OUR CITIES BOOMERANG CHALLENGE: Can you make a #Loop4Dev? (VIDEO)

27.05.2017

green-cities — Photo - illustration: Pixabay

Ever notice how cities can really encapsulate many of the things that make life enjoyable? Green spaces to enjoy the outdoors, access to jobs, affordable housing for all, a well-connected public transportation system, access to healthy food, schools for all children, and so on. Some cities achieve this better than others, but creating a city that works for all of its citizens can be a challenge for governments and communities alike.

Why? Let’s look at some numbers: Up to 1 billion people living in slums in the cities of the world are in need of better services; Cities consume 2/3 of the world’s energy and account for 70% of greenhouse gas emissions; 66 out of 100 people will live in cities by 2050, which tells us the global population is becoming increasingly urban.

Every city is a work in progress in this sense and for organizations like the World Bank, cities offer opportunities to help people raise themselves out of poverty. With so many people concentrated geographically, it’s possible to make improvements that benefit many, and with investments across multiple sectors in cities , governments can really make an impact on the lives of their citizens.

So, with this in mind, we have launched a new social media campaign – the #Loop4Dev Boomerang Challenge – to raise awareness about how cities can be a major driver in ending poverty. We’re challenging all of you creative social media mavens to show us what makes a city inclusive, resilient, livable, and sustainable in a Boomerang!

What’s a Boomerang? It’s a mini video that plays in a loop and is fast becoming a major form of creative expression on Instagram. Participating is easy:

– Install the Boomerang app on your smartphone – press a button and the app does the rest!
– Post your Boomerang on Instagram (don’t forget to make your account public);
– In your caption, tell us how the Boomerang shows a city that works for its people;

– Use the hashtag: #Loop4Dev, and also add the hashtags #ItsPossible, #EndPoverty, #boomerangoftheweek.

So whether you live or work in a city, or even just occasionally travel to cities in and outside your country, you can participate. We’re looking for your best Boomerangs that depict things you see in cities that help improve people’s lives. Things like affordable housing, water and sanitation, accessible buildings and transport, urban agriculture, schools and facilities for refugees, climate and disaster-resilient infrastructure, or any other image that shows how your city, or the city you’re visiting, is transforming into a livable place for all citizens. And remember, Boomerangs are great for showing action, so be creative!

So don’t wait! Get out there and show us what makes a city a great place for its people. With your help, we can raise awareness of the goal to end extreme poverty by 2030, and how cities can be a major driver in achieving that.

Interested in helping us achieve the goal of ending poverty by 2030? Join the Movement to #EndPoverty and stay informed of ways you can get involved, like this challenge.

What makes a city inclusive and resilient? Show it in our #Loop4Dev @Instagram #Boomerang challenge https://t.co/gVXfOhgMfe pic.twitter.com/7KTAmd06zb
— World Bank (@WorldBank) May 24, 2017

Source: blogs.worldbank.org

Traffic Air Pollution Directly Damages DNA In Children, Research Finds

27.05.2017

Zagađenje, Auspuh, Automobil — Photo: Pixabay

Exposure to high levels of traffic-related air pollution is seemingly a direct cause of the type of DNA damage that is known as telomere shortening, according to new research from the University of California, Berkeley.

Notably, young people with asthma also show evidence of telomere shortening, according to the researchers, meaning that: “Our results suggest that telomere length may have potential for use as a biomarker of DNA damage due to environmental exposures and/or chronic inflammation.”

The research was focused around 14 children and adolescents residing in the second-most-polluted city in the US — that is to say, in Fresno, California.

The press release provides details: “The researchers assessed the relationship between polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a ‘ubiquitous’ air pollutant caused by motor vehicle exhaust; and shortening of telomeres, a type of DNA damage typically associated with aging.

“As the exposure to PAHs increased, telomere length decreased in linear fashion. Children and teens with asthma were exposed to higher PAH levels than those without asthma. The relationship between PAH level and telomere shortening remained significant after adjustment for asthma and other factors (age, sex, and race/ethnicity) related to telomere length.

“The study adds to previous evidence that air pollution causes oxidative stress, which can damage lipids, proteins, and DNA. Research has suggested that children may have different telomere shortening regulation than adults, which might make them more vulnerable to the damaging effects of air pollution.”

John R Balmes, MD, of UC–Berkeley, and other report authors summarized: “Greater knowledge of the impact of air pollution at the molecular level is necessary to design effective interventions and policies.”

Well, perhaps. But at this point it’s not actually news to anyone who doesn’t have their hands over their ears that the world’s growing air pollution problems are having a very negative effect on human health. So, it’s more a matter of political will at this point than of evidence.

The new findings are detailed in a paper published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Source: cleantechnica.com

Could Biomimicry Revolutionise Renewable Energy?

27.05.2017

A host of new technologies have been inspired by the natural world, as designers increasingly look to biomimicry when to creating new ideas for wind turbines, solar cells and hydropower. So could nature hold the answer to unlocking renewable energy?

