European Solar Sector Set to Add 94,000 New Jobs by 2021

06.11.2017

The European solar sector is poised for dramatic expansion over the next four years as the market starts to realise the full benefit of plummeting costs and countries scramble to hit clean energy targets.

A new report released today from consultancy EY on behalf of Solar Power Europe predicts job creation could grow by as much as 470 per cent between now and 2021 in some countries, with Spain, Greece, and Poland tipped to enjoy rapid expansion over the coming years.

Overall, an extra 94,000 new solar jobs are expected to be created by 2021, the report said, taking the sector’s total full-time employment count to almost 175,000 and generating nearly €12.5bn in gross value added (GVA) for the bloc’s economy.

The paper suggests the sharp increase in employment will be driven by countries finally realising the full benefits of the dramatic drop in the cost of solar energy that has been seen in recent years, combined with fresh efforts to meet national renewable energy targets for 2020.

“As a result of the strategic plans developed by European countries to increase the shares of renewables in their energy mix, countries with ambitious forecasts of new installed capacities (e.g. France, Italy, Spain) show an acceleration of the number of job support downstream of the value chain,” the report notes. “2021 new installed capacities will be three to 20 times the capacities installed in 2016. This has a direct effect on engineering and installation related jobs.”

If the predictions prove accurate they would herald a remarkable turnaround in fortunes for the solar sector, which boomed between 2008 and 2011 then suffered a sharp slowdown after a swathe of regulatory and subsidy changes took effect across Europe.

Proposals from EU lawmakers to raise renewable energy ambition across the trading bloc could also help drive a massive expansion in solar activity, EY predicts.

Under legislation currently making its way through the EU, countries could be expected to source 35 per cent of their final energy consumption from renewables by 2030 – a step up from the current target of 27 per cent. If the target is approved, job provision would increase by 56 per cent in the solar industry alone, the report predicts.

Similarly, the report suggests the removal of anti-dumping measures, which prevent international manufacturers from flooding the EU market with cheaper panels, would create an additional 45,500 direct and indirect jobs in EU solar.

Solar installers have long argued the EU should drop the minimum pricing requirement that it has placed on imported Chinese panels in order to cut the cost of the technology. But some of the handful of solar PV manufacturers that remain in Europe continue to allege that the rules are required to combat ‘dumping’ by Chinese firms.

Source: businessgreen.com

World’s Largest Reforestation Project Wants To Plant 73 Million Trees In The Amazon

05.11.2017

amazonska-prasuma-2 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

The Amazon rainforest has been treated roughly since the 1970s. Now, as deforestation in the area slowly but surely tails off, a massive new project hopes to help restore this natural wonder to its former glory.

The project, led by Conservation International, is the world’s largest-ever tropical reforestation effort, with the hopes of planting 73 million trees in the Brazilian Amazon by 2023. Through the sowing of selected native species and the planting of native species, the new area of forest should cover around 30,000 hectares of land.

This huge push aims to help Brazil, and by association the wider world, by achieving its 2015 Paris Agreement pledge of reforesting 12 million hectares of land by 2030.

It’s fairly widely known that the Amazon is being chopped down at an alarming rate due to the exploitation of natural resources, minerals, and infrastructure projects, although this has thankfully slowed down in more recent years.

Trees are a key part of the global carbon cycle because they “eat up” carbon dioxide and pump out oxygen through photosynthesis. Healthy forests are also really important for the culture of the local people and biodiversity. After all, the Amazon rainforest is home to at least 10 percent of the world’s known biodiversity.

This effort by Conservation International is part of the World Bank’s even bigger Amazon Sustainable Landscapes Project, a pipeline project to spend over $60 million on restoring Brazil’s rainforests, as well as to promote the connectivity of protected areas within the region.

Source: IFLScience

New Zealand is Planning to Plant 100 Million Trees

05.11.2017

Šuma, Drveće — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

New Zealand’s incoming government is hoping to make the nation greener by planting 100 million trees each year, ensuring the electricity grid runs entirely from renewable energy, and spending more money on cycle ways and rail transport.

