Miroslav Tadić: The United Nations Strongly Support the Transition of Serbia towards Ecomobility

04.01.2018

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) is helping the transition of the Republic of Serbia through the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which define priority areas of development in the world until 2030. Through a series of projects and programs, implemented in cooperation with government institutions, local self-governments, private and civil sector, UNDP has been actively advocating for the establishment and development of urban mobility in cities throughout our country for more than a decade. We tried to find out from Miroslav Tadić, the Portfolio Manager of UNDP in Serbia, why the establishment of sustainable transport is of utmost importance and what the possible ways of operation are.

EP: To what extent is the establishment of sustainable transport important for adapting to climate change and mitigating effects? How much can the development of eco-mobility contribute to reducing CO2 and other GHG emissions?

Miroslav Tadić: At the meetings of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, it was concluded that urban areas alone represent the largest additional potential for the reduction of GHG emissions, especially in relation to the tendency to keep the rise in the average global temperature below 2°C by the end of the century. This is primarily important in relation to the obligations that the countries take by signing and ratifying the Paris Agreement. It is of great importance to note that the Republic of Serbia ratified this international agreement in 2017.

The significant role of cities in combating climate change is also emphasized in the Global Emissions Gap Report prepared by the United Nations Environment Programme. Consequently, traffic becomes more important, not only as a problem but as a potential to reduce emissions. At EU level, it is estimated that traffic contributes to a quarter of total GHG emissions and is certainly the leading air pollutant in the urban area. In response to this challenge, the EU has strategically planned to significantly reduce GHG emissions from the transport sector and to focus on the path of low-carbon mobility. This implies a strategic commitment to reducing the emissions from the transport sector by 60% compared with 1990 levels, by 2050. The Republic of Serbia, as a candidate country for EU membership, must certainly follow not only the global but especially the EU trends. The motive for reducing the emissions from the transport sector should be much higher and we should primarily take care of the health of people and the quality of the environment of urban areas.

EP: Does the use of electric cars make sense if the fossil fuel energy is still used to charge batteries?

Miroslav Tadić: In principle, the effect is certainly lower and only temporarily postpones the inevitable consequences in terms of increasing GHG emissions. It would be ideal to increase the share of renewable sources in primary energy production parallelly with the introduction of electric cars. Serbia has an ambitious goal of reaching 27 percent of energy from renewable sources by 2020. This, in combination with the existing number of electric vehicles in Serbia (which is very small), is certainly not sufficient to significantly demonstrate the effect of reducing GHG emissions from the transport sector. The current situation in the field of introducing electric cars has a higher educational than practical significance, which can again be considered a progressive measure. A more important current measure is to improve the quality of the fleet by switching to more efficient low-emission engines.

EP: Do you rely on the massive use of electric vehicles in our country in the process of establishing sustainable transport in the future, or do you see a greater potential in more affordable sustainable means of transport such as bicycles?

Miroslav Tadić: Considering the demanding infrastructure that needs to be established for the purpose of more efficient and massive introduction of electric cars on the market of the Republic of Serbia, the greatest current potential is in the development of cycling. This means that bicycles are seen as alternative means of transport, and not only as a recreation activity. An increasing number of new bicycle paths speaks in favor of that. Likewise, bike trails are set up in new and reconstructed streets, which is another encouraging piece of information. The Belgrade City Hall has recently hosted a conference of European countries, bicycle partners, with the support of the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Provincial Government of Vojvodina, the City of Belgrade, private and non-governmental sector. At the meeting, it was emphasized that the preparation of logistics for the development of the Cycling Strategy, as well as the National Action Plan for Transport, Environment, and Health, is in progress. In addition, Belgrade, as the largest urban entity, has prepared a Study on the safety of cyclists in traffic. These pieces of information, as well as a large number of active cycling associations, point to the fact that cycling is really an important lever in sustainable traffic, both at national and local level.

Most of major cities in the world face transport problems, starting from an increase in traffic jams and an increased number of traffic accidents to constant noise pollution and high levels of emissions of harmful gases, including greenhouse gas emissions. Tra c currently accounts for 30% of total energy consumption in the EU. Half of the total fuel used in road traffic burns in cities. About 98 percent of the energy market related to the traffic depends on oil, most of which (75 percent) refers to road transport. Based on these data, it is evident that traffic significantly contributes to climate change and is at the same time a significant factor in the fight against climate change. The development of sustainable forms of transport is a direct contribution to the reduction of GHG emissions in urban areas where the intensity of traffic is the highest.

EP: Several years ago, the project “Support to Sustainable Transport in the City of Belgrade“ was implemented by UNDP in cooperation with the Ministry of Energy and was funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF). Can you briefly comment the results of the implementation of this project?