Nature has been inspiring scientists for millennia and the latest buzz of creativity is around the search for renewable and sustainable sources of energy.

Biomimicry, the imitation of natural structures or processes, has already led to a number of technological advancements, from aerodynamic vehicle and building design to sophisticated surface membranes. It’s a field which continues to grow and has much to offer the energy sector. For instance, solar technology owes a debt to leaf and plant systems, and researchers are still learning lessons from whales and hummingbirds on how drag affects wind turbine blades.

So what new technologies are coming out of biomimicry?

Humpback whale fins reduce blade turbulence

Humpback whales move through water with a grace that belies their size, angling their fins precisely to minimise drag and increase control. While at first glance the movements of a whale and a wind turbine seem unrelated, these giant mammals have inspired a breakthrough in renewable technology.

This species of whale has flippers with scalloped edges, called tubercles, which are responsible for reducing turbulence. Scientists at West Chester University mimicked these tubercles on a number of fans and turbines, to demonstrate that a turbine with scalloped blades can produce the same about of energy at 10mph as a smooth one at 17mph.

These tubercles delay stalling as they increase a wind turbine’s angle of attack by around 40%, lowering drag. Research continues with the hope that, one day, wind turbines with scalloped blades could operate effectively in areas previously ruled out due to low wind speeds.

Fern leaves provide clues to energy storage

Leaves are nature’s power plants and have already inspired solutions for projects seeking the most effective models to capture and use energy from the sun. The most recent comes from Australia’s RMIT University, where a team used fern leaf structures to develop a new type of electrode, which it claims could boost the capacity of existing storage technologies by as much as 3,000%.

– The leaves of the western swordfern are densely crammed with veins, making them extremely efficient for storing energy and transporting water around the plant – said Professor Min Gu, leader of the Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence Nanophotonics and associate deputy vice-chancellor for research innovation and entrepreneurship at RMIT.

“Our electrode is based on these fractal shapes – which are self-replicating, like the mini structures within snowflakes – and we’ve used this naturally efficient design to improve solar energy storage at a nano level,” Gu adds.

This research is still in a relatively early stage, but the RMIT team is aiming to expand the technology to create a flexible, thin, all-in-one solar capture and storage solution. If successful, these graphite electrodes could conceivably be used with supercapacitors to capture and store energy in everything from cars to phones.

Hummingbirds master energy efficiency

Windfarms are becoming a common sight worldwide and their distinctive turbine blades gradually seen as part of the landscape. But one company has re-designed their entire shape in order to mimic the hummingbird, which uses energy so efficiently it can flap its wings between 50 and 200 times a second.

TYER Wind used biophysics to analyse and simulate the motion of a hummingbird, then applied Aouinian 3D kinematics which allowed the conversion of linear motion into rotational. Building on this insight, the Tunisian start-up was able to create a vertical axis wind converter, therefore a wind turbine that, instead of spinning, flaps its blades in the wind.

Both the upward and downward motions of the turbines create movement which is convertible into energy, maximising their efficiency whilst limiting the drag. This, in turn, has the advantages of ensuring the turbines can perform in high wind speeds and be more closely grouped than traditional turbines. It is even possible to install multiple sets of blades on a single pole.

These turbines require a smaller sweep area without a reduction in efficiency, the company claims. And while it’s unlikely they will ever compete with the scale of vast, offshore windfarms, it’s entirely possible that biomimicry-enhanced blades could transform small, off-grid wind power stations.

Seaweed-inspired hydropower

Off the coast of Port Fairy in Australia, BPS’s bioWAVE project is mimicking seaweed and other underwater plants to create grid-quality energy from the motion of the waves.

The bioWAVE unit is submerged and fixed to the seafloor, and as the swell of the ocean moves around it the resultant force activates air-filled cylinders which pivot on an axis. These then push fluid through the O-Drive, BPS’s own power-conversion module, generating energy. The O-Drive is specifically designed to deal with the irregularity of hydropower. The energy is then fed through subsea cables to power homes and businesses in nearby towns.

BioWAVE is much lighter than conventional wave energy designs and as it is modular it is also cheaper and easier to install. Plus, it converts power on-board, unlike many alternatives.

In order to protect itself during periods of rough seas and storms bioWAVE also has a ’lay-down’ mode, where the large, air-filled cylinders lie flat against the seafloor to steady the unit .

Currently, the project is a prototype which BPS is hoping to roll-out around Australia and later worldwide.

Schools of fish teach organisation

It is not only technology that’s evolving; its implementation is also developing through biological mimicry. The California Institute of Technologies Center for Bioinspired Engineering (Caltech) has been researching whether fish schooling formations can be applied to the arrangement of wind turbines to maximise the potential energy harvested from the smallest area.

