Plastic Pollution Endangering UK Wildlife, Greenpeace Finds

27.06.2017

Plastika, otpad, đubre — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Wildlife along the UK coastline is under threat from mounds of plastic pollution caused by discarded plastic bags, bottles, fishing nets and microplastics, campaigners will warn today.

A two-month expedition by Greenpeace around the coastal waters of Scotland in May and June has uncovered evidence of plastic pollution seriously damaging large swathes of wildlife habitats, including biodiverse areas that are home to seals, puffins, whales, and basking sharks.

The expedition, which ended today in Edinburgh, found beaches strewn with plastic litter, seabirds trapped in tangles of rubbish, and microplastic pollution affecting coastal waters.

Greenpeace is using its findings from the voyage to step up the campaign for a plastic bottle deposit scheme in Scotland, that would see consumers receive payment for recycling drinks bottles across the country.

A trial scheme is already in the works from Coca-Cola after the drinks giant bowed to pressure from campaigners earlier this year, but Greenpeace claims the soft drinks industry as a whole is still guilty of a “woeful lack of action” on plastic waste.

Every day in the UK 35 million plastic bottles are used and discarded, it says.

A petition signed by 25,000 Scots calling for a deposit return scheme for drinks bottles in Scotland will be delivered to Scottish Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham later today.

Greenpeace claims similar schemes have pushed the rate of plastic bottle collection up to 95 per cent in other countries, and would represent a major boost in tackling ocean plastic pollution.

A UK-wide petition on the same issue has currently gathered 150,000 signatures.

“It cannot be right that our beaches, seas and the stunning wildlife they are home to should become the final dumping ground for throwaway plastic bottles and other plastic trash,” Tisha Brown, oceans campaigner at Greenpeace UK, said in a statement. “With a truckload of plastic entering the ocean every minute, we need urgent action from governments and from major soft drinks companies which produce billions of single-use plastic bottles every year, like Coca-Cola, to stop the flow of plastic into the sea.”

Greenpeace said samples of the scientific trawls made on the trip will now be sent to the University of Exeter for further analysis, with full results to be published later this year.

Source: businessgreen.com

Arctic Climate Change Forces Cancellation Of Arctic Climate Change Study …

27.06.2017

The first portion of the 2017 Hudson Bay System Study in the Arctic, part of the 2017 Canadian Research Icebreaker CCGS Amundsen Expedition, has been cancelled due to climate change–induced hazardous sea ice conditions.

In other words, a study focused on the study of climate change in the Arctic has now been cancelled because of climate change in the Arctic.

To be more exact, though, the cancellation is “due to complications associated with the southward motion of hazardous Arctic sea ice, caused by climate change.” In other words, the dangerous sea ice conditions would mean that the ship journey would take too long for the researchers to get to the site with enough time remaining to achieve their research goals.

A press release provides more: “This year the Expedition Logistics and Science Teams accelerated the mobilization of the 2017 Arctic Expedition to permit departure of the Amundsen six days ahead of schedule. This would allow CCG to carry out critical marine safety and security operations in the unusually severe ice conditions in the Strait of Belle Isle and along the northeast coast of Newfoundland before beginning the Science Mission.

”Unfortunately, the conditions required much more extended support than anticipated. Fleet management issues and inadequate alternative ships forced the cancellation of the science program due to significant safety concerns.”

“Considering the severe ice conditions and the increasing demand for Search And Rescue operations (SAR) and ice escort, we decided to cancel the BaySys mission. A second week of delay meant our research objectives just could not be safely achieved – the challenge for us all was that the marine ice hazards were exceedingly difficult for the maritime industry, the CCG, and science,” commented Dr David Barber, Expedition Chief Scientist and BaySys Scientific Lead.

As we’ve reported many times in recent months and years, the Arctic is rapidly undergoing massive changes — with sea ice disappearing quickly, temperatures climbing rapidly, and positive feedback loops involving the release of methane starting to take off. As these changes continue, far more than simple research expeditions will be affected. …

Source: cleantechnica.com

US Commercial Buildings Could Cut Energy Use 29% With Widespread Controls

27.06.2017

atlantic-city-buildings — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

A new report by the US Energy Department’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has concluded that widespread use of building controls across the country could cut energy consumption by an average of 29%, or the equivalent electricity used by 12 to 15 million Americans.

US Energy Department’s (DOE) Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) investigated 34 different types of energy efficiency measures, most of which rely on building control systems, and looked at how these measures could affect energy use in commercial buildings such as stores, offices, and schools. The researchers from PNNL found that such measures could cut annual commercial building energy use by an average of 29%, and would result in national energy savings of between 4 to 5 quadrillion British Thermal Units (BTUs) — approximately 4% to 5% of the country’s annual energy consumption.

“Most large commercial buildings are already equipped with building automation systems that deploy controls to manage building energy use,” said report co-author and PNNL engineer Srinivas Katipamula. “But those controls often aren’t properly programmed and are allowed to deteriorate over time, creating unnecessarily large power bills.

