Kite Wind Power Could Help Power Saudi Arabia

19.10.2017

“Wind turbines on the Earth’s surface suffer from the very stubborn problem of intermittent wind supply,” said Udaya Gunturu, a researcher with the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, who is one of several researchers investigating the potential of using kite wind turbines to provide clean energy in the Middle East.

Tethered wind turbines that harness wind energy from higher altitudes like a kite are not a new idea, but researchers from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) have begun investigating the potential such technology has to provide clean electricity in the Middle East. Specifically, the researchers have identified the most favorable areas for high-altitude wind-energy systems in the region, found over parts of Saudi Arabia and Oman.

In the study, High-altitude wind resources in the Middle East, published in the journal Scientific Reports, the authors conclude that “high-altitude wind resources are abundant, persistent, and readily available and may provide alternative energy resources in this fossil-fuel-dependent region.” The researchers used wind field data sourced from the Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications Version 2 (MERRA-2), a project from the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), to determine high-altitude areas which could provide consistent wind power.

“Optimal altitudes for the turbines vary by region and with time of year and time of day,” said Andrew Yip, first author of the research paper. “In general, the abundance of the airborne wind-energy resources increases with altitude.”

The natural variability found in higher altitudes can also be matched by kites that are able to vary their own altitude to make the most of whichever altitude level is providing the most beneficial wind speeds. Current kite technology could allow wind energy to be harvested from heights between 2 to 3 kilometers — but as technology evolves, tethered wind turbines could begin to reach into higher altitudes with even stronger and more consistent winds.

“Our work may help Saudi Arabian wind-energy technology to leapfrog into the future and fulfill the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 plan on the development of renewable energy resources,” said Georgiy Stenchikov, who led the research.

Source: cleantechnica.com

Nicola Sturgeon to Open World’s First Floating Wind Farm

18.10.2017

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will open the world’s first floating offshore wind farm later today in a landmark occasion for the offshore wind sector.

The 30MW Hywind project, developed by Norwegian energy giant Statoil and Abu Dhabi green power company Masdar, will generate enough electricity for around 20,000 homes.

Supporters hope it will mark the start of a new era of offshore wind power, allowing developers to deploy turbines in deeper water where the wind is stronger and capable of delivering higher yields. Experts arealso optimistic that floating turbines could curb costs for the industry, by minimising the need for large foundations and complex installation projects.

“Scotland has developed an international reputation for modern, renewable energy technologies and Hywind Scotland – the world’s first floating wind farm – is testament to that,” Sturgeon said ahead of the official opening.

“This pilot project underlines the potential of Scotland’s huge offshore wind resource and positions Scotland at the forefront of the global race to develop the next generation of offshore wind technologies.”

The farm features five floating turbines 25km from Peterhead in Aberdeenshire, each 253m tall with 78 metres submerged below the water’s surface, and anchored to the seabed using cables.

Later this year there are plans for a 1MWh battery to be installed at the site, which will allow energy from the turbines to be stored for use at times of high demand.

The offshore wind industry welcomed the news, claiming it is breaking new ground with wind technology and generating interest around the world.

“The extraordinary Hywind project is being watched around the world, as floating offshore wind has the potential to be exported globally, with the UK at the heart of this ground-breaking technology,” RenewableUK’s chief executive Hugh McNeal said in a statement. “Innovation is key to the government’s Industrial Strategy, and this is a great example of how offshore wind continues to push the parameters, creating thousands of jobs and delivering billions investment to the UK.”

The official opening of the project represents a further boost to an offshore wind sector that is celebrating after the government last week confirmed it will make over £557m of new support available through a clean energy auction in early 2019. The government’s Clean Growth Strategy also signalled last week that if costs continue to fall across the sector it could deliver a further 10GW of capacity through the 2020s.

In related news, marine renewables firm Atlantis Resources today announced it has generated 2.6GWh of green electricity from its groundbreaking MeyGen tidal turbine array in Scotland’s Pentland Firth.

The site now has all four turbines up and running, delivering a total capacity of 6MW. The company said the array will enter its 25-year operational phase in the coming weeks.

Atlantis CEO Tim Cornelius said the success of MeyGen positions the UK as a leader in tidal power, but warned the firm needs more support from government to proceed with the next phase of the project.

“The industrial opportunities of tidal power for the UK are substantial, but without renewed government support for tidal stream power, the UK is likely to lose jobs and investment overseas,” he said in a statement. “Now is the time for the current government to act to ensure that the economic benefits of the tidal stream industry are preserved for the UK economy, and marine power becomes a meaningful part of the UK’s future renewable energy mix.”

Source: businessgreen.com

Australian Government Walks Away From Clean Energy Target

18.10.2017

solarni-park — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Australia’s Federal Government this week announced a new energy policy that walks away from introducing a post-2020 Clean Energy Target of 42% in favor of a National Energy Guarantee that puts the power of choice into the hands of the nation’s utilities.

