Neart Na Gaoithe Offshore Wind Farm To Have £827 Million Impact On Scottish GDP

30.08.2017

wind-turbine — Photo-ilustration: Pixabay

A new analysis has found that the 450 megawatt Neart Na Gaoithe Offshore Wind Farm will contribute an estimated £827 million to Scotland’s national GDP.

The Neart Na Gaoithe Offshore Wind Farm has been at the center of a long-running legal battle for over a year now, finding itself pitted against the UK’s Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), which claims that the 450 megawatt (MW) offshore wind farm will have a detrimental impact on migratory seabirds. While the courts recently gave the go-ahead for the project to move forward, the RSPB has nevertheless taken the issue to the country’s Supreme Courts.

Within a day of the RSPB announcing that it would continue its legal battle, the NnG Offshore Wind Farm Coalition was formed, representing organisations and companies that support the development of the Neart na Gaoithe (NnG) and have a stake in its construction. Specifically, the Coalition is concerned that the 600 jobs and £2 billion in investment will be put at risk if the RSPB continue its fight.

As if to further hammer home the importance of the NnG project, a new analysis was published this week by the Fraser of Allander Institute (FAI) at the University of Strathclyde which concluded that during the project’s capital expenditure (CAPEX) and operating expenditure (OPEX) phase the Neart Na Gaoithe Offshore Wind Farm will contribute £827 million towards Scotland’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product).

The CAPEX for the project is expected to be £2 billion according to the FAI analysis, which was commissioned by the project’s developer, Mainstream Renewable Power — of which £510 million will be spent in Scotland. Meanwhile, across the 25-year operational lifespan of the project, its OPEX is estimated to be in the range of £1.7 billion — with around £610 million of it spent in Scotland.

When it comes to employment figures, the NnG offshore wind farm is expected to be able to support 8,000 person-years of employment in Scotland through the CAPEX phase — primarily driven by procurement of jackets and piles from within Scotland — and a further 5,900 person-years of employment through its OPEX phase — driven by the expectation that around half of the maintenance for the project site will be procured within Scotland.

All told, therefore, the Neart Na Gaoithe Offshore Wind Farm is expected to drive £475 million to the Scottish economy during its CAPEX phase and another £352 million through the 25-year OPEX period.

“These new figures show the huge potential offshore wind offers to Scotland’s economy, in addition to the key role it has in tackling climate change,” said Jenny Hogan, Director of Policy at Scottish Renewables in response to the FAI analysis. “News this week of another study which showed the job creation potential of the Moray East wind farm off Caithness is also to be welcomed.

“Offshore wind can make a major contribution to meeting Scotland’s climate targets, allowing us to produce clean energy from the enormous resource we have available.”

Source: cleantechnica.com

VOJISLAV MILIJIC: There Is an Easy – Solution Replacing Fossil Fuels with Biomass

30.08.2017

In March 2015, UNDP presented the project ‘Reducing barriers for rapid biomass market development in Serbia.’ It’s just one of many projects that encourage the increase of biomass participation in energy production in Serbia. It is well-known data, which were also used by UNDP, that biomass accounts for 61% of the total potential of renewable energy sources.

We talked to Mr. Vojislav Milijić about such activities and about the plan which envisages 27% of energy production from renewable energy sources by 2020. He stands for one of the most devoted activists when it comes to biomass. On behalf of the companies “Foragrobio CC” and “Serbio” he has given Energetski Portal a lot of information concerning these topics.

EP: Foragrobio is a consulting Company, while SERBIO is National Association for biomass and they strive to achieve the objectives in the field of environment. These companies have existed since 2012. Can you tell us something more about both legal entities in which you are engaged?

Vojislav Milijić: “Foragrobio CC” Ltd was founded in 2012. It is specialised in providing consulting services in forestry, agriculture and biomass usage. Since the day of company’s establishment till today, we have had an opportunity to collaborate with a number of primarily foreign companies engaged in different activities such as investments in forestry and agriculture, through investments in district heating plants and biomass power plants. We have also participated in the development of various feasibility studies. These studies were primarily tied to specific projects which involve the use of biomass. In addition to consulting services, Forgrobio CC Ltd. is recognized as a reliable partner in projects’ development. More information about the company can be found on www.foragrobio.rs.

National Association for biomass SERBIO brings together companies, NGO’s and experts that are in different ways involved in biomass usage or in improving biomass usage. Currently, SERBIO has 32 members and those are mainly companies which deal with biomass usage. SERBIO is active in the implementation of international projects, and at the moment we are conducting BioREs project (coordinated by the Bavarian GIZ) together with 8 partners from 7 EU countries. The project is financed from the Fund Horizon 2020 of the European Commission. The aim of BioRES Project is establishing of trade and logistics centers for wood biomass in Serbia, Bulgaria, and Croatia. More information about SERBIO can be found on www.serbio.rs and about the project on www.bioresproject.eu.

EP: You have recently held a presentation at the conference, which was organized by the Delegation of German Economy in Serbia. The conference was about biogas and biomass. Would you be so kind as to bring up the most important facts, statistics, and information on the use, production, and resources that Serbia has?