Jacinda Ardern, who took over as prime minister, outlined agreements her Labour Party reached with other political parties joining them in the new government.

The 37-year-old is New Zealand’s youngest leader in more than 150 years and hopes to take the country on a more liberal path following nine years of rule by the conservative National Party.

“I don’t need to be influenced on climate change,” she said. “It will sit at the heart of what this government does.”

Ardern’s plan is for New Zealand to reduce its net greenhouse gas emissions to zero by the year 2050.

Some of the targets will require only incremental changes. New Zealand already generates about 85 percent of its electricity from renewable sources including hydroelectric, geothermal and wind. Ardern plans to increase that to 100 percent by 2035, in part by investigating whether solar panels can be used atop schools.
She said the country will need to double the amount of trees it plants each year, a goal she said was “absolutely achievable” by using land that was marginal for farming animals. Her plans also call for the government’s vehicle fleet to be green within a decade.

Source: World Economic Forum

China Makes a Big Bet on Offshore Wind

04.11.2017

In China, the year witnessed newly added wind power capacity of about 23 GW, decreasing 24 percent from a year earlier, according to data released by the Chinese Wind Energy Association. The country’s total installed wind power capacity reached 169 GW. Remarkably, the installed capacity of the onshore wind power sector decreased, while offshore saw an increase of more than 60 percent. The country installed 154 wind turbines last year, with a total capacity of 590 MW, an increase of 64 percent year on year.

China’s newly added installed wind power capacity accounted for 42.7 percent of the global total in 2016.

According to a report on the global wind power market published by the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) in 2016, wind’s share of power output is rising, with the percentage in China reaching 4 percent. The global wind power market is expected to grow steadily in the next five years, with total installed capacity expected to reach 800 GW by 2021.

Over the last few years, China has made a serious bet on offshore wind. By the end of 2020, the country is aiming for total on-grid wind power capacity to exceed 210 GW, with the offshore component expected to exceed 5 GW. Annual power generation from wind across China is expected to reach 420 billion kilowatts, accounting for approximately 6 percent of the country’s total.

Source: Renewable Energy World

Carmakers Promise 400 Fast-Charging Stations Across Europe by 2020

03.11.2017

Four of the world’s largest automakers have today revealed details of their plan to establish an extensive electric vehicle (EV) fast-charging network across Europe, with a promise to install 400 chargers across the continent by 2020.

The Munich-based joint venture, IONITY, was established by VW Group, Daimler, Ford, BMW last year. Porsche and Audi have since joined the group, which aims to accelerate the roll out of zero emission vehicles.

Together the carmakers hope to make long-distance travel for EVs faster and easier by installing powerful charging stations, which can generally refuel an electric vehicle to 80 per cent charge in around half an hour – far quicker than the six to eight hours it can take using a domestic EV charger. Their rollout is seen as crucial to soothing the ‘range anxiety’, which remains one of the biggest barriers to EV adoption.

“The first pan-European HPC network plays an essential role in establishing a market for electric vehicles,” the joint venture’s chief executive officer Michael Hajesch said in a statement. “IONITY will deliver our common goal of providing customers with fast charging and digital payment capability, to facilitate long-distance travel,” said Hajesch.

The group said 20 stations will open to the public this year in Germany, Norway and Austria, each spaced 120km apart on major roads. Over 2018 100 more will open, each with multiple charging points capable of supporting a range of manufacturers.

In other industry news, logistics firm Ryder said today it has started to take delivery of 125 electric vans from EV start-up Chanje in the US.

The vans, the first of their kind in North America, will join Ryder’s lease and rental fleet in California, New York and Illinois. They are capable of transporting up to 6,000 pounds of cargo with zero exhaust emissions.

Dennis Cooke, president of global fleet management solutions for Ryder, said the rollout of the new electric vans demonstrates the firm’s leadership in new technologies. “We are proud to partner with Chanje to bring an all-electric medium-duty vehicle to market as this will further promote energy efficiency in the industry by allowing our rental and lease customers to implement electric vehicles into their operations on a short-term or long-term basis,” he added.