Despite the fact that it was proposed by Australia’s Chief Scientist Alan Finkel and subsequently endorsed by just about everyone across the spectrum, a Clean Energy Target (CEC) of 42% electricity supplied by wind and solar was dismissed this week by the Australian Federal Government, in favor of the National Energy Guarantee, described by the Department of the Energy and Environment as “a plan that will deliver an affordable and reliable energy system that will also help meet our international commitments.”

Or, in short, Australia’s Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has followed in the path of his Liberal Party’s attacks on renewable energy and support of the country’s fossil fuel industry, using the scare tactic of lower energy prices to justify the decision.

The National Energy Guarantee is made up of two aspects which the Department for Energy and Environment believes “will require energy retailers and some large users across the NEM to deliver reliable and lower emissions energy generation each year.” They are:
A reliability guarantee will be set to deliver the right level of dispatchable energy — from ready-to-use sources such as coal, gas, pumped hydro and batteries — needed in each state. It will be set by the AEMC and AEMO.
An emissions guarantee will be set to contribute to Australia’s international commitments. The level of the guarantee will be determined by the Commonwealth and enforced by the AER.

Further, the Department hopes that the National Energy Guarantee will achieve the following:
Puts downward pressure on household and business power bills and reduces spot price volatility — more investment and therefore more supply of electricity puts downward pressure on prices.
Encourages the right investment in the right place at the right time — to meet the obligation, retailers will need to secure power from a variety of sources ensuring an ongoing place for coal, gas, wind, solar, batteries and hydro in the nation’s energy mix.
Improves reliability — increasing investment in new and existing dispatchable supply.
Reduces emissions at lowest cost — emissions targets can be met using a range of technology, including existing resources.
Is not a subsidy or a tax — allows the lowest cost range of technologies to meet overall targets.

“Under this scheme, the wholesale price would be expected to be lower relative to today and lower compared to a certificate-based scheme,” said Kerry Schott AO, Chair, Energy Security Board. “Since retailers will need to contract with new low emissions and dispatchable generators, the increased supply will place downward pressure on wholesale prices.”

Unsurprisingly, the decision to step away from a Clean Energy Target was met with disappointment by clean energy supporters in the country.

“The Clean Energy Target was the best opportunity in years to lock in the long-term bipartisan energy policy needed to encourage investment in cleaner energy while improving system reliability and pushing down power prices,” Clean Energy Council Chief Executive Kane Thornton. “We are obviously waiting to see more detail on the policy later today, but media reports today suggest the new policy would result in a substantial slowdown in levels of investment in clean energy.”

Source: cleantechnica.com

Constructing Offshore Wind Turbines In Port Is More Cost Effective

18.10.2017

wind-turbin-vetroturbina — Photo illustration: Pixabay

Constructing offshore wind turbines in port rather than onsite in variable conditions has been found to be the most cost-effective method, according to research published this week by researchers from the University of Delaware.

Researchers from the University of Delaware, who worked closely with offshore wind industry partners, have developed a new method for constructing offshore wind farms that they believe is cheaper, faster, and which could increase the scale and pace of offshore wind deployment that would match the region’s scheduled retirements of nuclear and coal-fired power plants.

Specifically, the University of Delaware researchers concluded that their new construction process would save up to $1.6 billion per project over conventional construction methods, and take half the construction time.

The primary aspect of the research was that the entire wind turbine structure — from seafloor mounting through to the top of the wind turbine — could be assembled in one piece in port, before being transported as a single unit and in one step installed into the seafloor at its offshore site.

“In planning for offshore wind power, the big question is how we generate electricity cost-competitively, and at a scale that is both a relevant replacement for aging power plants and also applicable to climate change,” said the project’s principal investigator, Willett Kempton, professor in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment (CEOE). “We’re the first people who have shown the engineering details, step-by-step, how to achieve that.”

For anyone who knows anything about offshore wind construction, this might sound outlandish, but the researchers have found that this can be done with current technology.

Further, the University of Delaware researchers based their modeling on a 10 MW (megawatt) wind turbine with support structures, weighing in at 2,500 metric tonnes. The research therefore focused on how to build and move these massive constructions within port.

“Instead of today’s method, carrying out parts separately and individually assembling each in the ocean, we have an assembly line on shore,” Kempton said. “We spend more money in port, but we spend far less money at sea.”

Beyond the economic benefits of this research there are also non-monetary benefits such as shifting more of the assembly from sea to land, which allows for construction regardless of weather and reduces the time at sea from 3 days to 10 hours per wind turbine.

Source: cleantechnica.com

Shell Begins Rapid EV Charging Rollout at 10 UK Forecourts

18.10.2017

Oil giant Shell will today move its push into the electric mobility services market up a gear with confirmation 10 of its petrol stations across London, Derby, and the South East will provide rapid charging for electric vehicle (EV) drivers by the end of the year.

The Anglo-Dutch company will today reveal its new Shell Recharge service is now available to EV customers at three of its forecourts – Holloway in London, Whyteleafe in Surrey and in Derby – with a further seven within Greater London and Reading set to join them before the end of 2017 and more to follow next year.

