UK and Saudi Arabia Ink Clean Energy Partnership, as France Backs Global Solar Push

13.03.2018

renewable-energy — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

The controversial UK visit of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman culminated in a new clean energy agreement between the two countries, as the UK sought to underline the role it can play in supporting the Gulf State’s renewables plans.

As part of the visit, UK Business Secretary Greg Clark signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Clean Energy with Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources Khalid A. Al-Falih.

The pact includes commitments to share technical knowledge and host an annual UK-Saudi Energy and Industry Dialogue in a bid to accelerate the roll out of renewables and boost investment between the two countries.

The agreement covers a wide range of clean energy technologies, including smart grids, electric vehicles, and Carbon Capture Usage and Storage, as well as renewables.

“Our Industrial Strategy sets out a long-term plan to build a Britain fit for the future,” said Clark. “The global shift to clean growth is one of the most foreseeable and significant global economic trends and will transform many sectors of the economy, including power, transport, construction, energy-intensive industries and agriculture. This Memorandum of Understanding will help both the UK and Saudi Arabia make the most of this shift.”

Al Falih said the agreement would help support the country’s Vision 2030 clean energy plans, which aims to diversify the state’s energy mix away from a heavy reliance on oil and gas.

The agreement comes ahead of the release next month of a UK government report on the clean tech export opportunity offered by Saudi Arabia.

The report is expected to show Saudi Arabia’s expanding clean energy sector represents a multi-million pound opportunity for the UK, with a particularly focus on the engineering, construction, and smart grid sectors.

In related new, the French government today confirmed it will commit €700m to the India-backed International Solar Alliance (ISA), which aims to accelerate the roll out of solar technologies in developing economies.

Speaking at the ISA’s first conference in New Delhi, French President Emmanuel Macron said France would more than triple its funding for the alliance, taking its total contribution to €1bn.

The ISA has set a target of mobilising $1tr of solar investment and currently counts 60 countries as signatories.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is hoping the organisation’s first conference will see more countries sign up in support of its goal of catalysing increased solar investment in over 120 nations around the world.

Source: businessgreen.com

Nitrogen Oxides Kill 6,000 People A Year In Germany, Federal Environmental Agency Reports

13.03.2018

Nitrogen oxides (NOx), a form of pollution closely associated with diesel fuel combustion in diesel cars and trucks, cause the early death of around 6,000 people a year in Germany, the country’s Federal Environmental Agency has revealed.

The new figures from Germany’s Federal Environmental Agency represent one estimate among many, with some earlier estimates putting the figure much higher. And, once other forms of pollution are accounted for as well (particulate matter air pollution, for instance) the number of people killed in Germany every year by diesel cars would of course climb much higher.

I’ll note here that I’m aware that some people dispute the claim that diesel cars emit high levels of dangerous particulate matters, by stating that such vehicles don’t have to emit high levels of particulate matter (if outfitted with expensive filters, etc.).

While there’s a bit of truth to that claim, it’s also true that in practice most diesel cars in Germany, and in Europe as a whole, do release large amounts of particulate matter air pollution (this is especially true of the smallest and most dangerous particles, which can be absorbed directly through lung tissue and enter the bloodstream). Research has also found that total life-cycle carbon emissions are actually higher for diesel cars than for gas/petrol cars, despite claims to the contrary by proponents.

Reuters provides more: “The figure is likely to add pressure on carmakers and the government as they scramble to slow the demise of the diesel technology in which Germany’s car industry invested billions.”

“The Environmental Agency (UBA) also said that NOx causes one million people to fall ill each year and that levels of the toxic particle are higher in 70 cities than the limit set under air quality standards.”

“The car industry has relied on diesel as a stopgap technology to boost efficiency, meet CO2 emissions goals and buy time for a shift toward electric mobility. But sales of diesel cars have been falling since Volkswagen admitted in 2015 to cheating on emissions tests. Subsequent studies have exposed the true levels of NOx, which is emitted more abundantly by diesel vehicles than petrol engines.”

In related news, a court in Germany recently ruled that cities have the right to ban diesel cars if they so choose. This ruling was followed by various inane and ridiculous comments from prominent figures in the government and auto industry to the effect that such bans weren’t likely to occur.