As a fish swims it sheds vortices – areas where the water rotates around an axis line. It is thought that when fish swim in schools, they can use these vortices to their advantage, allowing them to expel less energy when moving in a group.

This concept is being applied to vertical axis wind turbines to see if it is possible for the vortices created by the turbines to aid those around them, rather than causing drag. Caltech scientists believe that creating constructive aerodynamic interference by reorganisation of turbines could increase their energy efficiency.

Source: www.power-technology.com

SoftBank Joint Venture Secures 400 Megawatts Of Solar Capacity At Record Low Tariffs In India

26.05.2017

photovoltaic-solar — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

A joint venture between SoftBank, Foxconn Technologies and Bharti Enterprises has received a huge boost in its standing in the rapidly growing Indian solar power market.

SB Cleantech secured 400 megawatts of solar power capacity in two auctions that offered a total of 750 megawatts of capacity at the Bhadla solar power park in Rajasthan, India. The company bid the lowest-ever tariffs for solar power projects in India in both the auctions.

The company secured rights to develop 100 megawatts of capacity out of the 250 megawatts offered by Adani Enterprises at the Bhadla solar power park. The capacity was allocated to SB Cleantech at Rs 2.63/kWh (4.1¢/kWh), one of the lowest tariffs in India at the time. Two days later, the company also won 300 megawatts of capacity offered by IL&FS, an infrastructure company at the same solar power park at Rs 2.45/kWh (3.8¢/kWh) another record low in India.

SoftBank has been bullish on the Indian solar power market and has pledged to invest $20 billion in developing solar power projects. The company secured its first solar power project in India in late 2015. The project was auctioned in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. The company recently commissioned this project which, at 350 megawatts, is one of the largest solar power projects in India developed by a single company.

SoftBank is among several foreign companies that are looking to grab a large chunk of the Indian solar power market, which is expected to become the third largest in the world this year. Perhaps one of the factors that favors foreign developers is that they may find it easier to secure debt finance at much cheaper rates.

Indian banks continue to provide funding at interest rates that would render new solar power projects in the country financially unviable. Foreign development banks and multi-national banks like the Asian Development Bank and the International Finance Corporation offer loans at very cheap rates.

Thus, foreign developers could lead the Indian solar power market to even lower tariff bids in the near future.

Source: cleantechnica.com

India Cancels Nearly 14 Gigawatts Of Proposed Coal Plants

26.05.2017

The transformation of India’s electricity market continues to deliver, as shown this month by the cancellation of 13.7 gigawatts of proposed coal-fired power plants, an admission that 8.6 gigawatts of operating coal is already non-viable, and the parallel move of ever-decreasing solar costs helped along by the country’s record low solar tariffs.

Keeping an eye on the goings-on in India has been an interesting experience over the last few years, given that the country has not only set itself increasingly lofty expectations and targets, but seems for all intents and purposes as if it is actively going to reach its aims. The country has definitely appeared to be stuck at a crossroads — not knowing whether to commit wholly to renewable energy, or to keep a foot in the fossil fuel camp as well. Late last year India had plans to build more than 300 gigawatts (GW) of new coal capacity by 2030 — a move which was found to be almost entirely unnecessary and wasteful, considering that 94% of the planned new coal capacity would probably lay idle in and past 2022. Conversely, the country has been working hard to decrease its coal imports, and in January this year coal imports declined by 21.7%.

Just this month, the Indian state of Gujarat announced the cancellation of a proposed 4 GW coal ultra-mega power project due to what the government said was an existing surplus and a desire to transition away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energy.

The good news just keeps on coming, as well, according to reports from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), a research firm that has long been analyzing the world’s fossil fuel industry. Tim Buckley, its Director, wrote earlier this month that India has in March alone already cancelled 13.7 GW of proposed coal-fired power plants across the country, and admitted that 8.6 GW, or around $9 billion worth of operating import-coal-fired power plants are potentially already beyond their use-by date.

Combine this with record low solar tariff prices in India and the global decrease of solar costs, and Buckley believes that the transformation of India’s electricity sector is already underway.

“India solar tariffs have been in freefall for months,” Buckley explained earlier this month. “A new 250MW solar tender in Rajasthan at the Bhadla Phase IV solar park this month was won at a record low Rs2.62/kWh, 12 percent below the previous record low tariff awarded across 750MW of solar just three months ago at Rs2.97/kWh.”

“The Bhalda Phase record lasted two days, with a more recent 500MW Indian solar auction coming in at Rs2.44/kWh, 7 percent below Bhalda Phase.”

The news plays an important part in several much larger stories, as well. Not only do these moves “speak as well to a worldwide transition in progress,” as Buckley suggests, but India’s concerted efforts to step away from its reliance upon coal-fired electricity generation puts yet another black mark against the Adani Group’s planned Carmichael coal mine in north-east Australia — a move which has already been indefinitely deferred due to what some environmental analysts are calling “blackmail” on the part of Adani. A report this week by Lock the Gate Alliance reveals that it would cost at least AUD$1.5 billion “to rehabilitate the Adani Carmichael coal mine in Central Queensland.”