Shell Recharge 50kW DC rapid chargers enable EV drivers to power up from zero to 80 per cent capacity in around 30 minutes and are compatible with most EVs, the firm said. It added that the first 10 sites had been chosen due to their proximity to main driving routes.

With no subscription or connection fees, the service enables EV drivers to purchase the power they need using the Smoov mobile payment system, and until June next year Shell is offering electricity for an introductory price of 25p/kWh, instead of its usual price of 49p/kWh.

Jane Lindsay-Green, Shell UK future fuels manager, said the UK was the first country in which Shell Recharge was being made available, ahead of plans to also launch in the Netherlands “soon”.

The company also said it was developing “a full raft of charge solutions” to support the fast-expanding EV market, but again reiterated its view that new EV technologies would evolve to “co-exist with traditional transport fuels”.

“We’re pleased to offer rapid electric charging on the forecourt, allowing us to broaden the range of fuel choices we deliver,” said Lindsay-Green in a statement. “Shell Recharge will soon be available at ten sites in the UK and will offer EV drivers in these areas a reliable, convenient and subscription-free charging service where they can charge their vehicle and take a break from their journey.”

The move comes through a partnership announced earlier this year with Dutch EV charging company Allego, which will manage the operation of the chargers. It also follows Shell’s acquisition of another Dutch EV charging provider, NewMotion, last week.

Shell said it had been collaborating with Transport for London (TfL) to introduce the fast charging points, in line with London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s aim for the capital to be zero emission by 2050.

Shirley Rodrigues, the Deputy Mayor of Environment and Energy, welcomed Shell’s announcement as an important step in supporting EVs across London.

“With sales of diesel cars declining, it’s vital to have charging points for electric vehicles in service stations, car parks and on our streets,” she said in a statement. “As the Mayor moves towards making London’s transport system zero-emission by 2050, TfL are working with boroughs to increase charging infrastructure across our city. The expansion we require will continue to demand strong collaboration with industry, private landowners and greater investment from government.”

Source: businessgreen.com

Mayor Sadiq Khan Launches Cleaner Vehicle Checker

18.10.2017

London Mayor Sadiq Khan yesterday launched a new online Cleaner Vehicle Checker, designed to make it easier for motorists to assess the real world emissions released by new vehicles.

Launched just days ahead of next week’s introduction of a £10 Toxicity Charge, which will be levelled on the most polluting vehicles entering central London from next Monday, the new free online service is intended to help motorists who are considering buying a new car select the cleanest models.

The Mayor’s Office said the tracker would provide an independent rating of nearly all new Euro 6 standard cars and many of the vans being sold in UK showrooms. It will each model an A+ to H grade based on how they performed in independent, real world, on-road testing.

The auto industry has been under fire from campaigners since the so-called diesel-gate scandal revealed both the use of cheat devices by auto giant Volkswagen to game emissions tests and a wider disconnect between laboratory testing of new vehicle emissions and real world emissions.

“We are days away from the start of the new T-Charge in central London and with sales of diesel cars falling, motorists are more aware than ever about the pollution levels of the cars they drive,” said Khan. “Our toxic air is a shameful health crisis and London motorists deserve to know how much filthy emissions new cars may produce before they purchase them.

“The Cleaner Vehicle Checker will help provide the accurate and independent information Londoners need to make informed choices and opt for cleanest vehicles.”

The testing has been carried out by research firm Emissions Analytics using Portable Emissions Measurement Systems (PEMS) and the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) using roadside testing.

Nick Molden, chief executive of Emissions Analytics, said the move to use PEMS and real-world emissions data to rate the cleanest cars was “a hugely important step in tackling the issue of urban air quality”.

“London is leading the way in taking this common-sense approach and… will help car buyers make informed decisions, rather than simply replying on inaccurate official figures,” he added.

Source: businessgreen.com

Local Politicians Throwing India Solar Power Plans Into Chaos

17.10.2017

Never underestimate the power of small-minded people to totally disrupt a carefully thought out plan. India is taking bold steps to transition to a low-emissions economy by promoting solar and wind power. It is also contemplating a ban on the sale of conventional cars starting in 2030. Solar power is especially appealing in India because of its abundant sunshine and the steep decline in the price of solar panels in recent years.

But customs officials are threatening to put the kibosh on India’s solar power plans. 90% of the solar panels used in India are imported. Until now, they have entered the country duty free. But the customs officials at the port of Channai have begun demanding that the panels in 1,000 containers waiting to enter the country pay an import duty of 10.5%. The new charges are the result of the customs service reclassifying the solar panels as ““electrical motors and generators,” something they clearly are not.

“It is a matter of wrong classification,” said Anand Kumar, secretary in the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. “They are sorting out the matter. I’ve talked to the board member concerned.” Developers fear the tariffs will make it impossible to meet installation targets, which will have a negative impact on cash flow. They say customs authorities in other ports have also misinterpreted rules for solar equipment in the past.