Vojislav Milijić: You can find more details in the table which I enclose. In short, the potential of biomass in Serbia are huge, but the realization is at a low level. The fact that wood biomass in Serbia is used for the production of other products (pellets, chipboard), which are primarily assigned to export, is a particular problem. On the other hand, we import fossil fuels and export products based on biomass, instead of using those products locally and thus reduce energy dependence. Also, huge amounts of biomass are used very inefficiently (as firewood), which again reduces potential amounts that could be used more efficient (in CHP or district heating plants). Due to all these reasons, we have a situation in which the production of wood biomass is rather limited since the large quantities have already been used. An additional problem is the lack of organization of the private forest sector which owns over 50% of forest resources. These forest resources are mainly used in an unplanned way and under the pressure of the unfavorable economic situation.

The production of agricultural biomass is very low compared to its potential. There are significant possibilities for its growth. Nevertheless, the use of agricultural biomass is specific and it requires a special logistics concept and a large storage area, which represents a particular challenge for investors.

The most important opportunities for the usage of biomass in Serbia are:

• Energy crops, especially willows and poplars on land which do not provide adequate yield as traditional crops
• Pellet production, but only if there is a guaranteed sale, because the competition is extremely large in both domestic and foreign market, and the use of it is decreasing in most countries of Western Europe
• Heating plants on wood or on agricultural biomass through the Public-Private Partnership model or through the investments of the local governments
• Power plants of CHP plants on agricultural biomass used primarily for the energy production in industrial zones

EP: Is it possible to increase the percentage of biomass usage at a local level? What suggestions would you make?

Vojislav Milijić: Yes, and it would be very simple. You just need to replace fossil fuels with biomass. More than 20 municipalities in Serbia are currently working on the development of biomass power plants and they are at different stages, but I think that we can expect the first operating power plants on wood biomass next year. These projects were developed with the support of German Development Bank (KfW), and some of those with the support of GIZ DKTI projects or the support of other institutions. I remind you that one of the heating plants in Sremska Mitrovica has already been using agricultural biomass (sunflower husk). As far as the fuel cost is concerned, biomass is competitive in relation to crude oil and natural gas, and it does not pollute the environment as coal. The most common obstacles for local utility companies are investments in biomass boilers, but still in addition to KfW soft loans, there is a possibility as well as the interest of the investors in the public-private partnership. The private partners would be the holders of the investment for the energy production, while the public partner would carry out distribution in these partnerships. To some extent, the obstacle is also the current decline of oil prices and thus the heavy oil, which is the reason why the decision on the replacement of fuel and introduction of biomass in heat production system is delayed. However, I think that this is only temporary postponement because even with these prices, biomass is more cost effective option in long-term, which unlike other imported fossil fuels provides opportunities for development of local communities.

EP: The Statute of SERBIO Association says that the objectives for the development of bioenergy sector market are raising the awareness, strengthening of Public-Private Partnerships, organizing workshops and conferences. What is your experience and do you manage to achieve visible results in all these fields? What would be your observations and remarks? Where do you see progress?

Vojislav Milijič: I personally have been dealing with the use of biomass since 2009 and if I was to compare the situation then and now, I would say that Serbia has made a huge progress especially when it comes to raising awareness. A series of events (conferences, fairs, etc.), on which the biomass usage is one of the topics in addition to other renewable energy resources, tell us how topical biomass actually is. Our association SERBIO has made a contribution to this progress in addition to other organizations (GIZ DKTI, UNDP and others). Things in which Serbia generally legs behind, not only Western Europe but also the nearest neighbors are the concrete projects of energy production based on biomass, as well as the increase of energy efficiency while using biomass. Still, I think we will see the first results in the near future in these fields also, in the first place because Serbia has professional, technical and financial capacities for the implementation of such projects.

Interview by: Vesna Vukajlović

This interview was first published in bulletin “Renewable Energy” on June 1^st 2016.

St. Petersburg proposal would require solar panels on new homes and major roof repairs

30.08.2017

If you’re building a new house or putting on a new roof next year, and your place is bigger than 1,100 square feet, then St. Petersburg city officials may require you to install solar panels.

As the place that has long billed itself as “the Sunshine City,” St. Petersburg hopes to boost the number of solar-powered homes as part of a broader commitment made last year to convert the city to renewable energy sources, said Sharon Wright, the city’s sustainability coordinator.

“It’s just taking advantage of the resource that we have,” said Susan Glickman, who runs the Florida chapter of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and supports the measure.

Not everyone is eager to make solar power mandatory. Council Chairwoman Darden Rice said Tuesday she’s leaning toward voluntary measures, such as creating incentives, to promote solar.

“If we rush into a mandatory requirement, I don’t want us to suffer a backlash that undoes all the things we’ve already achieved,” said Rice, a former Sierra Club activist who co-founded the Pinellas Living Green Expo. “What we have to do is slow it down a little bit.”

The City Council will kick off a discussion of the proposed ordinance at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Sunshine Center. A tentative schedule calls for considering a final version by December, with the effective date sometime in 2018.

If passed, the ordinance would make St. Petersburg only the second Florida city to mandate solar for new homes, according to the Florida Solar Energy Center at the University of Central Florida. The first city to pass such a requirement was South Miami, although its ordinance won’t take effect until Sept. 14, according to its mayor.

