Mountaintop Removal Site Could Become Kentucky’s Largest Solar Farm

20.04.2017

Kentucky, like most of the Appalachian region, has been in economic distress since the bust of the coal mining industry. But, new hope for jobs and the ravaged environment may come in the form of the state’s largest solar farm.

The company spearheading the initiative, Berkeley Energy Group, used to be a coal mining company and still owns thousands of acres of land in the area, including the abandoned mountaintop removal site in Pike County, Kentucky, just outside of Pikeville in the heart of coal country. Berkeley Energy is working with EDF Renewable Energy and former Democratic state Auditor Adam Edelen to build a 50-100 megawatt farm right on top of the old mine. The project was announced on Tuesday.

“This is really a history-making project for the region,” said Ryan Johns, an executive with Berkeley Energy Group.

“Bringing together major players in both coal and renewable energy to build a solar farm on a mountaintop removal site, creating opportunity for out-of-work miners, is a once-in-a-lifetime project,” Edelen told the Herald-Leader.

Coal production has drastically dropped over the last few years since the boom of natural gas and lower installation costs for renewables. According to Kentucky’s Energy and Environment Cabinet, in 2016 alone, coal production in the region, including Pike County, dropped by 40 percent from 2015, and the number of coal jobs in the county decreased by 30 percent.

“We have the opportunity to combine the strengths of both companies to bring jobs and economic development to Appalachia,” Doug Copeland, EDF development manager, said.

Though the developers aren’t sure how many jobs would be supplied by the solar farm, the project would be a massive undertaking and several hundred acres would be used to operate the facility.

Pike County is in eastern Kentucky, which doesn’t get quite as much annual sunlight as western parts of the state. But, building it in this specific location would help the developers work with the electric grid supplied by PJM, an electric company that works with homeowners to allocate renewable energy resources.

But, before they can establish anything with PJM, the developers must complete geological and energy studies to measure the potential for solar on the property. EDF said this could take until the end of the year. But, Johns said, “if it can be done, we’ll get it done.”

Source: ecowatch.com

Stanford Completes Rooftop Solar On 15 More Buildings

20.04.2017

Starting in 2012, Stanford University began an ambitious program to bring solar power to its Silicon Valley campus. The University’s Department of Sustainability and Energy Management reviewed 20 proposals from solar energy companies and analyzed 60 potential sites for solar installations before selecting 15 buildings most suited to rooftop solar.

After those 15 systems were completed, Stanford selected another 15 buildings to get the solar panel treatment. “Fortunately, the main grid of campus is roughly on an east-west axis, meaning that the backs of our buildings are close to directly facing south — optimum direction for maximizing photovoltaic energy production,” said Scott Gould, senior energy engineer at Stanford. “We have several flat roofs — such as Bing Concert Hall and Braun Music Center — that are also ideal for photovoltaics. We worked closely with University Architect David Lenox on the project. He and his team provided input every step of the way.”

The installation of solar panels at those 15 new buildings was completed at the end of February, allowing Stanford to add 4.5 megawatts of renewable solar energy to its local electrical grid. “The addition of on-site solar generation not only reduces the overall cost of electricity supply to our buildings, but will also help offset new campus electrical loads from plug-in buses and cars to help preserve the capacity of our campus high-voltage distribution system to support additional teaching and research activities,” said Joseph Stagner, executive director of the Department of Sustainability and Energy Management at Stanford.

The campus solar systems, plus the Stanford Solar Generating Station, which began operating in December 2016, will produce 53% of the university’s electricity. For the rooftop solar panel project, the university teamed up with SunPower, the solar energy company that designed and built the Stanford Solar Generating Station. Stanford’s sustainability efforts extend to more than solar power generation. The university’s cutting edge energy supply system known as the Stanford Energy System Innovations project also includes a revolutionary heat recovery system for the more efficient heating and cooling of campus buildings.

Additional enhancements now under study include a new high-voltage transmission line connecting SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford, and the City of Palo Alto to further reduce electricity cost and increase system reliability and the use of ground and water heat exchange to further increase system efficiency and save water. Together, the new solar energy resources and renewables supplied by the balance of Stanford’s grid electricity purchases total 65% of university electricity use and reduce Stanford’s greenhouse gas emissions by 68 percent.

Source: cleantechnica.com

Energy UK Calls on Government to Deliver ‘Low Carbon Future’

19.04.2017

The energy industry has today stepped up calls for a major overhaul of the UK’s energy policy regime in order to ensure carbon targets are met “at least cost to consumers”.

Trade body Energy UK has published a major new report, entitled Pathways to a Low Carbon Future, which underscores the industry’s support for the UK’s Climate Change Act and sets out a series of policy recommendations for ensuring emissions targets for the early 2030s are met.

The report sets out the case for a “whole system approach” for decarbonising the energy system based on a “long-term, certain and holistic policy framework”.

It also features a raft of specific policy recommendations, urging ministers to make energy efficiency a national infrastructure priority funded through general taxation; provide a route to market for mature renewables technologies such as onshore wind and solar “to ensure decarbonisation is delivered at least cost”; and replace the Levy Control Framework with new cost controls that give developers long term visibility over the level of financial support available.