“Our research found significant nationwide energy savings are possible if all U.S. commercial building owners periodically looked for and corrected operational problems such as air-conditioning systems running too long.”

Commercial buildings across the United States collectively consume about 18 quadrillion BTUs of primary energy every year, and the authors of the report conclude that “inadequate building operations leads to preventable excess energy consumption along with failure to maintain acceptable occupant comfort.” In other words, many buildings likely have the tools and controls to increase energy efficiency significantly, but aren’t making use of it, resulting in excess energy usage. The report specifically focused on heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) faults and operation, and therefore major retrofits are not required for the energy savings to be achieved.

Some upgrades are recommended, though, such as enhanced communication capabilities and installation of variable-speed drives on certain fans and pumps in some buildings. Some of the measures that were studied by Katipamula and his team included: Fixing broken sensors that read temperatures and other measurements, Turning off power-using devices like printers and monitors when a room isn’t occupied, Dimming lights in areas with natural lighting.

The authors of the report found that six of the 34 measures they analyzed showed the potential for more than 2% site energy savings. These included: wider deadbands and night setback (7.8%), shortened HVAC schedules (7.1%), demand control ventilation (7.1%, reduced minimum VAV box terminal damper flow settings (6.5%), optimal start (5.9%, supply air temperature reset (2.5%).

Interestingly, while advanced rooftop unit fan controls a high electricity saving, the additional natural gas consumed as a result dropped its savings to only 1.3%.

All commercial buildings across the United States have the potential to reduce energy usage to some degree, but secondary schools were found to be able to see energy savings of around 49%, and standalone retail stores & auto dealerships of 41%.

Source: cleantechnica.com

Canada Is Now 1.7 Degrees Warmer Than In 1948

27.06.2017

Average global temperatures keep rising. While 2016 is the warmest year on record, the previous record was set in 2015 and, before that, 2014. A new joint report from Health Canada and the Science Media Centre of Canada (SMCC) puts this into perspective.

This has resulted in “melting sea ice, changing precipitation patterns and thawing permafrost.”

Southern Ontario’s hospitals reported an 11% rise in emergency room visits during a recent heat wave.

Windsor, Ontario, now experiences +30 temperatures about twenty-three days a year.

Heat waves, such as the 2010 event that caused 280 deaths in Quebec, are becoming more common.

“There is no denying it and no doubt about it: our planet is warming and climate change is well underway, around the world and right here in Canada. And extreme heat events are one of the consequences. Periods of extreme heat are uncomfortable, but they can also exacerbate existing health conditions, such as asthma, and put people at risk for heat-related illnesses, even death,” it says on the SMCC website.

This situation will only get worse:

“Scientists predict that almost all of Canada will continue to get warmer during the next 80 years. Even with reduced greenhouse gas emissions, Canada’s summers are projected to warm by 1.5° C to 2.5° C by mid-century. Those temperatures will be higher if greenhouse gas emissions continue unabated.”

Given Canada’s plan to ramp up Alberta’s bitumen production 53%, to reach Premier Notley’s so called emissions “cap,” it seems very likely that the nation’s emissions will grow.

Source: cleantechnica.com

Sadiq Khan: Gove Must Get a Grip on ‘Life and Death’ Air Pollution Crisis

26.06.2017

The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has requested an urgent meeting with the new environment secretary, Michael Gove, to urge him to get a grip on Britain’s “life and death” air pollution crisis.

Last week, Khan activated the capital’s emergency alert system after experts warned toxic air in the capital had reached dangerous levels. Large parts of southern England and Wales were also affected on Wednesday.

The government has come under growing pressure over the air quality crisis, which is responsible for 40,000 deaths a year in the UK.

After a string of humiliating defeats in the courts, the government eventually published its air quality plan consultation earlier this year. Khan described it as a “deep disappointment” and a “backwards step” and challenged Gove to overhaul the government’s plans.

Khan said: “Michael Gove has a huge opportunity to change course for this government and finally get a grip on the national air quality health crisis.”

“He said previous environment ministers had not prioritised air pollution, or even recognised its harmful impact.

“We know it causes an estimated 40,000 early deaths in this country every single year,” Khan added. “This is now a matter of life and death and the government has one last chance to put it right.”

A Defra spokesperson said: “We are firmly committed to improving the UK’s air quality and cutting harmful emissions. That’s why we have committed more than £2bn since 2011 to increase the uptake of ultra-low emissions vehicles, support greener transport schemes and set out how we will improve air quality through a new programme of clean air zones.

“We have consulted on proposals to further improve the nation’s air quality and will publish our final air quality plan by 31 July.”

Khan said the government’s plan – published shortly before the general election after a legal challenge – lacked “serious detail, fails to tackle all emission sources, such as from buildings, construction or the river, and does not utilise the government’s full resources and powers”.