The push for both ordinances came from a University of Miami student named Delaney Reynolds, founder of the Sink or Swim Project, which tries to raise awareness of sea level rise. Reynolds’ climate activism has led her to giving a talk at the United Nations and being featured on an MTV special with former Vice President Al Gore and rapper Fat Joe earlier this year.

Reynolds lives part-time in South Miami and part-time on No Name Key. Earlier this year she persuaded South Miami officials to pass their ordinance, modeled on one from California.

The South Miami ordinance was opposed by utility officials and some homeowners concerned about the cost, according to South Miami Mayor Philip Stoddard. But when it came up for a vote, the council approved it 4-1, he said.

Now Reynolds is trying to spread the idea around, presenting it not just in St. Petersburg but also Orlando and Sarasota, she said. She’s pleased with her success in St. Petersburg.

“My hope was to stimulate thought by the city leaders, but I was pleasantly surprised when they decided to take a vote following my presentation to begin researching and drafting a law like the one I’ve advocated for South Miami,” Reynolds said in an email to the Tampa Bay Times. “Candidly, the response was fantastic and exactly what we need to happen all over Florida and our country.”

Rice called the student’s presentation “very bold, very visionary,” and said it got the conversation started among city officials. She said the timing of the workshop, falling the day after a hard-fought municipal primary, “didn’t have anything to do with the election.”

Neither she nor Wright could explain why the St. Petersburg draft ordinance differs from the South Miami ordinance in one crucial respect. The St. Petersburg draft would require solar panels on not just new homes, but also on additions to homes and even includes it as part of “major roof repairs.” The South Miami ordinance covers only new construction.

“I haven’t dug into that,” Rice said.

Solar energy had grown in popularity in St. Petersburg in recent years, Glickman said, noting that in 2014 Great Bay Distributors announced it would top its building with Florida’s largest private solar array.

The League of Women Voters formed a solar cooperative that offers free membership in exchange for a discounted rate for solar installation, Glickman said. So far 55 people have signed up for the co-op, Wright said.

“The co-op would help bring the price down,” Rice said. Still, she predicted the ordinance will face opposition from real estate, construction and other business interests.

The city also added solar panels to the new police headquarters at a cost of $2.3 million.

Source: tampabay.com

Port of Long Beach (California) Accomplishes Significant Air Pollution Reductions

30.08.2017

Through its Clean Air Action Plan, the Port of Long Beach in California has managed to greatly reduce local air pollution levels, according to the most recent annual Emissions Inventory.

Altogether, the Port of Long Beach has managed to reduce local diesel particulate matter air pollution by 88%, and nitrogen oxide air pollution by 56%. Local greenhouse gas emissions were also reduced by 22% — all compared to 2005 levels.

Much of these reductions are the result of the first phase of the zero-emissions Long Beach Container Terminal opening on Pier E last year.

Green Car Congress provides some background on the news: “As part of the first Clean Air Action Plan adopted in 2006, the Port’s efforts to improve air quality have included the Clean Trucks Program; low-sulfur fuel regulations for ships; increased use of shore power for container ships; and the Port’s Green Flag Vessel Speed Reduction Program.

“The Port remains focused on continued reductions through increased use of on-dock rail, advanced clean-air technologies, and joint efforts with Port of Los Angeles to finalize the latest update to the Clean Air Action Plan this fall. With the opening of Long Beach Container Terminal, 11% of the Port’s fleet of cargo-handling equipment is zero-emissions.”

Considering the massive amount of shipping traffic that goes through the Port of Long Beach, the air pollution reductions discussed above are pretty impressive — and should go a long ways towards reducing regional air pollution levels. To elaborate on that, the Port of Long Beach is the second largest port in the US, as determined by traffic volume.

Source: cleantechnica.com

Climate Change To Dramatically Shift European Electricity Consumption

30.08.2017

A team of scientists from Germany and the United States has determined that rising temperatures due to climate change will have a dramatic impact on Europe’s electricity consumption patterns, culminating in putting extra strain on European power grids.

Led by scientists from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), the new study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), analyzing what unchecked global warming would look like for Europe’s electricity demand. The key findings from the study, North–south polarization of European electricity consumption under future warming, find that daily peak loads in Southern Europe will likely increase while overall consumption will shift from Northern Europe to the South.

Maybe most importantly considering its impact on the European electricity grids, the authors of the report also concluded that a majority of countries will see a shift of temperature-driven annual peak demand from winter to summer by the end of this century. Specifically, according to the authors of the report, “While demand for space heating is expected to decrease in response to less-frequent cold days, increased adoption and operation of air conditioning due to growing demand for space cooling during hot days will put upward pressure on electricity consumption as well as daily and seasonal peak loads.”

“It is fascinating to see how the response of electricity consumption to temperature changes is similar across European countries’ peak and total electricity use seem to be smallest on days with a maximum temperature of about 22°C (72°F), and increases when this daily maximum temperature either rises or falls,” said lead author Leonie Wenz from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.

“We use this common characteristic as a basis for estimating future electricity consumption under climate change — that is beyond the current temperature range. That way, those European countries that are already experiencing very hot temperatures today serve as examples for the future of cooler countries. It turns out that electricity demand in Europe will shift from countries like Sweden or Norway to countries like Portugal or Spain. Concurrently, the annual peak load will shift from winter to summer in most countries.”

