France Slapped with Court Order to Clean Up Air Pollution

14.07.2017

Zagađenje, Auspuh, Automobil — Photo: Pixabay

France’s supreme legal authority has ordered the French government to address the nation’s poor air quality in a landmark court case brought by Friends of the Earth France with the support of environmental lawyers ClientEarth.

The Conseil d’État yesterday gave the French government nine months to produce an air quality plan detailing how it plans to bring air quality in line with legal limits set by the EU.

The decision follows similar rulings by UK courts, which have twice forced the British government produce an air quality plan containing strategies to bring the country back into compliance with EU law as soon as possible.

In France, as in the UK, the main pollutants that consistently breach EU standards are nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter, which are mainly caused by diesel vehicles in urban centres.

The Conseil d’État ruled current measures are not adequate to tackle the problem, which in many areas causes illegal levels of pollution.

“The decision of the Conseil d’État is a great victory for the health of French citizens,” ClientEarth lawyer Ugo Taddei said in a statement. “The French court followed the example of a growing host of judges across Europe who are protecting people’s right to clean air and holding authorities accountable.”

The French government has signalled its willingness to take steps to address air quality. For example, earlier this month French ecology minister Nicolas Hulot announced plans to ban petrol and diesel vehicles from French streets by 2040.

Source: businessgreen.com

Sea Level Rise to Flood Major U.S. Cities

14.07.2017

As an iceberg the size of Delaware broke away from an ice shelf in Antarctica Wednesday, scientists released findings that up to 668 U.S. communities could face chronic flooding from rising sea levels by the end of the century.

More than 90 communities are already grappling with “chronic inundation” from sea level rise caused by climate change—meaning they have crossed the threshold for when “flooding becomes unmanageable for people’s daily lives,” disrupting “people’s routines, livelihoods, homes and communities.”

When Rising Seas Hit Home, the new report from the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), found that number could nearly double, to 170, over the next two decades.

Coastal sections of Louisiana and Maryland account for the majority of the communities that are currently experiencing heavy flooding, but UCS researchers predict these unmanageable floods will reach the Jersey Shore and Florida’s Gulf Coast by mid-century.

By 2100, they calculate 40 to 60 percent of all oceanfront communities on the East and Gulf Coasts, and a growing number of West Coast communities, will be inundated with chronic flooding. At-risk regions include major cities like Boston, Savannah, Fort Lauderdale, Newark and four of New York City’s five boroughs.

“We hope this analysis provides a wake-up call to coastal communities—and us as a nation—so we can see this coming and have time to prepare,” said Erika Spanger-Siegfried, a UCS senior analyst and co-author of the report, the first study of its kind to examine potential flood risks for the entire coastline of the lower 48 states.

The UCS researchers also considered which cities may be spared from the worst of the flooding if the Paris agreement goals are met. Although Donald Trump withdrew from the climate agreement, many U.S. state and community leaders have committed to upholding it.

“Meeting the long term goals of the Paris agreement would offer coastal communities facing chronic flooding their best chance to limit the harms of sea level rise,” said Rachel Cleetus, UCS’s lead economist. The UCS researchers considered which cities may be spared from the worst of the flooding if the Paris agreement goals are met.

Although “large-scale reductions in global warming emissions,” which are among the Paris agreement’s main goals, “may slow the rate at which sea level rise is accelerating and save many communities,” the report noted for many communities, it’s too little, too late.

“For hundreds of other cities and towns,” it said, “increased flooding is inevitable, and adaptation is now essential.”

Some communities are already making efforts to address flooding by raising roads, raising or constructing sea walls and installing pumping systems. Miami Beach has started work on a major flood prevention project that is expected to cost the city hundreds of millions over the next several years. Although Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine has been lauded for embracing climate science and taking action to address the flooding, his plan has also been criticized by climate deniers and experts alike.

“There’s no playbook for this,” Levine said to the Miami New Times. “There’s no one saying, ‘Here, mayor, follow these 20 easy steps and you’ll be OK.”

The scientific community is increasingly looking for ways to engage with policymakers and the public. The UCS report made a number of policy recommendations based on its analysis, and this week, a group of more than 300 scientists from around the world are meeting in New York City to review current sea-level science and beginning discussions about collaborating on future research.

“We have a special responsibility to help society respond to the climate issue,” said Guy Brasseur of the World Climate Research Programme, one of the conference organizers, urging the conference attendees to invest heavily in sea-level rise research.

But even with access to robust scientific information about these issues, environmental policies can take a backseat when certain social issues are more politically convenient, or in communities without the financial means to develop and implement massive prevention projects like the one in Miami Beach.

More than half of the 170 communities most at-risk for flooding over the next two decades encompass socioeconomically vulnerable neighborhoods, the UCS report noted—”similar to the proportion of today’s chronically inundated communities.”

The Eastern Shore of Maryland, one of the regions currently experiencing some of the worst chronic flooding, “is home to a large elderly population on fixed incomes and a large African American population, two groups that have traditionally had fewer resources to cope with environmental disasters and change,” the report noted.

Report authors also acknowledged that these communities will require more assistance to address rising flood concerns:

“This analysis brings attention to the fact that these communities will need more resources and more capacity in order to prepare for the impacts of sea level rise. Fair solutions will be those that include considerations of socioeconomic vulnerability and are implemented equitably across communities.”

Source: ecowatch.com

100 Fossil Fuel Producers Responsible For 71% Of Emissions Since 1988

14.07.2017

A historic new report from CDP has revealed that 71% of all greenhouse gas emissions since 1988 can be traced back to only 100 fossil fuel producers, a group which together are responsible for 635 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.

The new research from CDP, formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project, which was recently voted the number one climate change research provider by institutional investors, analyzed industrial carbon dioxide and methane emissions from fossil fuel producers in the past, present, and future. The Carbon Majors report is based on the most comprehensive dataset of historic company-related greenhouse gas emissions produced to date, the Carbon Majors Database, which currently consists of 100 extant fossil fuel producers made up of 41 public investor-owned companies, 16 private investor-owned companies, 36 State-owned companies, and 7 state producers.

The report concluded that 71% of all global greenhouse gas emissions since 1988 come from just 100 companies, and that 32% of these legacy emissions stem from companies that are public-investor owned. While 100 companies and 71% emissions is an intense figure, it’s even worse when you dig in further — 25 fossil fuel producers are linked to 51% of all global industrial greenhouse gases.