“There is a massive risk that Australian taxpayers will be left to cover the costs of part or all of the rehabilitation of the Adani coal mine,” said Carmel Flint, spokesperson with Lock the Gate Alliance. “We estimate that the financial assurance required for the first five years of the full 60Mtpa mine plan should be at least $1.5 billion in order to protect taxpayers from financial risks.”

On top of that, a report published by international poverty organization Oxfam reveals that more coal plants such as the Carmichael coal mine only lead to ever-more poverty.

“The Federal Government’s failure to curb Australia’s carbon pollution and obstinate push to expand the nation’s coal exports continues despite the overwhelming evidence that coal and climate change is putting communities in Australia and around the world at increasing risk of harm,” said Oxfam Australia Chief Executive Dr Helen Szoke.

Australian politicians, and others beholden to the global fossil fuel industry, will continue to keep their heads stuck firmly in the sand as the world continues to change around them, surfacing only to spout the same old lines that might have been relevant 30 years ago, but have long since fossilized and become irrelevant in a world which is quickly speeding along an electricity transformation.

Source: cleantechnica.com

EBRD Offers $458 Million In Loans For 750 Megawatts Of Solar Projects In Egypt

26.05.2017

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has offered more than $450 million to various project developers planning to set up utility-scale solar power projects in Egypt.

The Bank has offered loans worth $458 million to a total of 16 project developers that represent 750 megawatts of capacity. The projects were allocated to these developers through a tendering process. Some of the major project developers planning to set up projects are ACWA Power, Scatec Solar, and EDF.

ACWA Power plans to set up a total of 120 megawatts of capacity, for which it has been offered debt funding worth $28.7 million. Scatec Solar will set up six projects of 50 megawatts each and will be eligible for $243 million of debt funding from EBRD. European energy major EDF could get $29 million to set up a 50 megawatt project.

Scatec Solar signed an agreement with the Egyptian authorities to set up 400 megawatts of solar power capacity in the Ben Ban region. The company will pour $50-70 million in these projects itself as equity investment.

More than three dozen project developers signed agreements with the Egyptian government to set up 1.8 gigawatts of solar power projects in the Ben Ban region, Aswan. The total investment for this solar power park is expected to be around $3 billion.

Source: cleantechnica.com

New Solar Projects In India Are Cheaper Than 92% Of All Thermal Power Plants In The Country

26.05.2017

Media outlets are abuzz with the collapse in solar power tariff bids in India last week when 750 megawatts was allocated at the cheapest tariffs ever. The tariffs range between Rs 2.44/kWh (3.8¢/kWh) and Rs 2.62/kWh (4.1¢/kWh).

India’s minister for coal, power and renewable energy has repeatedly tweeted that the solar power tariffs are now lower than the cost of thermal power. Media reports have also noted that these new bids are much lower than the average tariff of India’s largest power generation company NTPC Limited.

The government-owned NTPC Limited owns more than 42.7 gigawatts of thermal power capacity based on coal and gas. According to reports, the average tariff for these projects is Rs 3.20/kWh (5.6¢/kWh), about 24% higher than the lowest solar power tariffs.

We decided to check to see exactly how cheap the new tariffs are. The Central Electricity Authority is a rich source of data on power generation costs of every conventional power plant in India. Although the latest data reported by this government body is for 2014-15, it is still worth taking a look at.

According to the data for 2014-15, there are 248 thermal power plants in India based on a variety of fuels including coal, lignite, imported coal, diesel and different forms of petroleum-based fuels. The new low of solar power tariffs — Rs 2.44/kWh — is less than the tariff of 227 of the 248 thermal power plants.

Most of the cheaper 21 thermal power plants are based on domestic coal while a few are based on lignite and one uses imported coal. Another thermal power plant that is not listed among the 248 is India’s largest thermal power plant, Sasan Ultra Mega Power Plant which has an installed capacity of 3,960 megawatts. This is also among the cheapest thermal power plants in India.

Solar power tariffs in India have reached a level where many are questioning the financial viability of new projects. India’s installed solar power capacity stood at 12.3 gigawatts at the end of 2016-17 with a target capacity of 100 gigawatts by the end of 2021-22. Thus, a huge potential for further decline in tariffs remains over the next few years.

Source: cleantechnica.com

Smart Cities Hub Launches to ‘Bridge Gap’ Between Cities and Innovators

26.05.2017

Our cities may soon be greener, cleaner and more efficient thanks to the launch of a new initiative yesterday to match urban centres with smart technology.

The Sustainable Smart Cities Hub, launched by the Environmental Industries Commission (EIC), hopes to help cities facing environmental challenges to identify and implement smart technology that can boost efficiency and cut pollution across cityscapes.

