France & China Join Forces To Study Ocean-Based Climate Change

07.11.2017

The space agencies of China and France recently announced that they are joining forces to launch a brand new satellite into orbit to improve the understanding and prediction of ocean storms and cyclones. The China-France Oceanography Satellite (CFOSAT), the first satellite to have been constructed as a partnership between the two countries, will have two radars fitted. The French agency is developing a radar system designed to measure the wavelength and direction of ocean waves, and the Chinese agency is developing a radar to measure the direction and strength of wind.

The main goal of the satellite is to increase the accuracy of forecasts for storms, hurricanes, and cyclones that originate in the oceans. In addition to this, the data gathered will also be used to help scientists better work out how the oceans and atmosphere interact, and to improve predictions about climate change.

Given the increasing number of severe hurricanes, storms, and extreme weather events that we have been witnessing in recent times, it makes the announcement of this satellite timely and prescient. There is increasing evidence that shows the link between climate change and the intensity of hurricanes, even though some mainstream media sometimes fails to mention this fact.

Originally planned as a collaboration between French and European space agencies, the close working relationship between France and China that has been developing over the past ten years led the agencies to decide to form this new partnership instead. The two countries have also acknowledged that there is a political component involved. The satellite will be launched into orbit in the second half of 2018 via a rocket in China’s ‘Long March’ program.

Source: cleantechnica.com

The Consequence of Climate Change: The Caspian Lake is Slowly Disappearing

07.11.2017

Kaspijsko jezero — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

The results of the new study reveal that the largest lake on Earth has been evaporating slightly during the last two decades, which scientists associate with high temperatures and climate change.

The level of water in the Caspian Sea decreased from almost every year from 1996 to 2015 by almost 7 cm (a total of 1.4 meters in that period), according to research results.

The current water level in the Caspian Sea is just one meter above the lowest level to date, recorded in the late 1970s.

The evaporation of the Caspian Sea is associated with increased air temperatures on the surface. According to the data from the study, the average yearly surface temperature over the Caspian Sea rose by about 1 degree Celsius between two periods: 1979-1995. year and 1996-2015. years. These rising temperatures are likely a result of climate change, according to the study’s authors.

Evaporation brought about by warming temperatures appears to be the primary cause of the current drop in sea level and the decline will likely continue as the planet warms.

The new study began after Jianli Chen from the Space Research Center at the University of Texas at Austin and Clark Wilson, a geophysicist at the Jackson Geophysics School, also from the University of Texas in Austin, along with other researchers, used the Caspian Lake to analyze the data of two satellites of the Grace mission which was launched in 2002.

Source: Science alert

ROAD ARROW: Team of Students – Formula Lovers

07.11.2017

Road Arrow is the first Serbian Formula Student team whose members are the students from the University of Belgrade. For seven years now, this group of enthusiasts and formula lovers have created vehicles that represent their university and Serbia at prestigious engineering competitions in the world. In the current season, the Road Arrow team has more than fifty members from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Metallurgy, Transport and Traffic Engineering, Physics, Forestry, as well as Faculty of Organizational Sciences and Faculty of Applied Art. Year in, year out, Road Arrow goes to various competition with a formula that is always better than the one made in the previous season and there are notable results and numerous awards. The reason for the conversation with members of the most perspective student project at the University of Belgrade is the recent promotion of the sixth vehicle “Road Arrow 2017”, as well as their ecomobility project, which is in the process of being formed.

EP: How was the idea of creating a Serbian formula launched?

Drumska strela: Initially, the team consisted of 12 students who learned from their colleagues from Rijeka about the Student Formula project and wished to create the formula themselves, in order to represent the University of Belgrade and the Republic of Serbia at this international engineering competition. In the first year, they developed only the car concept design and competed in Class II in Silverstone, UK, where they took the third place. The following year they went to Silverstone with a completed formula. Over a hundred students have passed through the course and 6 vehicles have been made since then.

EP: What are students’ motives to join your team?

Drumska strela: Motives are different, from the fans of auto-moto sport that study at one of the technical faculties, to the students of social faculties who can apply their knowledge to this project. At first, students are interested in good practice and the opportunity to participate in a prestigious competition, but after a season spent on the team they get a completely new image on Road Arrow. As observed, it is obvious that the teamwork and gaining experience in this complex project bring a lot of benefits. However, later, reasons for staying on the team are much more complex and nicer.

EP: What is the driving energy in Road Arrow?