Earlier this year the Guardian revealed the risk to children’s health posed by air pollution. An investigation revealed that hundreds of thousands of children are being exposed to illegal levels of damaging air pollution from diesel vehicles at schools and nurseries across England and Wales.

The government’s own statistics show that 38 out of 43 UK “air quality zones” breach legal limits for air pollution.

Khan has set out a package of measures to tackle air pollution in the capital including a toxicity charge from October and an ultra low emission zone.

He said it was now time for the government to introduce a national vehicle scrappage fund to help retire diesel cars and vans bought in good faith, to reform vehicle excise duty and to publish a Clean Air Act.

Khan, who has also announced a new £1m scheme to help businesses clean up the capital’s air, said: “The government can no longer continue to bury its head in the sand about our toxic air. Londoners simply cannot wait… I urge government to tackle this challenge immediately, because its current air quality plan quite frankly is not fit for purpose.”

Source: businessgreen.com

118 U.S. Mayors Endorse 100% Renewable Energy Goals

26.06.2017

obnovljivi-izvori — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

The Sierra Club released a new analysis Friday that found that transitioning all 1,400+ U.S. Conference of Mayors member-cities to 100 percent clean and renewable electricity will significantly reduce electric sector carbon pollution nationwide and help the U.S. towards meeting the goals of the Paris climate agreement.

According to the Sierra Club analysis, if cities belonging to the U.S. Conference of Mayors were to move to 100 percent clean and renewable electricity, it would reduce electric sector carbon emissions by more than that of the five worst carbon polluting U.S. states combined. If the 100 percent energy targets were achieved by 2025, the total electric sector carbon pollution reductions would fill anywhere from 87 percent to 110 percent of the remaining reductions the U.S. would need to achieve in order to meet the goals of the Paris agreement.

The analysis of National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Energy Information Administration data comes before the start of the U.S. Conference of Mayors annual meeting in Miami Beach, from June 23-26, where members will consider a resolution that would establish support for the goal of 100 percent clean, renewable energy in cities nationwide.

In addition, the Sierra Club’s Ready for 100 campaign and the co-chairs of Mayors for 100% Clean Energy announced Friday that 118 mayors across the country have endorsed a goal of powering their communities with 100 percent clean, renewable energy such as wind and solar.

The Mayors for 100% Clean Energy initiative is co-chaired by Mayor Philip Levine of Miami Beach, Mayor Jackie Biskupski of Salt Lake City, Mayor Kevin Faulconer of San Diego and Mayor Stephen K. Benjamin of Columbia, South Carolina. Benjamin is also a vice president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

“It’s up to us as leaders to creatively implement clean energy solutions for our cities across the nation. It’s not merely an option now; it’s imperative,” said Mayor Benjamin. “Cities and mayors can lead the transition away from fossil fuels to 100 percent clean and renewable energy.”

Mayoral endorsements of 100 percent renewable energy have led to ambitious action in municipalities across the U.S. The mayors of St. Petersburg, Florida and Abita Springs, Louisiana issued proclamations endorsing a goal of transitioning to 100 percent clean and renewable energy, followed by the formal adoption of a community-wide goal establishing 100 percent clean, renewable energy as the target for city energy planning.

“In San Diego, we brought business and environmental groups together to advance a goal of 100 percent renewable energy,” said Mayor Faulconer. “It makes sense for mayors across the country to work together because when we talk about the future of our planet, we’re talking about the future of our communities.”

Salt Lake City recently released its Climate Positive 2040 plan which details the specific steps and policies the city will pursue with Rocky Mountain Power to achieve the goal of 100 percent clean, renewable energy by 2032.

Thirty-six cities across the U.S. have now committed to transition to 100 percent clean and renewable energy. This growing list of cities most recently includes Columbia, South Carolina, which this week unanimously voted to transition entirely to clean, renewable energy by 2036. Other cities including Los Angeles and Denver are studying pathways to 100 percent clean energy.

“We can’t ignore climate change because climate change is not ignoring us,” said Mayor Biskupski. “Cities must adapt to cope with the threats of climate change, and that’s also why we must take action to mitigate them. Salt Lake City has set the ambitious but achievable goals of generating 100 percent of the community’s electricity supply from renewable energy by 2032, followed by an 80 percent reduction in community greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. We are taking action to achieve these goals and I am honored to join mayors from across our nation to lead the transition to clean, renewable energy.”

Source: ecowatch.com

How Algae Can Help Sweden Eliminate Carbon Emissions

26.06.2017

green-algae- — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

Algae is often considered a nuisance, but for Sweden, the rapidly growing sea plant is now an asset.

As the Scandinavian country works to cut all of its greenhouse gas emissions by 2045, it’s using algae to sop up the carbon emissions from cement.

Cement production, it turns out, is a major source of carbon dioxide. It also happens to be a top industry in Sweden.