Source: cleantechnica.com

This Indian City Is 100% Solar-Powered

13.03.2018

solar-cells-2590968__340 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

While technically not a city, Diu has become the first union territory in India to be fully powered by solar power.

Daman & Diu are geographically separated, but administratively form a single union territory. It is governed directly by India’s federal government and does not have a state government like other states and a few other union territories in India have. Diu is located at the southern-most point of Indian state of Gujarat.

According to media reports, Diu has become the first union territory in India to be fully powered by solar power. The power department of Diu has set up a total solar power capacity of 13 megawatts — 10 megawatts in ground-based systems and 3 megawatts in rooftop systems.

Diu has a land area of just 42 square kilometers. In comparison, Manhattan island has an area of 59 square kilometers. However, Diu’s peak power demand is just 7 megawatts, which is negligible compared to the energy-hungry Manhattan. Before the solar power systems were installed, Diu would procure all of its power from neighboring Gujarat.

The solar power installed capacity is nearly twice the peak power demand in Diu. According to a an executive engineer of the power department, the total daily solar power generation is around 10.5 megawatts, nearly 50% more than the peak power demand.

While the media reports do not mention how the territory is powered during night and cloudy days, mechanisms exist within Indian power regulations to address this issue. Diu may export any surplus solar power generated during the day to Gujarat and acquire what it needs during the night or period of shortfall in solar power generation. This barter is allowed and commonly practiced in the Indian power system. A similar approach is believed to have been implemented at the Kochi International Airport, the world’s first fully solar-powered airport.

Source: cleantechnica.com

Arctic Has Warmest Winter On Record

12.03.2018

The Arctic winter comes and goes — but ever so differently as warming trends prevail. Increasing temperatures and glacial caving continue as Mother Nature gets hotter — at the top of our world as elsewhere.

James Balog has an immense range of visuals on this subject. Once long ago a skeptic himself, he transformed and has been documenting the loss of our glaciers (see ICE: Portraits of Vanishing Glaciers). Balog has been patiently filming the cavings for years.

A recent update from The Guardian notes that the increasing temperature from recent weather data is worrying the scientists who firmly watch the effects of climate change and know what they could mean for human wellbeing. The report passes along the message that the Arctic region just experienced its warmest winter on record.

“Sea ice hit record lows for the time of year, new US weather data revealed on Tuesday.” The situation reminds me of the old adage about Mother Nature. Mother Nature can’t be fooled, but some of us are foolish about our small planet’s challenges.

“It’s just crazy, crazy stuff,” said Mark Serreze, director of the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colorado, who has been studying the Arctic since 1982. “These heat waves – I’ve never seen anything like this.”

It is unquestionable that the truth is so frightening that some avoid the credible information altogether. Still, day by day, we who read CleanTechnica keep our eyes out for new information and act to turn the trend in a more positive direction. An earlier post (linked above) describes that, in the next 10 or so years, “13 large global cities are facing temperature rises that could exceed 2° degrees Celsius (3.6° Fahrenheit), according to a new report from the Urban Climate Change Research Network at Columbia University.”

The Guardian continues: “Experts say what’s happening is unprecedented, part of a global warming-driven cycle that probably played a role in the recent strong, icy storms in Europe and the north-eastern US.

“The land weather station closest to the North Pole, at the tip of Greenland, spent more than 60 hours above freezing in February. Before this year, scientists had seen the temperature there rise above freezing in February only twice before, and then extremely briefly. Last month’s record-high temperatures have been more like those typical of May, said Ruth Mottram, a climate scientist at the Danish Meteorological Institute.

“Of nearly three dozen different Arctic weather stations, 15 of them were at least 10F (5.6C) above normal for the winter. ‘The extended warmth really has staggered all of us,’ Mottram said.”

Source: cleantechnica.com

As The Glaciers Of The Swiss Alps Melt, Hydroelectric Firms Look Toward Wind Power

12.03.2018

Over the coming decades, some of the rivers in Europe that utilize hydroelectric facilities to generate electricity are expected to see greatly reduced water flows due to the rapid disappearance of glaciers in the Swiss Alps.