The impact is obviously not just seen on electricity demand but has dire consequences on humanity itself. The authors of the report highlight the impact that hotter temperatures have on humans, and point to research which shows such factors negatively impact human health, social interactions, and economic output — not to mention increased deaths due to heat waves.

“Quantifying the connection between heat and human behavior is at the frontier of climate change research,” added co-author Max Auffhammer from the University of California, Berkeley. “There now is ample evidence that when it’s hot outside, air quality suffers, people are more stressed, aggressive, violent and less productive, mortality and crime rates rise. All sectors of the economy are affected by thermal stress, from the residential to the commercial, agricultural to the industrial sector. “

This turns it back around to the underlying premise of the article, namely that to accommodate and combat the shift in temperatures and the increase in hot weather, humans naturally turn to air conditioners.

“The main adaptation mechanism available to humans to combat high outdoor temperatures is a cooled indoor built environment, which in most settings requires the consumption of significant amounts of electricity,” continued Auffhammer. “This increased demand for air conditioning will put pressure on electricity grids when it is hot outside and generation and transmission infrastructure are already strained.”

This might sound like something of a no-brainer, but air conditioning has never found the widespread love and devotion in Europe as in other countries such as the United States and some parts of Australia.

“A few decades ago, no ordinary car in Europe had air conditioning, today almost every automobile has it — the same development will probably happen with buildings in Europe, yet not for reasons of comfort but due to necessity,” added co-author Anders Levermann from PIK and Columbia University in New York. “People will need to cool down their environments to keep up their life and economic productivity.”

Source: cleantechnica.com

Kenya Introduces World’s Harshest Law on Plastic Bags

29.08.2017

Kenya has been a major exporter or plastic bag in the past – but now the country is cracking down on the plastic pollution with the toughest law of its kind in the world. Kenyans selling, producing, or just using plastic bags could face a $40,000 fine or imprisonment for as long as four years.

Kenya’s plastic bag law came into effect just this week. According to Reuters, the country in East Africajoins over 40 countries worldwide that have either banned, partly banned, or put a tax on single-use plastic bags, such as Rwanda, Italy, and China. Under Kenya’s new law, police can target any person carrying a plastic bag, although environment minister Judy Wakhungu told Reuters enforcement would initially prioritize suppliers and manufacturers, and that the common man “will not be harmed.”

Not everyone is happy with the new law, which took Kenya more than 10 years – and three attempts – to pass. Kenya Association of Manufacturers spokesperson Samuel Matonda said 176 manufacturers will have to close, with around 60,000 jobs lost.

But other people point to the environmental cost of plastic bags: it can take between 500 and 1,000 years for them to break down. And the bags have been showing up in cows intended for human consumption. In slaughterhouses in Nairobi, some of these cows had 20 bags taken out of their stomachs. County vet Mbuthi Kinyanjui said, “This is something we didn’t get 10 years ago but now it’s almost on a daily basis.”

Kenya borders the Indian Ocean, and plastic bags can drift into the ocean and end up consumed by whales and dolphins, who ultimately die as their stomachs fill up with trash. The bags can strangle or suffocate marine creatures like turtles and seabirds. Plastic also ends up in fish later eaten by humans. Marine litter expert Habib El-Habr, working with the United Nations Environment Program in Kenya, said, “If we continue like this, by 2050, we will have more plastic in the ocean than fish.”

Supermarket chains in Kenya such as Nakumatt and Carrefour have begun offering cloth bags as alternatives to plastic for customers.

Source: inhabitat.com

Renault-Nissan Partner with Dongfeng to Make EVs in China

29.08.2017

The Renault-Nissan alliance has today announced plans to launch a new joint venture with carmaker Dongfeng to make and sell electric cars in China, the biggest EV market in the world.

China’s Dongfeng will own 50 per cent of the new venture, eGT New Energy Automotive Co, with Renault-Nissan taking the other 50 per cent. It will start producing a new EV – complete with “intelligent interconnectivity” – from 2019, with the aim of rolling out 120,000 vehicles a year.

“This project is the result of a joint effort to develop electric vehicles for the Chinese market, by the ‘Golden Triangle’ formed by Dongfeng, Renault and Nissan, with an innovative business model,” said Zhu Yanfeng, chairman of Dongfeng, in a statement. “We expect to meet the transformation trend of the market in China; where cars are becoming light, electric, intelligent, interconnected and shared.”

China is already the largest market for battery electric vehicles, with sales jumping 121 per cent in 2016 to hit more than 250,000. Sales in 2017 to date are up another third on 2016 levels, according to data from the China Association of automobile manufacturers.

The enthusiasm for low-emission cars in China has sparked a frenzy of interest from foreign carmakers eager to stake their claim on the growing market. In April German carmaker Volkswagen unveiled four new affordable EV models, all of which are being developed and launched in China, which CEO Matthias Müller described as “fast, vigorous, innovative and the global lead market for e-mobility”.