Miroslav Tadić: The Project was a pioneering effort to introduce the concept of sustainable urban mobility planning. In this regard, the first Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan for the city of Belgrade was prepared, a series of awareness-raising campaigns on the importance of sustainable means of transport, especially cycling, were conducted, safe roads to schools for the youngest fellow citizens were established and horizontal and vertical signalization was set in the vicinity of several schools in the centre of Belgrade. Also, bicycle paths to Avala and Bojčinska Forest. Based on the results of this project, Belgrade continued to promote cycling, mark bicycle trails, mark slow traffic areas near schools, etc. Also, during this project, a campaign “Let’s Cycle in Belgrade“, was launched, whose effect is primarily visible in the area of greater commitment of decision-makers in promoting alternative forms of urban mobility. One of the important segments of the project was the training of public transport drivers for the so-called “Eco-driving“ – this type of training has proven to bring significant savings in fuel and resources in public city transport budgets.

Likewise, the project has also produced a Guide to Sustainable Urban Mobility as an ancillary plan for all local governments that want to implement similar measures and activities on their territory. All in all, the project was an excellent introduction and support for further activities that Belgrade is implementing in terms of reducing the negative effects of traffic on the environment, health, and safety of people.

In May this year, UNDP was one of the organizers of the action “Just not by Car“. This type of activity is very important also from the aspect of corporate social responsibility in the Republic of Serbia. The aim of this campaign was to encourage employers to motivate employees to use of alternative forms of transport. Of course, this action is also an opportunity for every individual to easily respond to the climate change challenges, simply by using bicycles or hiking on their way to and from the workplace. By popularizing such activities, their effect on the sustainable development of transport will be increased, the emissions of harmful gases will be reduced, and the quality of life of the citizens will be improved.

EP: Recently, the start of the Climate Smart Urban Development project was marked by an introductory workshop 84 where you announced a challenging program that should include the local community. Can the development of the road infrastructure for the sustainable transport in our country be considered challenging?

Miroslav Tadić: Traffic is certainly a part of the planning of local development resistant to climate change. It is necessary to keep in mind that the transport, as much as it is the cause of climate change, certainly suffers from the effects of climate change. In this regard, the planning of sustainable transport measures needs to be done with respect to future climate change so that this sector becomes even more resistant to climate challenges.

Interview by: Marija Nešović

This interview was originally published in the eighth issue of the Energy Portal Bulletin, named ECOMOBILITY.

Indian State Plans Massive Solar Project At Retired Coal Power Plant

04.01.2018

More Indian states are switching to solar power from thermal power due to the cost benefits available with the former.

Now, the northern state of Punjab is considering setting up a huge solar power project at the land where currently a 460 megawatt coal-based power plant stands. The power plant, spread over an area of 2,000 acres, is set to be retired on the first of January 2018.

The state government plans to sell off 1,400 acres of this land for infrastructure development, while the balance of 600 acres could be used to set up a solar power project. An estimated 240 megawatts of capacity could be installed at the available area.

In addition to this 460 megawatt thermal power project, 420 megawatt capacity at another thermal power plant will be shutdown. These projects are being retired due to the high generation cost. The state’s power utility switched on the 460 megawatt power plant only for 15 days in 2017. The state has been able to procure electricity at up to 44% discount from other sources, forcing the state power utility to take the call to shut down the power plants.

India’s current lowest solar power tariff is competitive to the price of electricity from these other sources and thus it make sense for the state utility to consider a solar power project at the soon-to-be-retired thermal power plant.

The state government is also considering setting up a 3,000 megawatt super-critical thermal power plant. While the power plant will have significantly greater emissions compared to the solar power plant, it will have considerably fewer emissions compared to the thermal power capacity being retired.

Source: cleantechnica.com

Indian Insurers Launch Products For Solar Power Sector

03.01.2018

solar-panel-1393880__340 — Photo: Pixabay

With the rapid boom in the solar power market in India, increasing competition, and collapsing tariff bids, Indian insurance companies have launched products to protect lenders as well as developers.

HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company has launched a solar energy shortfall insurance policy. The policy protects lenders and developers against any shortfall in the expected solar power generation due to non-physical damage. Non-physical damage would include sub-optimal design, lower-than-expected solar radiation, and error in determination of yields during the design phase.

The insurance will safeguard the project operators from financial liabilities that they may face in case they are unable to supply the volume of electricity promised in the power purchase agreements. The policy duration has been set for five years.

Another company, ICICI Lombard, has issued a product to cover reduced generation as a result of physical defects in the solar panels. The insurance coverage is set for a period of 15 years. Project developers will be guarded against loss in generation due to faulty manufacturing and unexpected degradation of solar panels.

“The viability of solar power projects depends largely on the performance of solar modules. Also, the risks associated with this industry are different compared to the conventional power generation sources, such as thermal power plants. Thus, a comprehensive solar panel insurance product would help in covering the various risks associated with developing, building, operating, owning and investing in solar power projects,” said Alok Agarwal, Executive Director, ICICI Lombard General Insurance.