The new platform will act a forum for cities, companies and innovators to discuss ideas, secure investment, lobby governments and collaborate on trial projects, explained EIC executive director Matthew Farrow.

“This initiative meets a real need: bringing together a disparate market; matching cities facing environmental challenges with new, innovative solutions; and providing an evidence base to unlock investment,” he said in a statement. “As a neutral industry broker, EIC is bringing together all the key stakeholders that make this market work, to share best practice, open up new collaborations, and improve the quality of life of citizens living in cities at home and around the world.”

‘Smart cities’ is the broad term given to urban areas where technology is used to maximise efficiencies, reduce pollution and help services run more smoothly. For example, technologies including water-saving sensors, “living” air quality labs and real time EV mapping have all been trialled or deployed across UK cities in recent years.

The new hub is sponsored by engineering giant Aecom, law firm Bird & Bird and the Institute for Environmental Analysis. Alex Tosetti, head of smart cities and operations director at Aecom, said he hoped the initiative would “help bridge the distance between pockets of knowledge, practical experience, strategic investments [and] political support”.

Source: businessgreen.com

Tesco to Trial a Phase-Out of Single-Use 5p Plastic Bags

25.05.2017

Shoppers at a handful of Tesco stores in the UK will no longer be able to buy 5p “single-use” plastic carrier bags, in the first such trial by a supermarket.

If successful, it could lead to the bags being phased out completely, less than two years after the law was changed in England to force larger stores to charge for them.

Britain’s biggest retailer has launched the 10-week trial in three stores – in Aberdeen, Dundee and Norwich – to see how customers manage without the 5p bag option. Shoppers who forget to bring their own bags will still be able to buy more expensive reusable bags which start at 10p. Online shoppers also have the choice of the 5p bags or no bags at all and 57 per cent now choose bagless deliveries, Tesco has said.

“We are carrying out a short trial in a few stores to look at the impact on bag usage if we remove single-use carrier bags,” said a Tesco spokesperson.

The introduction of the 5p charge in England in October 2015 brought it into line with schemes already operating in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, as part of a drive to encourage a switch away from ‘thin gauge’ throwaway carrier bags. The charge was part of a government scheme to reduce litter and protect wildlife, given that plastic bags can take hundreds of years to break down.

About eight million tonnes of plastic makes its way into the world’s oceans each year, posing a serious threat to the marine environment. Experts estimate that plastic is eaten by 31 species of marine mammals and more than 100 species of sea birds.

The charge in England has clearly worked – official figures last July revealed that the number of single-use plastic bags used by shoppers plummeted by more than 85 per cent after the introduction.

More than seven billion bags were handed out by seven main supermarkets in the year before the charge, but this figure plummeted to slightly more than 500m in the first six months after the charge was introduced, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said.

While retailers can choose what to do with the 5p proceeds, they are expected (though not legally bound) to donate it to good causes, and over the next 10 years the government hopes this will raise about £730m. Retailers have to report to ministers about where the money has gone, and eventually the government will also publish this information each year.

The all-time high of bag usage was in 2006, when 12.2bn bags were handed out in England. Retailers blamed the recession, saying families had changed their shopping habits and were doing more smaller shops every week.

Source: businessgreen.com

Embrace Decentralised Renewable Energy for Power Supply

25.05.2017

Obnovljivi izvori — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay (seagul)

Countries in Africa and South Asia should embrace inexpensive decentralised renewable energy (DRE) technologies for clean, sustainable and affordable power for all, says a report.

Most national governments are far from solving energy poverty, according to the report released last month (4 April) by Power for All — a global network that advocates for renewable energy.

Extending power to all, especially at a rapid pace to reach people in rural areas, cannot be done only through national centralised electricity grids, the report adds.

An additional power generation is, therefore, needed to achieve universal access to all people and must come from DRE or off-grid renewable solutions.

Rebekah Shirley, research director at Power for All, tells SciDev.Net that DRE technologies such as microgrids and efficient cook stoves are key to solving energy poverty and ensuring that rural dwellers — who are also the most vulnerable to climate change — can access modern electricity solutions.

When innovative technologies are implemented in Africa, they will provide energy and aid food preservation activities such as drying, cooling and cooking, Shirley explains, adding that.

DRE technologies could support the social, economic, environmental and sustainable development of communities through improved livelihoods, well-being and quality of life.

But Shirley calls for empowerment of women in energy decisions to boost generating renewable energy, particularly those related to energy access, household consumption and micro-enterprises, where women are primary actors.

The report cites Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, and Tanzania as “leading the world” in adoption of solar energy technology systems including use of solar energy for powering homes.

Rabia Ferroukhi, head of policy unit at International Renewable Energy Agency, United Arab Emirates, says DRE systems generate and distribute energy services independently of any centralised system.

“DRE systems offer an unprecedented opportunity to accelerate the transition to modern energy services, especially in remote areas, by substituting centralised systems while also offering significant co-benefits such as improved health, positive impacts on income growth, distributive equity and climate change mitigation,” Ferroukhi explains.