Drumska strela: It is, above all, the fact that Road Arrow was created thanks to enthusiasm and resistance to various problems that stood in the way of making the first vehicle and going to competitions. Also, there is a good atmosphere on the team and a common goal that is passed on from generation to generation.

EP: Do students exclusively work on this project or did some of the professors come to help?

Drumska strela: The team structure has changed completely since 2010, but the essence of Road Arrow remained the same. Effort, cooperation, thousands of working hours each season and team spirit keep this project active and with more quality year after year. According to the competition rules, all team members must be students, but the difficult and responsible task of creating a formula would neither be possible, nor safe, without constant support and advice from professors. Also, the team has great assistance from former members, who keep up with plans for each season and without whom Road Arrow would not be what it is.

EP: Which technologies were used during the process of creating the vehicle? What is the biggest trump card of Road Arrow?

Drumska strela: Vehicle production is divided into sub-teams, which deal with different systems on the vehicle. Specifically, in the design of “Road Arrow 2017” sub-teams Chassis and Handling, Aerodynamics and Design, Powertrain and Electronics and Materials took part. It is interesting that all parts of the vehicle were designed and produced by students themselves and only parts such as engine, tires and wheels are purchased. Of the innovations introduced, the interesting thing is the use of carbon fibers for the production of the whole aero package, driver’s seat, steering wheels, electronic boxes, as well as many other parts where the mass is significantly reduced in the same way. This has contributed to the vehicle’s better performance, which is the practical goal of the team – to make the best formula possible with their knowledge and innovation. By realizing their ideas, Road Arrow has been created, a student formula that reaches a speed of 100 km/h.

The team of the Belgrade University became recognized throughout Europe for its rapid progress, since the second formula was lighter than the previous one by as much as 40 kg and had a maximum power of 16 kW. Already on the third vehicle, the first aero package was presented, as well as the inlet chamber of variable geometry, and in the fifth they introduced parts made of carbon fibers, such as those in Formula 1. The biggest success of the team so far is the 10th place in the competition of 43 prestigious teams in the competition in Italy in 2013, and 4th in the race of endurance, the most demanding discipline, in the Czech Republic 2015.

EP: In May this year, the sixth vehicle was presented. What characteristics have been improved in comparison to previous vehicles? Where will Road Arrow race in the next season?

Drumska strela: “Road Arrow 2017” is the sixth vehicle of this team and it is the result of many years of advancement that led to the development of formula with the most optimal technological solutions up to now. Significant improvements have been made in handling system and driver’s ergonomics, and the mass of the vehicle has been reduced and the balance is lower. Its own radio communication was developed, changes were made to the aero package, and the use of 3D printed parts was expanded. We expect that this car will be the best so far, that we will soon be able to see, after the first competition that takes place on July 19th in Italy. After that, we will compete in the Czech Republic, from there we will travel directly to the biggest and most important competition in Europe that takes place on the track in Hockenheim in Germany. It will be the third appearance of Road Arrow on Formula 1 track in the competition of the best teams around the world.

EP: You have recently announced the development of an eco-vehicle, so tell us which technologies will be used? Will it be hybrid or electric vehicle?

Drumska strela: Last year, the idea of creating an electric vehicle was born. There is a special class within the Formula Student Competition, which is becoming more increasingly popular, due to the ecological significance of the reduction of CO2 emissions from vehicles. By participating on this project, students learn how to design and make an electric vehicle, so they may later, during their professional career, be given the opportunity to develop passenger vehicles that operate in the same principle. Last year Road Arrow came up with the design concept for the electric vehicle and won the praiseworthy third place in Italy. The concept is a vehicle that has two electric motors on the rear wheels, with alternate current supply of variable frequency. The battery of the electric vehicle is made of batteries and our team decided to use lithium-ion cells. Also, there is a concept of a variant with four electric motors, one at each wheel, which requires a more complex control algorithm.

EP: How did the team decide to further develop the formula in the direction of ecomobility? Is the motive of being driven on alternative drives currently trendy or the reason is sustainable future of racing cars?

Drumska strela: Foreign teams have been making electro formulas for years and they have a huge support. The world’s largest automotive companies finance these projects because it is an investment that will pay off in multiple ways. The sticker on the vehicle is a trifle in comparison to the knowledge and experience of young experts who leave Formula Student teams to go to positions with big responsibility in companies where they apply everything they have learned. Road Arrow team saw the growing interest in electric vehicles, which is one of the solutions in the fight against pollution in urban areas. Students work on innovations and development in the industry and they could be able to help Serbia’s economic growth in a short time. The conclusion is that behind the engineering challenge of completely new and different vehicle, there is an economic aspect that is both important in the competition and in a future career.