India’s aggressively growing solar power market has gave birth to another market — insurance for project developers. A total of 15.5 gigawatts of solar power capacity was operational in India on 31 October 2017, the government plans to auction 77 gigawatts between January 2018 and March 2020, and a substantial volume is under construction. The goal is to have at least 100 gigawatts of operational solar power capacity by March 2022. Thus, a massive market opportunity awaits insurance companies in India.

As solar power tariffs collapse with high competition and solar power module prices fall, the requirement for such insurance products will increase significantly.

Source: cleantechnica.com

2017: The ‘Greenest Year Ever’ for Electricity

03.01.2018

Obnovljivi grad — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

The UK smashed 13 clean energy records last year in the ‘greenest year ever’ for electricity production in the country, according to WWF analysis of National Grid data.

The sweep of new records was powered by the rise of green energy on the system, WWF said last week, with highlights including the first full day since the Industrial Revolution with no coal power, record spikes in solar and offshore wind generation, and record low prices for offshore wind.

The year’s performance continues a trend of falling power sector emissions in recent years, as wind and solar replace coal power on the grid. Since 2012 Britain has halved carbon emissions in the electricity sector, and now ranks as the seventh cleanest power system in the world.

“It’s been an exciting year managing the many ‘network firsts’ – from a day where we operated the system with zero coal power, to one where over half of Great Britain’s energy demand was met by renewable generation,” Duncan Burt, director of the system operator at National Grid, said in a statement. “I’m sure there will be more records broken in 2018 and we’re ready and excited to play our part.”

Summer 2017 was the greenest summer for electricity production ever, with almost 52 per cent of UK electricity provided by nuclear or renewables. In fact, one day in June 2017 saw wind, nuclear and solar power produce more power than gas and coal combined, the first time this has ever happened on the UK grid.

“2017 has been an amazing year for renewable electricity in Britain; we have never been cleaner or greener – and we are on course for an even better year in 2018,” WWF-UK’s head of energy and climate Gareth Redmond-King said in a statement. “Climate change is wreaking havoc on our nature and wildlife, but we are at last facing up to the challenge, turning our backs on polluting fossil fuels and embracing a new clean future.”

But WWF warned that although the UK is decarbonising, more needs to be done to ensure investment continues to flow into green power. In particular, the charity called for a “detailed plan” to ensure onshore wind and solar can continue to deploy at scale, as well as more effort to clean up Britain’s heat network, which still overwhelmingly relies on gas power.

In related news, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) today released updated emissions and energy projections for the UK from 2017 to 2030. The updated figures suggest renewables will play a key role in decarbonising energy, with less reliance on gas in the future.

However, as first set out in the Clean Growth Strategy, the government is still expecting the UK to fall slightly short of its legally binding emissions reduction targets under the Climate Change Act, projecting emissions will miss their target by five per cent for the period 2028-2035.

Source: businessgreen.com

Organic Farming Could Feed the World, But…

03.01.2018

string-beans-2900902_960_720 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

The United Nations estimates the global population will reach more than 9 billion by 2050, and, by some estimates, agricultural output will have to increase by 50 percent to feed all of those mouths. So is it possible to do it organically?

Modern farming methods focus on maximizing crop yields with the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, which put off a surplus of nitrogen that turns into greenhouse gases or finds it’s way into waterways. Advances in industrial farming methods are often credited with helping the food supply keep pace with a growing population, but it’s also given rise to concerns about the negative environmental and health effects caused by chemically enhanced crops.

Organic farming does away with synthetic crop treatments, replacing them with natural methods that are deemed healthier and safer for the environment. However, the knock on organic farming has been that yields are lower, and it wouldn’t be possible to feed the world with food that’s suitable to sell at Whole Foods. But that might not be true.

In a paper published in the journal Nature Communications, a group of researchers say it’s possible to feed the world through organic agriculture, but it would require the world’s citizenry to adopt drastic changes.

Using an estimated global population of 9 billion people by 2050 as a baseline, the scientists conducted model simulations. They found that converting entirely to organic farming would require 16 to 33 percent more land. But if we didn’t want to do that, then the world would need to stop wasting food by 50 percent and dedicate all current animal farmland to going organic. That would drastically alter our diets, as the amount of protein from animals would drop from 38 to 11 percent.

And planting legumes could prove important, as they would help replace your missing proteins. Legumes could also help add nitrogen back into the soil. While eliminating the use of fertilizers would decline the amount of nitrogen, it’s necessary for good plant growth.

“Besides focusing on production, sustainable food systems need to address waste, crop–grass–livestock interdependencies and human consumption,” the researchers wrote in their paper. “None of the corresponding strategies needs full implementation and their combined partial implementation delivers a more sustainable food future.”

That sounds great, right? Unfortunately, it might be overly optimistic.

The Guardian reports that some scientists are hesitant to endorse the new report’s findings, “pointing out that the size of the world’s agricultural systems and their variability, as well as assumptions about future nutritional needs, made generalizations about converting to organic farming difficult to make.”