In addition it argues government should urgently develop a new approach for delivering low carbon heat technologies at scale and accelerate the development of a smart and flexible grid.

Lawrence Slade, chief executive of Energy UK, said a renewed focus on energy efficiency was critical to ensuring emissions reductions are delivered in the most cost effective way possible.

“As the report from the Committee on Climate Change found only last month energy efficiency measures have already been cancelling out the low carbon policy costs for the typical household,” he said. “The industry believes that energy efficiency should be a national priority to make the transition to a low carbon economy more affordable for both consumers and businesses.”

He also urged Ministers to step up efforts to communicate the costs and benefits of transitioning to a low carbon economy. “To tackle climate change we need to have an honest debate about benefits and costs,” he said. “All sectors including heat and transport need to work together and play their part in the same way the energy industry has done for decades.”

The report comes in the same week as a number of leading low carbon business groups submitted their responses to the government’s Industrial Strategy green paper, stepping up calls for greater clarity on how Ministers intend to deliver emissions reductions through the 2020s.

RenewableUK, the Renewable Energy Association, the Solar Trade Association, the Resource Association, the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management, and the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment all published submissions to the government’s consultation.

They each called on Ministers to ensure the Industrial Strategy supports the upcoming Clean Growth Plan by mobilising new waves of investment in low carbon infrastructure, stepping up support for clean tech skills, and lowering barriers to investment in green projects.

Speaking to the Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy Committee of MPs this morning, Climate Change Minister Nick Hurd refused to confirm whether the much-anticipated Clean Growth Plan would be released before June’s snap election. He said work on the plan was “well advanced” and that it was now in a “holding pattern” ahead of its release. But he also acknowledged some work still had to be done to secure cross-party sign off on the plan and the government “needs to take a view” on its publication date.

Source: businessgreen.com

Germany Increased Electric Car Charging Points 27% in 2016

19.04.2017

The vitality and satisfaction of early EV adopters keeps on increasing. A vast market of electric car enthusiasts is prompting companies to offer more electric cars and more charging stations. Cleaner air, quieter roads, quieter neighborhoods, and precision autonomous features are where it’s at. With all the new varieties, growing ranges, and broadening styles of EVs, consumers see more charging spots at community places as important to their new lives.

Germany is well along the way to this exponentially bursting future. “The number of electric car charging points for public use in Germany rose by 27% last year, including hundreds more fast-charging units, amid efforts to boost the technology across Europe,” U.S. News reports.

Continuing, “The number of electric cars in Germany rose 29% to 77,153 in 2016, up from just 4,000 in 2011, BDEW said.”

U.S. News reports that Germany now has 7,407 charging points, according to the electricity industry group BDEW. “Of those added last year, 292 units were fast charging (direct current) points that can reload an electric car in minutes instead of hours.

“With public and government support growing for electric car technologies, utilities such as Innogy and E.ON are building up charging networks to tap into the market.

“BDEW’s managing director Stefan Kapferer said government funding was still important to make it viable to operate charging points, given the low numbers of electric cars. Kapferer also said the technology needed to be developed further, citing inductive charging as one way that could help to gain new customers. The long time it takes to charge batteries is one of the main disadvantages of electric cars compared to conventional cars with gasoline tanks that can be filled up in seconds.”

Source: cleantechnica.com

Albuquerque Investing $25 Million in Solar Panels for City Buildings

19.04.2017

Solarni paneli — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

The city of Albuquerque, New Mexico, is about to start putting its money where its mouth is. The City Council unanimously passed a resolution last year calling for the city to get 25% of its energy from solar by 2025. Last week, Senator Martin Heinrich was on hand with councilors Pat Davis and Isaac Benton to announce the first step toward achieving that goal. “Why on earth would Albuquerque not be a leading solar city nationwide?” Heinrich asked. “We have all the resources in the world.”

Thanks to efforts by Heinrich, Albuquerque will be eligible for up to $25 million in federally backed bonds to pay for the purchase and installation of solar panels on dozens of city buildings. The solar panels are expected to be in operation within two years and will significantly reduce the city’s utility bill for electricity. The city will also train local workers to install the panels. Voters must now approve the plan to issue $25 million in renewable energy bonds.

The city currently gets 3% of its energy from solar, said Sanders Moore, the director of advocacy group Environment New Mexico. City councilor Davis says the first phase of the project will take the city about halfway to its goal of being 25% solar. The legislation will outline which city buildings will be the next ones to get solar energy. “People should be proud of our city today,” Davis said. Albuquerque currently ranks ninth among US cities in total solar power generated and fourth in solar power per capita according to the Shining Cities 2017 report.

Moore said the city’s high ranking is thanks to businesses and homeowners who have made the switch to solar power. The state as a whole has pushed back against those who oppose investing in clean energy, especially in areas of the state with long histories of support for the oil and gas and coal industries. She said New Mexico is the second sunniest state in the country but ranks just 13th among all states in terms of the percentage of solar power it generates. New Mexico today gets only 3% of its electricity from solar energy.