Notably, the new EV developed by EGT New Energy Automotive will use a sport utility vehicle platform developed by the Renault-Nissan alliance. With foreign carmakers wary of sharing technology with Chinese firms, it’s the latest sign major carmakers are forging closer ties with local operators to drive down manufacturing costs and better appeal to the Chinese market.

“The establishment of the new joint venture with Dongfeng confirms our common commitment to develop competitive electric vehicles for the Chinese market,” Carlos Ghosn, chairman and chief executive officer of the Renault-Nissan Alliance, said in a statement. “We are confident to meet the expectations of the Chinese customers and to strengthen our global electric vehicle leadership position.”

It follows an announcement from Ford last week that it will explore a new partnership with Anhui Zotye Automobile Co to launch a fleet of new EV vehicles in China. The line-up would be sold under a new brand jointly owned by Ford and Anhui Zotye and “would aim to capture a sizeable share of China’s all-electric passenger vehicle market”, Ford said.

Source: businessgreen.com

Households Should be Paid for Their Solar Energy – Report

29.08.2017

The Government’s long-awaited move to incentivise the scaling-up of solar energy development in Ireland should not exclude individuals and small businesses who wish to avail of an opportunity to reduce their energy costs by installing rooftop panels.

That is among the recommendations of a report by the climate expert Joseph Curtin published today.

The report was commissioned by Friends of the Earth, which is concerned the incentive scheme due to be announced shortly by Department of the Environment “may not cover micro/rooftop installations, and may not adequately address barriers to citizen participation” in solar panel deployment.

The cost of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, which generate usable solar power by means of photovoltaics technology and associated electricity storage batteries, has dropped dramatically in recent years. The panels absorb and convert sunlight into electricity with the help of an inverter that changes electrical current so that it can be used domestically or added to the national grid.

The report evaluates solar industry trends in the UK and Germany, and rejects suggestions that domestic rooftop solar energy would be too costly or favour wealthy households.

“The initial period of support is necessary so that the technology matures in the Irish market, and to ensure that Ireland can benefit from dramatic technology cost reductions anticipated over coming decades,” said Mr Curtin, a research fellow at UCC and member of the Government’s climate change advisory council.

While solar PV is a “potentially disruptive technology to incumbent business models”, notably those used by utility companies that generate or distribute electricity, “it must be embraced, not blocked, because it offers many benefits for citizens, and is a potentially vital component of the flexible and responsive energy system of the future”, the report adds.

“Supporting the industry at this early stage will ensure that a qualified cadre of project developers and technology experts emerges, and a technology supply chain is developed,” it says.

While larger schemes offer economies of scale and lower transaction costs, “the argument in favour of household rooftop solar is based on the fact that householders save energy which would otherwise be paid for at the rate of the peak electricity tariff for residential customers”.

A renewable electricity incentive scheme proposal being considered by the Government includes provision for commercial rooftop solar development in addition to “on ground” projects, The Irish Times understands – but “it’s not a carve-up” in favour of big developers and large energy companies.

“The introduction of a subsidy for rooftop solar PV … is vital for development of the type of grid and energy system that can deliver national decarbonisation [reducing CO2 emissions] at least cost and maximum benefit over coming decades,” said Friends of the Earth director Oisín Coghlan.

The “overdue incentive” should apply equally to domestic households, small businesses, farmers, schools and community groups, Mr Coghlan insisted.

The financial analysis refutes common “anti-solar” arguments, he said. “The Government has promised to put citizens and communities at the heart of the transition to a clean energy system. This research shows solar power is key to unlocking citizen participation. Paying households for the solar electricity they generate can be done at a reasonable cost and in a fair way.”

Mr Coghlan said the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar had signed the Friends of the Earth petition for a fair payment for solar power, and Minister for Climate Action Denis Naughten had indicated support for rooftop solar energy.

He added: “We’re really concerned that economists with no interest in public participation and big power companies who want to keep the market to themselves are telling the Government not to pay households and communities for the electricity they generate; to leave it to the big boys to provide Ireland’s renewable energy. We have seen the limits of that strategy with wind power. We don’t want to repeat the same mistake with solar energy.”

Source: irishtimes.com

US Renewables Matching Nuclear For Now, Soon To Overtake

29.08.2017

Obnovljivi izvori — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

The US Energy Information Administration last week published its latest ‘Electric Power Monthly’ which reveals US renewable energy is locked in a virtual dead-heat with US nuclear energy, each providing roughly 20% of the country’s electrical generation.

However, according to experts looking at recent figures, it’s predicted that nuclear will soon see its percentage share decrease, while renewables are only expected to continue to increase their percentage share of electrical generation.

Each month the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) publishes its ‘Electric Power Monthly’ report which provides an exhausting look at the electricity generation sources across the US. Of recent months it has been important to keep a close eye on this report as renewable energy continues to increase its percentage share of electrical generation, and other generation sources like nuclear and coal begin to feel the effects of gas and renewables greater attractiveness.

Of particular importance this year has been the growth of renewables as compared to nuclear energy. Specifically, EIA figures in June showed that renewable energy generation in March and April beat out nuclear energy for the first time ever. Fast-forward and it turns out that over the first half of this year, renewables beat out nuclear in March, April, and May. Further, across the whole of the first half of 2017, nuclear and renewables both provided roughly 20% of the total electrical generation for the US — 20.05% for renewables and 20.07% for nuclear.