“It is simple arm-twisting,” said a leading developer. “Billions of dollars worth of solar modules must have been imported over all these years without attracting any import duty. Suddenly, some spirited customs officials have decided to reinvent the wheel. We have millions of dollars worth of goods which are stuck with a duty implication of over $1,500,000. It is sheer harassment with ulterior motives.”

Customs officials have told importers to pay the fees and apply for a refund later. Some have done so, but others have elected not to. “On the one hand, the government insists we meet our deadlines and on the other this is happening. This will turn our loans into non-performing assets. If we knew this was going to happen, we would have bid differently at solar auctions, pricing this charge into our modules,” one solar developer says. One presumes the government of Prime Minister Modi, who is a tireless champion of solar power, will resolve this situation — which has all the earmarks of a bribery scheme — quickly.

The fossil fuel interests never seem to run out of new and creative ways to hang on to the lucrative ways of the past. In the US, the Trump administration is pondering new tariffs on imported solar cells. With confirmed climate deniers who are in thrall to fossil fuel interests in charge of the EPA and the Energy Department, what are the odds that the US government will do the right thing? Somewhere between slim and none would be a reasonable guess.

Source: cleantechnica.com

ABB makes EV charging easier than ever by supporting Autocharge functionality

17.10.2017

Autocharge enables a charge session to be automatically started after a driver connects their vehicle to the charger without requiring the use of an RFiD card, payment card or mobile app. The charger will automatically recognize the vehicle based on its unique vehicle identifier, allowing simpler, faster and more secure user interaction. This superior user experience gives commercial charging station operators much greater flexibility to offer their customers a seamless and intuitive interaction with a charging station.

ABB is first to implement Autocharge, which is based on a unique identifier called EV-ID that is passed on by a CCS vehicle after plugging in the vehicle. After a first-time registration by the charging station operator, all chargers in their network will instantly recognize a customer’s vehicle. With this automatic ‘handshake,’ the station can automatically start charging while the transaction is being processed in the background, through the end of the session.

Backwards and forwards compatibility The Autocharge function works with older, recent and new vehicles with a CCS charging connection. Extensive tests have shown that most electric vehicles manufactured since 2012 can communicate their unique ID, and are capable of benefitting from the Autocharge feature. As of today, vehicles equipped with a CCS charging port are capable of Autocharge. When vehicles equipped with other charging standards offer this functionality, ABB will include them into the functionality.

Easy to implement – Based on open standards (OCPP, CCS) The Autocharge concept is developed within the open standards community and is based on standard OCPP communication and the default properties of the CCS protocol. Therefore the implementation is simple and fast as it only requires minimal adaptations to standard OCPP based backoffices.

Available now The Autocharge feature is available immediately for testing with charging station operators and OCPP back-offices. After successful testing, the software can be made available via over-the-air-update to the installed base of ABB chargers.

As an innovator in the charging infrastructure market ABB is continuously focussing its efforts to provide the best user experience with its chargers. ABB has provided charging solutions as part of its drive to promote sustainable mobility since 2010, and has sold more than 6,000 DC fast-chargers with related services such as cloud connectivity worldwide.

ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a pioneering technology leader in electrification products, robotics and motion, industrial automation and power grids, serving customers in utilities, industry and transport & infrastructure globally. Continuing more than a 125-year history of innovation, ABB today is writing the future of industrial digitalization and driving the Energy and Fourth Industrial Revolutions. ABB operates in more than 100 countries with about 136,000 employees.

(www.abb.com)

European Spending On Energy Efficient Building Technologies In 2026 To Near $112 Billion

17.10.2017

Already a global leader in building sustainability legislation and initiatives, the European market for energy efficient building technologies is expected to grow from $83.5 billion in 2017 to $111.9 billion in 2026.

A new report from Navigant Research examining the market for energy efficient building technologies in Western and Eastern Europe was published last week, providing a market forecast for the sector through to 2026. Europe already stands as a global leader when it comes to implementing legislation and initiatives to increase building energy efficiency and bringing in new technologies. The European Union already has two key pieces of legislation — the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) and the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) — through which European countries are delivering their 2020 emissions reductions goals.

The next step for Europe is the Clean Energy for All Europeans legislation which was proposed in November 2016 and agreed upon by the European Energy Council in June of this year. However, according to Navigant Research, “this legislation is regarded by many as a compromise” and that “Original energy efficiency targets of 40% by 2030 have been reduced to 30% and energy savings targets of 1.5% per year have been reduced to 1% per year from 2026 through 2030 based on the results of positive progress reports in 2024.” The primary concern for opponents of these revisions is that Europe will fade away from its 2050 goals and its Paris Climate Agreement commitments.

Navigant Research explains that if Europe is to hold on to the tremendous gains it has already made, it will need to make use of the tremendous advancements in building technologies which “are evolving toward an integrated ecosystem of components and sensors that work together as a platform for optimizing facility operations.”

