UN: Renewable Energy Creates a Safer Future

22.08.2024

vetar — Photo-illustration: Pixabay (Skitterphoto)

Fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, and gas, are the biggest contributors to global climate change, accounting for 75 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and nearly 90 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions. To avoid the worst consequences of climate change, we must reduce emissions by nearly half by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

Companies in the fossil fuel sector are leading a “massive campaign of disinformation and misinformation” to slow down countries’ adoption of renewable energy and the transition from a carbon-based economy, the United Nations (UN) stated.

Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, said that there is an expansion of fossil fuels in some of the world’s wealthiest countries.

“By signing so many new oil and gas licenses, they are signing away our future,” Guterres said, adding that countries must swiftly phase out fossil fuels.

The organization notes that renewable energy is currently the cheapest option for energy production in most parts of the world.

“Falling costs are making renewable energy increasingly attractive worldwide, including in low- and middle-income countries, where most of the additional demand for new electricity will come from. Cheap electricity from renewable sources could provide 65 percent of global electricity by 2030. It could decarbonize 90 percent of the energy sector by 2050, significantly reducing carbon dioxide emissions and helping mitigate climate change,” the UN stated.

The transition to clean energy not only helps address climate change but also air pollution, which, according to WHO data, causes the deaths of 13 million people worldwide each year. Unhealthy levels of polluting particles primarily come from the burning of fossil fuels.

Finally, the economic side is also highlighted, where renewable energy sources, particularly solar energy and wind, have an advantage over fossil fuels.

“More than 30 million jobs could be created in clean energy, energy efficiency, and low-emission technologies by 2030,” the UN reports.

The UN also calls for new national plans to reduce emissions, as required by the Paris Agreement of 2015, in which governments must clearly outline not only their goals but also how they plan to achieve them.

Energy portal

PV Power Plants on Flat Roofs

21.08.2024

solar — Photo-illustration: Pixabay (Michael_Pointner)

Photo-illustration: Pixabay (andreas160578)

Designing and planning rooftop PV plants is one of the most challenging steps towards the realization of your dreams of having green energy produced by sunlight. Hardly any rooftop project is more demanding than designing and installing PV power plants on flat surfaces. Flat roofs are considered those inclined up to 3°, and most are covered with membranes (PVC, TPO or bitumen-based) or even concrete, so solar industry experts avoid drilling them. So, when we talk about flat roofs, we refer to low-ballast PV systems, where the mounting systems that hold the PV modules are ballasted rather than attached to the flat roof, as is the case with pitched roofs.

The concept behind the design of flat roof PV systems is to connect PV modules in groups, using their weight and ballast to resist wind forces – as a group. The solar industry developments have shown that the most optimal inclination of PV modules on flat roofs is 10° and 15°, which have recently become industry standards. This means a more aerodynamic system requiring less ballast than it would under an optimal inclination angle, which in a big part of Europe would be 30°.

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The most optimal PV module inclination angle thus gives way to the aerodynamic balance and, therefore, a reasonable amount of ballast that the roof structure can still withstand. Research has shown that the PV module pitch higher than 15° precipitates into exponential growth of the amount of ballast. The amount of ballast is at K2 Systems calculated using the proprietary planning software K2 BASE ON, in which all parameters that influence the structural verification of the mounting systems on flat roofs are factored in: wind speed, snow load, terrain category (as per Eurocode norm), building height, eaves parapet height, roof pitch and friction coefficient between the roof membrane and the mounting system itself which must be measured each time on-site.

Like in the car industry, the K2 BASE ON planning software also considers the results obtained through wind tunnel testing – a highly sophisticated procedure to obtain reference values for how the PV systems behave on a flat roof. PV systems on flat roofs must withstand all wind and snow load forces throughout the entire lifespan, which is supposed to be 30 years. To prevent potential damage to the roof membrane, these flat roof systems must also be bolstered by special rubber protection mats which protect the roof membrane. This prevents the PV system from directly rubbing onto the membrane during vibrations when wind forces occur. The biggest challenge for the PV industry in terms of flat roofs in the last years has, however, been determining the permissible inclination angle of the roofs. By what pitch is the flat roof still considered flat? As flat roof mounting solutions came last to the PV market, there was less feedback regarding the issue. The experience of the last five years has shown that the acceptable and permissible installation on flat roofs may be done on the roof pitch up to 3°.

Installations that had been executed on a pitch bigger than 3° have all shown significant problems by having the PV system being shifted or slipped away from its original position. This was pronounced when coupled with the effects of thermal expansion of the Aluminum, which is the main material of all mounting systems for PV modules. All these new insights have made producers such as K2 Systems advise installers against installations on the roof pitch higher than 3° unless the system can be somehow mechanically fixed into something or leaned against something. However, no universal recipe exists for performing the fixation and the leaning. It must be carefully examined case by case as to how to get this done. At K2 Systems, we have done it several times. However, this is possible with close cooperation with the investor and the local roofing company. Such solutions raise the project to a whole new level, and many other factors must be considered, preventing water leakage being one of them.

K2 Systems

Read the whole story in the new issue the Energy portal Magazine AGROSOLAR ENERGY AND RES.

Deep Underground Water Reservoir Discovered on Mars

20.08.2024

mars, istrazivanje, planeta — Foto-ilustracija: Unsplash (nicolas-lobos)

Foto-ilustracija: Unsplash (Vishal Banik)

Scientists from the University of California, Berkeley, have made a significant discovery using data from NASA’s InSight research device. They found a massive reservoir of liquid water deep beneath the surface of Mars, the fourth planet from the Sun. This water is located between 11.5 and 20 kilometers below the planet’s surface, within small cracks and pores inside the rocks of Mars’ crust. The amount of water is so large that it could cover the entire surface of Mars with a layer of water between one and two kilometers thick.