As a result, some regions that are currently partly reliant upon hydroelectric capacity will have to partially transition to other sources of power. With that apparently in mind, execs at the France-based Compagnie Nationale du Rhone (CNR) hydropower group have begun making plans to greatly increase investment into renewable energy projects, reportedly.

This news follows on a drought last year that saw relevant water flows (at hydro facilities) reduced by 27%, accompanied by a drop to “just” 10.7 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity generation. That figure represents quite a drop from the record figure of 17.4 TWh worth of generation in 2013.

Expectations are that the river Rhone,which flows from Lake Geneva (which is fed by glacier melt) to the Mediterranean, will see its flow greatly diminished over the coming decades as the Alpine glaciers of the region continue disappearing.

Some predictions state that the flow of the Rhone will be diminished by 10%-40% in just faew decades, and perhaps more importantly, the flow that still exists will come increasingly in the form of violent floods.

“Scientists say the Alps’ glaciers could disappear by the end of the century. That does not mean they will, but we must act responsibly,” explained CNR CEO Elisabeth Ayrault, in an interview with Reuters.

As a result, the company will reportedly be increasing its investment into the renewable energy sector, and looking to boost renewables capacity by 5-fold in the near-term, reportedly.

“Our plan is to have as much capacity away from the river as on the river, probably by 2035,” the CNR CEO continued.

Reuters provides more: “CNR has 3,035 megawatt (MW) of hydropower capacity — making it France’s second-biggest hydropower producer after EDF — and has already built some 600 MW of mainly wind and some solar power since 2015.”

“By 2020, it wants to boost that to 1,000 MW and then accelerate renewables investment with a further 1,500 MW in 2020-2025 to eventually reach 3,000 MW of renewables capacity. Ayrault said the problem was not just slower flow rates but also increasing volatility. Last year’s drought was followed by 3 major floods in December-January. Floods also weigh on output, as CNR is forced to open dams to evacuate excess water.”

“What is worrying is the huge swings in river flow. We no longer have the regularity we had before,” she noted.

Climate weirding is occurring, in other words. Humans have gotten used to the relative climatological stability of the last few thousand years, but such stability can’t be counted on to continue. From here on out, owing to an increase in turbulence in the broader climate system (the result of the rapid release of greenhouse gases in recent times), the weather of the world will become less and less predictable.

The CNR CEO noted that the increasingly extreme river flow swings were also affecting nuclear energy facilities further downstream. I wonder what will happen with those nuclear energy power plants over the long-term?

Source: cleantechnica.com

Mojave Desert Protections and Renewable Energy Under Attack

12.03.2018

After opening up most of our country’s shorelines to offshore drilling, the Trump administration is now reconsidering an ambitious and innovative plan to conserve desert lands while generating renewable energy.

The administration intends to reopen the Desert Renewable Energy and Conservation Plan (DRECP) for the Mojave Desert finalized in September 2016. The plan was based on more than 8 years of stakeholder input—more than 16,000 comments were submitted—hard science and balancing the need for conservation and clean energy.

The DRECP strikes the right balance—it protects lands important for, wildlife and habitat connectivity, lands rich in cultural resources and lands treasured by local communities for recreation. It also identifies almost 400,000 acres of appropriate lands for renewable energy zones—more than enough to meet the state of California’s ambitious renewable energy goals.

Despite Interior Sec. Ryan Zinke’s recent comments, there is absolutely no reason to re-open it. Zinke couldn’t have been more wrong when he said, “Five hundred miles of solar cells is not compatible with the habitat.” The whole point of the DRECP was to make sure that renewable energy development and conservation take place in the right areas so that both can co-exist in the desert.

In reality, the DRECP would allow development of solar projects on a small fraction of the 10 million acres of federal land included in the plan. There certainly is no proposal for a single, contiguous solar facility covering 500 square miles that Zinke’s misstatement warns of. His blatant error reflects this administration’s outright hostility to clean energy and allegiance to fossil fuels at any costs.

Instead of scare tactics, the focus now should be on robust implementation of the plan, not re-opening it at tax payers’ expense. Re-opening the DRECP jeopardizes more than four million acres of important conservation lands. It could also threaten many of the desert’s most threatened and endangered species such as majestic bighorn sheep and ancient desert tortoise.