Ken Bossong, who runs the Sun Day Campaign, highlighted the EIA’s figures as he does pretty much each month, and dug further into the EIA’s numbers to see what things look like in the future.

According to the EIA, “monthly nuclear electricity generation will surpass renewables again during the summer months of 2017 and that nuclear will generate more electricity than renewables for all of 2017.” However, Ken Bossong is less likely to jump on this particular bandwagon right away. Specifically, the growth trends of both nuclear and renewables don’t line up perfectly well with the EIA’s predictions — renewables’ growth continues to expand while nuclear is stagnating, if not outright declining. Looking at the numbers, renewables electrical output across the first half of 2017 was 16.34% higher than it was during the first half of 2017, whereas nuclear output dropped by 3.27%. In June alone, electrical generation from renewable energy sources was 27.15% higher than in June 2016, while nuclear dropped by 0.24%.

“Everyone loves a horse race,” noted Ken Bossong, Executive Director of the SUN DAY Campaign. “However, the smart money is now on renewables to soon leave nuclear power in the dust.”

“Nuclear power is in irreversible decline in the US, due to rising costs and failing economics of new and existing reactors, alike,” added Tim Judson, executive director of the Nuclear Information and Resource Service. “Last month’s cancellation of half the new reactors under construction in the U.S. means that gap is going to be wider than projected, and accelerating.”

There is growth across the whole spectrum of renewable energy sources — most notably in the solar sector, which when utility-scale solar is combined with small-scale solar, has grown by 45.1% over the first half of this year when compared with a year earlier. Hydropower is up 16.1%, wind is up 15.6%, and geothermal is up by 3.2%.

On the other hand, nuclear in the US is “bleeding cash” and numerous facilities are being shuttered or planned-expansions are being halted. In July the cancellation of the Summer 2 and 3 reactors in South Carolina joined Duke Power’s announcement that it was cancelling construction of the twin William Lee reactors. Meanwhile, it is expected that the Vogtle 3 and 4 reactors in Georgia are also coming up on the chopping block. This month, Bloomberg New Energy Finance predicted that 55% of America’s nuclear plants are costing their owners $2.9 billion a year.

Source: cleantechnica.com

GE Signs Order For 150 Megawatt Wind Project In Jhimpir, Pakistan

29.08.2017

GE Renewable Energy has this week announced the signing of an agreement to provide wind turbines for the largest wind project in Jhimpir, Pakistan, a 150 megawatt project being built by Power China in the Gharo-Keti Bandar Wind Corridor in Jhimpir.

The US Agency for International Development (US AID) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) currently predict that Pakistan has more than 132 GW (gigawatts) worth of wind energy capacity available to be exploited. The Pakistan Government has also set out its Vision 2025 which aims to increase the percentage of indigenous sources of power generation to more than 50%. Wind projects such as those being developed in the Gharo-Keti Bandar Wind Corridor in Jhimpir, in the province of Sindh, are a big step forward to helping the country meet its Vision 2025.

This most recent deal is for 87 of GE’s 1.7-103 wind turbines which will be provided to engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor, Power China, and upon completion will provide an estimated electricity equivalent to the needs of more than 50,000 Pakistani homes. According to information available on the Sapphire Wind Power website, it would appear that the latest contract is for three 50 megawatt (MW) wind farms.

“GE is committed to supporting the Pakistani government in meeting its goals of providing reliable power to improve the lives of the people of Pakistan,” said Dr. Manar Al Moneef, CEO of Renewable Energy at GE Middle East, North Africa and Turkey. “We want to increase and sustain Pakistan’s installed renewable energy capacity and annual wind additions. Wind power generation is an affordable & environmental-friendly solution, benefiting from a short implementation cycle delivering quick returns for the investment.”

The project name is clouded behind a number of subsidiary company names: GE specifically signed its agreement with Tricon Boston Consulting Private Limited (TBCPL), a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) set up by Sapphire Textile Mills Limited as an owner and operator of wind farms and is based in Karachi, Pakistan. Notably, Sapphire Textile is already a developer of wind farms, with a 52.8 MW project installed and operational.

“We are setting up the largest wind project which will feed the Pakistani national grid benefiting all sections of the community — households, cities, villages and industries,” added Nadeem Abdullah, CEO of Sapphire Wind Power Company Limited. “Pakistan has tremendous potential for wind energy, which is competitive with other generation technologies while having zero emissions. We are proud to be partnering with GE, a world leader in power generation technologies that continues to be a solid partner for us in our Group’s existing thermal and wind generation projects.”

Pakistan’s renewable energy capacity is currently dominated by 7.1 GW worth of hydropower. The country also has 591 MW worth of wind power, and 410 MW worth of solar. The solar market may get a boost in the near-term, however, with the country’s decision earlier this year to switch to competitive auctions for solar power projects, a move which will likely bring the cost of solar crashing down and make the Pakistani market much more attractive.

Source: cleantechnica.com

Major Changes Recommended In India’s 100 Gigawatt Solar Power Plan

28.08.2017

An Indian Parliament committee has given recommendations for making major changes in the National Solar Mission which, it believes, are essential to achieve the 100 gigawatts of operational capacity target by March 2022.