More than three billion years ago, Mars had oceans on its surface. However, after the planet lost its atmosphere, these oceans disappeared. The new discovery suggests that a large portion of that water didn’t vanish but rather seeped deep into Mars’ interior, into the deep layers of the crust.

The reservoir is currently inaccessible with existing technology due to its depth. However, this discovery could open up the possibility that Mars might have conditions that could potentially support life, considering that life on Earth can survive in extreme conditions such as the deepest parts of the oceans.

Scientists used seismic waves caused by marsquakes to study the interior of the planet, and through this method, they were able to identify the presence of water-saturated rock layers. This method is similar to the one used on Earth to find water and oil, as explained in the study.

This discovery not only sheds light on the planet’s past but could also play a significant role in future Mars explorations and missions. Additionally, this research could benefit Earth by helping us understand planetary and geological processes, which may contribute to a better understanding of climate change and advancements in underground resource exploration technologies.

Energetski portal

Rostock: Regional Development With Wind Energy

20.08.2024

Wind energy brings jobs and value creation to deprived rural and coastal communities. Eastern Germany is a classic example of a region that has benefited. WindEurope saw this first hand on a recent visit to Rostock. And there are many more potential benefits for Eastern Germany. Worth bearing in mind as the region approaches big State elections in the coming weeks.

Rostock lies is in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (MWP) in North-East Germany. MWP is on the Baltic and shares a border with Poland. Since the reunification of Germany in 1990 MWP’s economy and living standards have struggled to catch up with Western Germany. Its once heavily agricultural economy is increasingly shifting to services, tourism, high-tech and renewable energies. But unemployment remains the third highest and income per capita one of the lowest among the German States.

Frontrunner in renewables

Renewables offer unique economic opportunities for Rostock and MWP. With fewer than 2 million people MWP has the lowest population density of German States. This offers space for wind and solar generation. Rostock has a long history as maritime hub once part of Hanseatic League. Now offshore wind is offering new opportunities for growth.

MWP is already a frontrunner in renewables – wind is 60 per cent of the electricity it produces. It has 3.7 GW of onshore wind farms and 1.5 GW of offshore wind in the Baltic. Already today MWP is producing more electricity than it consumes, exporting the surplus to other German states. By 2025 MWP wants to have 6 GW of onshore and 1.8 GW of offshore wind.

Germany’s Federal Government has mandated MWP to set aside 2.1 per cent of its territory for onshore wind, up from 0.8 per cent today, and to identify the sites by 2032. Project developers are interested in building new wind farms there. But MWP needs to improve its permitting processes to meet the 2-year deadline in the EU Renewables Directive. No German State takes longer than MWP to permit new wind farms – it currently has around 1,000 wind turbines stuck in permitting.

New wind energy investments will create hundreds of jobs

Rostock is a prime example of a just transition with renewables. The maritime industry in Rostock had been laid idle. But wind energy has breathed new life into the economic development of the city and wider region. And the footprint of Europe’s wind energy supply chain in Rostock is going to grow further.

Neptun Smulders, a joint venture between Belgian company Smulders and the local Neptun Werft shipyards (Meyer Group), are developing a manufacturing site for converter platforms for offshore substations in the Port of Rostock. They are securing the last permits and aim to start production in 2027. They will then manufacture 2 GW high voltage direct current converter platforms in Rostock every year.

And it’s not the only recent investment decision taken in Rostock. Transmission System Operator 50Hertz recently announced that they will build up a control and coordination centre for their offshore wind activities in the Baltic Sea. They’re acquiring a 23,000 square metre site in the Port of Rostock to host their incident and crisis management team and to be a storage location for offshore wind cables and other equipment needed to do repair work at sea. 50Hertz expect the centre to start operating in 2028.

The newcomers will join a busy wind energy supply chain in and around Rostock. This includes leading wind turbine manufacturer Nordex who manufacture nacelles and hubs in Rostock, specialised wind turbine manufacturer and project developer eno energy who can make up to 200 MW of wind turbines a year in their Rostock factory and wind turbine manufacturer Suzlon. Rostock also hosts Liebherr (maritime crane manufacturing), EEW Group (offshore foundations) and Eikboom GmbH (composites, nacelle cladding).

Upcoming elections could pose a challenge to industrial transformation

But Rostock’s green economic transformation could be impaired. This is if the far-right, which is currently polling at 25 per cent, gains further support in the State elections in MWP in 2026. The far-right question human-made climate change and want to end existing support mechanisms for renewables. They reject the further expansion of wind energy and want to reverse the transition to renewable electricity.

MWP is not the only Eastern German State at risk of this shift. In September Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg elect new State Governments. In all three States the far-right is currently leading the polls. The example of Rostock shows that renewables should not be considered a threat but a huge opportunity for economic and regional development.

Source: Wind Europe

Why Aren’t We Reducing our Reliance on Fossil Fuels Faster?

19.08.2024

open-pit-mining-masine-rudnik — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

Photo-illustation: Unsplash (Karsten Würth)

The world must rapidly cut its greenhouse gas emissions. Remarkable progress has been made, especially in the adoption of renewable energy in the transport and energy sectors, but the change is not happening fast enough to meet global net-zero ambitions. What is the hold-up and what can we do to accelerate the energy transition?

The need to move away rapidly from fossil fuels and fossil raw materials is now embedded in global diplomacy, national and corporate targets and public consciousness. At COP28, nations agreed to “transition away from fossil fuels,” triple global renewable energy capacity and double the rate of energy efficiency improvements.