Source: Discover Magazine

Ice Will Return but Extinctions Can’t Be Reversed. We Must Act now

02.01.2018

We have to develop digital forecasts of species’ responses to climate change, design robust strategies to protect as many as possible, and help nature to adapt.

Each day increasingly dangerous hurricanes, wildfires, and floods betray the influence of climate change. We are appalled at the accruing losses of life and property. The arguments to address climate change at the recent UN climate conference in Bonn focused most often on these more concrete risks. However, the worst effects of climate change will come not from severe weather but from the irreversible loss of species and ecosystems.

Moulded over millions of years by natural selection, the diversity of species on Earth does more than just inspire awe. They are technical marvels and solutions to problems we do not yet know exist.

Scientific evidence now suggests that the Earth has embarked on its sixth extinction crisis, on a par with those executed by extraterrestrial asteroids and geologic upheavals. But this time we are at fault. Most current extinctions ensue from land use and overexploitation, but climate change is now catching up and accelerating these risks.

A couple of years ago I began obsessively scanning thousands of scientific papers for extinctions predicted from climate change. I collected more than half a million predictions including plants and animals from seven continents and the ocean. Surprisingly, I found that species extinctions would not just increase with global warming, but speed up in a rising arc. If we continue emitting current levels of greenhouse gases, climate change could threaten 16% of species – more than a million – by 2100.

Look out of your window and count six species. Now imagine one is gone forever.

We risk losing common, backyard species like the saltmarsh sparrow. About 50,000 of these yellow-cheeked birds nest precariously above normal high tides along the east coast of the US. Scientists predict that climate-amplified tides will wipe this bird off the saltmarsh – and the Earth – in a few decades.

We are already losing the American pika, a rabbit-like creature adapted to life on western North American mountaintops. Even mild temperatures at mid-20C (mid-70F) transform its alpine coat into a hairy death suit. Rising heat is pushing pikas to the top of the mountain, where they have nowhere else to go. They can’t climb sky.

We have just lost the Bramble Cay melomys. This beach rat lived on an Australian coral cay surrounded by the rising seas of climate change. Last year, scientists mounted a rescue mission, but found nothing but a storm-swept island.

As more and more species are threatened, we risk losing Earth’s greatest resource: the library of natural selection. By encoding millions of years of the answers to nature’s travails, biodiversity gives us the drugs in our medicine cabinet, the tools in our intellectual workshop, and solutions to the world’s present and future problems. We are burning the greatest books on Earth before we have read them.

The human race is capable of great things, and no greater task lies ahead of us than protecting the greatest diversity of life in the universe.

First, the US must recommit to the Paris climate agreement and keep the Earth from heating beyond 2C. Above this limit, extinction risks accelerate even faster.

Second, we need the equivalent of a biological Manhattan Project for predicting and preserving biodiversity. We still know so little about life on Earth. We often do not know which species are most at risk or how best to save them. Everyone from citizens to scientists needs to get back outside and study how nature works.

Third, we need to harness the computing horsepower of the software industry to create next-generation forecasts of species’ responses to climate change. We can explore endless permutations of those digital species to predict threats and test solutions. Imagine a computer game that simulates nature, all within our laptops.

Fourth, we need to design robust management strategies to protect the most species possible. We can use corridors to network parks so that species can track moving climates. We can help poor dispersers by identifying and protecting refugees and, in extreme cases, moving species ourselves. We can even help nature adapt to climate change by maintaining large, genetically diverse populations.

Heat waves, severe storms, and melting sea ice are alarming impacts of climate change. But extinctions are the only impacts that cannot be reversed. Even the disappearing ice will return.

Every day we wait, the Earth warms, and we climb higher up the arc of extinction.

Source: theguardian.com

Worst Wildfire in California History Threatens State’s Climate Goals

29.12.2017

wildfire-1105209_960_720 — Foto: pixabay

As predicted, the Thomas Fire in Southern California was officially declared the largest wildfire in state history, surpassing the 2003 Cedar Fire which burned 273,246 acres and killed 15 people.

The vast blaze, now 89 percent contained, has burned through 281,620 acres, according to CalFire. More than 1,000 structures have been destroyed or damaged and two people were killed.

But the other devastating aspect? A future of even more fires due to climate change. The world’s rising temperatures caused by greenhouse gases makes fires more likely to occur not just in California, but across the planet.

And in a vicious cycle, the Golden State’s recent string of fires has caused a sharp increase in unhealthy air and carbon dioxide emissions, which drives global climate change. So even if you don’t live in California, its fires also affect you and our future generations.

“The kinds of fires we’re seeing now generate millions of tons of GHG emissions. This is significant,” Dave Clegern, a spokesman for the state Air Resources Board, a regulatory body, told KQED Science.

While the amount of emissions from the December fires have yet to be calculated, October’s wine country blazes alone released as much pollution as motorists in the state normally emit in a year.