Source: businessgreen.com

Atmospheric Methane Levels Rose Rapidly In 2016, Scientists Claim To Not Understand Why

03.11.2017

Atmospheric methane levels rose fairly rapidly in 2016, as did atmospheric carbon dioxide levels (which saw the yearly average rise up to 403.3 parts per million), according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

The scientists involved in the report claim to not know why atmospheric methane levels are rising rapidly, interestingly — making for a good example of the way that climate change communication from researchers is often comically reserved and thus hobbled.

It’s no true mystery why atmospheric methane levels are rising. Though the exact mechanisms and sources may well have not been definitively identified, broad reasons can certainly be inferred — melting permafrost, thawing sea beds, and in a more generalized way, simply rising temperatures and increasing rot, amongst other things, are likely all playing a part.

Engadget provides more: “The WMO’s report also points to a mysterious rise in the levels of methane in the atmosphere, which were also higher than the 10-year average. Speaking to BBC News, Professor Euan Nisbet from Royal Holloway University of London said this was not expected in the Paris Agreement. ‘We do not understand why methane is rising … It is very worrying.’”

It’s hard to know what to make of comments like that … or perhaps I’m not being fair here.

Notably, the new figures relating to the current rate of atmospheric carbon dioxide and methane levels rises suggest that official climate change targets are impossible to achieve without a vast and rapid change of directory.

WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas stated: “Without rapid cuts in CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions, we will be heading for dangerous temperature increases by the end of this century, well above the target set by the Paris Climate Change Agreement. Future generations will inherit a much more inhospitable planet.”

Source: cleantechnica.com

Greener School Buildings Could Save Taxpayers £2.6bn a Year

03.11.2017

If all the UK’s school buildings were replaced with the most energy efficient alternatives taxpayers would save £2.6bn a year from the schools budget, new research has revealed.

A paper released yesterday by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) on behalf of zero-emissions buildings firm Net Zero Buildings argues major savings could be found in the education budget if more efficient buildings were widely used.

Net Zero Buildings has created what it claims to be the UK’s most energy efficient school building – a modular building constructed off-site that features airtight insulation and solar energy installations.

The net zero-emission construction stands in stark contrast to much of the UK’s current school building stock, 60 per cent of which was built before 1976. If all school buildings were as efficient as the Schoolhaus design the Department of Education would save £2.6bn a year, almost five per cent of its annual budget, according to the analysis.

The UK’s growing population means demand for school places in the UK is set to grow 10 per cent over the next decade. The Department of Education has a target of building at least 500 new schools by 2020 to cater for rising demand, but some studies suggest more than 2,000 new school buildings will be needed.

According to today’s report, if 500 new schools were built to Schoolhaus’ efficiency standards savings of £1.25bn could accrue to taxpayers over the next 60 years from cheaper capital, energy, maintenance, and lifecycle costs. If 2,000 schools are built to net zero standards the savings could rise to £5bn over the same period.

“With pupil numbers forecast to grow by around 10 per cent between now and 2026, it’s clear that innovative solutions are required to ease the pressing need for new school buildings,” Net Zero Buildings CEO Neil Smith said in a statement. “This report shows that the government has an opportunity to meet this demand, save money and help to protect the environment.”

The Department for Education was considering a request comment at the time of going to press.

Source: businessgreen.com

IKEA to Help UK Staff and Customers Make Clean Energy Switch

03.11.2017

IKEA is planning to launch a new clean energy drive before the end of the year aimed at encouraging staff and customers to switch their household electricity suppliers to those which only use renewable sources, the company has revealed.

The Swedish retail giant is currently working with the Big Clean Switch initiative with a view to offering lower electricity tariffs to employees in return for them switching to renewable energy suppliers for their household power needs.

In an interview with BusinessGreen, the company’s sustainability manager for UK and Ireland, Hege Sæbjørnsen, said the plan was to then extend this offer to IKEA Family member customers in the new year.

“We’re currently working with the Big Clean Switch campaign, and we are negotiating a lower renewable energy tariff for our customers through IKEA Family,” Sæbjørnsen said. “It is being launched internally for co-workers first at the end of this year, and then early next year for IKEA Family members.”