Yet, despite all the efforts to move away from fossil fuels, greenhouse gas emissions reached record levels in 2023, according to the Global Carbon Budget.

“Is the energy transition happening fast enough to avoid a climate crisis? Clearly not,” says Eliot Whittington, Chief Systems Change Officer at the Cambridge Institute of Sustainability Leadership. “The power side of the transition is going extremely quickly and it’s accelerating. And we’re getting there on road transport, particularly light vehicles. But everywhere else, it’s not happening fast enough, in sectors such as steel, cement, shipping and aviation.”

Carrie Song, Senior Vice President for Renewable Products at Neste, adds: “There are economic, political, technological and social reasons that emissions are not falling fast enough. Investment in renewables and other lower-carbon technologies is growing, but not at the level required to enable us to achieve the complete energy transition towards more sustainable alternatives. And, investments in fossil fuel infrastructure are continuing, locking in emissions for decades to come.”

So, while the green transition is underway, it’s clear that this shift is dependent on a complex web of factors that must be understood and dealt with holistically to arrive at a new world order for energy as effectively and fairly as possible.

As the tide slowly changes, let’s look at the technologies that are needed, the bottlenecks in electrification, the role of consistent regulation worldwide and how a just transition is crucial long term.

The technologies changing the global energy foundation

Alongside new alternatives for fossil raw materials, many technologies that enable a complete energy transition exist but have yet to reach maturity.

Strides are being made to develop innovative and stable energy storage solutions, critical to boost battery storage capacity and to enable the long-term storage and long-distance transport of non-fossil energy, such as green hydrogen.

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Raphael Cruz)

Technological developments are needed in industries that produce significant greenhouse gas emissions, which are difficult to transition away from fossil fuels too. This includes ‘Power-to-X’, which makes hydrogen from water using electricity. When renewable electricity is used this produces renewable or green hydrogen, with a low carbon footprint. This green hydrogen, together with carbon dioxide from captured CO2 emission sources, could transform carbon-intensive industries, such as steelmaking and cement, and has exciting potential applications for aviation.

Another tool for cutting emissions in hard-to-abate industries is carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS), which enables emissions reductions where other options are impractical or too costly.

Electrification bottlenecks

For many sectors, the well-known answer to transitioning away from fossil fuels is a switch to electrification from renewable sources. A bottleneck to this is the slow pace of grid upgrades to allow more renewable energy capacity onto the network. “Everyone likes renewable energy in the abstract until developers try to build it near your house,” says Samantha Gross, Director of the Energy Security and Climate Initiative at The Brookings Institution.

For cars and light commercial vehicles, electrification works because these vehicles carry light loads for short distances and can recharge often. It’s a different story for aviation and shipping and heavy machinery in remote locations. They are heavy, carry large loads and can not stop frequently to recharge.

Where electrification is challenging, there are other alternatives to fossil fuels, such as renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). These are an effective drop-in solution with an immediate impact on emissions, but, while there are low upfront costs, the higher price compared to fossil fuels can still be a barrier. “Renewable fuels, such as SAF, can be three to four times more expensive, but we need to look at why that is. Conventional fossil fuels don’t include the cost of emissions, local air pollution and other problems. Having said this, we are only talking about an added cost of what amounts to a couple of euros per passenger, the same that many pay for a coffee at the airport,” says Song.

“In the wealthy world, a lot of this is a marketing problem,” Gross adds. “If you present something as a sacrifice, it doesn’t sell. You need to sell this as going somewhere better.”

Consistent regulation and investment drive the energy transition

There is little consensus on the best approach to removing fossil fuels from the energy system and regulation is uneven in different parts of the world.

“Policies to encourage the energy transition are still insufficient and inconsistent across different cities, countries and regions,” Song says. “And, they often have to compete with fossil-fuel-friendly policies. We need clear, consistent, ambitious policies to drive continued investment and to encourage businesses to make the right decisions.”

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Fre Sonneveld)

Neste has invested EUR 1.6 billion (USD 1.73 billion) to double the annual renewables capacity at our Singapore refinery and EUR 0.9 billion to establish a joint operation and expand renewables production capacity on the US West Coast. We also have a EUR 1.9 billion renewables production capacity expansion project at our Rotterdam refinery. And, we have a EUR 2.5 billion investment programme at our Porvoo refinery in Finland to turn it into a leading renewable and circular solutions refining hub capable of producing annually about 3 million tons of renewable and circular products, such as renewable diesel, SAF and renewable and circular feedstock for the polymers and chemicals industry.

“The payback for these investments will take many years, so if you want companies to make investments on that scale, you need to give such large-scale suppliers confidence that there will be long-term demand for their products,” says Song. “That means we need to see clear, consistent policies that will drive investment.”

We are seeing green shoots of such regulations and policies with the European Union’s mandate that at least 14 percent of energy in transport should come from renewable sources by 2030, including a minimum share of 3.5 percent of advanced biofuels and another regulation mandating an increasing share of SAF to be blended into jet fuel in Europe, starting with 2 percent in 2025 and increasing to 70 percent in 2050. Another example is California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard, designed to reduce the CO2 intensity of the state’s fuel mix. As a result, more than half of the diesel sold in California is renewable. At a national level in the U.S., the Inflation Reduction Act drives billions of dollars of investment across the clean economy.

But, a study by the Climate Policy Initiative and law firm Allen & Overy estimates that almost EUR 184 trillion of investment is needed for the world to reach net zero by 2050, or more than EUR 5.5 trillion a year to 2030 and more than EUR 6.4 trillion every year from 2030 to 2050. Only EUR 920 billion was invested in this area in 2022, suggesting a massive investment gap to be filled.

“This is really hard. It’s one of the biggest transformations mankind has tried to do. The level of investment needed to completely change the energy system that underlies the entire economy is gigantic,” says Gross.