The importance of energy efficiency developments across Europe is highlighted in the energy efficient building technology spending across the next decade through 2026, which is expected to grow in Western and Eastern Europe from $83.5 billion in 2017 to $111.9 billion in 2026.

“Europe has been a global leader in sustainability legislation and initiatives, with commercial buildings playing an essential role in meeting ambitious targets set for 2020,” explained Tom Machinchick, principal research analyst at Navigant Research. “Intelligent digital building technologies will be necessary for Europe to continue toward its long-term goals of significantly increasing efficiency while reducing overall carbon emissions. A certain level of efficiency can be attained with relative ease, but as future efficiency targets get deeper, so must the building efficiency projects and the technologies that support those efforts.”

Source: cleantechnica.com

Vattenfall Begins Moving Forward On 1.8 Gigawatt Norfolk Vanguard Offshore Wind Farm

17.10.2017

Swedish power company Vattenfall has announced it has begun moving forward on developing the mammoth 1.8 gigawatt Norfolk Vanguard Offshore Wind Farm, which is expected to be completed and operational sometime in the mid-2020s.

We first heard word of the Norfolk Vanguard Offshore Wind Farm back in March of 2016, when Vattenfall announced the start of development on two wind farms in what used to be the northern half of the East Anglia Offshore Wind Farm development zone. The two wind farms, each set to have a mammoth capacity of 1.8 gigawatts (GW), are the Norfolk Vanguard and the Norfolk Boreas, located 47 kilometers off the Norfolk Coast.

“Vattenfall wants to work with Norfolk to capture the benefits of offshore wind,” said Ruari Lean, Vattenfall’s Project Manager for Norfolk Vanguard, said at the time. “There is an opportunity for Norfolk business and securing Norfolk jobs. There is also an opportunity to make a telling impact in the UK’s contribution to tackling climate change.”

Norfolk Vanguard on its own is expected to provide electricity for the equivalent of 1.3 million UK homes, which accounts for around 5% of current UK household electricity demand — not bad for a single project.

Announced last week, Vattenfall revealed that it was finally moving forward on its official autumn consultation on the anticipated environmental impact of the 1.8 GW Norfolk Vanguard project.

Vattenfall is also moving forward with consultation with around 30,000 Norfolk households to ensure all are up to date on Vattenfall’s thinking for onshore infrastructure. Specifically, Vattenfall confirmed that no part of the 60-kilometer export cable will run under any house.

Currently, the specifics of Norfolk Vanguard hinge on future development decisions, including the environmental impact study. Vattenfall currently predicts that the project will use between 90 to 257 wind turbines with a generating capacity of between 7 megawatts (MW) and 20 MW — obviously banking on tremendous technological innovation and growth between now and construction.

“What we are setting out in detail in our statement of community consultation is our engagement plan to discuss and get feedback on what is called preliminary environmental information,” said Ruari Lean, Vattenfall’s Norfolk Vanguard Project Manager. “The PEI report sets out our latest layout of the offshore and onshore parts of the project, what we think will be the impacts and how we will go about minimising them.

“We will consult according to the SoCC, which means we will do what we say we will do.

“We ask everyone who is interested to tell us what they think of the information that we have published. We have already received a high volume of detailed feedback on residents’ concerns but also how people think Norfolk can benefit from what will be a significant inward investment in the region. The quality of feedback so far has been excellent and we thank those that have taken the time to engage in this process for nationally significant infrastructure projects.”

Source: cleantechnica.com

Milan Belin: The Advantage of Renault Electric Cars is Its Multiple Purpose

17.10.2017

Renault, Milan Belin — Foto: Privatna arhiva

The company Renault is the first car company to devote itself to the development of cars with zero emission of CO2. At the beginning of the current decade, the first electric cars – models Zoe, Twizy, Kangoo Z.E., Fluence Z.E. – arrived and expanded the Renault’s assortment.

Given the fact that they are equally recognisable, as well as other Renault’s vehicles, they are quickly becoming popular on the old continent. However, they still haven’t arrived in Serbia, and why that is the case we got the explanation from General Manager of “Renault-Nissan Srbija“, Milan Belin.

EP: The company Renault has not even one electric car on the Serbian market. Why is that so?

Milan Belin: Business model that company Renault presented when launching electric vehicles on the world marker is “electrical vehicles available to everyone”. This implies that the company’s goal is that each customer gets an electrical vehicle at the price of a similar one with a diesel engine. In order to achieve this it is necessary to fulfill two conditions: satisfactory subsidy of the government when purchasing an electric vehicle and good coverage of charging stations.

EP: What are the things that the developed countries offer to the importers and buyers of the electric vehicles? What condition should be fulfilled in order for the Renault’s electric cars to appear in showrooms of some country?

Milan Belin: In addition to subventions and availability of chargers, which are the basic conditions for placing of Renault models on the market, almost all developed countries give additional benefits to the owners of electrical cars: free tolls, free parking places, free electricity… Until the Republic of Serbia does not invest in the development of charging network and does not help the purchase by introducing subsidies, there are no adequate conditions for commercialization on our market.