In a completely unsurprising news, the report also found that public investor-owned companies such as ExxonMobil, Shell, BP, Chevron, Peabody, Total, and BHP Billiton, were among the highest emitting companies since 1988, as well as State-owned entities such as Saudi Aramco, Gazprom, National Iranian Oil, Coal India, Pemex, and CNPC.

“This ground-breaking report pinpoints how a relatively small set of just 100 fossil fuel producers may hold the key to systemic change on carbon emissions,” explained Pedro Faria, Technical Director at CDP.

“We are seeing critical shifts in policy, innovation and financial capital that put the tipping point for a low carbon transition in reach, and this historic data shows how important the role of the carbon majors, and the investors who own them, will be.

“In particular, the report shows that investors in fossil fuel companies own a great legacy of almost a third of all industrial GHG emissions, and carry influence over one fifth of the world’s industrial GHG emissions today. That puts a significant responsibility on those investors to engage with carbon majors and urge them to disclose climate risk in line with the FSB Task Force for Climate-related Financial Disclosure (TCFD) recommendations, and set ambitious emission reduction targets through the Science Based Targets initiative to ensure they are aligned with the goals of the Paris Agreement.”

For anyone wondering, 1988 represents the year that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was formed and the effects of human activities on the climate were officially recognized — because humanity won’t recognize an issue if there isn’t a committee to do so. Unfortunately, 1988 also represents another marker — since 1988, the fossil fuel industry has only become more carbon-intensive, with their contribution of fossil fuels to global warming doubling; “833 GtCO2e was emitted in just 28 years since 1988, compared with 820 GtCO2e in the 237 years between 1988 and the birth of the industrial revolution.”

In a chilling summary halfway through the report, CDP explains that the fossil fuel industry has not been a friend to the environment:

“Fossil fuels are the largest source of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions in the world. The fossil fuel industry and its products accounted for 91% of global industrial GHGs in 2015, and about 70% of all anthropogenic GHG emissions. If the trend in fossil fuel extraction continues over the next 28 years as it has over the previous 28, then global average temperatures would be on course to rise around 4ºC above preindustrial levels by the end of the century. This would entail substantial species extinction, large risks of regional and global food scarcity, and could cross multiple tipping points in the Earth’s climate system, leading to even more severe consequences.”

“From carbon capture to clean energy, to methane mitigation to operational efficiencies, fossil fuel majors will have to demonstrate leadership by contributing to the low carbon transition at the scale and pace required,” added Richard Heede of The Climate Accountability Institute, who partnered with CDP on authoring the report.

“Fossil fuel extraction companies will need to plan their future in the context of a radical transformation of the global energy system. They owe it to the millions of clients they serve who are already feeling the effects of climate change, to consumers and investors, and to the many millions more that require energy for the comfort of their daily lives but are looking for alternatives to their products.”

Source: cleantechnica.com

European Union To Meet To Discuss Implementing Paris Climate Agreement

14.07.2017

Environment ministers from across the European Union will meet this week in Estonia to discuss recent global developments on climate change and the European Union’s implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement.

To say that the first half of the year has been contentious would be to belabor understatement to its breaking point. Of course, the primary driver of this year’s contentiousness has been the United States, led by its less-than-fearless leader, Donald Trump. As much as the United States has been the villain in this year’s story, however, the European Union — while certainly not without soot on its hands — has certainly made itself the public face of the opposition to the United States’ protectionist and isolationist policies.

Last week’s G20 Summit meeting in Hamburg was instrumental in highlighting the gaping divide that is widening between the United States and pretty much everyone else. To narrow it down to the single issue of climate change is to singularly underestimate just how narrow-minded and ignorant Donald Trump and his administration are on a wide variety of issues — ranging from trade issues to international treaties.

But of course, for our purposes at CleanTechnica, Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement was met with unanimous opposition by all other members of the G20, essentially creating a G19 (on more issues than just climate change).

Stepping out of the G20 Summit, then, and into the rest of this year, it will be interesting to see whether the G19 will match their actions to their words. Specifically, it will be important to see whether the European Union is able to step up to all its tough talk of late. Before the Summit, heads of the European Union, from EU Member States through to the EU Presidents of the Council and Commission announced their strong commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement, and their desire to “swiftly and fully” implement the Agreement’s targets.

The first big sign of whether the European Union will match its deeds to its big talk is coming up at the end of this week, at a meeting of European Union environment ministers who will meet in Estonia on Thursday and Friday to discuss recent global climate change developments and the European Union’s implementation of the Paris Agreement. They meet with Climate Action and Energy Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete for an informal EU Environmental Council meeting, organized by the Estonian Presidency of the EU Council, and will focus on eco-innovation and international climate action.

The two days will be filled with various bilateral meetings and working lunches (which always sound like the best type of working), as the Ministers seek to hash out a path forward. The working lunch is reserved exclusively for the heads of delegations.

“If we want to keep and increase our standard of living, we need fresh thinking and new solutions,” said Siim Kiisler, the Estonian Minister for the Environment, who chaired the meeting on eco-innovation on Thursday.

“This is where eco-innovation comes in. Waste can be a valuable resource, products can be designed to be greener, processes can be smarter and more efficient.”

“Sustainable financing means valuing environment, economy and society together at once. It’s important to create a system where all three are taken into account. We can’t invest in green solutions just because they are green, they must also be profitable and useful.”

Whether anything solid comes out of the two-day meeting is hazy at best, but the Ministers are all likely to be supremely driven by the issues raised at the G20 Summit meeting and a need to put a best foot forward, in opposition to Donald Trump and America’s new policies.

Source: cleantechnica.com

Google Inks Supply Deal with Largest Dutch Solar Farm

13.07.2017

Google’s global renewable energy drive has continued with a new deal to purchase renewable power from the largest solar farm in the Netherlands.

Dutch clean energy specialist Enenco announced that the tech giant has signed a 10 year power purchase agreement (PPA) to source all the power generated by the Sunport Delfzijl project, which covers 30 hectares and is expected to generate 27GWh of electricity a year.

The PPA, financial details for which were not disclosed, will help offset the energy used by Google’s Eemshaven data centre. It marks the fourth renewable energy investment Google has made in the Netherlands, and the second deal with Enenco following a 2014 agreement to source wind power from the neighbouring Delfzijl wind farm.