A just transition: taking it slower to get it right

Any change impacts people, their lives and their futures – this has to be taken into account in a transition that will extinguish entire industries, turn others upside down and create new ones.

The energy transition must be a just transition as envisaged by the Paris Agreement: one which delivers green and decent jobs and creates resilient communities. “If we lose the public, we are sunk. If you go too fast, you won’t get buy-in from people and then everything stops,” Gross says. “In many countries, particularly in emerging markets, the focus is on lifting living standards and incomes, not cutting emissions.”

Hundreds of millions of people still lack access to energy, while billions have no access to modern cooking fuels. “Any solution that does not have them developing is not a solution. But they can do so without damaging the environment as much as we did,” says Gross.

Another challenge is that the green economy is capital-intensive to get going. Operators must spend a lot of money upfront, a challenge, particularly for poorer countries. This upfront expenditure has risen even more as inflation has surged and interest rates shot up, creating challenges for project developers.

The increase in the cost of living also impacts individual consumers for whom spending on sustainable alternatives is a luxury that they cannot afford or are not willing to prioritize.

Finally, geopolitical instabilities also hamper progress on sustainability goals, as security, defence and warfare take a greater share of the world’s attention – and money.

It is easy to fall into pessimism. The challenges with moving away from fossil fuels and fossil raw materials are considerable. There are many moving parts to consider – none easy to tackle nor possible to be solved in isolation. Given the enormity of the task, it’s probably wrong to ask how we can accelerate the energy transition. The key is to get it right.

There have been huge success stories in renewable fuel development, renewable energy, energy storage and electric vehicles. This gives hope that we might observe a snowball effect in the transition away from fossil resources, picking up pace and scale, while crucially, ensuring it’s done in a way that is just and sustainable long term.

Source: World Economic Forum

From Glass Waste to Construction Material

18.08.2024

Marija-Markovic_La-Primavera-ploca_1 — Photo: Marija Marković

The fact that there is room for innovation in the construction material industry is evidenced by the company Fragment from Čačak. Its founders, Marija Marković and Pavle Milošević, patented a revolutionary construction product that captivates with its beauty and sustainability.

We are talking about Fragment panels, which contain 75 per cent recycled glass collected directly from local sources. These panels are characterized by exceptional strength that surpasses marble and natural stone, making them a durable and reliable material for various applications.

Marija Marković, an artist and environmental activist who received her master’s degree in New York, says that the idea of producing Fragment panels arose from an experiment connected with art and ecology.

– We started with the desire to make a sculpture and find a solution for the bottles piling up in our households. In many parts of Serbia, it is not easy to dispose of recyclable waste, so we decided to try to make a material similar to terrazzo. When we first polished the material, it looked fantastic. We still keep that first tile as a reminder of our beginnings – our interlocutor explains.

IN FOCUS:

However, the initial appearance of the material was far from the products the company offers today. Since glass and cement do not mix well chemically, these innovators embarked on two-year research that included cooperation with the Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy in Belgrade and the Faculty of Technical Sciences in Čačak.

– That cooperation started well, and we are still successfully maintaining it. After over 2000 experiments, we were finally satisfied with the mechanical and aesthetic properties of the Fragment panel – Marija says.

The company currently offers 17 different panel designs suitable for interior and exterior use. These panels have been used to make fountains, outdoor furniture, ledges, bathroom walls, kitchens, bars, and various tables.

– Fragment panels have an A1 flammability class, which guarantees that they do not burn, do not spread fire, and do not catch fire in the event of a fire. They are adaptable to the specific needs of each project because they can be cut into different shapes. Our protective coatings are certified for food contact, ensuring safety and hygiene in all applications. In addition, they are UV neutral, which means they are resistant to harmful UV rays and will not fade or lose their properties under the sun’s influence – she points out.

Fragment panels are breathtaking in their appearance. They have depth; they shimmer and refract light in a way that creates a feeling of being lost on the surface. Even to the touch, they are very interesting and unique.

Prepared by Milena Maglovski

Read the whole story in the new issue the Energy portal Magazine AGROSOLAR ENERGY AND RES.

Prosumers – an Important Link in Serbia’s Energy Transition

17.08.2024

Low Angle View Of Workers Installing Solar Panels On Roof Against Sky — Foto: Eaton

Although present on Serbia’s energy scene since 2014, the concept of prosumers only truly took off two years ago, and its popularity continues to grow daily.

Citizens, businesses, and numerous institutions can now generate their own electricity from renewable sources, and any excess production from their plants can be fed back into the power grid. Obtaining the prosumer status has numerous benefits, including significant savings on electricity bills, energy independence and security,environmental benefits, and contributions to the national energy transition.

According to data from the Electric Power Industry of Serbia, around 3,200 prosumers currently produce green kilowatts in our country. The majority are households, with 2,300 registered as prosumers, with about 840 production facilities and an increasing number of institutions, including schools, kindergartens, student centers, monasteries, and institutes. Most prosumers have opted to install solar systems on their roofs, many motivated by subsidies for installing solar panels offered by the Republic of Serbia since 2021. Prosumers are essential for the successful energy transition of our country. They increase the percentage of renewable energy sources in the domestic energy mix, help relieve the power grid, achieve financial savings, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Thus, support for prosumers and their further development has been recognized as one of the priorities in Serbia’s energy policy to ensure a sustainable and secure energy future for all.

Regulations and laws related to the renewable energy sector have been revised multiple times to best meet investors’ needs, and this year, amendments to the Energy Law are planned. These will, among other things, establish a system for certifying installers of solar systems, heat pumps, and other renewable energy systems to ensure consistent and standardized service quality for citizens and businesses.