The Big Clean Switch initiative – a ‘social business’ partnership between campaign group Purpose and social enterprise Clean Energy UK – works with renewables suppliers such as Bulb, Ecotricity and Good Energy on targeted campaigns to quicken the move towards zero carbon power. It recently launched a campaign with 10 councils in Greater Manchester to offer local residents and businesses lower tariffs through 100 per cent renewable energy suppliers.

No firm launch date has yet been confirmed for IKEA’s clean energy drive, but Sæbjørnsen said it formed part of the retailer’s wider strategy to encourage greener staff and customer behaviour beyond its own stores, in keeping with its Sustainable Life at Home product range.

The move follows IKEA’s decision to team up with Solarcentury for its new home solar panel and battery storage product offering, which has seen positive early sales since its launch back in August, according to Sæbjørnsen.

She explained the Big Clean Switch project would enable staff and customers who do not own their own homes or are unable to invest in a solar-battery storage product to also benefit from lower electricity bills thanks to renewable power sources.

“It’s wonderful if you own your own house, but not everyone does,” said Sæbjørnsen. “Also, people move, so do you want to invest x-amount in a solar set up? So this is actually helping this whole shift, and it is very aligned with the [UK government’s recently published] Clean Growth Plan.”

Source: businessgreen.com

Hotels Must Cut Carbon Footprint by 90 Per Cent to Meet Paris Goals, Industry Leaders Admit

03.11.2017

The hotel industry must eliminate 90 per cent of its carbon emissions by 2050 if the sector is to stay within the limits set out under the Paris climate agreement.

That is the headline conclusion of a new report published yesterday by hospitality consultancy Greenview on behalf of the International Tourism Partnership (ITP), a group of leading hotels brands such as Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, InterContinental, Marriott International, and Hilton.

Absolute carbon emissions from hotels must drop 66 per cent by 2030 and 90 per cent by 2050 if the sector is to deliver its fair share in limiting warming to less than 2C, the report calculated.

Despite the large emissions reductions required, ITP’s director Fran Hughes insisted the cuts were achievable. “The technology exists today to fully decarbonise the sector,” she said.

“Solving the issue of climate change becomes how to accelerate the solutions which are currently available.”

Carbon cutting solutions suggested in the report include investment in more efficient buildings, increased use of renewable energy, and the introduction of more reward schemes to encourage greener guest behaviour.

The analysis follows ITP’s move in September to set the first industry-wide carbon and water targets for the tourism sector as part of the group’s 25th anniversary celebrations.

Under the strategy ITP’s members, which collectively are responsible for more than 25,000 hotels around the world, promised to “embrace” science-based emissions targets and “embed” water stewardship into business models.

Hughes said while the industry will work together to see where collaboration could accelerate emissions reductions, individual hotel firms should also develop science-based targets to ensure they are contributing their fair share to emissions cuts.

“The reductions individual companies need to make may vary, dependent on where they are located and their infrastructure,” she said. “That’s why we’re encouraging hotels to develop their own science-based target.”

Source: businessgreen.com

Ørsted to Sell 50 Per Cent Stake in Giant Walney Offshore Wind Project

02.11.2017

Renewable energy firm Ørsted – the Danish company formerly known as DONG Energy – has agreed to sell half its stake in the 659MW Walney offshore wind project currently under construction off the coast of Cumbria.

The company announced yesterday it has signed a deal that will see it divest 50 per cent of its shares in the project for £2bn to a consortium consisting of leading Danish pension funds PKA and PFA, with each obtaining an equal 25 per cent ownership.

The £2bn sale price also includes a commitment from the two pension funds to pay for 50 per cent of the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for the project, set to be paid during 2017 and 2018.

Ørsted will maintain a 50 per cent stake, as well as looking after construction and long term operation and maintenance of the project. It said the deal is set for completion by the end of this year, subject to regulatory approval.

Once completed the Walney Extension project is expected to be the largest offshore wind farm in the world, consisting of 87 turbines and generating enough power to meet the needs of more than 500,000 UK homes.