“Google is forward-thinking to use locally generated solar and wind energy to power its data centre,” said Bram Poeth, director of Eneco Commercial Clients. “Google leads the way in providing a good example for the commercial sector, where we see a strong growth of the demand for sustainable energy. We are proud that we are able to contribute to making this possible.”

Marc Oman, EU Energy Lead at Google, said the deal was part of a wider strategy to source renewable power for the company’s operations.

“We are proud that our data centre in the Eemshaven has been powered by renewable energy since day one thanks to our agreements with Dutch suppliers,” he said. “After the agreement with Eneco for the delivery of wind energy from WindPark Delfzijl and the agreements with the wind parks Krammer and Bouwdokken, we are pleased that we can now also make use of solar energy. Worldwide, we have already contracted the delivery of 2.7 GW of green electricity, which makes Google the world’s largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy.”

He added that the deal should help unlock further investment in Dutch renewables projects. “Contracts like this give companies like Eneco the economic certainty to invest in new renewable energy capacity,” he said.

The deal follows the launch last year of a consortium featuring Google, AkzoNobel, DSM and Philips which saw the four multinationals team up to jointly source power from Dutch renewable energy projects.

The news also comes in the same week as reports that Google is set to receive its first wind power from Norway and rival tech giant Apple confirmed plans for a new data centre in Denmark that will be powered using a 30MW onshore wind farm.

Separately, the RE100 initiative, which encourages firms to switch to sourcing 100 per cent renewable power, announced this week that it has welcomed its 100th member, bringing together multinationals that have together committed to sourcing renewable power equivalent to the entire electricity demand of Poland.

Source: businessgreen.com

Artificial Reefs Could Help Save Our Oceans

13.07.2017

The Smithsonian Institution calls coralline algae “the unsung architects of coral reefs.” These pink-colored seaweed, with a skeletal structure that resembles honeycomb, live in harmony with coral.

They strengthen the corals’ foundation by growing over and between gaps in coral reefs, essentially gluing sections of coral together. They provide a surface for baby corals to settle, and serve as food for marine life, including sea urchins, parrot fish and mollusks.

“They promote biodiversity and coastal protection,” said Chiara Lombardi, a scientist with the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA). “Also, they play an active role in the carbon cycle.”

The bad news, however, is that, like coral, they are vulnerable to the ravages of climate change and and ocean acidification.

“They become more fragile, and they bleach, and they aren’t able to create a healthy habitat for biodiversity,” Lombardi said. “Thus, their survival and, as a cascading effect, the survival of the associated species, is at risk.”

Lombardi and her colleagues, including Federica Ragazzola, a marine biologist at the University of Portsmouth in the UK, initiated an unusual experiment recently to try to protect these algae — scientific name Ellisolandia elongata — from increasing harm.

Last month, they installed the first of several artificial coralline algae reefs — made of highly elastic rubber material — near real coralline algae reefs in the Gulf of La Spezia, in northwest Italy. The goal is that these plastic mimics — as the artificial reefs are known — which look and move like the real thing, will shelter and host the tiny creatures who typically live on the algae, and also will become scaffolds for real coralline algae to grow.

The 60 synthetic mini reefs, each with 20 fronds, are just 10 centimeters in diameter, making them easy to place in a natural reef. Snorkelers attached the artificial reefs using epoxy resin. Hampered by bad weather, they had to make three separate runs to finish the job. “The resin needs 24 hours to become hard, so if waves occur during this period, the risk of detachment is very high,” Lombardi said.

The material’s properties are similar to that of the algae and non-toxic to the marine ecology. The mimics won’t ultimately become plastic ocean litter. “After one year of exposure, they will be removed and brought to the laboratory,” for further experiments, Lombardi said.

The research will “clarify the function of the coralline algae reef as a buffer for diversity, abundance, reproductive, ecological and structural characteristics of the associated fauna,” Lombardi said. The results “will be important for the planning of future protection and management strategies.”

This is not the first time artificial “substrates” have been used experimentally, but they have never before been made to mimic the properties of natural algae. “The majority of the studies simulating reef are mainly focused on corals,” Lombardi said. She stressed the importance of preserving algae.

“They provide services that will benefit human lives,” Lombardi said. “They are a resource, not only for marine life. We tend to consider protection of nature very far from human beings — but we are all connected, and it is important to understand this connection. Protecting the natural ecosystem will benefit the lives of all future generations.”

Source: cleantechnica.com

Trillion-Ton Larsen C Iceberg Breaks Off Antarctic Ice Shelf

13.07.2017

iceberg-antarctica — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

The biggest iceberg in recorded history has broken off of Antarctica’s Larsen C ice shelf, sending a trillion tons of ice trillion-ton Larsen C Iceberg has broken offinto shipping lanes. If only somebody could tow this Larsen C iceberg to California, it would go a long way toward solving the Southwest’s water shortages…

Scientists worry that the entire Larsen C ice shelf could destabilize (as happened after similar iceberg-calving events at the ice shelf’s neighbors, Larsen A and Larsen B) and even break up. If that happens, it acts like a cork being pulled from a bottle and releases the continent’s interior glaciers, accelerating their rush to the sea and adding to sea level rise.

Keep in mind that when the IPCC made its estimate of sea level rise as “only” three feet by 2100, that did NOT include any rise caused by Antarctic melting, as scientists simply didn’t know enough about whether Antarctic ice was even melting at the time. Now that it’s clear that melting is taking place and accelerating, that could up sea level rise by several feet or even meters. There’s enough ice stored up on Antarctica to raise sea level 220 feet!

Meanwhile, climate activists have launched a campaign to rename the Larsen C iceberg as the “Exxon Knew 1 iceberg,” highlighting their campaign to hold the oil giant accountable for the way they mashed up 30 years of climate knowledge (internally) with 30 years of climate denial (externally).

Writing at Rolling Stone, Jeff Goodell, author of The Water Will Come: Rising Seas, Sinking Cities, and the The Water Will Come: Rising Seas, Sinking Cities, and the Remaking of the Civilized World, by Jeff GoodellRemaking of the Civilized World, notes:

“A few months ago, I outlined the risks of a rapid collapse of the ice sheets in Antarctica in a story about Thwaites glacier in West Antarctica. The dynamics at work on Thwaites are far more complex than what we’re seeing right now with the Larsen C. But if Thwaites really starts to go, we’re headed for a future with 6,000-foot-high ice shelves collapsing into the sea and dramatic sea level rise of as much as 10 feet. As Ohio State glaciologist Ian Howat told me earlier this year, ‘If there is going to be a climate catastrophe, it’s probably going to start at Thwaites.’