IN FOCUS:

How to Achieve Prosumer Status

The Law on the Use of Renewable Energy Sources outlines how one can achieve prosumer status. The process has been simplified to encourage as many citizens, entrepreneurs, and institutional representatives as possible to embrace renewable energy sources. Before applying for a contract with a supplier, the end consumer must construct a facility to produce electricity from renewable sources for their use, with any surplus energy delivered to the system. At the beginning of the year, a regulation set a limit of 10.8 kilowatts for households and up to 150 kilowatts for other categories of prosumers. To achieve prosumer status, the end consumer must adjust the metering point in accordance with regulations and standards. The application for the contract must include a Notice of Meter Adjustment issued by the distribution system operator. One of the electricity market suppliers in the Republic of Serbia is the joint-stock company Electric Power Industry of Serbia Belgrade, which participates in concluding full supply contracts with net metering or net billing with prosumers. The supplier is then obliged to offer the prosumer a full supply contract with net metering for households or net billing for other categories in accordance with the appropriate criteria and conditions prescribed by law.

Conclusion of Contracts with Net Metering or Net Billing

Photo-illustration: Pixabay (Michael_Pointner)

In Serbia, prosumers use net metering and net billing, which allows them to utilize the energy produced for their consumption and deliver any excess energy to the grid, thereby achieving significant savings. Once the supplier processes the submitted application, a contract with the prosumer is concluded through two models: the full supply contract with net metering for households and the full supply contract with net billing for other categories. A recent regulation on the incentive fee for privileged electricity producers is significant for households and industrial prosumers. The most important innovation is the reduction of the fee costs for prosumers who generate green energy for their own needs, while the fee amount remains unchanged for other consumers. The regulation prescribes the method for calculating the fee for privileged electricity producers paid by end consumers. The new regulation further facilitates and improves the financial position of prosumers since the fee calculation base is based on net electricity, not the electricity taken from the grid. The system operator registers the end consumer in the Prosumer Register, completing the process of obtaining prosumer status. Once “members” of the prosumer club, both individuals and legal entities, become active participants in generating electricity from renewable sources, they will benefit themselves and the entire nation

Prepared by Milena Maglovski

Read the whole story in the new issue the Energy portal Magazine AGROSOLAR ENERGY AND RES.

July Sets New Temperature Records

16.08.2024

sun-sunce-klimatske-promene — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Extreme heat hit hundreds of millions of people throughout July, with a domino effect felt right across society. July was one of the hottest – if not the hottest – month on modern record, and the world’s hottest day was registered – yet another unwelcome indication of the extent that greenhouse gases from human activities are changing our climate.

Global average temperatures for at least 13 consecutive months set new monthly records.

According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, July 2024 was the warmest July on record for the globe in NOAA’s 175-year record and 0.03°C (0.05°F) warmer than July 2023 and “more likely than not the warmest month on record for the globe since 1850.”

July 2024 was the second warmest month globally and the second warmest July in the ERA5 data record of the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. It was just 0.04°C lower than the previous high set in July 2023.

The differences between the datasets are so minor that they are within the statistical margin of error used to calculate global temperatures. WMO combines six international datasets for its climate monitoring, including ERA5 and NOAAGlobalTemp.

The prolonged and intense heat underlines underlines the urgency of the Call to Action on Extreme Heat issued by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who said that “Earth is becoming hotter and more dangerous for everyone, everywhere.”.

“Widespread, intense and extended heat waves have hit every continent in the past year. At least ten countries have recorded daily temperatures of more than 50° C in more than one location. This is becoming too hot to handle,” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo.

“Death Valley in California registered a record average monthly temperature of 42.5 °C (108.5 °F) – possibly a new record observed for anywhere in the world. Even the remote frozen ice sheets of Antarctica have been feeling the heat,” she said.

“The WMO community is committed to responding to the UN Secretary-General’s Call to Action with better heat-health early warnings and action plans. Recent estimates produced by WMO and the World Health Organization indicate that the global scale-up of heat health-warning systems for 57 countries alone has the potential to save an estimated 98,000 lives per year. This is one of the priorities of the Early Warnings For All initiative,” said Celeste Saulo.

“Climate adaptation alone is not enough. We need to tackle the root cause and get serious about reducing record levels of greenhouse gas emissions ,” said Celeste Saulo.

NOAA Data

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Tadeusz Lakota)

NOAA said that July 2024 was the 14th consecutive month of record-high global temperatures. This breaks the longest record warm global temperature streak in the modern record (since 1980) previously set from May 2015—May 2016.

Climatologically, July is the warmest month of the year. As the warmest July on record, July 2024 was more likely than not the warmest month on record for the globe since 1850. The past ten Julys have been the warmest Julys on record.

The global land-only July temperature also was warmest on record at 1.70°C (3.06°F) above average. The ocean-only temperature was second-warmest at 0.98°C (1.76°F) above average, ending a streak of 15 consecutive monthly record highs that stretched from April 2023—June 2024, according to NOAA.

Copernicus Climate Change Service

Globally, 22 July was the hottest day, and 23 July was a virtual tie, in the reanalysis dataset (ERA5) from the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), which is implemented by the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF).

The daily global-average temperature reached 17.16°C and 17.15°C in ERA5 on 22 and 23 July. Given the small difference, similar to the level of uncertainty in the ERA5 data, it is not possible to say which of the two days was the hottest with complete certainty, said C3S.

The ERA5 reanalysis dataset uses billions of measurements from satellites, ships, aircraft and weather stations around the world. It is one of six international datasets used by WMO for its climate monitoring and annual State of the Climate reporting.