Ferroukhi adds that African and South Asian governments and private sectors should invest in these technologies and form a DRE task force that will act as a powerful collaboration tool to bridge the goals of a rural electrification agency and the interests of the renewable energy association to accelerate universal energy access.

Charles Sebukeera, UN Environment Programme’s Science Division regional coordinator for Africa, tells SciDev.Net that at the current level of funding (US$9 billion per year), it is not possible to achieve universal access to energy in Africa.

“Investments of up to US$40 billion per year are to achieve this, and building capacity for innovative technologies in Africa is also required for the provision of clean energy to people,” says Sebukeera.

Source: scidev.net

David Suzuki: Plastic Pollution Is Choking the Planet

25.05.2017

plastic-bottles — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

People who deny that humans are wreaking havoc on the planet’s life-support systems astound me. When confronted with the obvious damage we’re doing to the biosphere—from climate change to water and air pollution to swirling plastic patches in the oceans—some dismiss the reality or employ logical fallacies to discredit the messengers.

It’s one thing to argue over solutions, but to reject the need for them is suicidal. And to claim people can’t talk about fossil fuels and climate change because they use fossil fuel–derived products, such as plastic keyboards, is nonsensical.

There’s no denying that oil, coal and gas are tremendously useful. They hold super-concentrated energy from the sun and are used to make a variety of products, from medicines to lubricants to plastics. The problems aren’t the resources but our profligate use of them. Using them more wisely is a start. In many cases, we also have alternatives.

Burning oil, coal and gas to propel inefficient automobiles and generate electricity illustrates the problem. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), about 14 to 30 percent of a gasoline-powered car’s fuel is used to propel the vehicle. That energy is mostly moving a tonne of car, which often holds one 80-kilogram person. That’s a lot of fuel and energy to transport one or two people.

Looked at this way, even electric or hybrid personal vehicles aren’t terribly efficient, but they at least pollute less than gas-powered vehicles—and the EPA notes 74 to 94 percent of an electric car’s energy goes to moving the vehicle and its passengers. Energy-efficient or electric vehicles are moving in the right direction, but public transit and active transport such as cycling and walking are better alternatives.

Fossil fuel power plants are also inefficient. Only about a third of the power generated reaches consumers. More is lost through wasteful household or business use. A lot of energy is also required to extract, process and transport fuels to power plants. Because of the many methods of generating and supplying electricity with renewable sources such as solar, wind and geothermal, it’s tough to put exact numbers on efficiency, but far less power is wasted. Because the energy sources are inexhaustible and don’t produce emissions, waste isn’t as big a concern as with fossil fuels—although it’s still important.

Most plastics are also made from oil—which presents another set of problems. As with fuels, people started making plastics from oil because it was inexpensive, plentiful and easy for corporations to exploit and sell. Our consume-and-profit economic system meant automakers once designed cars not to be efficient but to burn more fuel than necessary. Likewise, manufacturers create far more plastic products than necessary. Many items don’t serve much purpose beyond making money. Sometimes the packaging is worth more than the contents!

It’s so bad that researchers from Australia’s University of Tasmania and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds recently found 18 tonnes of plastic garbage—239 items per square meter—scattered across a small South Pacific island 5,000 kilometers from the nearest human occupation. Scientists have also found massive, swirling patches of plastic in the North and South Pacific oceans, each holding around 400,000 plastic particles per square kilometer. University of Tasmania researcher Jennifer Lavers said plastic in the oceans could be as great a threat as climate change. “You put carbon dioxide into the atmosphere or plastic in the oceans and both will stick around,” she told New Scientist.

As with fossil fuels, the first step to addressing the problem is to substantially reduce plastics usage. There are also alternatives. To begin, we should recycle everything already produced. Plastics can also be made from renewable resources, such as hemp or any fast-growing plant that contains cellulose. In fact, plastics were once commonly made from animal products such as horn and tusks, but when those became expensive, people started using plants, switching to oil products when that became more profitable.

We can and must cut down on fossil fuels and plastics. We also have alternatives, and ways to prevent plastics from ending up in the oceans. Those who look away and pretend we don’t have a problem are only slowing solutions and accelerating our self-destruction.

Source: ecowatch.com

Thanks to e-Mobility Coal Use is Declining in the U.S.

25.05.2017

Coal Use Declining — Illustration: Climate Central

Since Climate Central first report on climate-friendly cars in 2013, the options for low-emissions vehicles have grown. The continued shift away from coal as an electricity generating source has made electric and plug-in hybrid cars a greener choice in some states.

But just how climate-friendly these cars are depends on three main points:

Where you live: How electricity is generated varies from state to state. Some states produce electricity that is less carbon intensive than others.

The type of car: Some cars are more efficient than others, which is true for electric cars, hybrids, and those powered by gasoline or diesel fuel.

How far you drive: the more miles you drive, the higher your emissions.

