and methane thawing Arctic permafrost will release into the atmosphere this century, according to a study published this month.

The paper, published in Nature Communications Aug. 15, said that previous estimates for how greenhouse gasses released by thawing permafrost would contribute to global climate change focused on the slow thawing of permafrost near the surface.

However, those estimates excluded the impact of thermokarst lakes that form when warming soil melts ground ice, rapidly thawing the soil beneath them and providing food for carbon-dioxide and methane-releasing bacteria.

“Thermokarst lakes provide a completely different scenario. When the lakes form, they flash-thaw these permafrost areas,” lead study author and University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) Water and Environmental Research Center associate professor Katey Walter Anthony said in a UAF press release. “Instead of centimeters of thaw, which is common for terrestrial environments, we’ve seen 15 meters of thaw beneath newly formed lakes in Goldstream Valley within the past 60 years.”

Previous models had not incorporated thermokarst lakes because the small size of each lake made them difficult to account for. However, the study found it was important to take their emissions into consideration because, unlike the gradual thawing of permafrost soil, the rapid thawing beneath the melt lakes cannot be reversed this century.

“You can’t stop the release of carbon from these lakes once they form,” Walter Anthony said. “We cannot get around this source of warming.”

Walter Anthony’s U.S. and German research team spent 12 years observing and measuring thermokarst lakes in Alaska and Siberia and drew their conclusions from those observations, as well as from remote-sensing data of lake changes in the past two years. They found that the lakes could increase the emissions generated by permafrost by 118 percent in the late 21st century.

Other scientists responded to the study by emphasizing the limits of climate models that governments rely on to make climate policy decisions.

“The models that we’ve used to construct these carbon budgets, of how much CO2 we can emit and stay below a certain temperature threshold that we say is the edge of where things go from bad to really bad—those carbon budgets are probably made with models that are incomplete and may, in many ways, be very optimistic,” Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California climate scientist Charlie Koven told Alaska’s Energy Desk Monday.

Previous models showed gradual, land-based permafrost thawing would be offset by an increase in plant growth as the Arctic warms, but the rapid thawing caused by thermokarst lakes could mean that the warming contribution of thawing permafrost will be close to that of clearing or burning forests, the study found.

Source: Eco Watch

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