Additionally, burning trees not only release a powerful pollutant known as black carbon, but the loss of a forest also hampers CO2 sequestration, Jim Branham, executive officer at the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, noted to KQED.

The immense scale of the emissions could also undermine California’s climate change goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030.

California Governor Jerry Brown has warned that the state’s vast fires “could happen every year or every few years.”

“We’re facing a new reality in this state, where fires threaten people’s lives, their properties, their neighborhoods, and of course billions and billions of dollars,” Brown commented after surveying the Thomas Fire’s damage in Ventura County. “With climate change, some scientists are saying southern California is literally burning up.”

Indeed, California’s fires have become more and more destructive, with 14 of the top 20 largest fires in state history having occurred since 2000.

Source: ecowatch.com

Using Solar Power As A Political Tool In Armenia

29.12.2017

photovoltaic-system solar — Foto: Pixabay

Electrical energy is not just about running refrigerators and recharging cell phones. It can also have political ramifications. Just ask the people of Armenia, who are still trying to move out of the shadow of Russia following the breakup of the Soviet Union decades ago. Armenia’s electricity all comes from gas-fired generating plants, except for the aging Metsamor nuclear facility which supplies 30% of all electricity within the country. 83% of the natural gas consumed by Armenia comes from Russia, which makes it difficult for Armenia to assert independence from its powerful neighbor. Russia also supplies all the fuel for the Metsamor facility.

Armenia is a good candidate for solar power. Each square meter of the country receives an average of 1,720 kilowatt-hours of sunlight each year. That compares favorably to only 1,000 kilowatt-hours per square meter in most of Europe. Deputy Energy Minister Hayk Harutyunyan tells Agence France-Presse his country has an “Energy Road Map” to using nothing but renewable power in the future. “To ensure its energy security and independence, Armenia, like any other country, strives to diversify energy sources,” he says, according to a report in South Africa’s The Citizen.

The goals of the Energy Road Map are modest at present — 8% of the country’s electrical needs will come from renewables by 2022, for instance. Armenia is under pressure from Europe to close the antiquated Metsamor facility immediately, but the government has decided to keep it operational until 2026, when it expects there will be enough renewable energy available to replace the power the nuclear plant provides.

“We have never had any illusion that the nuclear power plant could work forever. One day, we will have to stop it and we must be ready for this,” says Harutyunyan. “That’s why, during the last several years, Armenia has been stepping up efforts to develop all types of renewable energy — hydro, wind, and solar.” Experts say Armenia has the potential to generate as much as 3,000 MW of electricity annually from solar — more than it currently consumes. That means Armenia could transition from being an energy importer to an energy exporter, earning the nation much needed income.

In 2006, Russia took control of Armenia’s generating stations and its utility grid. Renewable energy would allow the landlocked country to move out from under the thumb of the Russians and control their own energy destiny. In late 2015, an Armenian tycoon with business interests in Russia, Samvel Karapetyan, bought out Armenia’s indebted electricity distribution company from a Kremlin-controlled holding, Inter RAO. His Tashit Group is investing in solar projects and has already spent some $500,000 building a solar power plant in the mountainous tourist town of Tsaghkadzor.

Harutyunyan says a consortium of investors from 10 countries are about to begin construction of a 55 MW solar power plant. The World Bank is supporting the project with an investment of $60 million as part of its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. At the present time, three 1 MW solar installations have been completed in Armenia, with 7 more planned for 2018. The government is also sponsoring rooftop solar for many remote villages.

Energy independence would be especially helpful to Armenia, which is surrounded by not-so-friendly neighbors. It was negotiating with the European Union to join that group but Russian influence — largely as a result of having a stranglehold on its energy supply — forced the government to join the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation, which Russia considers a counterweight to NATO. Armenia has also been a sworn enemy of Turkey on its western border for more than a century. Azerbaijan to the east also has cast covetous eyes on parts of Armenian territory.

Renewable power may be key to a resurgence of Armenia’s political power — a lesson that could become increasingly important in a world being disrupted by changes in global weather patterns. “Alternative energy may not fully replace conventional energy sources, but it will help reduce Armenia’s energy dependence on Russia and, as a result, weaken the Kremlin’s political leverage over [the Armenian capitol of] Yerevan,” says Armenian energy analyst Alexandre Avanesov.

Source: cleantechnica.com

Tesla’s Massive Australian Battery Responds to Coal Power Outages in Milliseconds

29.12.2017

Tesla’s massive lithium-ion battery storage facility, which was designed to feed South Australia’s unstable power grid, is already proving itself by responding to power outages within milliseconds.

The system—the largest of its kind on planet Earth—was tested twice just this month. According to CleanTechnica, on Dec. 14, the Loy Yang coal power plant in the neighboring state of Victoria suddenly went offline. Remarkably, the Hornsdale Power Reserve battery system (the Tesla system’s official name) kicked in within 140 milliseconds and injected 100 megawatts of power into the grid.

Two weeks later, another unit of the Loy Yang plant unexpectedly went offline. Tesla battery’s also responded within milliseconds to send 16 megawatts to the grid.