Opening the DRECP will also create uncertainty for local counties, industry, wildlife agencies, outdoor recreationists and rural communities. NRDC will fight efforts to undo the work of 8 years of stakeholder input and planning, which will waste a great deal of time and money invested by both the federal and state governments and is certain to result in a less balanced plan.

Source: ecowatch.com

Not in da Club: Deltic Group Declares ‘No Straw Attached’

12.03.2018

The notice displayed in night clubs informing you of which substances are banned is going to need to be updated to include another item of contraband: the plastic straw.

The Deltic Group, the UK’s largest operator of ‘premium late night bars and clubs’ announced late last week that it has removed plastic straws from its 57 venues across the UK with immediate effect.

Under the so-called #nostrawattached campaign, the company said that drinks will no longer be served with a straw as standard.

If customers request a straw they will receive one made from PLA, a plant-based plastic that biodegrades in six months and contains 67 per cent less embodied carbon than oil-based PP plastic.

The company added that the new straws will be disposed of in dedicated food waste bins for recycling.

“We are pleased to announce that we will no longer be buying, using or serving plastic straws to any of our customers at any of our venues,” said Peter Marks, chief executive of The Deltic Group, in a statement. “These changes form part of a broader commitment to run a more environmentally friendly and sustainable operation.”

The commitment is the latest in a string of announcements from across the hospitality sector as leading brands seek to crack down on plastic waste.

In recent months, brands such as Wetherspoons, Pernod Ricard, and Malmaison have all pledged to end the use of plastic straws on their premises.

Source: businessgreen.com

Finnish Savo-Solar Inks EUR 2 Million Deal with France

11.03.2018

Finnish solar thermal systems provider Savo-Solar has signed a final delivery contract with newHeat SAS in France.

The contract is for France’s largest solar thermal system. It will be installed in Condat-sur-Vézère and have a collector area of over 4 000m2.

Valued at over two million euros, the order includes the civil works, the collector field installed on a tracking system, piping, solar station including the heat exchanger, the control system and the heat delivery to the industrial process.

Savo-Solar has also been awarded the operation and maintenance contract and will be responsible for the operation of the system.

newHeat SAS will use the plant, the first flat-plate collector field in the world to be installed on a one-axis tracking system, to supply and sell heat to an industrial site.

The contract will take effect and project delivery will start after newHeat has received the final approvals and agreements, by the end of April.

The Sun has been shining on the Finnish company of late, with deals previously announced in Denmark and Latin America.

Source: Good News Finland

Temperature Rise over 2° Celsius (3.6° Fahrenheit) Possible in 13 Global Cities in 2020s, Study Finds

09.03.2018

climate - change — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Over just the next decade or so, 13 large global cities are facing temperature rises that could exceed 2° degrees Celsius (3.6° Fahrenheit), according to a new report from the Urban Climate Change Research Network at Columbia University.

Some of the largest cities facing possibly extreme temperature rise by as soon as the mid- to late-2020s include Geneva (Switzerland), Shenzhen (China), Leuven (Belgium), and Tsukuba (Japan), among others.

According to the new report, those cities are facing temperature rises of up to and between 2.5° Celsius and 2.3° Celsius. The lower bounds of these estimates are still generally above 1° Celsius, though, so higher temperatures are now a given, and it’s just a question of how extreme they are.

“It’s all alarming,” stated study author William Solecki, in an interview with the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Well, that would be putting it lightly. The higher temperature rise possibilities discussed above would greatly hamper economic activity in the cities in question, and by as soon as a decade or so from now.

Reuters provides more: “The new data provides ‘foundation knowledge’ for cities at the forefront of efforts to rein in the effects of global warming, said Cynthia Rosenzweig, an editor of the report and a researcher with NASA.”

“The findings’ variance — projected increases do not exceed 1° C in a handful of cases — offer a reminder that cities need to develop tailored plans to mitigate the effects of climate change, said Solecki, a professor at Hunter College in New York. Planning is particularly crucial given growing pressures from urbanization, he said.”