Henrik Poulsen, Ørsted CEO, said the divestment was in line with the company’s expectations of “value creation” in the project, and that he was “delighted” to welcome PKA and PFA as new co-owners.

“We already have a strong partnership with PKA on three other offshore wind farms and we look forward to building an equally long-lasting relationship with PFA on what will be the world’s biggest wind farm when completed,” he said. “Both partners are committed to the green energy transition and I’m pleased that our offshore wind assets continue to be attractive to institutional investors.”

Meanwhile Allan Polack, PFA Group CEO, said the investment marked “yet another step” for the Danish pension fund into the renewable energy market. “The investment fits perfectly into our strategic work with focus on alternative investments that contribute to providing our customers with reliable and stable long-term returns,” he said.

The sale was part-financed via a new long-term debt facility provided by Macquarie, marking the Australian bank’s first offshore wind transaction since it acquired the previously UK state-owned Green Investment Bank – now renamed the Green Investment Group (GIG) – earlier this year.

James Wilson, co-head of Macquarie Infrastructure Debt Investment Solutions (MIDIS), said it had been working closely with Ørsted over the past 15 months on the deal. “The transaction demonstrates Macquarie’s ability to apply our considerable expertise and resources to deliver large amounts of capital, with execution certainty, to support the most complex transactions,” he said.

Source: businessgreen.com

China To Ban Sale Of High-Sulfur Diesel Fuel For Tractors & Ships

02.11.2017

As of November 1st, the sale of high-sulfur content diesel fuel — that is, diesel fuel with more than 10 parts per millions (ppm) of sulfur — will be banned nationwide in China, the government in the capital of Beijing has revealed.

High-sulfur diesel fuel is typically used in China as a relatively low-cost option for those running tractors or ships. The ban of sales is intended to help reduce local air pollution problems, and to function as part of nationwide efforts to reduce the country’s growing air pollution problems.

“The move by the National Development & Reform Commission (NDRC) comes after the government banned sales of diesel with more than 50 ppm of sulfur in July,” Reuters notes.

“In a statement, the NDRC said it will crack down on the production and distribution of oil products that don’t meet government standards, and increase its supervision of major refiners and rural gas stations.”

This ban follows closely on the announcement that, despite all of the actions taken so far this year to reduce the growing air pollution problems of Northern China, PM2.5 levels in the region were essentially just as bad during September 2017 as during September 2016.

Source: cleantechnica.com

Biomass Burning Releases Pollutants That Cause DNA Damage

02.11.2017

The burning of biomass in the Amazon releases particulate matter air pollution that causes oxidative stress as well as severe DNA damage in human lung cells — primarily through the actions of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) known as retene — according to a new study published in the journal Scientific Reports.

The new study, performed by researchers in Brazil in partnership with US colleagues, found that after 72 hours of exposure, over 30% of cultured human lung cells die.

The new study is notable because most research to date focusing on air pollution has been based around urban area pollution — which originates primarily from the burning of fossil fuels — even though around 3 billion of the world’s current human inhabitants are regularly exposed to the air pollution from biomass burning of various kinds.

Much of the Brazilian Amazon region is regularly exposed during the dry season to high levels of pollution from biomass burning, mostly owing to deforestation and various agricultural practices and land clearing. The new study thus focused on the region as a real-world laboratory in which to investigate the effects of particulate air pollution released by biomass burning on human health.

Green Car Congress provides more: “The researchers first determined the concentration of pollutants to be used in the lab experiments designed to mimic the exposure suffered by people who live in the area of the deforestation arc. Using mathematical models, the researchers calculated the human lung’s capacity to inhale particulate matter at the height of the burning season and the percentage of pollutants that is deposited in lung cells. Based on this theoretical mass, they determined the concentration levels to be tested using cultured cells.

“The pollutants used in vitro were collected in a natural area near Porto Velho, Rondônia, during the burning season, which peaks in September and October. The filters were frozen shortly after the particulate matter was collected because the organic compounds found in the pollution plume are highly volatile.