EP: Renault Zoe was at the top of Europe’s top-selling electric car list in the past few months as well as in the last two years. So far, have you been contacted by the interested buyers of Renault’s electric cars on domestic market?

Milan Belin: The interest is growing every day, not only for Zoe, but also for Kangoo and Twizy. Aside from individuals, the interest is shown by legal entities, who would like to add this type of vehicles to their fleet.

EP: What is the primary reason why customers decide to buy exactly Renault’s electric cars? When you compare with the giant such as Tesla, what would be your advantage?

Milan Belin: The models which our company produces are multifunctional – from family through city to delivery vehicles, so the possibility to satisfy the wider population is higher.

EP: What the fans of Renault’s brand like most is certainly the design. The same applies to electric cars such as Zoe and especially model Twizy. What is the secret?

Milan Belin: It is very simple – Renault’s electric vehicles are fully followed by innovative designer’s solutions that are also offered in our other models. During 2016, the number of sold Renault models of electric vehicles exceeded 100,000 in Europe, which means that every fourth electric car on this continent is Renault’s. In the share of sales, model Zoe is involved with more than 50 per cent, and it is at the same the best-selling model of this kind in Europe in the last two years.

– The situation with the placement of Nissan cars in Serbia is similar to the one with the Renault brand. The first Nissan’s electric car will appear on the domestic market when the conditions for that are fulfilled – said Mr Belin

EP: What features possess the most popular among Renault’s electric vehicles – Zoe, Twizy, Kangoo? What feature is the biggest trump card?

Milan Belin: Kangoo has a range of up to 200 km, Twizy up to 100 km. Of course, these are factory data, since the real range depends on the variety of factors (driving style and conditions…) The last modification of Zoe model has a range of up to 400km.

EP: On what technical and technological characteristics is the Renault’s development sector currently focused?

Milan Belin: Renault has decided to develop exclusively electric vehicles in the future and that development is currently going in the direction of cheaper batteries with greater autonomy.

EP: For the end, do you have a message for drivers – polluters?

Milan Belin: We have only one planet and it depends on us how much will the nature be able to withstand the pollution we create. Look into the future, because we are the ones who influence what kind of planet we will leave to our kids and the future generations.

Interview by: Marija Nešović and Vera Rakić

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

Lancaster (California) Is “Solar Power Capital Of The Universe”

17.10.2017

Lancaster, California, produces more solar power per capita than any other city in the state. Devastated by the recession of 2009, when unemployment rose to 17%, the city has made its commitment to solar the basis of its economic rebirth. Today it is home to the BYD truck and bus factory, which just finished an expansion that tripled its original size.

Lancaster mayor Rex Parris calls his city “the solar capital of the universe.” Described by some as “an arrogant bully and an unstoppable control freak,” the three-term Republican has been an unflagging champion of solar power. “Had it not been for his leadership, we would not be on this journey,” said Lancaster city manager Mark Bozigian.

Today, housing prices have rebounded and unemployment is less than 6%. Parris says his clean energy policies have created 1,000 new jobs within the city, which sits north of Los Angeles and south of Bakersfield. “I think Lancaster is a fantastic story about clean energy and job creation, and it’s a great American story about reinventing,” said Jeff Tannenbaum, chair of sPower, a solar developer that has worked with Lancaster on several large-scale solar projects. “The Republican mayor has reinvented Lancaster as a clean energy capital.”

SolarCity, the company started by Elon Musk’s cousins and which was subsequently purchased by Tesla, has partnered with Lancaster to install rooftop solar systems on virtually all municipal buildings and schools in the city. Lancaster also changed its building code to require that new homes include rooftop solar, the first city in America to take that bold step. Not only is BYD the largest employer in the city, it also partnered with KB Home to build affordable homes that feature solar panels, battery storage, and LED lighting.

City manager Bozigian believes that local governments have all the tools they need to address climate change. “The mayor is in charge of building permits. Not the federal government,” he says. When Mayor Parris speaks about the city’s clean energy campaign, he does so with a photo of Donald Trump nearby. He points to the photo and tells his audience, “He doesn’t issue building permits. I do.”

The permitting process for rooftop solar systems can be lengthy with lots of delays built in. Not in Lancaster. Today, approvals take about 15 minutes. “It’s so business friendly here, it’s not even funny,” says Jim Cahill, a vice president at SolarCity.

The city made a decision to buy its electricity from solar power plants built within the city itself. That not only provides jobs for local workers, it also lowers the cost of electricity for city residents. That initiative has been so successful, Lancaster is helping other Southern California cities set up similar programs. Now Mayor Parris has his sights on creating a regional market for locally produced solar power. Together with several surrounding communities, Lancaster is planning to build a transmission like to deliver clean energy to Los Angeles.

“If other cities, or this state, had leaders like Mayor Parris and the Lancaster City Council, they would all be doing it,” said Bozigian. “You need to have guts, and you need to be decisive. You need to know what’s right, get the information you need, make a decision and do it.”