Since 2012, 39 states have seen a decrease in coal for electricity generation. That difference has been made up using natural gas, wind, solar, nuclear, and other sources. States where electricity generation still comes mostly from coal include Kentucky, West Virginia, and Wyoming. In these states, an efficient gas-powered car is still the best option for the environment, with more than a dozen gas-powered cars on the market being more climate friendly than the best electric car.

Manufacturing an electric car generally produces more greenhouse gas emissions than manufacturing a comparable gas-powered car, with most of the extra emissions coming from an electric vehicle’s bigger battery. So over a shorter driving life (e.g., less than 50,000 miles), the manufacturing emissions have more of an influence on total lifetime emissions in an electric car.

As a result, operating an electric car less than 50,000 miles may actually be less climate friendly than running its gas-powered counterpart for the same distance. Using that shorter lifecycle, there are only 31 states where an all-electric car is the most climate-friendly option for consumers. In the other 19 states, a gas-powered hybrid is the most climate-friendly option.

New ABB Canada Headquarters Opens in Montreal

25.05.2017

ABB yesterday officially inaugurated its new $90 million state-of-the-art Canadian headquarters and Customer Innovation Center, which will serve 700 employees who were previously spread across six locations in Greater Montreal. Campus Montreal houses research and development, manufacturing, assembly and testing for ABB’s energy value chain.

– The new headquarters reaffirms ABB’s commitment to Canada as a growth market and an important customer base. It strengthens our capacity to provide our leading offering to our customers and support them with the digital transformation of their operations. We are in the midst of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and this site has been designed to enable our workforce to unlock value for Canadian enterprises – said ABB CEO Ulrich Spiesshofer.

Campus Montreal is the home of ABB’s Customer Innovation Center, which showcases ABB Ability, the company’s comprehensive digital offering. By combining ABB’s deep domain expertise with network connectivity and the latest digital technologies and innovations, ABB Ability creates powerful solutions and services that address real business problems and produce tangible business opportunities.

– The new campus allows greater collaboration with our business partners and with the academic and research sectors. The latest technology from ABB is driving energy efficiency and powering Canada’s innovation ecosystem in so many ways. In addition to showing what ABB Ability can do, the headquarters is also home to our new ABB North American Centre of Excellence in E-Mobility – said Nathalie Pilon, President of ABB Canada.

The ABB North American Centre of Excellence in E-Mobility was created to share expertise with Canadian customers and stakeholders in the field of electric-powered transportation technologies. It will support the development of environmentally friendly, energy-efficient transport networks, including electric buses and trains, and will bring together transit operators, power utilities and engineering experts to address challenges related to building smart cities and sustainable mobility solutions for Canada.

In line with ABB’s vision of sustainability, the campus is expected to be LEED-certified Silver for its sustainable approach to design, construction and operation.

This new site is an example of ABB’s broad and longstanding engagement in Canada. In parallel, the company announced a number of major Canadian projects. Among these was an agreement to modernize 10 large seagoing ships for the Canadian Coast Guard, equipping them with upgraded propulsion systems. When combined with ABB’s Remote Diagnostic Service for maritime operations, the upgrade will enable the Coast Guard to extend the service life of the ships by 20 years.

In another development, ABB was named the Key Technical Supplier for Nemaska Lithium’s new mine and processing plant. ABB will provide overall project management, design and engineering for the complete electrification and automation of the production sites.

In addition, ABB has announced that it will provide an integrated substation for an important data center operated by Hypertec in Quebec. To meet growing demand, the new substation will increase the facility’s existing power supply from 25 to 120 kilovolts.

ABB has more than 100 years of experience in innovation in Canada and was responsible for the construction of a major portion of the country’s power grid. ABB Canada has 4,000 employees in 55 locations and is ranked as one of Canada’s Best Employers in 2017.

ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a pioneering technology leader in electrification products, robotics and motion, industrial automation and power grids, serving customers in utilities, industry and transport & infrastructure globally. Continuing a history of innovation spanning more than 125-years, ABB today is writing the future of industrial digitalization and driving the Energy and Fourth Industrial Revolutions. ABB operates in more than 100 countries with about 132,000 employees.

(abb.com)

Nissan and Northern Powergrid Team Up for Electric Vehicle Smart Grid Push

25.05.2017

electric - car - battery — Foto - ilustracija: Pixabay

Electric vehicle (EV) enthusiasts acknowledge that one of the biggest barriers to mass adoption of the technology is likely to be the ability of the grid to cope with new patterns of power demand.

However, companies across the fledgling industry are already working to address these technical challenges and their efforts were given a further boost yesterday with the news Nissan is to team up with grid operator Northern Powergrid on a series of research projects.

The two companies announced they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will see them co-operate over the next six years on a series of innovation projects.

The projects will explore how EVs, batteries, and smart technologies can support energy networks, which in the case of Northern Powergrid supply power to 3.9 million homes and businesses.