“We are living at a scary moment, a time when even the best scientists are struggling to understand just how quickly and dramatically our world can change. Maybe the best way to think about the Larsen C is as a prelude to the coming catastrophe, and as a last-minute call to action. ‘The Larsen C is Mother Nature’s warning flag,’ polar explorer Robert Swan said at the Sun Valley Institute’s annual forum last week. ‘It’s her way of saying, “Hey, pay attention to what you’re doing to the planet we all live on.”‘”

Source: cleantechnica.com

Veolia Partnership Gears Up to Recycle Former Shell Oil Rig

13.07.2017

Veolia-Peterson is gearing up to recycle a former Shell offshore oil rig, after the top platform of the structure arrived for decommissioning in Great Yarmouth yesterday.

The company, a joint venture between resources firm Veolia and logistics specialist Peterson, has accepted the topside of the Shell Leman BH platform accommodation block into its decommissioning facility at the harbour. The supporting 50m-high steel jacket structure is set to follow later in July.

The offshore accommodation block was previously used as living quarters for Shell oil workers at the Leman BT and Leman BK drilling rigs, located around 50km from the Norfolk coastline.

Alongside the supporting steel jacket structure it comprises around 1,600 tonnes of material and assets, of which the Veolia-Peterson partnership has a target of recycling or reusing 97 per cent under a contract awarded by marine dredging specialist Boskalis.

It is the first offshore structure accepted into the partnership’s Great Yarmouth decommissioning facility, and the two firms expect operations and staff numbers to expand as further opportunities to recycle decommissioned offshore structures increase in the Southern and central-North Sea in the coming years.

The UK government has said it hopes that the UK can become a world leader in oil and gas industry decommissioning as rigs that have operated in the North Sea basin are retired over the coming years.

Estelle Brachlianoff, senior executive vice president at Veolia UK and Ireland, said former oil rigs and other offshore structures represented valuable assets that could be given a second-life through decommissioning and recycling their parts.

“This latest project will continue to show how we can maximise the recycling of these platforms and drive sustainability in the industry,” she said. “Our partnership has successfully delivered a number of projects over the last ten years, this latest one will further the growth of the business and local opportunities in Great Yarmouth.”

The Veolia-Peterson partnership claims it has to date recovered more than 80,000 tonnes of offshore materials through decontamination, deconstruction, and recycling of former sea platforms.

Peterson’s regional director Ron van der Laan said the project would “build on the successes achieved so far and represents a further step towards establishing Great Yarmouth as a centre of excellence”.

The news follows the announcement last week that Swedish energy firm Vattenfall is in negotiations with Peel Ports to establish a new base at Great Yarmouth to support its Norfolk offshore wind farm projects.

Source: businessgreen.com

Blyth Offshore Wind Farm Reaches Milestone as First Turbine Travels Up Tyne

13.07.2017

wind-turbin-vetroturbina — Photo illustration: Pixabay

A pioneering wind farm off the coast of Blyth in Northumberland has reached its latest milestone, with the first of five turbines beginning its journey up the River Tyne to commence installation.

Developer EDF Energy Renewables is currently building the 41.5MW Blyth Offshore Wind Demonstrator Wind Farm in North East England after taking over responsibility for the project from Narec – now named ORE Catapult – in October 2014.

The project will see five MHI Vestas V164 wind turbines installed 6.5km off the coast of Blyth, which are projected to generate enough electricity to power around 34,000 homes.

It is the first offshore wind development to use a ‘float and submerge’ method for installation, with the concrete foundations first floated along the Tyne and into position at sea, before being submerged onto the seabed to provide the support structures for the turbines.

The installation method reduces the need for expensive marine equipment for the installation on the seabed, according to EDF Renewables’ chief executive, Matthieu Hue.

“This is the first major offshore operation on this project and over the coming months people will be able to see the wind farm being built out at sea,” he added. “This ground-breaking scheme will benefit the North East of England and help the UK to meet its future low carbon electricity needs.”

Designed and built by construction firm BAM Nuttall in the Neptune dry dock on the Tyne over the past year, each 60m-long gravity-based foundation (GBF) is made up of more than 1,800 square metres of concrete and will weigh over 15,000 tonnes when fully installed on the seabed.

Once the GBFs are put into position over the summer, specialist contractor VBMS will start laying the inter array cables that will connect the individual wind turbines, each of which have a power rating of 8.3MW.

EDF Energy Renewables claims these MHI Vestas turbines are the largest to be used on an offshore wind farm, and anticipates they will start generating power by the end of the year.

It is the company’s second offshore wind farm development in the UK after the Teesside project off the coast of Redcar.

The cost-saving innovations deployed on the project care part of a wider trend that has seen the industry slash costs by around 40 per cent in recent years.

Energy industry experts are increasingly confidence an auction for a new wave of offshore wind farms scheduled this autumn will deliver further cost reductions from the sector as developers compete to curb the overall cost of offshore wind power.

Source: businessgreen.com

US Offshore Wind Stays Small As Dominion Energy Moves Forward With DONG Energy On Virginia Project

12.07.2017

The United States’ offshore wind industry is only on its first legs, and it’s staying small for the time being, with Dominion Energy announcing this week it will partner with DONG Energy to build a 12 MW offshore project off the coast of Virginia Beach.

The current capacity of the United States wind energy industry sits at an impressive 82 gigawatts (GW), but almost none of that capacity is offshore — only the 30 megawatt (MW) Block Island Wind Farm sits off the coast of America, and that only started generating electricity last December. Various policy shifts might be seeing this trend begin to fade away, with governments along the east coast looking to open up potential locations for offshore development, but it’s still early days yet. The Long Island Power Authority approved the country’s second offshore wind farm, the 90 MW South Fork Wind Farm, earlier this year, while late last year Danish wind energy giant partnered with New England transmission builder Eversource Energy in proposing a potentially massive 2 GW offshore wind farm.

However, much closer is the news this week that Dominion Energy, one of the country’s largest producers and transporters of energy, has partnered with DONG Energy to construct a small, 12 MW offshore wind farm 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach — which could be the country’s first mid-Atlantic offshore wind project. Dominion Energy signed an agreement and strategic partnership with DONG Energy to construct two 6 MW wind turbines, with initial work on the newly named Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project to begin immediately, with completion expected for the end of 2020.