So the country is at a crossroads—how does it keep creating one of the most widely used materials in the world, while also bringing emissions to zero?

The answer: algae.

Nestled in the quaint village of Degerhamn, Sweden, a cement factory called Cementa (owned by the international conglomerate HeidelbergCement) is implementing a new initiative that uses algae from the nearby Baltic Sea to capture the factory’s carbon dioxide emissions before the gas enters the atmosphere.

Cement is composed largely of limestone, a substance that, when heated, releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. In addition, fossil fuels are burned in the process of heating the limestone, emitting even more carbon dioxide.

The process that Cementa uses is simple. First, water from the Baltic is pumped into large bags that can hold about 800 gallons of liquid. Then, nutrients are added to multiply the algae. Finally, the liquid is mixed with the factory’s waste and left to sit in the sunlight, which gradually absorbs all the carbon.

This system was created as a part of Swedish scientist Catherine Legrand’s Algoland project.

Legrand and her team from Linnaeus University found that algae is able to convert carbon dioxide and water into various growth-promoting nutrients. The cement plant is essentially enhancing algae’s naturally occurring photosynthesis process. According to Linnaeus University researcher Martin Olofsson, in just a few runs through the algae mixture, nearly all carbon dioxide is absorbed by the green sea plant.

The Algoland system at Cementa is still small-scale, but with ample supply of space, sunlight, water and fresh algae, the company has plenty of potential to take this initiative to the next level. The project is set to expand beyond Sweden as well.

“We are preparing to scale up the algae project to a commercial scale in Morocco,” Jan Theulen, Heidelberg’s director of alternate resources, told Quartz Media.

Sweden’s use of algae is just a small part of a larger, nationwide push towards a cleaner energy supply. Over the past several years, the country has increased its tax on carbon emissions for both industries and households, and it’s one of the few countries that goes beyond the pledges made under the Paris climate agreement.

Sweden has long been a trailblazer in the fight against climate change, and it’s now discovering that viable green technology sometimes resides just beneath the surface.

Source: ecowatch.com

World’s Biggest Coal Company Closes 37 Mines as Solar Prices Plummet

26.06.2017

The rapid growth in renewable energy continues to put a dent in the demand for coal.

Coal India, the world’s biggest coal mining company and producer of 82 percent of the country’s coal, announced the closure of 37 mines that are financially “unviable.”

The sites make up roughly nine percent of the total mines operated by Coal India. The company is expected save Rs 800 crore ($124 million) from the closures.

India’s energy market is undergoing a rapid transformation as it moves away from fossil fuels. Last month, the country cancelled plans to build nearly 14 gigawatts of coal-fired power stations.

Notably, solar has been cheaper than coal-based electricity in India for the past several months. According to Quartz:

“At an auction for 500 megawatt (MW) of capacity at the park on May 12, the state-run Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) managed to discover a record-low tariff of Rs 2.44 per kilowatt-hour (kWh). The previous low was two days before that when tariffs hit Rs 2.62 per kWh during auctions for another phase of Bhadla solar park.

“The country’s largest power company, NTPC, sells electricity from its coal-based generation units at a princely Rs 3.20 per kWh.”

The National Thermal Power Corporation of India said that the country currently hosts a solar power capacity of 845 megawatts, after the recent addition of a 225 megawatt solar farm, the Mandsaur Solar Power Project.

“India’s solar sector has received heavy international investment, and the plummeting price of solar electricity has increased pressure on fossil fuel companies in the country,” as The Independent reported. “The government has announced it will not build any more coal plants after 2022 and predicts renewables will generate 57 percent of its power by 2027—a pledge far outstripping its commitment in the Paris climate change agreement.”

Source: ecowatch.com

Energy Professionals Fear UK Set to Miss Carbon Targets

26.06.2017

Energy professionals fear a combination of Brexit and uncertainty over the future of energy and climate policy is hampering the sector’s development and increasing the chances of the UK missing its emissions reduction targets.

That is the conclusion of a survey of nearly 500 executives undertaken by professional body the Energy Institute (EI), which warns Ministers urgently need to clarify the UK’s post-Brexit plans and bring forward the long-awaited Clean Growth Plan.

The survey reveals a majority of respondents regard Brexit as a cause for “material concern” over the potential impact on the energy system, while 60 per cent fear a curtailment of freedom of movement will impact the availability of skilled workers.

The group called on the government to seek continued close co-operation with the EU single energy market, and a majority of respondents called on Ministers to transfer key EU energy and climate change directives into UK law – including on renewables, energy performance of buildings, vehicle emissions and civil nuclear.

However, EI said opinion is more divided on whether the EU Emission Trading System or state aid rules should be retained.

The barometer also revealed that nearly eight out of ten respondents believe the UK will fall short of meeting the fifth carbon budget, which requires emissions to be 57 per cent lower than 1990 levels by 2030.