This report follows not too long after a study was released recently calling into question the idea that it still remains possible to limit anthropogenic climate warming to under 1.5° Celsius.

While there other recent studies arguing that it is still possible to meet the 1.5° Celsius (or even 2° Celsius) goal if action was taken, the reality is that these studies rely on models which don’t take into account important feedback loops, and which have greatly underestimated the speed at which changes have occurred to date.

The greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere to date are very likely enough to cause over 2° Celsius temperature rise by 2100 as is, simply due to now activated positive feedback loops and continuing deforestation and soil erosion.

The only way that temperature rise could be limited to under 2° Celsius by 2100 at this point is through the large-scale (and highly expensive) deployment of the currently non-existant atmospheric carbon removal tech. And that’s the case even if a rapid phaseout of fossil fuel use, and a fundamental restructuring of the agricultural, international trade, and transport sectors was to occur.

Source: cleantechnica.com

African Development Bank Secures $52.5 Million For 100 Megawatts Of Zambia Renewable Energy

09.03.2018

obnovljiva-energija — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

The African Development Bank has this week secured $52.5 million in funding from the Green Climate Fund for Zambia’s Renewable Energy Financing Framework which will seek to finance 100 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy.

The funding was approved at the 19th Board Meeting of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) held in Songo, South Korea this week. The GCF is a fund that was adopted by 194 governments as a financial mechanism of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change at the end of 2011, with a goal to limit or reduce greenhouse gas emissions in developing countries and help adapt vulnerable societies to the already-felt impacts of climate change.

The new funding will aim to finance 100 MW of renewable energy projects under the Renewable Energy Feed-in-Tariff (REFiT) policy of Zambia, which was launched in 2017 in an effort to crowd-in private investments for small-scale renewable projects up to 20 MW in size. The funding, comprised of $50 million provided by the GCF as a loan and $2.5 million as a grant, will go to support primarily solar projects focused on diversifying Zambia’s energy production, which is currently heavily reliant on hydroelectricity.

This reliance on hydroelectricity is not inherently a problem, but when you add in the fact that the region is encountering recent droughts, it results in serious electricity supply deficits.

“This is a significant first fruit of our joint commitment for development and growth in Africa that aligns with the Paris Agreement” said Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank. “We look forward to partnering further with the Green Climate Fund to help increase Africa’s share of climate finance.”

“This innovative project represents an important and fitting milestone in our partnership with GCF,” added Amadou Hott, Vice President for Power, Energy, Climate and Green Growth at the African Development Bank. “Not only do the projects pave the way for providing clean, sustainable energy to around 300,000 people, through diversifying Zambia’s energy mix. It will also make the country more resilient to the effects of climate change.”

Zambia has recently made headway in bolstering its renewable energy future. In early December Zambia’s government launched the first round of its GET FIT Zambia program — the official implementation program of its REFiT policy. A 100 MW tender for solar PV projects up to 20 MW is set to launch early this year, with the hopes of using the policy to secure 200 MW of small- and medium-scale renewable projects.

Additionally, Zambia secured an International Development Association (IDA) $2.8 million guarantee from the World Bank Group to support the country’s desire to increase its solar PV electricity capacity. Specifically, the $2.8 million guarantee will leverage around $48 million in private sector-led investment to support the development of a 34 MW solar PV project being developed by Ngonye Power Company Limited.

“The Ngonye project will increase and diversify Zambia’s renewable energy generation capacity and support government’s objective of diversifying the electricity generation mix to shield the country from climate-induced shocks,” said Ina Ruthenberg, World Bank Country Manager for Zambia in December.

Source: cleantechnica.com

ACCIONA To Cover National Mining Company Of Chile’s Electricity Consumption With 100% Renewables

09.03.2018

Global leader in renewable energy and infrastructure ACCIONA has been awarded the contract to supply 100% of The National Mining Company of Chile’s electricity consumption with renewable energy and will start building a new solar PV plant for that purpose.

ACCIONA signed the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with The National Mining Company of Chile (ENAMI) this week at the former’s already operational 246 megawatt (MW) El Romero Solar photovoltaic plant. Under the long-term deal, ACCIONA will supply 100% of ENAMI’s plants with renewable electricity by 2022, for which it will also build a new solar PV plant in the north of the country.