“The cultured cells treated with the solution were compared with a group of control cells, which received only the solvent used to extract pollutants from the filters. The aim was to confirm that any adverse effects observed were caused by the particulate matter and not by the solvent. In the very first moments of exposure the lung cells began producing large amounts of pro-inflammatory molecules. Inflammation was followed by an increase in the release of reactive oxygen species (ROS), substances that cause oxidative stress. Large amounts of ROS cause damage to cellular structures.”

Following this, the researchers then conducted tests to confirm that genetic damage was occurring — with the findings being that cells were also entering a process of autophagy, whereby internal structures were being self-consumed.

When exposed to the biomass pollutants cell mortality was found to be around 33%, as compared to just 2% in the control cells. Surviving cells were found to have suffered DNA damage.

Afterwards, the researchers then tested the most abundant PAH amongst the pollutants released by biomass burning, retene — finding that retene on its own (at the same levels as this found in the air near biomass burnings) was able to induce DNA damage and cell death.

Source: cleantechnica.com

Study: It’s Easier For Cities To Reduce Residential Emissions Than Transportation Emissions

02.11.2017

It’s easier for cities to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions through the residential sector than it is through the transportation sector, a new study authored by an MIT professor has found. The primary ability to do so is through better construction practices, not increased housing density, interestingly.

The study findings are the result of an analysis seeking to determine the best ways for local planning policies to either complement the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan or to make up for its absence. (As it stands, it’s looking less and less likely that the Clean Power Plan will ever go into effect).

“Our take-home message is that cities can do a lot at the local level with housing stock,” stated study co-author David Hsu, an assistant professor in MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning, while also noting that: “In transportation, cities can’t make up for the loss of a national strategy.”

The researchers do note, though, that there’s wide variation with regard to possibilities based on the city — with the potential being much greater in fast-growing cities such as Houston as opposed to older cities like Boston.

The press release provides more: “To conduct the study, the researchers examined economic, environmental, and demographic data from 11 major US cities, then developed models projecting emissions through the year 2030, based on a series of different policy scenarios.

“For instance, to analyze ways of cutting emissions from residential energy by 2030, the researchers modeled a baseline scenario in which housing characteristics remained the same. They also modeled scenarios featuring a variety of changes, including the implementation of new energy-efficient construction standards, the building of more multifamily homes, and the retrofitting of homes to save energy.

“Simply requiring newly built homes to be more energy efficient would reduce residential emissions by an average of 6% by 2030. But requiring existing homes to be retrofitted would yield a further 19% reduction of residential emission, on average, across the 11 cities.”

Interestingly, reducing the number of single-family homes by 25% and replacing them with multifamily units “would have virtually no incremental benefit in terms of reduced residential energy use and CO2 emissions” — apparently owing to the fact that when single-family homes are made more energy efficient, the possible gains from multifamily designs are greatly lessened.

As a final note here, the residential sector currently accounts for around 20% of all US carbon dioxide emissions.

The new study is detailed in a paper published in the Journal of Planning Education and Research.

Source: cleantechnica.com

EDF Sells Majority Stake in Five UK Wind Farms

02.11.2017

EDF Energy Renewables announced plans to sell its majority stake in five wind farms across Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire for £98m in order to release equity to invest in developing further renewable projects elsewhere in the UK.

However, while selling its majority stake to clean energy investor Greencoat UK Wind PLC, the UK renewables arm of the French utility giant said it would keep a 20 per cent stake in the projects and continue to operate and provide maintenance for the wind farms.

EDF Energy will also continue to purchase all of the electricity generated at the sites, while operational and community benefit fund arrangements will remain unchanged, the firm said.

The five wind farms covered by the transaction are Deeping St Nicholas, Lincolnshire – 16.4MW, Red House, Lincolnshire – 12.3MW, Glass Moor, Cambridgeshire – 16.4MW, Red Tile, Cambridgeshire – 24.6MW, Bicker Fen, Lincolnshire – 26.6MW.