However, there was a more optimistic assessment of President Trump’s decision to exit the Paris Agreement with only a quarter saying it represents a significant threat to achieving the accord’s 2C target.

EI President, Professor Jim Skea, said the energy industry urgently required clarity on both the government’s Brexit and decarbonisation plans.

“The call for a predictable, no-surprises policy is reinforced in the 2017 Energy Barometer with clear advice to those negotiating Brexit,” he said. “Workforce availability and the smooth transition of energy and climate change laws need to be priorities.The Barometer also reflects the need for ministers to bring forward a credible Clean Growth Plan to demonstrate how they intend to course-correct the UK’s emission reduction efforts. On the basis of current policies, the fifth carbon budget is seen by energy professionals as elusive.”

His comments were echoed by EI vice president and former National Grid CEO Steve Holliday who warned that “the stakes are high for the UK’s energy economy”.

“The potential is there for significant industrial benefit and emission reduction at least cost to consumers and taxpayers, but sound policy making should not be drowned out by Brexit or other political upheavals,” he said. “Energy professionals’ advice could not be stronger on putting energy efficiency at the heart of the government’s strategy. The benefits of energy efficiency stack up for emission reduction, energy security, industrial growth and affordability.”

The government is understood to be considering ambitious new plans on energy efficiency as part of the Clean Growth Plan, and the Conservative Party manifesto included proposals for a new industrial energy efficiency scheme. However, neither initiative made it into last week’s Queen’s Speech.

Meanwhile, green groups are increasingly frustrated over the delay to the Clean Growth Plan with speculation mounting the government could face a legal challenge if it is not published in the coming months.

Industry insiders have repeatedly warned that without clarity on clean energy policies and financial support beyond 2020 the pipeline of low carbon infrastructure projects risks contracting sharply over the next few years.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy was considering a response to the report at the time of going to press.

Source: businessgreen.com

Volvo Ocean Race Team Will Raise Awareness Of Ocean Plastic Danger

25.06.2017

Plastic-trash-on-Pacific-Islands — Foto: volvooceanrace.com

A team in this year’s Volvo Ocean Race is dedicated to raising global awareness of danger posed by ocean plastic. The Volvo Ocean Race is one of the premier sailing competitions in the world. The course is more than 40,000 miles long and takes 9 months to complete. All of the energy needed to compete comes from two renewable sources — wind and muscles. The boats and sails are all identical, which makes the competition all about skill and endurance, rather than equipment.

The boats are equipped with a Volvo Penta marine engine which provides power for low-speed maneuvering while in port. It also powers a desalination system that makes fresh water for the crew members and allows then to reconstitute the freeze-dried food they carry on board. It is forbidden to use the engine for propulsion during the competition.

Given sufficient wind, the boats are capable of sustained speeds of 25 knots or more. They can sail in winds up to 60 knots — more than 65 miles per hour. With seas crashing over the bow most of the time, competing in the Volvo Ocean Race has been compared to “sailing into a fire hose.” The conditions, once under way, are rigorous by any measure.

In the last race, an all-female crew sponsored by SCA, a global manufacturer of sustainable paper products, was one of the eight teams in the race. Team SCA actually won one of the legs of that race. This year, a team composed of half men and half women will compete under the name of “Turn The Tide On Plastic.”

Headed by Dee Caffari, a veteran of the Team SCA campaign, the team is focused on raising awareness about the global threat of ocean plastic. It is supported in part by the Mirpuri Foundation and the Ocean Family Foundation, two groups deeply committed to preserving the oceans from further pollution by plastics. Ocean plastic was the subject of the UN Oceans Conference held in New York during the first week of June.

The Mirpuri Foundation was established by Paulo Mirpuri, a prominent Portuguese businessman, to help educate people about the dangers faced by the world’s oceans from human pollution and create a strong offshore legacy for future generations of Portuguese sailors. Caffari will include two other Portuguese sailors in her crew and intends to compete with an all-Portuguese crew in the future.

“We feel immense pride to be backing this incredible ocean health campaign which we are sure will provide a great contribution to the health of our wonderful blue planet,” says Mirpuri. “We must act immediately if the next generation is to inherit seas and oceans which resemble those that we knew as children.

“In Portugal, we have long held a rich maritime heritage, and this youth-orientated campaign is a major step towards shaping the world-class future of Portuguese offshore racing. The Mirpuri Foundation looks forward to working closely with the Volvo Ocean Race to achieve that objective over the coming years.”

Ocean plastic is not some mere annoyance. It is a scourge that endangers many of the creatures who live in the sea. Recently, British researchers found that remote Henderson Island — 500 miles from shipping lanes and visited by humans only every 5 years or so — is littered with more than 38 million pieces of plastic that have washed ashore.

Other researchers have found the amount of plastic trash on the bottom of the Arctic Ocean has increased 20 fold in just the past decade. In the last Volvo Ocean Race, which ended two years ago, the sailors reported they could see the increase in the amount of plastic debris infesting the waters they were sailing through with the naked eye.