12 MW might sound small — and it is — but it is just the first phase in what could become a much larger project, generating up to a potential of 2 GW of energy across a much larger locale leased by Dominion Energy from the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). The Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project will act as a first step and demonstration, while providing experience and data for a possible larger-scale development in the future.

“Virginia is now positioned to be a leader in developing more renewable energy thanks to the Commonwealth’s committed leadership and DONG’s unrivaled expertise in building offshore wind farms,” said Thomas F. Farrell, II, Dominion Energy’s chairman, president and chief executive officer. “While we have faced many technological challenges and even more doubters as we advanced this project, we have been steadfast in our commitment to our customers and the communities we serve.”

“Today marks the first step in what I expect to be the deployment of hundreds of wind turbines off Virginia’s coast that will further diversify our energy production portfolio, create thousands of jobs, and reduce carbon emissions in the Commonwealth,” said Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe.

“Hampton Roads has the ideal port assets and talented workforce to attract and house the offshore wind business supply chain to support not only Virginia’s commercial wind area, but also wind farms under development in Massachusetts, New York, and Maryland. Today’s announcement advances our efforts to build a new Virginia economy that is cleaner, stronger, and more diverse.”

“DONG Energy is the energy supplier in Europe that has come the farthest in the transition to renewable energy, and we are excited to bring our expertise to America,” added Samuel Leupold, executive vice president and CEO of Wind Power at DONG Energy.

“This project will provide us vital experience in constructing an offshore wind project in the United States and serve as a stepping stone to a larger commercial-scale partnership between our companies in the future. We see the tremendous potential in the Mid-Atlantic for emission-free, renewable wind generation and we are excited to help the Commonwealth in reaping the benefits of wind power.”

Source: cleantechnica.com

Coca-Cola Unwraps New Sustainable Packaging Strategy

12.07.2017

Coca-Cola European Partners (CCEP) will today launch a major new strategy designed to curb the environmental impact of its packaging and boost the recycling rate for its iconic cans and bottles.

The company said that currently UK-wide only 70 per cent of cans and 57 per cent of plastic bottles are recycled each year, despite both materials being fully recyclable.

In order to boost its recycling rates, the company is to unveil a three-point plan designed to increase its use of recycled materials, deliver a multi-million pound communications campaign targeting its customers, and support reform of the UK recycling system, including through a trial of new “incentive-based” waste collection schemes.

Leendert den Hollander, vice president and general manager at Coca-Cola European Partners GB, said that both Coca-Cola Great Britain and its bottling partner Coca-Cola European Partners were committed to working together to improve recycling rates.

“Our goal is to work with local and national partners to ensure all of our packaging is recovered and recycled,” he said. “Our new strategy sets out how we will start work to achieve that. We have focused on the actions we can take as a business – such as our ability to communicate to consumers on the importance of recycling – as well as the areas where we want to work in close collaboration with others to reduce litter and increase the recovery and recycling of plastic bottles.

Specifically, the company has set a new target to work with its recycling partner Clean Tech to double the amount of recycled plastic in every one of its PET bottles by 2020 – from the current average of 25 per cent to 50 per cent.

It will also launch a new communications campaign centred on a TV ad that will debut later this month. The advert is called Love Story and features two “love struck plastic bottles” who are parted and then reunited as they are disposed of properly, recovered and then recycled into new bottles. The company said the campaign will reach 35 million Britons by the end of this year and will be supported by a new recycling message on bottles.

In addition, the company will today reiterate its support for trialling a bottle deposit scheme that would reward customers for recycling.

“As part of its commitment to support DEFRA’s new working group on voluntary and economic incentives to reduce littering, CCEP will seek to advance its own knowledge of how consumers are motivate by an incentive-based scheme by testing an on-the-go bottle collection and reward programme,” the company said in a statement. “This test will examine the behavioural impact of reward schemes and help inform any future national approaches to reducing litter and increasing collection and recycling rates.”

The move comes as consumer goods brands face mounting pressure to tackle litter and develop new approaches to improve the UK’s recycling rates, which have seen progress stall in recent years.

Earlier this year the Scottish government announced plans to trial a bottle deposit scheme in support of its strategy for becoming a zero waste economy – a move which secured support from Coca-Cola.

Meanwhile, green groups have stepped up calls for the introduction of more ambitious policies and new levies on disposable materials such as plastic bottles and coffee cups, following the success of the plastic bag charge.

Den Hollander said Coca-Cola was keen to support wider reform of the UK’s packaging and recycling policy regime that would help accelerate the development of a circular economy.

“Our desire to double the amount of recycled material we use in our plastic bottles sends a clear signal that we want to play a positive role in supporting the circular economy here in Great Britain,” he said. “Our ambition – and our ability to go further in the future – will require reform of the packaging collection system in Great Britain and we will work with others to champion the changes that are required to ensure all our valuable materials are recovered.”

The move was welcomed by Marcus Gover, chief executive of waste advisory body WRAP, who said Coca-Cola’s commitment to “actively encouraging more people to recycle is a really positive step which we welcome”.

“A commitment that half of all the plastic they use will be recycled plastic, understanding that this will cost the business more, shows real leadership in the industry and provides the essential market for recovered materials,” he added. “Initiatives like this are much needed if we are to change consumer behaviour and recover and recycle more – WRAP and Recycle Now are excited to be working with them on this. We need more big brands to help inspire people to do their part.”

Source: businessgreen.com

100 Multinationals Commit to 100 Per Cent Renewable Power

12.07.2017

Obnovljivi grad — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

The RE100 initiative has confirmed that over 100 multinationals have now committed to sourcing 100 per cent renewable power, after AkzoNobel, AXA, Burberry, and Carlsberg today became the latest high profile brands to join the group.

Launched in 2014 by The Climate Group and CDP, RE100 has seen a host of leading Blue Chip firms commit to sourcing 100 per cent renewable power across their operations, typically backed by a firm target date for phasing out the use of fossil fuel power.

RE100 members now include 30 Global Fortune 500 companies and boast total annual revenues of $2.5tr.

The group said that combined its members are committed to creating around 146 terawatt-hours (TWh) of demand for renewable electricity annually – equivalent to the annual power demand of Poland.

AkzoNobel today becomes the second biggest electricity user to join the group after Walmart, with total power demand reaching around 16 TWh annually. The Dutch paints and coatings giant said it aims to come ‘carbon neutral’ and use 100 per cent renewable energy – covering heat as well as electricity – by 2050.