EP: How will the battery and charger be solved when the concept of an electric vehicle turns into a new formula?

Drumska strela: We are just working on the concept of an electric vehicle. A total of 720 individual lithium-ion cells are connected appropriately to achieve the required capacity, and the capacity itself is determined based on computer simulations. The charger is powered by a three-phase AC 400 V voltage supply, and can be used anywhere (in a workshop, at a competition or some other event). This charger provides a very simple adjustment of the voltage and current at the output, and can be adjusted to charge other lithium-ion batteries. To charge the battery, it takes a little more than one hour.

Interview by: Marija Nešović

Yingli Solar Panels Will Help Low Income Villages in China

07.11.2017

photovoltaic-system solar — Foto: Pixabay

People assume that the booming economy in China over the past 30 years has made all Chinese citizens wealthy. Nothing could be further from the truth. In Zhangbei County, just 150 miles northwest of Beijing, there are 128 low income villages where residents struggle to get by. Now all those villages are in line to benefit from a 300 kilowatt solar power plant. The project will use 140,000 solar panels supplied by Yingli. They will be installed on ground mounted systems with sun tracking capability to maximize power output.

Once completed, the total installed capacity of the distributed solar systems will equal 38.4 MW. Sales of zero emissions electricity from the systems will benefit the more than 10,000 low income villagers in the county over the next 20 years. 10,000 of the solar panels will be Yingli’s advanced Panda Bifacial products. The multi-crystalline black silicon panels feature 12 bus bars.

In a press release, Bo Yu, vice general manager of Yingli, said:

“We are glad to supply our advanced PV panels for this poverty alleviation project in Zhangbei County, which is also the part of practice of our corporate social responsibility. With reliable quality and excellent performance, Yingli Solar panels can maximally guarantee the sustainable and stable power generation of the project, effectively increasing the income of local low income villagers from green solar electricity sales. The project is of great significance to local poverty alleviation and environment protection.”

Zhangbei County has been at the center of China’s push to replace coal-fired generating plants with solar power plants. Blessed with abundant sunshine, the area was the site for one of China’s first large solar installations in 2010, a 200 megawatt facility spanning an area nearly 10 square kilometers in size. There are also numerous wind turbines installed within the county, which seeks to lead China’s transition to zero emissions power in an effort to reduce the poor air quality in many parts of the country resulting from burning massive amounts of coal.

Source: cleantechnica.com

2017 Set to Rank as One of the Hottest Years Ever Recorded

07.11.2017

climate change — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Global temperature records look likely to be smashed once again this year, with 2017 on course to be one of the three hottest years on record, according to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).

In a provisional statement released today to mark the beginning of the COP23 climate summit in Bonn, the WMO issued a stark warning that the average global temperatures from January to September were approximately 1.1C above pre-industrial levels.

As a result, it said 2017 was set to be the second warmest year ever recorded, just ahead of 2015. 2016 is likely remain the hottest on record due to last year’s powerful El Niño phenomenon.

Overall, the 2013-2017 period is set to be the warmest five-year period on record, WMO added, and 2017 is set to be the hottest year on record without El Niño influence.

Parts of southern Europe, including Italy, North Africa, parts of east and southern Africa and the Asian part of the Russian Federation endured their warmest-ever years, while northwestern USA and western Canada were cooler than the 1981-2010 average, the agency added.

And in a year so far marked by many high-impact events including catastrophic hurricanes and floods as well as debilitating heatwaves and drought, the WMO warned the long-term indicators of climate change – such as increasing CO2 concentrations, sea level rise and ocean acidification – continue unabated.

“The past three years have all been in the top three years in terms of temperature records – this is part of a long-term warming trend,” said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas. “We have witnessed extraordinary weather, including temperatures topping 50 degrees Celsius in Asia, record-breaking hurricanes in rapid succession in the Caribbean and Atlantic reaching as far as Ireland, devastating monsoon flooding affecting many millions of people and a relentless drought in East Africa.”

“Many of these events – and detailed scientific studies will determine exactly how many – bear the tell-tale sign of climate change caused by increased greenhouse gas concentrations from human activities,” added Taalas.

The statement also includes information submitted by a range of UN agencies on human, socio-economic and environmental climate-related impacts as part of “a drive to provide a more comprehensive, UN-wide policy brief for decision makers on the interplay between weather, climate and water and the UN global goals”, the WMO said.