ACCIONA already has two operational renewable energy projects in Chile, the 246 MW solar PV plant in the Atacama Desert and the 45 MW Punta Palmeras wind farm in the region of Coquimbo, and is also currently building the San Gabriel 183 MW wind farm in Araucanía.

Upon completion of work and the full operation of the PPA, the transition to renewable energy will avoid more than 300,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions.

“Helping the National Mining Company of Chile to achieve 100% renewable consumption gives us great satisfaction, due to the importance of the client, the sector it operates in, and because it strengthens our position in the corporate PPA market in the country,” said Ignacio Escobar, ACCIONA Energía’s CEO for South America. “The agreement also enables us to increase our photovoltaic capacity in Chile, which represents a major milestone in our development activity.”

“This contract is part of the modernization that we are driving forward in ENAMI,” added Jaime Pérez de Arce, Executive Vice-president of ENAMI. “This is very important for us, as it demonstrates our commitment to the sustainable development of the Company and the country,” adding that “the new emission-control technology that we will incorporate in the foundry at Paipote, plus the fact that all our plants are supplied with clean energies, places us among the companies with highest environmental standards in the sector.”

Source: cleantechnica.com

Fifth Third Bank Commits & Succeeds In Going 100% Renewable With Single Solar PPA

09.03.2018

Ohio-based Fifth Third Bank has become the first Fortune 500 company, the first bank, and the first RE100 member to achieve its goal of securing 100% of its power consumption with renewables in a single Power Purchase Agreement from a single project.

Announced on Wednesday, Fifth Third Bank, a regional financial services company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, announced that not only was it joining 100% renewable energy initiative RE100, but that it would achieve its goal by the end of the year with a single Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) from a single power project — an 80 megawatt (MW) solar project in North Carolina being developed by SunEnergy1 which will eventually generate approximately 194,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity each year.

The move makes Fifth Third Bank not only the first RE100 member to achieve this goal, but the first Fortune 500 company and the first bank, and also the first publicly-traded company to commit to purchase 100% renewable energy through solar power alone.

“This initiative affirms our bold commitment to advance environmental stewardship on behalf of customers, employees and shareholders,” said Greg Carmichael, chairman, president & CEO, Fifth Third Bancorp. “This innovative project will reduce Fifth Third’s carbon footprint and benefit the communities we serve. In addition, this project is expected to increase earnings, demonstrating that companies can ‘do well by doing good.”

“We applaud Fifth Third for joining RE100 and for becoming the first member company to contract for 100% solar power,” added Amy Davidsen, Executive Director – North America, The Climate Group. “By achieving its 100% renewable energy goal four years early, Fifth Third is demonstrating that there is a strong business case for solar, that corporate leadership on renewables is accelerating, and that faster greenhouse gas emissions cuts are possible – this will inspire more companies to follow suit.”

The $200 million solar project, which is being built and will be owned by SunEnergy1, will employ around 1,000 people during the construction phase, and avoid 144,000 metric tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually. That’s the equivalent of emissions generated by more than 21,600 homes or 30,800 cars.

“SunEnergy1 pioneered the concept of corporate and institutional power purchase agreements for solar power,” explained Kenny Habul, SunEnergy1 CEO.

“This is the first time that we have seen a corporation move to 100% clean power by purchasing all of the output from one project. When complete later this year, the Hertford County Aulander Holloman facility will be one of the largest solar projects in the US; it will provide an important economic investment in North Carolina; and it will lead to a meaningful and measurable difference in carbon emissions. The Earth is our vehicle through time so we congratulate Fifth Third for showing that companies can cut their emissions and improve the health of our environment today through solar power. We urge corporate America to stand up and join the 100% club.”

Source: cleantechnica.com

Katowice (Poland) Is Using Drones To Locate Illegal Emissions Sources

09.03.2018

drone-3198324_960_720 — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

The city of Katowice in Poland has begun using drones outfitted with various air quality sensors as a means of locating illegal emissions sources — and thus as a way of locating otherwise hard to locate offenders.