C3S compared ERA5 with other reanalyses, the uncertainty for day-to-day or year-to-year temperature changes is estimated to be well below the 0.07°C difference found between 6 July 2023 (previous hottest day) and 22/23 July 2024, and multiple datasets are in agreement on the periods of the record temperatures in 2016, 2023 and 2024.

The reasons for the spike in high temperatures is being analysed.

According to the Copernicus Climate Change Service, one of the contributing factors was much above-average temperatures over large parts of Antarctica, with anomalies of more than 10°C above average in some areas, and above average temperatures in parts of the Southern Ocean.

Although natural climate variability can play a role, such big temperature anomalies are unusual. It is the second such heatwave to hit the continent in the last two years and a similar heatwave contributed to the record global temperatures in early July 2023. The Antarctic daily sea ice extent in June 2024 was the second lowest on record, after 2023, according to the US National Snow and Ice Data Center.

At a Glance

Detailed below are some selected noteworthy observed extreme temperatures in July. Note that details of all the impacts are not included since this necessitates a more extensive analysis, and the impacts of heat on human health, in particular, are widely underreported.

Asia

Japan’s monthly average temperature in July was the highest in the instrumental record back to 1898 (2.16 °C warmer than Japan’s July 1991-2020 average), beating the record set last year. Severe heat is expected to continue across the country for August. In recent days maximum daily temperatures climbed to above 38 °C in many weather stations, and the monthly average temperature at 62 of the 153 meteorological stations nationwide was the highest ever recorded for July, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. It advised people to pay attention to temperature forecasts and heatstroke alerts, and take appropriate steps to prevent heatstroke.

Foto-ilustracija: Unsplash (Ivan Aleksić)

China – July was the warmest month on record (comprehensive data since 1961).

The heat continues in August, with maximum daily temperatures above 40 °C in many places of eastern China, according to the China Meteorological Administration.

India had its second warmest July on record, with minimum overnight temperatures being the warmest on record (since 1901), according to the India Meteorological Department.

Pakistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran both suffered repeated heatwaves, with the latter forced to close schools because of the heat.

Bahrain recorded its hottest July on record (since 1902), with a mean monthly temperature of 37.4°C, or 2.3°C above the long-term normal for July.

Africa

During July, Morocco experienced two consecutive heatwaves with record temperatures. The second heatwave, from 22 to 25 July, was particularly intense, reaching 41.7°C in Nouasseur and 47.6°C in Marrakech. Chefchaouen broke its July temperature record with 43.4°C on 19 July 2024.

This followed an unusually cool start to the month. The sudden contrast between cool temperatures and extreme heat intensified the heat stress on residents.

Europe

Many areas of the Mediterranean and Balkans were gripped by extended heatwaves in July, causing casualties and impacting public health. A rapid attribution study by scientists in World Weather Attribution said that the Mediterranean heatwave – Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, France and Morocco – would not have occurred without human induced climate change

Several countries including Greece, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia and Bulgaria reported the warmest July on record. The last 4 years have recorded 3 of the 4 warmest July months for Greece in at least 80 years.

In Spain, Barcelona’s Fabra Observatory , officially recognized as a centennial long-term observation station by the WMO, registered a new record maximum temperature of 40.0 ºC.

France did not experience an exceptional month overall, but did see its first heat wave of the year at the end of the month, impacting the well-being of athletes and spectators at the Paris Olympics.

North America

In the United States of America, about 165 million people (half the US population) were under heat alerts on 1 August, according to the heat.gov website. During the past 30 days, more than 80 temperature records were set, according to the US National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration.

An average monthly temperature of 42.5 °C was measured at Furnace Creek/Death Valley which is a record for the site and possibly the world. WMO does not make systematic formal evaluation of in situ monthly average temperature, such as for the daily extreme temperatures. However, WMO Weather and Climate Extremes rapporteur Randall Cerveny, said that the record appeared to be reasonable and legitimate.

Death Valley is considered the hottest place on earth, the highest daily temperature 56.7 °C (134 °F) was observed there on 10 July 1913, according to the WMO Weather and Climate Extremes Archive.

On 1 August, Las Vegas set a new record of 43 consecutive days with maximum temperature of 105 °F (40.5 °C) or higher (the previous record was 25 days back in 2017).

On 2 August, there were 94 large active wildfires nationwide in the USA. Year-to-date wildfires have burned 4 489 028 acres (1 816 645 hectares), about 800 thousand acres more area than the 10-year average in 2014-2023 period.

Hot and dry conditions, coupled with lightning, contributed to the fires. As of 3 August, 829 fires actively burned in Canada, including more than 250 out of control. British Columbia and Alberta were especially affected, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. In British Columbia more than 800 thousand hectares already burned in 2024, amost double the 20-year average. The top years all occurred since 2017 in this province.

South America

In the South American winter, some countries recorded temperatures more typical of summer. Temperatures above 30 °C, and even above 35 °C, in parts of Bolivia, Paraguay, southern Brazil, Uruguay, northern Argentina are unusual for this time of the year, with anomalies up to 10 °C, and sometimes even higher. Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service said that Bolivia and Brazil’s Amazon face unprecedented fire activity.

By contrast, during first half of July, unusual cold affected some parts of the continent. In southern Peru, heavy snow collapsed many houses and buildings. The cold weather also led to deaths reported in Argentina and Chile. Cold temperatures, down to -6 °C on 9 July, also affected southern Brazil and Uruguay.

Source: WMO

EBRD Arranges 40.1 Million Euros Financing to Elektroprivreda BiH towards Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Green Transition

16.08.2024

eletrična-energija-struja — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

Foto-ilustracija: Unsplash (Fre Sonneveld)

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is providing a EUR 25.1 million loan to Elektroprivreda Bosne i Hercegovine (EPBiH), the largest public electricity generation and distribution utility in Bosnia and Herzegovina, to develop and construct a 50 MWp solar power plant on a former coal ash landfill site.