It follows a recent study by the WMO which found concentrations of CO2 reached their highest level in 800,000 years during 2016.

Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC said today’s findings underline the risks posed by climate change to people, economies, and “the very fabric of life on Earth” unless the world keeps on track with the ambitions and targets of the Paris Agreement.

“There is unprecedented and very welcome momentum among governments, but also cities, states, territories, regions, business and civil society,” she said in a statement. “Bonn 2017 needs to be the launch pad towards the next, higher level of ambition by all nations and all sectors of society as we look to de-risk the future and maximise the opportunities from a fresh, forward-looking and sustainable development path.”

Source: businessgreen.com

Report: 1/4 of World’s Oil Refineries Face Closure by 2035 if Greenhouse Gas Emissions Targets Are Met

06.11.2017

Roughly a quarter of the world’s oil refineries face closure by 2035 if governments around the world manage to actually meet their current greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets, according to a new report from the think tank Carbon Tracker, the investment fund AP7, and the Denmark-based pension fund PKA.

This shutdown of refining capacity will be accompanied by a surge in electric vehicle adoption, higher fuel efficiency in internal combustion engine (ICE) grounds vehicles, and higher efficiency in jet aircraft. That could come just due to the effect of legislation intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions expected to be introduced in the coming years, according to the report.

Owing to these expected changes, companies like Royal Dutch Shell, Total, Chevron, Sinopec, etc. could see refining profits fall by 70% or more by 2035, the report alleges.

“Falling oil demand in a carbon-constrained world would squeeze margins across the industry, and drive the least profitable refineries out of business,” Carbon Tracker writes. “Processing less oil at lower margins means that refinery earnings and hence values could halve by 2035, finds Margin Call: Refining Capacity in a 2°C World. Earnings from the global industry totalled around $147 billion in 2015.”

One obvious take-home point is that there’s serious risk in investing in oil companies nowadays.

“A 2°C pathway sees oil demand peaking followed by major rationalisation in the global refining industry. Many players will exit the market rather than haemorrhage cash,” Andrew Grant, a senior analyst at Carbon Tracker and co-author of the report, said. “Investors should beware that the risk of wasting capital extends to all new investments, including expansions or upgrades to existing facilities.”

The analysis examined 492 oil refineries, which together account for 94% of global capacity. And it actually found that 21% of refineries are already unprofitable. “The 2˚C scenario modelling found Total and Eni are the most exposed, risking a 70%-80% fall in earnings from their refineries by 2035 as demand stalls. Shell and Chevron risk a 60%-70% fall and ExxonMobil and BP a 40%-50% fall. Saudi Aramco, which is due to be part-listed, may see earnings swing to a loss.”

The overall analysis “is based on the International Energy Agency’s 450 scenario[1], which sees oil demand peak in 2020 and then decline by 23% over the next 15 years.”

It should be noted here, though, that the world is currently not really on track to achieve its greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets. A recent report, for instance, found that the world is currently on track to exceed 2030 goals by as much as 30% — and even those goals (which aren’t looking too likely to be achieved) aren’t sufficient to avoid extreme climate warming and instability, according to some researchers.

I’ll end things here, though, with this line from the report: “We consider that prospective investors should be wary of all new refinery investments. When demand growth stalls and turns negative, new investments will carry the risk of failing to earn an adequate return.”

Source: cleantechnica.com

New Zealand May Become First Country to Create Climate Refugee Visas

06.11.2017

mitre-peak-New Zealand — Foto-ilustacija: Pixabay

New Zealand had a general election this month, and the government was voted out of power. Already, the nation’s new Prime Minister, Labour’s Jacinda Ardern, has made climate change advocacy a priority. As well as promising to adhere to the Paris agreement and to make the country carbon neutral by 2050, she’s now considering giving special visas to those displaced by rising sea levels.

Such a promise would fulfill the promise made by the Green Party – one of the government’s coalition partners – which promised to give 100 visas per year to people seriously affected by climate change. Judging by comments made by the country’s climate change minister, Green Party chief James Shaw, these visas would mostly be given to those living on Pacific islands that are set to disappear in the near future.

If implemented, it would make New Zealand the first country in the world to recognize climate change as an official reason to seek asylum.

Although estimates vary, anywhere from 1 to 2 billion people will be forced to abandon their homes due to the encroaching oceans by 2100. These climate refugees have got to go somewhere, and Ardern’s government is essentially considering making New Zealand a haven.