To explain that a bit more, the country of Poland reportedly has something of a problem with regard to the burning of illegal fuel materials in households and buildings — a problem that is partly responsible for the air pollution problems present in some parts of the country. And Katowice, you see, is a mining town…so effective, if dirty, fuels are in relative abundance, and cheap.

The deployment in the mining town of Katowice represents a test of sorts, according to Radio Poland, with a possible wider rollout elsewhere pruning the local police find the drones to be effective in the detection of illegal emissions.

“In a city as troubled by pollution, and with as small a population as 300,000, it seems an effective test-site for this smog-combatting UAV technology. Reportedly, the drone being used to track certain kinds of smoke was supplied by Katowice-based aerial surveillance company Flytronic, and can actually evaluate various chemical makeups with its onboard sensors.

“The technology employed here has apparently worked so well that local police have already fined an offender $150 (500 PLN) for breaking the law. According to Radio Poland, Poland’s newly elected Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, made it a point to focus on the country’s pollution during his time in office. It’s no wonder that drones are being looked at to solve the country’s pollution problem — which apparently kills 50,000 citizens a year — as UAVs have become far more sophisticated and affordable in recent years.”

This deployment comes ahead of Katowice’s hosting of the 2018 United Nations Climate Change Conference later this year (December 2018) — with the idea no doubt being to hopefully clean the air up a bit before the event.

Source: cleantechnica.com

Thomas LUBECK, IFC: Tailwinds to the Financial Market

08.03.2018

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International Finance Corporation – IFC, one of the five members of the World Bank Group, is the world’s largest institution that encourages economic development by investing in the private sector in emerging markets. Serbia became a shareholder and a member of IFC in 2001 by purchasing a small package of shares, which was followed by an official invitation from our government to the IFC to come to Serbia and take part in the creation of an investment market as well as in connecting private companies with potential investors. IFC’s activities in our country have been managed for the past three years by Thomas Lubeck, who has recently been appointed Regional Manager for Southeast and Central Europe.

BRIEFLY ABOUT THE ICF

Founded in 1956 in Washington to promote economic development through investments in the private sector
It’s one of the five organizations that make up the World Bank Group
175 countries are members of the IFC
The major shareholders are the USA, Japan, Germany, France, and Great Britain
Other countries have a share of 54.2 percent
Invests solely in private business through loans or in the form of equity interest
Does not invest with government guarantees, but can offer advisory services
One of the IFC’s key roles in emerging markets is to bring private sector and investors together
More information can be found at www.ifc.org

Having in mind that development of any market segment does not happen on its own, this financial institution has been supporting businesses through investment and advisory services for years in order to develop the domestic financial market and to encourage other investors to take part in the existing or future projects. Over the last 16 years, IFC has invested more than 2 billion dollars in a vast number of different projects in Serbia, and the first investment in infrastructure is a project for which IFC allocated the funds in the amount of 19.1 million euros to the Belgian company Elicio for the construction of the Alibunar wind farm. Following this project, IFC also supported the construction of the Čibuk 1 wind farm. The IFC and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development approved 215 million euros loan to the company “The Balkan Wind farm” for building a wind farm, which will be the largest in the Balkans. Thomas Lubeck believes that these projects herald a change and we can now expect other investors to significantly devote their resources to projects in our country.

“We can finally see our efforts being paid off, as the construction of these two wind farms stands for the first sizeable private foreign investment in renewable energy sources in Serbia.”

These two projects have manifold significance for our country – the renewable energy supply will be increased, the emission of harmful gases will be reduced and both energy mix and energy supply of households and businesses in Vojvodina will be improved. Having in mind that Serbia is one of the biggest greenhouse gases producers in Europe, based on the fact that 70% of our electricity is generated from coal-fired power plants, it’s essential we should use the great potential of renewable energy sources on hand.