“The Ocean Family Foundation is delighted to be supporting this exceptional campaign to support ocean conservation and clean-up,” said spokesperson Peter Dubens. “Plastic pollution has emerged as one of the greatest challenges facing our globe, with plastic debris forecast to double over this decade, causing huge damage to our oceans as well as to humans. With her public profile as a British world record-holding athlete, Dee Caffari is the perfect leader to raise awareness of the need for urgent action.”

Caffari says, “It’s an honour to represent this landmark campaign, and to lead the team on such a prestigious platform is exciting. Seeing the amount of plastic in the ocean is heartbreaking. We’re abusing our planet and this campaign is about pushing people to proactively do something about it. We will be sailing with a youth-orientated team because the reality is, it’s going to be the next generations who inherit the mess that we’re making now. This is a major issue and we need to encourage this generation, and future generations, to step up.”

Source: cleantechnica.com

Solar-Powered Electric Yacht — Soel Yacht SoelCat 12 — Unveiling In A Few Days

24.06.2017

SoelCat-12-solar-electric-boat-catamran-okeanos-pearl-9-1024x683 — Photo: soelyachts.com

Once you leave your zero-carbon footprint home for a clean holiday using your long-range electric vehicle (EV), what’s better than arriving at your destination and finding yourself ready to continue your zero-emission journey on an electric boat? The idea of lounging and cruising quietly on lakes and seas on an electric pontoon is pretty tempting, and will soon be possible via the solar-powered Soel Yacht SoelCat 12.

The solar-powered Soel Yacht SoelCat 12 was designed by architect Joep Koster and business partner Czap, himself no stranger to the electric boat industry. Czap also cofounded Czeers Solar boats in 2006 and successively created the first solar-powered speedboat when he founded Naval DC in 2008, where he focused on developing solar electric propulsion systems. Naval DC and SoelYachts teamed up to make the solar-powered catamaran, dubbed the SoelCat 12.

The company says it is currently building the first solar-powered Soel Yacht SoelCat at a shipyard in Auckland, New Zealand. It says it will ship the unit in July to a resort in the French Polynesia. To which we say: we can go, we will go, and we have a European passport. Let us know when, how, and what seats you reserved for us.

In many ways, electric sea vessels powered by solar energy are the ideal electric transportation choice for faraway travel and exotic destinations. Since the Soel Yacht SoelCat 12 is seaworthy, this means it can take on almost any lakes you throw at it.

With its two 60 kWh lithium-ion batteries, the total battery capacity is 120 kWh. That means the SoelCat 12 can operate for 6 hours at 8 knots, with a maximum speed of 14 knots. However, direct sun prolongs the duration to 7.5 hours. A “break-even speed” of 6 knots stretches the capacity to 24 hours, including at night (when there is no energy harvest from the solar array, of course).

Vehicle to Grid (V2G) and Vehicle to Home (V2H) tech are intelligently built-in feature, which turn your water vessel into a mobile power station able to power homes up to 15kVA. After cruising all day long on a sunny lake or sea, the SoelCat 12 can deliver power for up to 5 households in the evening, even in the most remote of places. And yes, you connect to and manage your solar energy SoelCat 12 through your smart device (iPhone, iPad, Android, etc.) on the craft’s guest Wi-Fi. As if!

If you think that islands like Fiji are the largest energy consumers per person — with 58% of sea transportation compared to cars, buses, and airplanes — sustainable alternatives for water travel are crucial to reduce enormous impacts on the local environment and planet.

As to how much for the solar-powered SoelCat 12 Yacht? The answer is about what you would expect from a first solar yacht from a startup: $600,000.

Sustainable sea transportation is big business, and with partner Naval DC, Soel Yachts designed a solar electric naval drive propulsion into the SoelCat 12 which can handle saltwater and lakes. The company is launching the 16-person solar electric catamaran SoelCat 12 Yacht this week in Auckland, Australia. It will be later billed as a water taxi and as a watercraft for dive operations and reef excursions.

If you live in or will be near Auckland, Australia, how about trying for a free test drives/ride? You can register with Soel Yachts for test drives in Auckland on Sunday, June 25th. The SoelCat 12 will be open for the public, where you will be able to come on board and inspect the solar electric SoelCat 12. A cruise will be held from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm. You can also contact the company directly: Soel Yachts B.V., Nieuwelaan 62, 2611RT Delft, NL.

Source: cleantechnica.com

Portion Of West Antarctica Twice Size Of California Partially Melted In 2016

24.06.2017

iceberg-antarctica — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

A portion of West Antarctica over twice the size of the US state of California partially melted in 2016 as the result of high temperatures brought by an especially pronounced El Niño, compounded by a rapidly warming climate, according to new research published in the journal Nature Communications.