Meanwhile, French financial giant AXA has said it will source 100 per cent renewable electricity by 2025, fashion brand Burberry has set a target date of 2022 to procure 100 per cent renewable power for its whole business, and Carlsberg Group said it will source 100 per cent renewable power for its breweries by 2022.

Helen Clarkson, chief executive at The Climate Group, said the campaign had surpassed expectations as more and more multinationals recognised the business case for switching to 100 per cent renewables. “We are really pleased at the success of our campaign; by championing the compelling case for business action, we have reached 100 members three years earlier than expected,” she said. “Changes in the market such as the falling cost of renewables have also worked in our favour. We are increasingly seeing large multinationals such as Google, IKEA and Dalmia Cement demonstrating real leadership on renewables because it makes business sense – as well as helping to lower emissions, providing stable energy costs and increasing competitiveness.”

Advocates of renewables maintain that they can undercut fossil fuels in many geographies, provide attractive investment opportunities to multinationals, and allow large companies to hedge against future energy cost increases by signing long term power purchase agreements with renewables developers.

Clarkson urged the 100 companies signed up to the initiative to now step up efforts to encourage their partners, competitors, and suppliers to commit to sourcing renewables.

“We are now calling on companies to go one step further, and inspire their suppliers and peers to follow their lead so that together, we can speed the transition from fossil fuels to renewables to keep warming well under two degrees Celsius,” she said.

Paul Simpson, chief executive at CDP, said RE100 was part of a wider trend that was seeing leading corporates improve their disclosure of climate-related risks and set ambitious new emissions reduction targets

“Transitioning to 100 per cent renewable electricity through RE100 shows true leadership in our new sustainable economy,” he said. “It’s hugely encouraging that so many members are reporting clear progress, and fast. Following the vital steps of disclosure and insight on climate change activities, action is key to ensuring we move the global energy system to a tipping point by 2020.”

Leanne Wood, chief people, strategy and corporate affairs officer at Burberry, said the company hoped its commitment to procure 100 per cent renewables would help drive the global market for clean power.

“We are proud that over half of our offices, stores, warehouses and internal manufacturing sites globally are powered by either on site renewable resources or through renewable tariffs,” she said. “However, access to renewable resources is still limited in some places. By joining RE100 we aim to drive wider demand for low carbon power and encourage all providers to introduce renewable energy options.”

Source: businessgreen.com

In Rooftop Solar’s New Boom, Installing Solar PV Is A No-Brainer

12.07.2017

solar-panels — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

When South Australia Senator Cory Bernardi – committed Conservative and staunch abstainer from drinking “renewable energy Kool-Aid” – confirmed last week he had installed 12kW of rooftop solar at his Adelaide home, he said it was only to stop the lights from going out.

But with his state’s retail electricity prices rapidly headed into ludicrous territory of around 40c/kWh, Conservative Cory could be a harbinger of the new normal, where putting panels on the roof is a no-brainer for the average Australian household – even those that don’t subscribe to renewables.

Recent data would certainly support this theory. The May report from industry analyst SunWiz shows households and businesses are installing rooftop solar PV at a rate not seen since 2012, at a rate of nearly 100MW a month and a grand total of 5.7GW of rooftop PV installed on a total of 1.7 million households and businesses.

Driving this new solar normal is the seemingly endless rise of grid power prices, watched by an increasingly weary – and well educated – consumer who, like Bernardi, has lost faith in policy-makers to restore any semblance of order.

Over the past week alone, major energy retailers including AGL Energy, Energy Australia and Origin Energy have each announced double-digit electricity price increases in South Australia and New South Wales, starting July 01.

Origin, for example, will raise its tariff for residential customers in South Australia by a further 16.1 per cent, 18 per cent for small businesses.

Considering the levelised cost of generation from a rooftop solar system these days ranges from between 5-10c/kWh, depending on the quality of the panels, and solar tariffs in most states sit somewhere between 8-14c/kWh, it is no wonder people like Bernardi are suddenly buying in.

Even for a working couple, with no battery storage, and with 70 per cent of their solar generation going back to the grid, the payback period for a 5kW solar system could be as short as five years.

Add just a little bit of effort, says Solar Choice’s James Martin, perhaps increasing self-consumption to around 45 per cent, and you can get close to four years payback on a 5kW system almost anywhere in the country.

Indeed, Martin illustrated as much only recently, in an article he penned in May comparing return on investment for 3kW and 5kW rooftop solar systems.

At that time, he based the payback periods for SA households – see chart and table below – on retail electricity prices of 34c/kWh, which he says seemed “ridiculous enough”. Come July 01, when they near 40c/kWh, the ROI equation looks even better.

And even more importantly, it’s an equation people are becoming well aware of.

“We’ve seen inquiry volumes jump 50 per cent in the last week,” Martin told One Step Off The Grid on Tuesday. “There’s been a massive increase – mostly residential.

“People are spooked,” he added. “We’re at a point in this market where people know what solar is for, and people are turning to it to try and combat price rises.

“The more retailers put up prices the more they’re going to push people to go solar,” he said.

Chris Williams from the NSW-based installer Natural Solar, has noticed a similar spike in consumer interest in rooftop solar and storage.

“Anywhere (in Australia) that there’s been an upgrade in bill price of anywhere up to 25 per cent has definitely seen a much higher level of interest,” Williams told One Step on Tuesday.

He says inquiries to his company about installing solar and/or battery storage have increased by between 250-300 per cent in the past few days – all of it what he describes as “organic traffic.”

“We’ve also noticed that there is a higher propensity (for people inquiring) to proceed and have a consultation.

“We’re talking to a more engaged customer, whose motivation is financial. We’re seeing the transition to the early majority, where the standard mum and dad household are looking to make a decision based on economics and proven technology,” Williams said.

In Adelaide, local outfit and installer of the Bernardi system, Tindo Solar, is also seeing market momentum build.

“What we have noticed in a very short period of time is a massive increase of hits on our website and of people wanting quotes,” Tindo’s Glenn Morelli said on Tuesday. And not just from households.

“We had a residential customer ring us up today for his business. So that’s just one example,” Morelli said.

“We’ve got leads and appointments booked for the next two or three months. And that’s out of character for winter, which is usually a quiet period.

“It’s got to the point now where for pretty much any business we can demonstrate a payback of around four years,”

“It’s unusual now to get a commercial payback of more than four years,” he said.

“We like to put it to customers, what else will you do with your money? Whether you put it in shares, or a cash deposit account, you’re going to outstrip that quite easily (by investing in solar).