In addition to its own financing, the EBRD has helped to mobilise further funds for the project, with UniCredit Bank d.d. providing a parallel loan of EUR 15 million.

The proceeds of the loans will be used to develop, construct and operate two adjacent solar power plants (SPPs), with a combined capacity of 50 MWp, in the municipality of Gračanica.

The twin SPPs will be the largest solar project developed by the company to date and among its most significant investments in renewable energy. The project is part of a broader cooperation between the EBRD and EPBiH to facilitate the company’s transition to renewable energy.

As part of the project, the EBRD is supporting a 2050 technical cooperation initiative, in which several 2050 decarbonisation scenarios for EPBiH will be comprehensively assessed, along with their impact on EPBiH’s operations, financial capital requirements, planning, project implementation structures and communication with stakeholders. A second technical cooperation initiative will support EPBiH in working with the authorities to introduce new educational standards in the renewable energy field, focused on a just transition in the context of workforce management challenges associated with decarbonisation.

Technical support for project preparation and implementation, as well as advisory support, are being provided by Austria through the Austrian Municipal Infrastructure Fund and the Austrian High-Impact Partnership on Climate Action. Additional funds for technical support are being provided by the EBRD’s Shareholder Special Fund.

Such projects and the associated technical support are crucial to the decarbonisation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the country targeting a 43.6 percent renewable energy share by 2030.

To date, the EBRD has invested more than EUR 3.2 billion in 233 projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Bank’s strategic priorities in the country are to promote the green economy, support the development of the private sector and foster regional integration.

Source: EBRD

German state approves gas drilling project in North Sea

15.08.2024

more, nemačka — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (kevin-mueller)

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (jonah-geurs)

The controversial extraction of natural gas in the North Sea near the German island of Borkum is moving closer to becoming a reality after a responsible authority gave its approval.

The Office for Mining, Energy and Geology (LBEG) in the northern German state of Lower Saxony said on Wednesday it granted the Dutch energy company ONE-Dyas an 18-year permit for drilling under the seabed.

Under the terms of the deal, the drilling and extraction would be halted if it was determined that Germany no longer needed natural gas as an energy source.

Europe’s biggest economy is aiming to accelerate the use of renewable energies, such as solar and wind power, as part of a low-carbon future.

LBEG President Carsten Mühlenmeier said that gas extracted from domestic deposits is significantly less harmful to the climate than imported gas.

ONE-Dyas plans to start extraction from a field near the German island of Borkum and the Dutch island of Schiermonnikoog later this year.

Drilling is planned at depths of 1.5 kilometres to 3.5 kilometres.

The expected extractable amount of natural gas for the entire project ranges from 4.5 billion cubic metres to 13 billion cubic metres.

The Federal Network Agency, a German regulator, said around 81 billion cubic metres of gas were consumed in Germany last year.

Project still faces legal and diplomatic hurdles

Environmental protection groups and island residents in Germany and the Netherlands are opposed to the project. Fridays for Future protested recently on Borkum and in front of the Lower Saxony state parliament in Hanover.

Environmental Action Germany had promised to take legal action against the project should it receive approval from state authorities.

Apart from the climate concerns, they fear damage to the Wadden Sea marine national park. The UNESCO World Heritage Site spans the territory of Netherlands and Germany. It is the largest unbroken system of intertidal sand and mud flats in the world, UNESCO says.

Furthermore, an international agreement between Germany and the Netherlands is still needed before drilling can begin as the project affects the territory of both countries. The sides have been in talks since 2022 at the federal level.

“The main content of the agreement includes regulations on the division of the deposit, cross-border cooperation between the authorities and field and extraction taxes,” a spokeswoman for the Economy Ministry in Berlin said.

Source: DPA

The Serbian Electricity Exchange Ensures the Highest European Standards

14.08.2024

After almost a decade since its foundation and becoming operational in February 2016, the Serbian Electricity Exchange (SEEPEX) has firmly positioned itself not only as an important support provider in green transition and further liberalization of the electricity market in Serbia but also as a significant integrative factor in stock exchange business in a broader regional, interregional and one could even say pan-European context.

After the establishment of the first regional electricity exchange in the regions of Southeastern and Central Eastern Europe, the Alpine-Adriatic-Danube Electricity Exchange (ADEX), established in December 2022 through the corporate merger of SEEPEX and the Slovenian electricity exchange BSP, it was officially announced that in 2024, the Hungarian stock exchange HUPX will be added to that unique business infrastructure. After this year’s drastic energy crisis and price consolidation, this news, as well as the current situation and further development directions of the European electricity market, are the reasons we talked to Miloš Mladenović, founder and director of SEEPEX.

SEEPEX and partners from the ADEX Group continue to push the boundaries and ensure the highest European standards in stock exchange business infrastructure. In a way, it has brought to life its initial idea of forming a single regional stock exchange.

“This significant business success at the end of the first decade of SEEPEX’s operations came as the icing on the cake of the company’s successful and profitable business, which in just a few years profiled itself as a relevant national and regional trading place, with a fully rounded spot market framework. Last year, the intraday segment of spot trading was also launched with more than 40 participants from 16 European countries and a volume of almost 5TWh of electricity traded in the day-ahead market. Those business results were accomplished during the so-called ‘isolated’ operations, which is the first such case in the region, where all other stock exchanges (including those from the EU) began to accomplish such business and financial results only after the implementation of market merger projects and the significant increase in liquidity that they consequently brought”, said Mr Mladenović.