While it’s been clear for sometime that West Antarctica’s ice sheets are being melted from underneath, by warming oceans, the new work is some of the first to document widespread surface melting occurring as a result of high air temperatures.

The findings were the result of the installation of various measurement instruments a few weeks before the January 2016 warm spell, which were intended to be used to study the effect of cloud cover on the amount of energy that reaches the snow surface.

The press release provides more: “Julien Nicolas, lead author of the paper, is a research associate at the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center (BPCRC) at The Ohio State University. He’s part of the OSU team that provides weather and climate analysis for AWARE.

“When Nicolas got a January 2016 alert from the AWARE expedition that the weather at their campsite atop of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet had turned unseasonably warm, he checked to see in the satellite data what was happening to the rest of West Antarctica.

“The presence of water in the snow is often hard to detect from visible satellite imagery, especially if clouds block the view. Instead, Nicolas analyzed satellite measurements of the microwave radiation emitted by the snowpack, since dry and wet snows have very different microwave signatures. What he saw during the melting event was an area of roughly 300,000 square miles, including most of the Ross Ice Shelf, that likely contained a mix of snow and water.”

What’s particularly notable about this is that it occurred despite strong westerly winds also being present at the time — which typically keep the warmer air being pushed south by El Niño events out.

BPCRC senior research associate Aaron Wilson noted: “Without the strong westerlies, it’s likely there would have been much more melting.”

Coauthor David Bromwich, professor of geography and leader of the Ohio State team, commented: “In West Antarctica, we have a tug-of-war going on between the influence of El Niños and the westerly winds, and it looks like the El Niños are winning,” he said. “It’s a pattern that is emerging. And because we expect stronger, more frequent El Niños in the future with a warming climate, we can expect more major surface melt events in West Antarctica.”

In other words, it’s another sign of the way that the situation in West Antarctica is changing faster than most official models have suggested it would. It’s fair to guess that the whole West Antarctic ice sheet may well collapse completely within the lifetime of many of those reading this.

Source: cleantechnica.com

How Dead Is the Great Barrier Reef?

23.06.2017

Worried about the future of the Great Barrier Reef? If so, you’re not alone.

Many publications have already written obituaries for the reef, despite the fact that it is not completely dead.

According to water quality expert Jon Brodie, the Great Barrier Reef is now in a “terminal stage.” Warming oceans are causing large bleaching events in the Great Barrier Reef for the second year in a row, new aerial surveys have shown.

Climate Nexus reports that reef scientists are worried that the “shocking” back-to-back bleaching gives the reef little chance to recover and that increasing frequency of bleaching events could be ultimately devastating.

“The significance of bleaching this year is that it’s back to back, so there’s been zero time for recovery,” Professor Terry Hughes, who led the surveys, told the Guardian. “It’s too early yet to tell what the full death toll will be from this year’s bleaching, but clearly it will extend 500km south of last year’s bleaching.”

Source: ecowatch.com

EDF Renewable Energy Signs Wind & Solar PPAs To Supply 600 Megawatts

23.06.2017

Energy company EDF Renewable Energy has this week reportedly signed two separate Power Purchase Agreements for solar and wind energy projects that together total 600 megawatts.

On Wednesday, US independent power producer EDF Renewable Energy announced that it had signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) agreement to supply the Southern Minnesota Municipal Power Agency (SMMPA) with 100 megawatts (MW) of wind energy from the Stoneray Wind Project, beginning in 2020. The 100 MW wind project is located in Pipestone and Murray counties in southwest Minnesota and is expected to begin construction in early 2018, and when completed by the end of the year the wind farm should be able to provide enough electricity to meet the needs of 47,000 average homes.

“EDF RE is pleased to expand on its strong historical working relationship with SMMPA to help meet their energy supply goals and objectives,” said Kate O’Hair, Vice President for Development-North Region. “Minnesota has long been a key state for EDF RE due to its favorable regulatory environment, excellent wind resource, and advantageous transmission expansion. Stoneray marks our twelfth wind project developed in the state totaling over 1.2 GW and further demonstrates EDF RE’s commitment to investment, involvement and employment in Minnesota.”

“Stoneray Wind is a big addition to SMMPA’s diverse renewable energy portfolio,” said Dave Geschwind, SMMPA’s Executive Director and CEO. “Building on the success of the 100.5 MW Wapsipinicon Wind project with EDF RE, we’re glad to be working further with EDF RE to provide more Minnesota wind energy to our Members and economic benefits to southern Minnesota through this important project.”

The news comes on the heels of two other announcements from EDF Renewable Energy. Last week, the company revealed that it would sign a Purchase and Sale Agreement in which Alliant Energy Corporation would acquire 50% ownership interest in the 225 MW Great Western Wind Project in Oklahoma. The project was completed in December of last year, and under a long-term Power Purchase Agreement, it provides clean energy to Google.