“And it’s fair to assume that the power price increases won’t stop here.”

It is also fair to assume that the costs of solar, and for that matter of battery storage, will keep going down.

A report from Bloomberg New Energy Finance last week predicted that battery storage capacity would grow in Australia to at least 16GW by 2040, with 15GW installed by households and businesses behind the meter.

BNEF also forecasts that large and small-scale solar will reach 72GW by 2040, half of which will be “behind the meter,” flagging a fundamental shift from centralised to distributed generation.

Interestingly, BNEF also warns that this economics-based transformation does not circumvent the need for robust energy and emissions reduction policy in Australia.

“A credible, stable and durable policy regime is essential to achieving and orderly transition, facilitating the most efficient investment and keeping costs for consumers as low as possible.”

For South Australia, already well past is target of 50 per cent renewable energy generation, the latest jump in retail power prices means that time for an “orderly transition” is running out. Just ask Cory Bernardi.

Source: cleantechnica.com

New Study Suggests We Are Headed For Warmest Climate In Half A Billion Years

12.07.2017

Carbon dioxide concentrations are heading towards values not seen in the past 200m years. The sun has also been gradually getting stronger over time. Put together, these facts mean the climate may be heading towards warmth not seen in the past half a billion years.

A lot has happened on Earth since 500,000,000BC – continents, oceans and mountain ranges have come and gone, and complex life has evolved and moved from the oceans onto the land and into the air. Most of these changes occur on very long timescales of millions of years or more. However, over the past 150 years global temperatures have increased by about 1℃, ice caps and glaciers have retreated, polar sea-ice has melted, and sea levels have risen.

Some will point out that Earth’s climate has undergone similar changes before. So what’s the big deal?

Scientists can seek to understand past climates by looking at the evidence locked away in rocks, sediments and fossils. What this tells us is that yes, the climate has changed in the past, but the current speed of change is highly unusual. For instance, carbon dioxide hasn’t been added to the atmosphere as rapidly as today for at least the past 66m years.

In fact, if we continue on our current path and exploit all convention fossil fuels, then as well as the rate of CO₂ emissions, the absolute climate warming is also likely to be unprecedented in at least the past 420m years. That’s according to a new study we have published in Nature Communications.

In terms of geological time, 1℃ of global warming isn’t particularly unusual. For much of its history the planet was significantly warmer than today, and in fact more often than not Earth was in what is termed a “greenhouse” climate state. During the last greenhouse state 50m years ago, global average temperatures were 10-15℃ warmer than today, the polar regions were ice-free, palm trees grew on the coast of Antarctica, and alligators and turtles wallowed in swamp-forests in what is now the frozen Canadian Arctic.

In contrast, despite our current warming, we are still technically in an “icehouse” climate state, which simply means there is ice on both poles. The Earth has naturally cycled between these two climate states every 300m years or so.

Just prior to the industrial revolution, for every million molecules in the atmosphere, about 280 of them were CO₂ molecules (280 parts-per-million, or ppm). Today, due primarily to the burning of fossil fuels, concentrations are about 400 ppm. In the absence of any efforts to curtail our emissions, burning of conventional fossil fuels will cause CO₂ concentrations to be around 2,000ppm by the year 2250.

This is of course a lot of CO₂, but the geological record tells us that the Earth has experienced similar concentrations several times in the past. For instance, our new compilation of data shows that during the Triassic, around 200m years ago, when dinosaurs first evolved, Earth had a greenhouse climate state with atmospheric CO₂ around 2,000-3,000ppm.

So high concentrations of carbon dioxide don’t necessarily make the world totally uninhabitable. The dinosaurs thrived, after all.

That doesn’t mean this is no big deal, however. For a start, there is no doubt that humanity will face major socio-economic challenges dealing with the dramatic and rapid climate change that will result from the rapid rise to 2,000 or more ppm.

But our new study also shows that the same carbon concentrations will cause more warming in future than in previous periods of high carbon dioxide. This is because the Earth’s temperature does not just depend on the level of CO₂ (or other greenhouse gases) in the atmosphere. All our energy ultimately comes from the sun, and due to the way the sun generates energy through nuclear fusion of hydrogen into helium, its brightness has increased over time. Four and a half billion years ago when the Earth was young the sun was around 30% less bright.

So what really matters is the combined effect of the sun’s changing strength and the varying greenhouse effect. Looking through geological history we generally found that as the sun became stronger through time, atmospheric CO₂ gradually decreased, so both changes cancelled each other out on average.

But what about in the future? We found no past time period when the drivers of climate, or climate forcing, was as high as it will be in the future if we burn all the readily available fossil fuel. Nothing like it has been recorded in the rock record for at least 420m years.

A central pillar of geological science is the uniformitarian principle: that “the present is the key to the past”. If we carry on burning fossil fuels as we are at present, by 2250 this old adage is sadly no longer likely to be true. It is doubtful that this high-CO₂ future will have a counterpart, even in the vastness of the geological record.

Source: cleantechnica.com

MAJA TODOROVIC: The Faculty of Mechanical Engineering has Always Dealt with Energy Efficiency

12.07.2017

Last year in June a training organization for the training of Energy Managers and authorized energy advisors commenced its operation. The first participants have acquired necessary knowledge about legal framework of the Energy Management System and standard ISO 50001:2012. Law on Efficient Use of Energy (Official Gazette RS 25/2013) provides that there are organizations that can carry out trainings of Energy Managers. When the competition was announced in 2015, based on the submitted documentation on technical potentials and human resources, it was decided that the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Belgrade becomes the authorized organization.

The Centre is part of the Project “Assistance for the improvement of energy management system in all sectors of energy consumption in the Republic of Serbia”. This project, by the end of 2013, jointly implemented by the Ministry of Mining and Energy and the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (Japan International Cooperation Agency – JICA). At the opening of the Centre for Energy Efficiency in October 2016, the Minister of Mining, Mr. Aleksandar Antić, reminded that Serbia committed to reduce total energy consumption by nine percent by 20018. On this occasion, he emphasized that in recent years we have achieved savings of almost six percent. Regarding these innovations, we had the honor to talk to the Deputy Head of the Centre – professor and doctor of science, Mrs. Maja Todorović. The process is not easy, but according to our interlocutor, the right steps are being taken.

EP: On the occasion of the opening of Centre for Energy Efficiency one could hear that for Serbia energy savings is more significant than the investment in new energy facilities. How do you personally see the opening of this Centre?