Committee members noted that the government has taken notable measures to increase solar power capacity in the country, and the wind energy sector has prospered significantly through financial incentives. However, other renewable energy technologies like biomass, cogeneration, small hydro, and waste-to-power are way behind and need special attention from the government.

As per the Ministry of New & Renewable energy, an estimated Rs 5 trillion ($78 billion) would be required to achieve the 100 gigawatts of operational solar power capacity target by March 2022. The committee, however, notes that no financial program has been implemented by the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy. The government has allowed 100% foreign direct investment in the renewable energy sector, and capacity addition is nearly completely dependent on private sector investment.

The committee has recommended that the Ministry play a proactive role in arranging funding by facilitating loans with lower rates, floating green bonds through the Solar Energy Corporation of

India, and approaching international lenders, including the Green Climate Fund.

The committee has recommended that the Ministry should push defense establishments to set up 5 gigawatts of solar power capacity on surplus land and vacant rooftops. However, only Indian-made cells and modules can be used for this purpose. This proposal, however, may run into direct confrontation with the WTO ruling that found domestic content requirement obligation by the Indian government in violation of international trade laws. A provision that allows governments to use domestic content for their own use may come to its rescue though.

While the implementation of solar power parks have been encouraging so far, the program design needs some tweaking, feels the committee. Infrastructure for solar power parks is being developed in parallel to implementation of the solar power projects themselves, but this does not provide certainty to the participating developers. Thus, the Ministry should expedite development of support infrastructure for solar power parks to attract more interest and investment from project developers.

The committee has recommended that the Ministry should abolish the viability gap funding (VGF) program, as the capital cost for solar power projects has dropped sharply over the last few months which has also resulted in a remarkable fall in tariff bids. The committee feels that the VGF program has outlived its utility and the sector no longer requires such support to flourish.

The poor capacity addition in the rooftop solar power sector forced the committee members to question the viability of the 40 gigawatts of operational capacity by March 2022. The committee has recommended that the Ministry reconsiders this target, possibly revising it downward. To expedite implementation of rooftop solar power projects across the country, public awareness programs, changes in building bylaws, and financial support schemes should be implemented.

Source: cleantechnica.com

9 States Embrace Clean Energy, Agree to Cut Power Plant Emissions an Extra 30%

28.08.2017

Obnovljivi izvori energije — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

Nine Republican and Democratic Northeast and Mid-Atlantic governors committed to further cut pollution Wednesday through the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).

The proposed changes to the RGGI program, reached after more than 20 months of negotiations, will include extending the pollution cap to 2030 with a 30 percent reduction from 2020 levels.

This change is projected to reduce climate pollution by more than 132 million tons by 2030—the avoided emissions equivalent to taking 28 million cars off the road for a year. Environmental groups welcomed the decision, calling it a powerful sign of states stepping up on climate action despite a federal vacuum.

“The northeast and mid-Atlantic states continue to show bipartisan leadership on cutting emissions of dangerous heat-trapping gases and transitioning to clean energy sources, which is particularly welcomed given the Trump administration’s abdication on addressing climate change,” Ken Kimmell, president of the Union of Concerned Scientists, said in a statement.

“The RGGI states’ decision to lower the cap on fossil fuel plant emissions means cleaner air, a faster transition to renewable energy, job growth and even lower electric bills as states use proceeds from the program to invest in energy efficiency.”

Source: ecowatch.com

Extensive Coral Bleaching in the Pacific Shocks Scientists

28.08.2017

A crew of scientists who are spending two years aboard a research ship traveling around the world have said they were shocked to find basically all of the Pacific Ocean’s reefs to be affected by bleaching.

“What we’ve seen in really isolated spots like Samoa for example, even though it’s very far away from [developed] countries with pollution, we struggled to find any coral life,” the captain of the ship, Nicolas De La Brosse, told the ABC.

“It doesn’t matter where you are in the Pacific, coral is starting to bleach.”

Coral bleaching occurs when the coral reacts to changes in environment, such as a rise in temperature, and expels the algae living in its tissue. The coral and algae rely on each other to survive. Without the algae the coral turns white and if the bleaching event is severe or repeats it can cause the coral to die and never recover.

De La Brosse has been on the French research vessel Tara, which has been sailing around the world for over a decade studying the effects of climate change on the ocean.

The current expedition, which is set to last two years, is the largest study ever conducted on coral reefs, with a journey of 100,000 kilometres planned, taking the crew, including engineers and scientists, from Europe to Asia and back again.

The team on this expedition is focussing on how coral reefs in the Pacific are adapting to climate change. In a stop-over in Sydney the crew remarked on their shock at the extent of the damage they have already witnessed. And they are only halfway through their expedition.

After their stopover in Sydney the team is headed north to study the effects of climate change on the Great Barrier Reef.

Final results from the data collected on this trip will be analyzed and released in 2019.

Global Citizen campaigns on the Global Goals, many of which, especially Global Goal 13 call for urgent action on combat climate. Global Goal 14 also focusses on the conservation and sustainably of our oceans and marine life.