“The sale of equity stakes represents an integral part of EDF Renewable Energy’s business model, allowing us to maintain a balanced ownership portfolio in order to assist in the funding of new project development,” explained Raphael DeClercq, Vice President of Portfolio Strategy for EDF RE. “We are pleased to forge a new business relationship with Alliant Energy on this first transaction. We are confident that our expertise as a developer and operator complements Alliant Energy’s renewable energy strategy.”

Finally, in the first half of this month, it was reported by The Desert Sun that EDF Renewable Energy had signed a PPA with Southern California Edison for 125 MW of the electricity generated at the 500 MW Maverick Solar project (formerly the Palen solar project), built near Desert Center. The Palen solar project has been through the ringer, repeatedly announced and cancelled. The new PPA now waits on confirmation from the California Public Commission and then further approvals from Riverside County and the federal Bureau of Land Management.

Source: cleantechnica.com

Indian Railways Will Install Rooftop Solar Panels On 250 Trains

23.06.2017

Indian Railways is going all out to reduce its fuel costs and adopt solar power in a major way. Apart from planning large-scale solar power projects and rooftop solar power systems, the world’s fourth-largest railway network is planning to install solar panels on top of coaches.

Indian Railways has floated a tender for installation of solar panels atop 250 trains to power fans and lighting systems. The tender, according to media reports, would require winning companies to install battery systems in addition to solar panels.

Companies selected through the tender process will be required to install flexible solar panels and battery systems on six trains on experimental basis. These trains will be put into commercial operations and performance of the panels and batteries would be tested for a period of two months before a decision on large-scale implementation is taken.

Indian Railways, through the mandate of the central government and its own target to shift to clean energy sources in the long-term, has taken numerous initiatives in the recent past. A study by the United Nations Development Program stated that Indian Railways could source as much as 25% of its energy needs from renewable energy sources by 2025.

The Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) has found that Indian Railways could set up 5 gigawatts of solar power capacity, through rooftop and utility-scale projects, to significantly increase its consumption of renewable energy over the next few years.

The study by CEEW shows that 3,900 megawatts of utility-scale projects and 1,100 megawatts of rooftop projects can be installed by the Indian Railways with an estimated investment of $3.6 billion. Last year, the Indian Railways joined hands with UNDP to execute plans to set up 5,000 megawatts of solar power capacity.

Earlier this year, the Indian government announced a major push by Indian Railways in the rooftop solar power market, perhaps the largest in India and the world!

The Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced that the 7,000 railway stations across the country will be fed with solar power as per the Indian Railways mission to implement 1,000 megawatts of solar power capacity. The minister made the announcement during the union budget speech on 1 February 2017.

The minister stated that work to set up rooftop solar power systems at 300 stations has already started, and soon this number will increase to 2,000 stations. According to data released by the Minister of Railways, India had 7,137 railway stations at the end of March 2015.

In the large-scale solar power market, Indian Railways is looking to adopt the model used by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), India’s largest subway system. DMRC has signed a power purchase agreement of around 200 megawatts with Rewa Solar Power Park located about several hundred kilometers away.

The Indian Railways has approached the government of Madhya Pradesh with a proposal to set up a mega solar power park with a capacity of 700-800 megawatts (MW). The project will come up at Shajapur, a few hundred kilometres east of the Rewa solar power park which received the lowest-ever tariff bid ever in India.

Source: cleantechnica.com

450 Megawatts Of Solar Capacity Commissioned At 1 Gigawatt Indian Solar Park

23.06.2017

A large-scale solar power park in southern India is slowly reaching its planned capacity of 1 gigawatt as more and more developers commission their projects.

The Kurnool solar power park, owned by India’s largest power generating company, has reached an installed capacity of 450 megawatts following operationalization of two projects. Two more projects need to be completed before the solar park will reach the milestone of 1 gigawatts to become one of, if not the largest, solar power park in the world.

SB Energy, a joint venture company of Softbank, Foxconn Technology, and Bharti Enterprises, had commissioned a 350 megawatt (AC) project in late March 2017 while Azure Power recently commissioned a 100 megawatt (AC) project in early June 2017. All projects commissioned at the solar power park will supply electricity to state-owned utilities of Andhra Pradesh where the park is located.

Both Azure Power and SB Energy secured rights to develop their projects under the ‘open’ category which means that they were free to use Indian or imported solar panels. While the origin of panels used by Azure Power is unknown, SB Energy used more than 700,000 panels manufactured by China-based Trina Solar.

The other two developers — Greenko Energy and Adani Green Energy — won their projects under the Domestic Content Requirement (DCR) category and are obligated to use Indian-made panels. Greenko is developing a 500 megawatt (AC) project at the park which, once commissioned, will likely become the second largest solar power project developed by a single developer at a single site in India.

Adani Green Energy, which currently operates the largest solar power project in India, will commission a 50 megawatt (AC) project at the Kurnool solar power park.

Source: cleantechnica.com

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