“That’s a record and the national operators were shocked at how quickly and efficiently the battery was able to deliver this type of energy into the market,” State energy minister Tom Koutsantonis commented after the Dec. 14 outage. “Until now, if we got a call to turn on our emergency generators it would take us 10 to 15 minutes to get them fired up and operating which is a record time compared to other generators.”

The 100-megawatt Powerpack system, which charges using renewable energy from Neoen’s Hornsdale wind farm near Jamestown, is designed to hold enough power for 8,000 homes for 24 hours, or more than 30,000 houses for an hour during a blackout.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk famously made, and won, a bet that his company could build the battery within “100 days from contract signature or it is free.” The giant battery officially switched on in early December.

Source: ecowatch.com

Microsoft “AI For Earth” Project Will Democratize Access To Climate Change Data

29.12.2017

Information is power. Until recently, information about the condition of the earth’s environment has been accessible only to a limited number of people — climate scientists, researchers, and government officials among them. On December 11 — the two-year anniversary of the Paris climate accords — Brad Smith, president and chief legal officer of Microsoft, announced his company will invest $50 million over the next 5 years to democratize access to the data available about the environment available from the thousands of land, sea, and atmospheric sensors in place around the world using AI or artificial intelligence.

The plan is to make it possible for individuals and business owners to access the data available so they can analyze it themselves and decide how to best take strategic actions that will benefit them personally and support the quest for climate change strategies that promote the goals of the Paris climate accords. For instance, Microsoft envisions AI tools that will allow people to conserve energy and reduce water usage in agriculture.

On its AI For Earth webpage, Microsoft sets forth 3 goals:
Access — Through the AI for Earth grant program, individuals and organizations can gain access to cloud and AI computing resources to create more efficient environmental solutions.
Education — New AI for Earth educational opportunities will enable organizations to explore available AI tools, learn how to use them, and discover how these tools can meet their specific needs.
Innovation — AI for Earth will accelerate the pace of innovation by managing projects that demonstrate new applications, publishing research to further the scientific discussion, and partnering with others to expand and grow initial projects.

“AI can be trained to classify raw data from sensors on the ground, in the sky, or in space into categories that both humans and computers understand,” Smith said. “Fundamentally, AI can accelerate our ability to observe environmental systems and how they are changing at a global scale, convert the data into useful information, and apply that information to take concrete steps to better manage our natural resources.”

According to a report by Futurism, the expansion of the AI For Earth program involves 3 steps. First, Microsoft will provide funding for researchers around the world to design and test new AI applications. Second, the most promising applications will receive additional funds to bring them to scale. Third, Microsoft will make the most useful applications part of the services it provides to climate scientists and others involved with sustainable initiatives.

“We face a collective need for urgent action to address global climate issues. When we think about the environmental issues we face today, science tells us that many are the product of previous Industrial Revolutions,” Smith said as part of the December 11 announcement. “We must not only move technology forward, but also use this era’s technology to clean up the past and create a better future.”

Democratizing access to information may provide a means of bypassing the climate trolls who insist climate change is a hoax dreamed up by China to embarrass the US. It could empower people to make up their own minds without resort to the priests of propaganda whose mission is to obfuscate and confuse. With luck, this approach could change the narrative being bandied about by certain political leaders who shall remain nameless.

Source: cleantechnica.com

Green Tech Will Be Everywhere in 2018: Politics Cannot Stop the Revolution

29.12.2017

In 2017, clean power gathered unprecedented momentum. Multiple automakers launched entire families of electric vehicles (EVs), including the most exciting one yet, Tesla’s Model 3. With climate change problems mounting, national and local governments are pushing for more renewable energy and an end to fossil-fueled cars — despite hostile moves in those areas by US President Donald Trump. Elected officials and the public want fewer gas-powered vehicles and coal plants, and more EVs, solar panels, and wind turbines. That will ultimately benefit your health, wallet, and environment, and you’ll be less reliant on large energy and oil corporations, to boot.

With the expectations of consumers, companies and governments all getting higher, 2018 has a lot to deliver. There are key deadlines, especially on Tesla’s part, and if companies miss them, green buyers could go from exuberant to depressed. Here’s what to expect on the consumer side for EVs, clean home power, battery storage backup, and more.

Despite increasing concern that atmospheric CO2 levels are reaching the point of no return, president Trump opted America out of the Paris climate agreement, and along with many Republicans in control of American Congress has pushed coal and oil instead of clean energy. The rest of the world, however, is moving forward. France, for one, created the “Make our Planet Great Again” initiative as counter-programming to Trump. That nation and the UK will also ban fossil-fueled cars completely by 2040. Elsewhere, China installed a record number of wind and solar energy projects in 2017 to curb its own smog issues, and has even bigger plans for 2018 and beyond. The nation wants 20 percent of its power to come from solar or wind by 2030, and to invest around $560 billion by 2020, creating 13 million jobs in the process. As China is now the world’s biggest polluter, this will not only mitigate global CO2 levels but make green tech cheaper around the world.