A separate visa category for refugees has existed in New Zealand, and plenty of other countries, for some time now. However, the people these are granted to have traditionally been fleeing war, economic collapse, persecution, and so on. Climate change hasn’t been on the agenda.

Climate change, a phenomenon primarily driven by rich and developing countries, disproportionately affects poorer nations, particularly those along the coast or near the equator. Although the future will be full of climate change refugees from even the wealthiest of nations, it’s fair to say that what New Zealand wants to do – look out for the most at-risk first – is morally right.

Source: IFLScience

The Ozone Hole is Shrinking and It’s Now the Smallest It Has Been in 30 Years

06.11.2017

MIT-Healing-Ozone_0 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Here’s a rare piece of good news about the environment: The giant hole in the Earth’s protective ozone layer is shrinking and has its smallest peak since 1988, NASA scientists said.

The largest the hole became this year was about 7.6 million square miles wide (19.7m square kilometres wide), about two and a half times the size of the United States, in September. But it was still 1.3 million square miles (3.4m square kilometres) smaller than last year, scientists said, and has shrunk more since September.

The news comes just after the 30th anniversary of the hole’s discovery, which led to the 1987 Montreal Protocol — a landmark international agreement that led to major global efforts to phase out the use of ozone-depleting chemicals.

Deterioration of the ozone layer was mainly taking place over Antarctica, and became a particular cause for concern for those living in the southern hemisphere. Ozone, a colourless gas, protects the Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation, which could cause higher rates of skin cancer and cataracts disease, as well as disrupt plant growth.

Scientists predict the ozone layer won’t return to its 1980s form until about 2070. The ozone hole was largest in 2000, when it was 11.5 million square miles wide (29.8 million square kilometres wide), according to NASA.

Source: Science alert

National Climate Report Finds Virtually ALL Global Temperature Rise Since 1950 Caused By Human Activity

06.11.2017

The National Climate Report is an annual assessment mandated by Congress. This year’s report has just been released and it contains this stunning finding — virtually all of the observed increase in average global temperatures since 1950 is the result of human activity, primarily the burning of fossil fuels.

The 600 page report was created from input by scientists working at 13 different federal government agencies. “Based on extensive evidence … it is extremely likely that human activities, especially emissions of greenhouse gases, are the dominant cause of the observed warming since the mid-20th century,” the report says (emphasis in original text). Noted climate scientist Michael Mann tells ThinkProgress, the report “indicates that a path of inaction will truly lead to disastrous climate change impacts.”

The NCR claims that the “business as usual” approach, much favored by the Trump administration, will lead to some nasty consequences for people living in North America. Average temperatures over the central part of the country would rise by 8 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Prolonged drought conditions in the west would seriously damage the nation’s ability to grow enough food to feed its citizens. Rising oceans would inundate almost all of America’s coastal cities. Further north, temperatures in the Arctic would increase by 18 degrees Fahrenheit.

The report has been peer reviewed by the National Academy of Sciences. “For the warming over the last century, there is no convincing alternative explanation [other than human activity] supported by the extent of the observational evidence,” it states. In fact, it suggests that, but for human activity, the earth would most likely have seen a slight cooling trend during that period. Is this a “worst case scenario?” No, it is not. The “climate models are more likely to underestimate than to overestimate the amount of long-term future change,” the NCR warns.

Okay, that’s the word from the scientific community. Either humans come together in a concerted global effort to rein in carbon emissions or face a future where famine and flooding — and the armed conflicts they will lead to — are the norm. One would think that rational people would find that an easy choice to make. But history teaches us that armed conflicts are plentiful, and examples of global cooperation are few. In fact, if you can think of one, please share it with us.

Nothing, it seems, can make us realize that using the earth as a communal toilet is a bad idea. It’s like trying to understand at some basic, existential level that we are all going to die someday. The reality is just too awful to confront, so we deal with it by not dealing with it. Fouling our own nest must be okay because that’s what humanity has always done and we’re still here, aren’t we? Surely, we will always be here, right?

Actually, no, we haven’t always been here and there is no guarantee we always will be. One of the only common threads running through all human experience is the legend of the Great Flood. All humans — even people on remote Pacific islands — share a narrative about a time long, long ago when the earth was flooded and only a very few survived.

Who will the Walton family sell their low-priced products to then? What good will fossil fuels be if there are no cars to drive, homes to heat, or factories to run? Will anyone even know we were here a million years from now when the waters recede and all records of our existence have been lost? Will genetic mutations make the next humans smart enough to work together rather than devising new and interesting ways of killing each other? Based on the history of humanity to date, the most likely answer is no.