Matthieu Hue, CEO of EDF Energy Renewables, said the move formed part of EDF Group’s wider CAP 2030 renewable energy development strategy, with the UK seen as a major strategic market for the company.

“We have built close ties with the communities around these sites and we know they value industry partners they can work with over the long term,” said Hue in a statement. “That’s why it is important to us to continue to run the wind farms and maintain local relationships.

“We have an ambitious development portfolio, which will help us deliver the low carbon electricity the country needs,” he added. “This sale helps to support our ambitions and our delivery of new projects around the UK.”

Across the UK, the company already operates more than 696MW of wind farms, has more than 260MW under construction and has more than 454MW consented, 170MW in planning and 950MW in development.

Tim Ingram, chairman of Greencoat UK Wind, said the firm would take an 80 per cent stake in the wind farms, which comprise 47 turbines: “Following on from our recent further share issue, we are pleased to acquire assets from a tenth seller, a third major utility partnership, demonstrating UKW’s reach across the market in finding value for investorsm,” he said in a statement.

The news comes as Shell today announced it had completed the sale of several UK North Sea assets as well as its entire Gabon onshore oil and gas interests.

The oil major has sold a package of UK North Sea assets to Chrysaor for a total of up to $3.8bn, although it said it retains “a significant, more focused and strengthened presence in the UK North Sea, to which it remains committed”.

Meanwhile, Shell has sold its entire oil and gas interests off the coast of Gabon in West Africa – which in 2016 produced the equivalent of 41,000 barrels of oil per day – to Assala Energy Holdings Ltd for a total of $628m.

The company said the completion of the Gabon deal showed “the clear momentum behind Shell’s $30bn divestment programme and is in line with Shell’s drive to simplify the upstream portfolio and re-shape the company into a world class investment”.

Source: businessgreen.com

Last Saturday, Every Fourth Light Bulb in Europe was Powered by the Wind

01.11.2017

Obnovljivi izvori energije — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

As you settled down to watch Strictly Come Dancing last Saturday evening there was a one in four chance your TV was being powered by the wind.

Trade body WindEurope confirmed yesterday that the European wind power sector set a new record last weekend, meeting 24.6 per cent of EU electricity demand on Saturday 28th October.

The group said the performance smashed the previous record of a 19.9 per cent share, which was set earlier in the month on 7th October.

The on-going expansion in Europe’s wind power capacity combined with strong northern winds and a continent-wide cool polar air mass to deliver the record performance.

Hourly output records also fell across the region, with the EU as a whole setting a new record of 89.9GW on Saturday evening. Germany also set a new record of 39.1GW, Poland delivered a record 5.1GW and Norway achieved a new high of 900MW.

In addition, Denmark saw 109 per cent of its power demand met by wind power.

Onshore wind dominated the market, delivering 21.8 per cent of European power throughout the day, while offshore wind provided a further 2.8 per cent.

The results come as two of Europe’s biggest economies continue to work on strategies that could deliver a further boost to the continent’s renewables sector.

Germany’s coalition talks could yet deliver a revamp of the country’s faltering climate strategy, which has been accused of failing to deliver on the government’s ambitious climate targets.

The leader of the Greens this week warned that it would not continue talks with Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union and the centre right Free Democrats (FDP) unless the FDP officially endorses the country’s carbon targets.

The FDP had signalled it wants the goal of cutting emissions 40 per cent by 2020 – which Germany is on track to miss – to be reassessed. But Simone Peter, co-chair of the Greens, told Reuters the targets were non-negotiable.

“Before exploratory talks continue, the FDP must accept unconditionally the climate protection goals,” Peter said. “Otherwise the talks make no sense.”

Green groups are optimistic Merkel could seek to reinvigorate Germany’s decarbonisation strategy in order to secure the support of the Greens. However, she faces a tricky political challenge squaring the carbon targets with the FDP’s concerns.

Meanwhile, France’s Environment Minister Nicolas Hulot told Le Monde this week that the government would come forward with a new ‘Green Deal’ plan next year, designed to make good on its promise to reduce reliance on nuclear power and step up renewables deployment.

Source: businessgreen.com

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