Maja Todorović: The Faculty of Mechanical Engineering has always dealt with energy efficiency, especially the Departments whose main scientific fields closely relate to energy. I am personally engaged in the Department of Thermal Engineering, my narrower field is heating and air conditioning. As an educational institution, we previously had the established regional Centre for energy efficiency, which makes us a recognizable institution in this area. Perhaps it is for this reason that the Ministry decided for the Centre for Energy Managers and authorized energy advisors to be open here. We also responded to a call that the Ministry issued, and the call was related to granting authority for the training of Energy Managers.

The very Law on Efficient Use of Energy predicted the introduction of energy management systems. The system is organized based on the system which exists in Japan. So, the Government of Japan, has offered to our Ministry certain support in the introduction of this system, through the involvement of JICA, Japanese International Cooperation Agency. In line with that the Regulation has been adopted relating to the training itself. We have Energy Managers for Municipal Energy, Industrial Energy and energy efficiency in buildings.

EP: What are the exact responsibilities of the Energy Manager? Do these licenses need to be renewed and what kind of jobs can Energy Managers perform after this training?

Maja Todorović: Energy Manager should contribute to a synchronized, methodical approach in monitoring energy flows in his area. Specifically, they are required by law to monitor the consumption of large consumers; in industry, municipalities and buildings. They need to systematize data on energy flows and energy consumption appropriately. It is necessary to do an annual energy balance and inform the Ministry about it. Based on the balance, an annual program for the improvement of energy efficiency can be done. Energy Manager can, in his field or company, propose measures that will result in energy savings. This is the main task for the Energy Manager. On the other hand, the Ministry will have accurate information about energy consumption, considering all the measures that need to be introduced. Not only that total energy consumption is monitored, but it is also monitored the type of energy, its purpose and the energy sources that are being used.

EP: Serbia is at the very top on the list of countries that consume energy inefficiently. Can we expect
progress and change with this new institution of Energy Manager in real terms?

Maja Todorović: The process is not easy. It started back in 2009, when the Law on planning and construction was introduced in the field of energy efficiency in buildings. With the introduction of Article 4, the introduction of energy certificates for buildings became the obligation, or as we popularly call them: energy passports. When we observe the matter in this way, a lot of campaigns were done in this process. The emphasis was mostly on the residential sector, although the leader in this respect should be the public sector. Certainly, much has been done. There is also considerable support of the Ministry of Construction and Infrastructure, then the German Agency for International Cooperation and Development – GIZ. In the meantime, the studies on energy efficiency in buildings have been made. One such study was funded by the World Bank. Here, the biggest problem is to develop models for financing the projects for the improvement of energy efficiency.

A variety of modalities should be provided, so that different entities can find the one that suits them best. And of course, we should encourage the development of ESCO companies that provide energy services. This means that in the beginning you do not have to invest, ESCO company invests for you and they will charge for their services from the savings generated from the project they funded. These financing models are not developed at a sufficiently high level in our country and I think that the state should consider some incentives. For example, reduced duty rates for the equipment and devices that contribute to reduced energy consumption.

EP: You have already had three rounds of training since the establishment of the Centre. How many Energy Managers are there in Serbia currently and how do interested candidates apply for the training?

Maja Todorović: We conducted the first training in June, it was intended to Municipal Energy. Then we had 40 participants. In one training cycle, which lasts 6 days, we can have up to 40 participants. This is maximum because of the capacity for practical part of the training. In October, cycle for Municipal Energy was repeated and we had 3 cycles for Industry, and in February 2017 the first cycle for Energy Managers in building design and construction. For the Municipal Energy we had 70 participants, for industrial managers about 100 and there is a group of 40 students registered for energy managers in building design and construction. After the training, the participants are required to do independent work. To be more precise they must do a plan and program of energy efficiency which their mentor monitors. After this part, it is considered that they successfully completed the training and capable of taking the exam. After passing the exam, we pass on the results to the Ministry, after which candidates apply for a license in the Ministry. We will see if this license will have to be renewed.

When it comes to the registration of candidates, the Ministry held regular seminars informing those who are legal subjects to this system, about the organization of trainings. Currently, the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering is the only institution that has been authorized. We have on our website published calls for training, so the municipalities and interested companies can send candidates. The Law defined that large consumers are liable. For municipalities, the criterion is number of inhabitants and for the industrial plants the amount of energy consumed.

Interview by: Vesna Vukajlović

This text was originally published in our bulletin number 7 – Energy Efficiency, on April 1th.

APPLE: Building Another Data Center Fueled Entirely by Renewable Energy

11.07.2017

Apple said it will spend 6 billion Danish crowns ($921 million) on a new data center in Denmark, its second in the Nordic country to run entirely on renewable energy. Facebook in January also announced plans to build a data center in Denmark, only its third outside of the United States.

Apple has pledged to back the Paris climate accord by switching to renewable energy and has recently issued a $1 billion green bond after the United States pulled out of the pact. Chief Executive Tim Cook was one of several CEOs who directly appealed to President Donald Trump to keep the United States in the pact before he made his decision.

Apple said the data center would begin operations in the second quarter of 2019 in Aabenraa in southern Denmark near the German border. It will power Apple’s online services, including the iTunes Store, App Store, iMessage, Maps, and Siri for customers across Europe.

– We’re thrilled to be expanding our data center operations in Denmark, and investing in new sources of clean power – Erik Stannow, Nordic manager for Apple, said in a statement emailed to Reuters.

– The planned facility in Aabenraa, like all of our data centers, will run on 100% renewable energy from day one, thanks to new clean energy sources we’re adding – he said.

Apple’s first data center in Denmark near the town of Viborg is due to begin operations later this year. Apple said a planned data center in Athenry, Ireland, announced in 2015 had yet to begin construction. Apple confirmed that the Irish data center is currently under judicial review.

Denmark, a leader in wind power, has abundant supplies of wind energy as well biomass energy.

– The reliability of the Danish grid is one of the main reasons we will operate two sites in Denmark – Stannow said.

The small Nordic country hopes these investments will boost its IT sector.Denmark is becoming northern Europe’s hub for data centers with a high prospective for growth for the tracking industries delivering solutions to the many data centers sprouting up all over the world,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.

– Denmark is becoming northern Europe’s hub for data centers with a high prospective for growth for the tracking industries delivering solutions to the many data centers sprouting up all over the world – the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Source: fortune.com

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