They are also expected to support Nissan’s existing Intelligent Mobility blueprint, which aims to show how EVs can work in conjunction with the grid through so-called vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technologies to better manage peaks and troughs in supply and demand.

“Building on what we are already doing around innovation projects, this signals the start of a ground-breaking industry partnership to explore new innovations that could support the creation of smarter, greener energy networks and help shape future technologies to support the efficient roll-out of electric vehicles,” said Jim Cardwell, head of trading and innovation at Northern Powergrid.

His comments were echoed by Ed Jones, EV manager at Nissan, who predicted the project would help unlock the full potential of electric vehicle technologies.

“We’ve always known that Nissan’s EV technology can be used for so much more than just getting people from A-to-B and we’re delighted to be sharing our expertise to help create more sustainable energy networks in the UK,” he said. “Through the integration of Nissan EVs, we can find new solutions that will help shape a society whose energy use is sustainable, efficient and affordable.”

Source: businessgreen.com

Tucson Electric Power Confirms ‘Historically Low Price’ for Latest Solar Project

25.05.2017

A leading US utility has this week signed a new deal to secure solar power for up to 21,000 homes at a price that is less than half the level it previously paid.

Tucson Electric Power (TEP) announced it had secured an “historically low price” of less than three cents per kWh for the power from a new 100MW solar array in southern Arizona, as part of a 20-year contract.

The project will give the company enough clean power to meet the annual electricity needs of nearly one out of every three Tucson-supplied homes.

The array, which is due to come online by the end of 2019, will also be integrated with a 30MW energy storage system that promises to provide reliable clean power supplies for the company.

“This new local system combines cost-effective energy production with cutting-edge energy storage, helping us provide sustainable, reliable and affordable service to all of our customers for decades to come,” said Carmine Tilghman, senior director of energy supply and renewable energy for TEP, in a statement.

The company said that with the cost of solar farms having fallen by nearly 75 per cent over the past five years it made sense to focus on such projects, especially given the cost of managing excess power from rooftop solar arrays is increasing across the region.

“Focusing our resources on the development of cost-effective community scale systems allows us to provide more solar energy to more customers for less money,” Tilghman said. “The best way to help solar grow in our community is by planning and siting systems in an organised, responsible and equitable manner.”

The new project will be built, operated and owned by an affiliate of leading renewable energy developer NextEra Energy Resources.

“In addition to clean, low-cost energy, this project will create good-paying jobs and increased tax revenue for the state and local community,” said Mike O’Sullivan, senior vice president of development at NextEra Energy Resources.

TEP said the solar project and recent deal with NextEra to develop a new 100MW wind farm would both make a contribution to its target of delivering at least 30 per cent of its power from renewable sources by 2030. The company said it has also added three battery energy storage projects to the grid so far this year and plans to continue investing in the fast-emerging technology.

Source: businessgreen.com

Report: Green Energy Boasts Global Workforce of 9.8 Million

24.05.2017

solar-panels — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

More than 9.8 million people around the world were working in clean energy in 2016, according to the latest data from the International Renewable Energy Association (IRENA).

A combination of falling costs and more stringent climate policies have led to the global renewables industry adding an extra three million jobs since 2012, IRENA said yesterday.

The growth has been largely driven by the wind and solar sectors, with employment across the two industries more than doubling in the last five years.

IRENA director-general Adnan Z Amin said he expects the renewables workforce to continue growing rapidly over the coming decade.

“Renewables are directly supporting broader socio-economic objectives, with employment creation increasingly recognised as a central component of the global energy transition,” he said in a statement. “As the scales continue to tip in favour of renewables, we expect that the number of people working in the renewables sector could reach 24 million by 2030, more than offsetting fossil-fuel job losses and becoming a major economic driver around the world.”

The solar industry was the biggest source of employment across the renewables sector last year, providing over three million jobs as total employment rose 12 per cent year-on-year.

Solar is followed by bioenergy in the employment rankings with 2.74 million jobs.

Wind energy employed 1.16 million people, solar heating and cooling provided around 800,000 jobs, and other technologies such as wave and tidal employed 450,000.

Large hydropower projects employed 1.52 million globally.

By country, China, Brazil, the US, India, Japan and Germany are the largest employers of green energy workers. China, for example, had 3.64 million people on the clean energy payroll in 2016, while in the US solar jobs grew 24.5 per cent in the last year to more than 260,000.

Despite the strong growth in the US solar market, the data also reveals the green energy workforce is slowly shifting eastwards. Asian countries accounted for 62 per cent of jobs in 2016, compared to 50 per cent in 2013. During the same period, the EU’s share of the global renewables workforce dipped from 19 per cent to 14 per cent.

The IRENA report also highlights Africa’s emerging role as a manufacturer and installer of utility-scale projects, while off-grid projects continue to play an important role in delivering electricity access to remote communities.

Source: businessgreen.com

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