As if to make the point even more forcefully, neither the front page of the New York Times nor the Washington Post makes any reference to the National Climate Report. Nothing to see here, move along. Nothing to see here, move along. And soon, there really will be nothing to see except wave tops as the land is swallowed by the ocean once again.

Source: cleantechnica.com

Portugal Aiming to Introduce “Free Zones” for Self-Driving Vehicles & Drones

06.11.2017

The government of Portugal is now planning to introduce “free zones” in certain parts of the country where self-driving vehicle and drone tech can be deployed and tested more easily through the use of special regulations and investment incentives, Portugal’s industry secretary has revealed.

The idea behind the plan is to further establish Portugal as a good place to base a tech startup, drawing also on the relatively cheap but well educated workforce and the relatively friendly to foreign investment property market (obviously, this isn’t necessarily a good thing for the poorer locals).

“We are working a lot on the regulatory and legal aspects because this is really totally fundamental for opportunities in this area,” stated Industry Secretary Ana Lehmann in an interview with Reuters. “One of the areas we are working on has to do with technological free zones and drones is one of the areas we want to promote … another is autonomous vehicles.”

Reuters provides more: “Many countries are looking at how to allow companies to test new technologies. In Britain, Amazon is carrying out special parcel delivery testing while Alphabet’s Google has tested drone delivery technology in Australia under its ‘Project Wing’. The US government last week approved a plan for expanded drone testing.

“Lehmann said the Portuguese government was working carefully on the laws needed for such zones. The country restricted the use of drones this year to raise public security. We are studying some locations and what is needed … within a legal framework that is very careful because these technologies have an impact. … This is a delicate topic and we want to do it properly.”

As it stands, Portugal’s laws don’t allow for the testing of self-driving vehicles on public roads. Interestingly, though, Daimler (Mercedes-Benz) already possesses a “digital center” in Lisbon where autonomous vehicle tech is being worked on; and of course a number of other major auto manufacturers possess significant operations in the country as well.

As you’ll possibly recall, some parties in Portugal have been lobbying Tesla in recent years, trying to attract a new production facility of some kind — possibly a second or third Gigafactory.

Portugal reportedly has some of the largest lithium reserves in Europe, it should be noted.

Source: cleantechnica.com

Mayor Sadiq Khan Confirms 2019 Early Start Date for Ultra-Low Emission Zone

06.11.2017

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has confirmed the capital’s planned Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) will enter into force more than a year earlier than originally planned, on April 8 2019.

The ULEZ, which will operate 24 hours a day, will impose charges on all but the cleanest vehicles that come into the city centre as part of the Mayor’s plan to bring air quality in London back within legal limits.

Two charging levels will be introduced: £12.50 for cars, vans and motorbikes and £100 per day for lorries, buses and coaches.

It will be levied alongside the existing Congestion Charge, currently set at £11.50 per day, but replace the T-Charge which was introduced last month.

The Mayor’s Office confirmed late last week that it expects the new charge to impact around 60,000 vehicles every day, marking a sharp increase on the 6,500 vehicles a day thought to be covered by the T-Charge. The policy’s strict emissions criteria means most cars that are more than four years old will have to pay the charges, giving London the tightest emissions standards of any city in the world.

“London’s lethal air is one of the biggest health challenges of this generation,” Khan said in a statement. “We can’t continue breathing in air so toxic it harms children’s lung development and causes chronic illness and premature death.

“So I am pleased to confirm that from 8th April 2019 – 17 months earlier than planned – stricter standards for diesel vehicles will apply 24/7 across central London. This builds on the success of the T-Charge and is part of my comprehensive plan to clean London’s air.”

All cash raised from charges will go to Transport for London and will be earmarked for improving city’s fleet of buses and tube, cycle, and rail connectivity.

The decision to introduce the ULEZ earlier than the original 2020 start date will cut road transport emissions by an extra 20 per cent in 2019, the Mayor’s Office said.

According to official estimates, it will mean more than 100,000 people will no longer live in areas that exceed legal limits for NO2 limits, and 42 schools across the capital will no longer suffer illegal levels of air pollution.

Chief executive of the British Lung Foundation Dr Penny Woods welcomed the decision to introduce the ULEZ early, claiming it could “dramatically improve people’s quality of life”.

However, she warned “further and faster” action is still needed from the national government. “A targeted scrappage scheme is needed to help people move to cleaner vehicles,” she said. “This must prioritise people on low incomes and those with health conditions who find it hardest to get around.”

Source: businessgreen.com

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

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