Parris may be unusual for someone who calls himself a Republican, but he is not alone. Halfway across the country, Georgetown, Texas, is committed to being a city that runs entirely on renewable energy. Republican mayor Dale Ross says it’s not about ideology or politics. Ross, who is a trained CPA, says it’s about dollars and cents.

“The revolution is here,” he says. “And I’m a good little Republican, a right-wing fiscal conservative, but when it comes to making decisions based on facts, that’s what we do. How is anybody going to compete with wind and solar?” he asks.

When the city started considering its options for long-term electricity in 2015, coal was simply too expensive and natural gas providers were only willing to lock in prices for 7 years. Wind farm suppliers, though, were willing to make a 25 year commitment. Now city residents pay about 25% less for their electricity than they did before.

Ross says Donald Trump was his 8th or 9th choice among the Republican candidates for president. “When Trump was campaigning, he was talking about clean coal and we’re going to bring coal jobs back? That is a mirage, that is not going to happen,” he says. “Coal is one of the most expensive forms of fossil fuels to produce. And those jobs are never going to come back, ever. They’re done.”

His opinions about the EPA dismantling the Clean Power Plan are equally acerbic. “Isn’t that sort of like putting a Band-Aid on somebody that has terminal cancer?” Ross said. “I’m not the smartest guy in the room but it’s not that complicated, OK? How’s fossil fuels going to compete in the next five years? They’re not going to be able to compete,” he tells The Guardian. “We were on the frontier of the fossil fuel business, oil and gas,” Ross says. “And now Texas again is on the frontier of the new energy that’s going to be the future.”

Back in Lancaster, city manager Bozigian also emphasizes economics over politics. “Mayor Parris says that the mistake that advocates make is to make it a politicized issue, which means everyone looks at it through a political prism. This is an issue that’s more important than that. It’s common sense.”

Source: cleantechnica.com

Norway Proposes Major Cuts to Carbon Capture and Storage Budget

17.10.2017

Termoelektrana, Ugalj, Zagađenje — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

On the same day at the UK government finally unveiled new funding support for the carbon capture usage and storage sector (CCUS), the Norwegian government proposed cutting its own support for the technology by 90 per cent.

Norway, which is seen as a leader in CCUS research, has proposed cutting funding for the technology from 360 million kroner ($45m) to just 20 million kroner ($2.5m) next year, according to Norwegian NGO Bellanova.

The move would put in jeopardy the development of carbon capture technology at three sites around the Oslo fjord where experiments are underway – a cement producer, an ammonia producer and waste incineration plant – as well as further research into the transport and storage of carbon dioxide.

Bellanova claimed the proposed cuts are “incomprehensible”. “By taking such steps, the government sows doubt amongst all the actors involved in CCS activities in Norway,” Olav Øye, Bellona adviser for CO2 capture and storage, said. “The technology is ripe and industry is ready. This budget risks undermining all other policies and investments on climate change.”

He vowed to work with the opposition and the government’s supporting parties to reverse the cuts before the budget is finalised later this year.

The move from Norway came on the same day as the UK government unveiled its long-awaited Clean Growth Strategy, which set out plans for £100m of funding for CCUS technologies, the first new funding since the government unexpectedly scrapped a £1bn competition in 2015.

Campaigners now fear Norway’s decision could undermine confidence in the technology and disrupt plans by the UK government to use Norway’s approach to R&D as a blueprint for its own CCUS innovation programme.

“The budget sends a signal that Norway is no longer serious about CCS,” Øye warned.

Source: businessgreen.com

What Can Carbon Dioxide Levels 50 Million Years Ago Tell Us About Climate Change Today?

16.10.2017

Scientists at Dartmouth College engage in climate change research have found a way to determine what the carbon dioxide level was in the Earth’s atmosphere during the early Eocene period that began about 60 million years ago and ended about 40 million years ago. During the Eocene, global average temperatures were 10º Celsius higher than today.

The early Eocene was characterized by five periods of extreme warmth — known as hyperthermals. They occurred between 56 and 52 million years ago and featured average temperatures that were up to 8º C warmer still. Add 10 degrees and 8 degrees and you get temperatures that were 18º C hotter than today, which equates to 32º Fahrenheit. If it is 70 degrees F where you are today, imagine it is 102 degrees outside instead. Big difference, right?

Until now, the scientific community believed that carbon dioxide levels were as high as 2000 parts per million during the Eocene era. But the research done by the Dartmouth scientists suggests carbon dioxide levels at the time were only half that high — about 1000 ppm. Today, CO2 levels in the atmosphere are around 400 ppm. The message is, disastrous consequences can flow from much lower concentrations of carbon dioxide than previously thought.

“This research provides important information about the planet’s climate past and adds an important chapter to the Earth’s history book,” said Ying Cui, Obering Postdoctoral Fellow at Dartmouth College. The research into a period of known high temperatures will help scientists understand how the earth has responded to changes in carbon dioxide levels in the past. That information should assist them in refining their predictions for climate change in the future.