Electric, hydrogen and hybrid vehicles

In 2018, you’ll have more choice than ever for green transportation as plug-in-hybrid choices expand and EVs become ever more mainstream. Whereas before Tesla was the only game in town for long-range electric transport, you can now choose a Chevy Bolt, Nissan Leaf or, if you’re in Europe, a Renault Zoe. Next year there will be even more choices as cars like the VW e-Golf and the Jaguar i-Pace arrive.

Tesla started delivering the Model 3 in July 2017 to the nearly 400,000 people who ordered one. At that time, Elon Musk promised to build around 1,500 in September, 20,000 this month, and up to 10,000 a week later in 2018. Suffice to say, that didn’t happen — not even close. By the beginning of October, the company had produced 260 cars only, reportedly because of Gigafactory battery production issues and other problems. Things have picked up since, with large numbers of Model 3s reportedly spotted at delivery centers. On top of that, suppliers recently reported that Tesla has increased its demand for parts for up to 5,000 vehicles per week. If Tesla holds to that, it will just be a month or two behind its original schedule. Still, last quarter it produced a record 25,336 vehicles over three months (mostly Model S and Model X EVs), so 20,000 Model 3s in a single month would be a big leap.

Lucky for us, other manufacturers will be selling other new or updated EVs next year, including Chevy, Nissan, Jaguar, and Audi.

Solar power

Tesla is also one of the most interesting consumer solar power companies for 2017. It launched its Solar Roof in late 2016, providing an option for homeowners who want solar-powered homes but not ugly solar panels. If you’re building a new home or replacing your roof anyway, the solar tiles compare favorably with pricey roofing options like slate or cedar shingles. Customer deliveries only recently started (delays with Tesla are obviously a thing), but by next year the company should be building enough to fulfill all of its orders.

Panasonic has reportedly also started building its high-efficiency, low-profile solar panels for Tesla at the Gigafactory 2, in Buffalo. Those will sell in limited numbers next year, but reportedly won’t reach peak capacity until 2019.

In a new wrinkle on the sharing economy, so-called blockchain microgrids could bring solar power to the masses. A company called LO3 Energy promises to let communities buy and sell solar power generated locally. The system works on any size solar installation, from hundreds of homes to just two. If solar power could be shared among multiple homes or businesses, it would become a lot more affordable.

Sunpower is another company to watch. It launched a new type of panel that uses a technique called “shingling” to fit more photovoltaic cells into the same space. That could result in cheaper solar panel installations for both consumers and energy companies.

Batteries, hydrogen and infrastructure

Lithium-ion battery systems are having a good year outside of EVs, famously helping Australia and Hawaii save sun and wind energy for rainy (or calm) days. Tesla again gets the lion’s share of publicity for its Powerpack installations, which helped it win a $50 million bet with the South Australian government.

We also have to give a nod to Ikea, though, which has been selling inexpensive solar panels in the UK and other nations. It unveiled its own battery system in Britain (manufactured, again, by Panasonic). For £6,925 ($9,300), you can get a package with both solar panels and the battery, including installation.

There are still a few developments that could arrive to market as early as next year. The most promising is perhaps StoreDot’s batteries, which can be charged in as little as five minutes for both EVs and smartphones. The company has been vague about how it works, saying the tech uses nano-materials and organic compounds. If batteries like those used by Tesla and Chevy could be charged in five minutes rather than an hour, it would obviously make EVs a lot more practical for long trips.

More realistically, Samsung was among the first of the big manufacturers to launch a faster-charging lithium-ion battery, the 21700 cell, at the beginning of the year. It can be fully charged in just 20 minutes, a significant improvement over the 30-minute-plus charging times of current cells. The only problem: While they’re already available for e-bikes and other smaller devices, Samsung reportedly won’t mass-produce them for cars until about 2021.

As for whether you’ll drive a hydrogen car in 2018, the answer is “not likely.” The cars are still far too expensive ($60,000 or so for the Toyota Mirai), and there are almost no filling stations in North America. Hydrogen needs economies of scale to kick in, and with EVs coming on strong, that seems increasingly unlikely.

Speaking of infrastructure, with more companies launching EVs, you’ll need more places to charge them besides your home. In Europe, the Ionity network will be launching more than 400 stations by 2020, including eighty 350kW ultra-fast chargers that can juice up future EVs in as little as five to 10 minutes.

In the US, there are now around 16,000 charging stations, with 13 percent of those offering fast charging.

Conclusion

If 2018 fulfills the potential of 2017, green energy will become an unstoppable force. Any moves the Trump administration decides to make against it will only hurt the US in the short term, as green tech becomes an economic force around the world. EVs next year could be cheaper than gasoline cars for the first time, considering overall cost of ownership. Suffice to say that replacing a million gas-burning cars will have a big impact on atmospheric CO2 levels.