He pointed out that all of the above was due to believing in the success and commitment of all parties who participated in the company’s establishment and operations, not only from SEEPEX and Elektromreža Srbije but also from a wider area, including the institutions that came forward to meet the necessary, and on a couple of occasions, systemic interventions on changes and additions to the energy sector, market and financial regulations. First of all, this is the fruit of the set, the far-reaching vision of SEEPEX as a modern European stock exchange that will operate fully in accordance with the best European practice and have a clear regional perspective.

IN FOCUS:

The multifaceted importance of the common stock exchange

The formation of ADEX, the corporate association of the stock exchanges of Serbia, Slovenia, and Hungary, was a significant step forward in this segment of the region.

“The importance of forming a joint stock exchange for all three parties is truly multifaceted, not only in terms of the electricity market, security of supply and more efficient integration of renewable energy sources, but also on a strategic, and one might say, geopolitical plan, above all in the context of integrative activities towards the European Union“, Mr Mladenović adds.

He reminded us that the so-called BlueSky project was initiated in 2017 by SEEPEX and its founders (EMS and EPEX SPOT) as an instrument for realizing SEEPEX’s initial vision of establishing a regional electricity exchange. Due to an insufficient understanding of political structures from the relevant countries, which are the most important and natural interlocutors regarding that plan, SEEPEX turned to partners from the EU.

“The project implementation was carried out in two phases. The first phase, which involved the corporate integration of the Serbian and Slovenian stock exchanges and the establishment of the ADEX Group, was successfully completed at the end of 2022, while negotiations with Hungarian partners were also completed last year. The transaction document on HUPX joining this unique business infrastructure was signed in December 2023“, explains Mr Mladenović.

The first practical results of the planned synergy within ADEX were achieved after a few months, i.e., by establishing an intraday market in Serbia in late July last year. In April of this year, the process of transforming the business model of the Slovenian Stock Exchange (BSP) was completed in such a way that the clearing function and the platform for day-ahead trading were harmonized with SEEPEX’s business model, i.e. by applying the best European practices used in all EPEX SPOT markets. With the introduction of a unique membership process and a harmonized price list, all Serbian and Slovenian spot market participants will be provided with the so-called one-stop-shop solution, where all the accompanying benefits of such a solution will be at their disposal. These include a unique business and clearing infrastructure, netting and cross-margining of collateral, a uniform procedure and reduced costs of accessing spot markets. The plan is to boost further the synergy with Hungarian partners in the near future.

“In the Serbian market, the establishment of the intraday spot market is included in the legal framework as one of the essential prerequisites for the efficient integration of renewable sources of electricity and the successful implementation of a new incentive scheme based on auctions for concluding long-term financial purchase contracts (the so-called contract for differences), where the contracting party responsible for the state’s implementation of those fifteen-year financial contracts would be the guaranteed supplier (i.e. the Electric Power Industry of Serbia – EPS), while the physical delivery of the produced energy and the balance responsibility would fall on the producers themselves“, explains Mr Mladenović.

Of course, SEEPEX’s role in incentive measures is much broader, primarily in the context of providing a relevant and robust reference price to which the mentioned financial contracts refer, as well as ensuring a sufficiently liquid day-ahead market that will be able to accept the entire amount of produced energy without a significant impact on the price. So, it is safe to say that, with these latest improvements, a complex market puzzle has been completed and can now successfully respond to all the challenges that the green transition imposes on the electricity market and, therefore, support planned activities of state institutions aimed at achieving the proclaimed, very demanding goals contained within Serbia’s Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan (INEKP).

Prepared by Mirjana Vujadinović Tomevski

Read the whole story in the new issue the Energy portal Magazine AGROSOLAR ENERGY AND RES.

EU: Citizens Can Now Seek Compensation from Polluters

13.08.2024

zagađenje vazduha - air pollution — Foto-ilustracija: Unsplash (Daniel Moqvist)

The European Union has adopted an amended directive on industrial and livestock emissions, 2024/1785 (IED 2.0), granting citizens greater rights than the directive adopted in 2010. Now, the European Commission announced they can seek compensation for damages caused by polluters.

The directive already covers over 30,000 large industrial plants and more than 20,000 intensive livestock farms, and by 2017, these regulations had reduced air pollution from the mentioned facilities by up to 75 percent.

However, considering that pollution from these sources continues to harm public health and the environment—resulting in damages worth billions of euros and causing hundreds of thousands of premature deaths annually—the European Union has, for the first time, established the right of citizens to seek compensation for health damages caused by pollution.

Furthermore, the strengthened IED will now also encompass mines and gigafactories for batteries, significantly broadening the scope of the directive. This extension will bring an additional 30 percent of the EU’s largest pig and poultry farms under the regulatory umbrella, furthering the directive’s potential impact.

The new Industrial Emissions Directive, IED 2.0, stands as the European Union’s primary instrument for combatting air, water, and soil pollution. It also serves as a key preventative measure against waste generation from large industrial plants and intensive livestock farms, underscoring its comprehensive approach to environmental protection.

Governments must now always consider protecting human health when applying emission rules. At the same time, authorities will have greater powers to suspend installations that do not comply with regulations and demand higher penalties from offenders.

Additionally, all permits and significant environmental data must be publicly available online on the European Industrial Emissions Portal.

The IED 2.0 directive requires companies to use the best available techniques (BAT) to prevent or minimize emissions and environmental impacts from their activities. This will help guide major European industries toward achieving the EU’s zero pollution ambitions by 2050.

It is also stated that IED 2.0 will encourage innovation, reward leaders, help level the playing field within the EU market, and increase long-term investment security for the industry.

Milena Maglovski

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At a Glance

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Project still faces legal and diplomatic hurdles

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