These projects have brought in the added value such as the key support to the commercial banks, as investors, to help them finance and invest in renewable energy sources. Thomas points up that the IFC is making great effort to mobilize domestic banks so that they take part in such projects alongside the IFC. “By doing this we are creating the market, we are motivating the banks to invest paying attention at the same time that they should be protected. In fact, working on these projects we have mobilized other entities to also invest their funds.“

THE CONSTRUCTION PROGRESS: MALIBUNAR FINISHED, ALIBUNAR UNDERWAY

Elicio company finished in October the construction of Malibunar wind farm, with the total capacity of 8 MW, which will supply 7,200 households with electricity. In this area of South Banat, which is very suitable for wind energy exploitation, since it belongs to the region with strong Košava wind, this company started in June the construction of another and larger wind farm Alibunar, that will have 21 wind turbines providing five times bigger capacity. The investment value is 80 million euros, and besides the IFC, the investors are UniCredit Bank, Dutch Development Bank, and GGF and the Elicio company.

In addition to the direct investments, this financial corporation was involved as an advisor to the City of Belgrade on a major project for getting energy from waste which was brought to an end after two years of negotiations and cooperation with the City’s authorities. “State and local governments hire us to help them properly structure concessions or public-private partnerships, we do tenders and make sure the governments get absolutely the best deal for the market. If you take into account the fact that we work primarily with the private sector, who can better know how private companies think and work. That being the core of our business, we can offer the best advice on how to get the private sector in, so that they invest in a matter of public importance, always bearing in mind the well-defined interest of state or local government. Here we’ve got a team experienced in working with investment banks precisely on investment advisory projects. To this end, Belgrade will be able to use up to 60-70 percent of waste for heat and electricity production. All this waste is now still dumped at the Vinča landfill without any sorting. There are many benefits from this project − besides energy production, the lifespan of the landfill will be prolonged, and certain environmental problems caused by ongoing method of waste disposal to the landfill will be solved”, explains Thomas Lubeck adding that this is the first IFC’s advisory service project related to the establishment of a private-public partnership in Serbia in the field of energy production that will surely pave the way to new partnerships that require long-term investment in other sectors in our country.

Many countries are facing one of the crucial developmental challenges such as urban infrastructure, bearing in mind that urban globalization trend will continue in the next twenty or thirty years and that people will keep on leaving rural areas in search for better life in cities. Having implemented individual projects in various cities in order to set up sustainable infrastructure, the IFC launched a more comprehensive initiative called Smart Cities. Thomas Lubeck explains that they have aimed for a holistic approach to designing this city development strategy, taking into consideration what cities will look like in the upcoming decades and what their population will be. “Here we have a strategy that should include numerous improvement measures, which also involves the implementation of energy efficiency in buildings, and we have chosen several cities to work with. Along with Istanbul, Izmir, and Lima, Belgrade is also among the future Smart Cities, and with these advisory projects on investment possibilities for energy production from waste, or for water supply and energy efficiency in public buildings, we have taken the first steps that should help your capital city to address emerging developmental challenges.” While financing and construction projects are still far from being carried out, a review is being done in partnership with the European Union about where investment might get the most efficiency.

ČIBUK 1 – THE LARGEST FARM IN THE BALKANS

Čibuk 1 wind farm, with the capacity of 158 MW, 300 million euros worth, will occupy a total area of 37 square kilometers. The wind farm is part of “The Balkan Wind farm” project that is implemented through a 60:40 partnership between Abu Dhabi Future Company Masdar, United Arab Emirates and Cibuk Wind Holding, branch of the American company Continental Wind Partners. The 107.7 million euros financial package provided by the IFC consists of a direct top-up loan of 52.7 million euros, a loan of 36.7 million euros granted by IFC through its Co-financing Program portfolio and Syndicated B Loan of 18.3 million euros. At the same time, the EBRD has provided 17.7 million euros through syndicated loans of type A and B. The project will include 57 wind turbines obtained from General Electric company and it is expected to improve power supply for approximately 113,000 households and businesses. It is expected that the construction of Čibuk 1 wind farm will be finished at the beginning of 2019. The project will also help reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 370,000 tons per year. The project should create as many as 400 new jobs during its construction, as well as to improve local infrastructure with 50 km of new roads. The project will also help Serbia fulfill its obligations under the Energy Community Treaty establishing that in 2020, 27 percent of energy consumption comes from renewable sources.

Interview by: Tamara Zjacic

This content was originally published in the eighth issue of the Energy Portal Magazine ECOHEALTH, in November 2017.

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