Source: ecowatch.com

NREL Confirms Wind & Solar Have Cheapest Generation Costs

28.08.2017

The United States Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory has updated its analysis of electricity generation technology costs, and it’s good news again for wind and solar, which come out cheapest alongside natural gas.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has released its 2017 Annual Technology Baseline (ATB), the third edition of its highly respected analysis of current and projected energy technology generation costs, focusing primarily on utility-scale electricity generation technologies — although, this year NREL have also included distribution-level solar PV technologies as well.

“In addition to aggregating the most reliable, timely cost and performance data spanning the full range of energy technologies, the Annual Technology Baseline highlights key trends and makes projections out to 2050,” said NREL Senior Analyst Maureen Hand. “For energy analysts and others tasked with communicating relevant electricity technology cost and performance trends that have a bearing on energy markets, the ATB serves as an indispensable go-to resource that greatly facilitates and streamlines the work involved.”

Maybe of most interest from this year’s ATB is the fact that solar PV capital costs have continued to decline recently and are only expected to continue to decline. Similarly, onshore wind capital costs have also fallen while capacity factors have increased — higher megawatts at cheaper rates. Both of these trends are expected to continue, serving to further increase the attractiveness of solar and onshore wind, and making them increasingly cost-competitive — especially against natural gas combined cycle plants in the near term.

Source: cleantechnica.com

Policy Shift Puts 3 Gigawatts of Wind Energy Capacity in India for Sale

28.08.2017

As India moves towards competitive auctions and away from incentives, companies that do not engage in renewable energy generation as their core business are now looking to offload these assets.

According to recent media reports, around 3,000 megawatts of wind energy capacity is up for sale in India as the central government has either reduced the quantum of financial benefits or completely ceased in some cases. Now, companies which had made investments in setting up wind energy projects with the purpose of reaping tax benefits and generating additional revenue are looking to sell these assets.

Wind energy developers used to get two incentives — accelerated depreciation and generation-based incentive — which played a critical role in the growth of the wind energy sector in India and making it the largest contributor in the renewable energy sector.

From 1 April 2017, accelerated depreciation has been reduced from 80% to 40%. Through this incentive, project developers can claim higher tax deductions on revenue generated from wind energy projects. A number of non-power companies invested in wind energy projects to avail tax incentives under this scheme. Such companies are now looking to sell these plants off.

A generation-based incentive expired on 31 March 2017. Under this program, wind power generators received Rs 500/MWh ($7.8/MWh) in addition to the feed-in tariff.

The recent shift towards competitive auctions has also put doubts on the future of non-power companies in the sector. States like Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Gujarat have refused to sign power purchase agreements under the feed-in tariff programs with wind projects ready to be commissioned.

These developments were a direct result of the first-ever wind energy auction in the country that took plans in February earlier this year. A total of 1,050 megawatts of wind energy capacity was auctioned at a record low tariff bid of Rs 3.46/kWh (5.2¢/kWh).

Source: cleantechnica.com

India’s Renewable Energy Capacity Addition In Q2 2017 Lowest In 6 Quarters

27.08.2017

India added the least renewable energy capacity it has added in six quarters during Q2 2017, which is also 25% less than what was added during the same period last year.

According to the data released by Central Electricity Authority, India witnessed a renewable energy capacity addition of just 1,043 megawatts between April and June 2017, compared to 1,680 megawatts during the same period last year. Solar power capacity addition was down from 1,026 megawatts in 2016 to 826 megawatts in 2017. Wind energy capacity fared even worse, with the capacity addition falling to just 226 megawatts compared to 285 megawatts.

Coal-based power capacity, on the other hand, fared much better than renewable energy capacity. Almost 2,400 megawatts of coal-based power generation capacity were added in Q2 2017, up from 1,040 megawatts in Q2 2016. Interestingly, some capacity in the coal and waste-to-power generation capacity was retired in June 2017.

In 2016–2017, India witnessed a massive surge in renewable energy capacity addition, helped by a healthy pipeline of solar power projects, due to a large number of competitive auctions and wind energy projects lined up for commissioning before March 31, 2017, when some tax and financial incentives were set to expire.

“India added more renewable energy capacity than thermal power capacity in financial year 2016-17, the Central Electricity Authority of India has reported. The renewable energy capacity added during the period April 2016 to March 2017 was nearly twice as much as the thermal power capacity added during the same period.

“A total of 6,990 megawatt coal-based power capacity was added in India in FY2016-17 while the thermal power capacity addition during the financial year stood at 7,655 megawatts. In comparison, 14,140 megawatts of renewable energy capacity was added in the same period.”

The second quarter usually sees reduced capacity addition across the entire Indian power sector, as it is the first quarter of the Indian financial year. Project developers are under no pressure to meet deadlines to secure any incentives that usually expire at the end of March every year.

Many other factors would likely have impacted the renewable energy capacity addition as well — issues with land acquisition, the end of some crucial incentives, and market developments that increased uncertainty for many project developers.

Wind and solar power are the largest contributors to India’s renewable energy capacity addition and both sectors witnessed some crucial developments in the last few months. Due to increased competition in the solar power market, tariff bids crashed by 26% in a matter of three months earlier this year. This development inspired power utilities to renegotiate old power purchase agreements, which has created a sense of uncertainty in the minds of developers.

Source: cleantechnica.com

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