The researchers used data regarding concentrations of carbon 12 and carbon 13 isotopes derived from sediment samples found in terrestrial and deep-sea drilling sites. The question the wanted to answer was where did the extra carbon dioxide that raised the earth’s temperature so high come from? The answer appears to melting permafrost during the period studied.

Uh, oh. Houston we have a problem. Permafrost melting is occurring right now this very moment in northern Canada and Siberia. As Bill McKibben explains in his book Oil And Honey, once the permafrost begins to melt, it begins a cascading feedback loop leading to climate catastrophe. Melting releases more carbon dioxide with warms the earth more and causes more melting. Lather, rinse, repeat.

“This changes our understanding of what the concentration of carbon dioxide should be in relationship to global temperature as well as how we should revisit climate models in order to better project future climate change,” Cui says. “The challenge is to reconstruct what the past carbon dioxide concentration is and to utilize these geochemistry proxies the best we can — essentially, how can we best interpret these records using geological archives,” said Cui.

While the Dartmouth research finds that the carbon was most likely released by permafrost thaw, there is still question as to what triggered the warming that caused the release of extra carbon into the atmosphere. Separate research points to the roles of extreme volcanic activity and water vapor during Earth’s earlier warming periods.

Although focusing on a timeframe that is over 50 million years ago, Cui says the research relates directly to efforts to understand the Earth’s current warming trend, and to project how human activities and other natural dynamics could impact future warming.

“The geologic past can provide a useful insight into our understanding of current and future environmental change,” said Cui. “Policy makers, economists and others who study projections on temperature can utilize this information to see how ecosystems recover after rapid change of climate and use it as lessons for the future.”

Of course, if you are one of those people, like Vice President Mike Pence, who believe the Earth is only 7,000 years old and that humans and dinosaurs coexisted at one time, none of this matters. The idea that anything happened 60 million years ago is to absurd to even consider. Which is why humanity will likely miss its last best chance to avoid extinction.

Source: cleantechnica.com

Paris Wants No Conventional Cars On Its Streets By 2030

16.10.2017

paris-843229__340 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Paris is known for taking progressive measures to fight climate change. In December of 2015, delegates from every nation gathered in the City of Light to create the historic COP21 climate accords. But in March of this year, the city suffered through a period of intense smog, during which the air over the city was dirtier than the air over Beijing and blotted out the view of the Eiffel Tower. Much of that smog was attributable to the exhaust emissions from conventional cars.

In response, the city of Paris put aggressive new procedures in place to limit the number of cars powered by internal combustion engines on its streets and eventually move beyond polluting cars. It has banned cars more than 20 years old, which have rudimentary pollution controls, from entering the city and instituted a plan that prohibited cars with license plates ending in even or odd numbers on alternating days. It also converted streets that used to run along the banks of the Seine into pedestrian walkways and bike paths.

October 1 was proclaimed “a day without cars” (something the city has trialled before), a move designed to make Paris “less polluted, more pleasant and more peaceful.” Nitrogen dioxide levels dropped 25%, and noise levels dropped an average of 20%. On the Champs-Élysées — one of the world’s busiest thoroughfares — noise levels dropped by 54%.

“Sensitizing residents to the need to modify their behavior towards the car was part of the objectives of this day,” the mayor’s office said in a statement, adding that it was also meant to be a symbol “that cities can and must invent concrete solutions to fight air pollution caused by traffic.”

Now the mayor of Paris has announced a plan that seeks to remove all gasoline and diesel powered vehicles from its streets by 2030. The plan is not a ban. Instead, it involves a series of investments and incentives designed to encourage citizens to leave their old fossil fuel–burning vehicles behind and switch to walking, bicycling, and using electric cars. The objective is to make Paris a carbon neutral city by 2050.

“We are seeing a revolution in terms of mobility and on the issue of climate,” Christophe Nadjovski, Paris deputy mayor in charge of transport and public space, told France Info Radio on Tuesday. “We can’t wait. This is about planning for the long term with a strategy that will reduce greenhouse gases. Transport is one of the main greenhouse gas producers … so we are planning an exit from combustion engine vehicles, or fossil-energy vehicles, by 2030.”

The mayor’s office released a statement after initial reports incorrectly labeled the new plan as a ban on conventional cars. “No measure of prohibition or sanction is included,” it said. “In order to achieve the goal of an end to the thermal engines in 2030, the City has decided to invest in the development of alternatives and in the reinforcement of financial aids that allow individuals and professionals to buy clean vehicles.” The proposed climate plan will be submitted to the Council of Paris for approval next month.

Most Paris residents do not own private automobiles. Instead, the rely on a comprehensive system of public transportation, bikesharing programs, carsharing, and taxis. The city’s plan is focused on convincing residents to rethink their commitment to getting around the city by car and adopt a lifestyle that contributes much less atmospheric pollution to their daily lives.

Source: cleantechnica.com

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