Even without big breakthroughs, battery tech keeps evolving and is bound to give us more capacity and faster charging times in 2018. Small tech and engineering gains will also make solar panels a bit better and a bit cheaper.

By 2019 and 2020, EVs with self-driving tech will be cheap, practical and mainstream. With solar and wind starting to beat coal, nuclear and gas-powered plants in price, the power you use for your EV and home will be cleaner and cleaner. Will this save the planet from excess CO2 levels? Maybe not, but we have no choice but to try.

Source: engadget

UK Clean Energy Records Make 2017 ‘Greenest Year Ever’

28.12.2017

This year is set to be the “greenest ever” for the UK, according to data provided by the National Grid.

Over the course of 2017, 13 different renewable energy records have been broken.

“It’s been an exciting year managing the many ‘network firsts’,” said Duncan Burt, director of the system operator at National Grid.

These “firsts” include the first full day since the Industrial Revolution without coal power, an achievement that head of energy at Greenpeace Hannah Martin said would have been “unimaginable” a decade ago.

Other achievements include the most electricity produced from solar power at any one moment, and the most wind power produced in a day.

Britain’s power system is the fourth cleanest in Europe and the seventh cleanest in the world.

It is still lagging behind Germany, which has invested extensively in renewable energy and actually paid consumers to use energy over the Christmas period due to supply outstripping demand.

However, public support for green energy is at an all-time high in the UK, and WWF predicted 2017 will be the “greenest year ever” in light of its broken energy records.

“We have never been cleaner or greener – and we are on course for an even better year in 2018,” said Gareth Redmond-King, head of energy and climate at WWF.

“This is the success of supporting renewables in electricity,” he said.

“The Government has subsidised onshore wind, offshore wind, solar, hydro, the lot, and that has led to the cost of it falling, we have built more and now a third of our electricity comes from renewables.”

In partnership with WWF and Environmental Defence Fund Europe, National Grid has been working to forecast the carbon intensity of electricity.

Mr Burt said 2017 represented “a new era of grid operation”.

“We now have significant volumes of renewable energy on the system which poses an exciting challenge for us in ensuring the supply and demand is matched second by second,” he said.

“As this trend continues, our ability to forecast these patterns is becoming more and more important. We have an expert team of forecasters who monitor a range of data, to forecast just how much electricity will be needed over a set period.”

Experts at the National Grid work with industry to ensure they are equipped to deal with the changing energy landscape, according to Mr Burt.

“Climate change is wreaking havoc on our nature and wildlife, but we are at last facing up to the challenge, turning our backs on polluting fossil fuels and embracing a new, clean future,” said Mr Redmond-King.

However, he noted the importance of strong, continued Government action to drive this move towards greener energy.

“This is a success in terms of power; we haven’t done so well in relation to cutting emissions in our homes and vehicles. That’s where we need more concerted action,” he said.

The Government set out its clean energy strategy in October, which included over 50 measures to improve energy efficiency and clean power.

However, Green Party co-leader Caroline Lucas described the plan as a “blueprint for underachievement”, and critics suggested it did not do enough to meet the UK’s emissions targets.

A commitment to end the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles by 2040 does not go far enough, according to WWF, and should be brought forward to 2030.

Mr Redmond-King said while the strategy included a commitment to “decarbonise” our homes, it did not set out how this would be achieved.

“It’s a big job, but it has huge impacts, and we really need to see the detail of how the Government is going to commit to do that,” he said.

Source: independent.co.uk

New Solar Energy Law in Indianapolis

28.12.2017

solar-panels — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

A new law that takes effect in just five days could impact solar panel users across the state.

Senate Bill 309 takes effect January 1st, 2018. Scott Biggs,with Jefferson Electronic in Indianapolis said “The solar market has heated up because the economics make more sense to save money for people.”

Right now, solar panel users get a credit on their power bill for putting excess energy back onto the power grid. But, some say that benefit is about to get a bit dimmer.

“I think if you don’t look past the headline, it looks scary. It looks like solar energy is not going to be a good thing or the utility company’s not going to let you do it. That’s not really true at all,” Biggs explained.

Under the new law, Biggs said customers who install solar panels after December 31st 2017 would get the credit, at current rates, for just the next 15 years. If you already have solar panels, or install them before year’s end, he says you are grandfathered in for 30 years.

“So, if you put in a new solar system on the second of January, you really don’t have anything to worry about for 15 years. And in 15 years, that will take affect and it will lessen some of the credit.” Biggs explained.

Biggs said solar panel costs are plunging which is making the solar business grow.

“I think the legislation has done us a favor, because it got more people talking about it. To the extent it’s a negative thing. I don’t really think it’s going to affect a lot of our customers 15 years down the road,” Biggs said.

Indiana’s investor-owned utility companies who lobbied aggressively for the measure said solar panel owners who feed excess power to the grid were being compensated too generously.

Source: mywabashvalley.com

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