Source: cleantechnica.com

Oklahoma Ends Wind Subsidy Despite Generous Tax Breaks for Fossil Fuel Industry

19.04.2017

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin signed a bill into law Monday that will end a state tax credit several years early for electricity generated by wind power.

Under the new legislation, wind farms that start producing energy after July 1 will not be able to claim the state’s “zero emission tax credit” program. The credit was originally set to expire in January 2021.

Fallin acknowledged that the program, which pushed claims from $3.7 million in 2010 to $113 million in 2014, helped Oklahoma become the third-largest producer of wind power in the country. However, the Republican governor noted that the state’s estimated $868 million budget shortfall necessitated the phaseout of wind incentives.

“The zero emissions tax credit was key to the growth of wind energy in Oklahoma, and I’m grateful to the industry for their ambitious successes, as well as their willingness to work with the state to address our challenging budgetary circumstances,” Fallin said. “It is time to ensure that Oklahoma has a bright future, and continues its position as a prominent energy state.”

The measure appeared to have support from the wind industry itself. Jeffrey Clark, president of The Wind Coalition, told The Oklahoman that the incentives have been “incredibly beneficial, but we remain the first and only industry to offer to phase out its incentives.”

But Fallin and state lawmakers have been criticized for keeping generous tax breaks in place for the oil and gas industry while squeezing other public services such as school funding during the budget crisis.

As the Associated Press reported:

Even then, the revenue generated by wind facilities won’t “move the needle very much on the state budget,” said Dr. Stephen Stadler, a board member of the Oklahoma Renewable Energy Council. He said lawmakers should roll back other tax credits and incentives, including generous subsidies provided to the oil and natural gas industry.

“Can we afford those subsidies?” he asked. “Things are not even. It’s not a level playing field.”

Oklahoma’s wind subsidies are dwarfed by subsidies to the oil and gas industry, David Blatt from the Oklahoma Policy Institute pointed out.

“The estimates of the cost of subsidies for wind producers vary, but we do know they are substantially less than the $400 million to $600 million cost of subsidies for oil and gas,” Blatt wrote.

Fallin’s executive budget proposed in February sought to phase out wind incentives that she said are no longer necessary.

“This industry was incentivized sufficiently to now be a major player in the Oklahoma energy industry, and a major winner of now-unnecessary incentives,” the budget read.

The Oklahoman reported last year that state fossil fuel executives, including oilman and Trump advisor Harold Hamm, had formed a coalition to lobby for the end of wind tax credits in the state.

Source: ecowatch.com

Solar Deployment Nosedives as Feed-In Tariff Cuts Begin to Bite

19.04.2017

Solar deployment across the UK has suffered a sharp slowdown in the wake of cuts to Feed-in Tariff (FiT) incentives, according to new analysis of government figures from the Solar Trade Association (STA).

Deployment data from the first quarter of this year reveals installation of domestic rooftop solar panels has fallen 75 per cent compared to average deployment since the FiT began, dropping from around 2,700 installations a week to around 650 during the first three months of the year.

Meanwhile, the market for larger rooftop systems – those above 50kW in capacity generally installed on factories and other corporate buildings – has fallen 65 per cent compared to average deployment levels last year.

According to the STA, current deployment now stands at around one large factory roof installation a month.

Overall, there was an 81 per cent fall in new solar deployment during the first quarter of the year compared to the 2016 average, the STA said.

The figures come a year on from major reforms to the FiT regime – changes which saw some tariffs fall by up to 63 per cent and caps on annual spending implemented. Meanwhile, changes to business rates has meant some firms with solar installations have seen their rates rise by up to 800 per cent.

In light of the figures, the STA said it wants a “level playing field” for the technology. It is calling for “fair” business rates and also wants to see reform of the FiT policy for commercial rooftops to deliver a “smooth transition” to a subsidy-free system.

“With policy crunch points clearly hurting solar this spring we urge government to act now to stabilise the industry,” STA CEO Paul Barwell said in a statement.”Solar power led global renewables growth last year and it has an extraordinary future everywhere. But solar is being needlessly impeded in the UK by shock taxes, red tape and by a serious failure in the only remaining supportive policy. The UK solar industry risks being left behind while other major economies strengthen their stake in a booming world market.”

A spokesperson for the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) said the government wants Britain to be “one of the best places in the world” for clean energy investment. “Solar power is a great success, with more than 11GW of capacity installed in the past five years – that’s enough to power more than 2.6 million homes with clean electricity,” they said.

Solar developers are concerned about the slowdown in the market since last year, but also maintain that solar still represents a good investment for households and businesses in certain circumstances.

Industry insiders maintain solar projects can still offer good returns where the bulk of the power generated is used on-site, arguing such scenarios should become more common in the next few years as the cost of both solar panels and energy storage systems continue to fall.

Source: businessgreen.com

Offshore Wind Comes of Age: No Government Subsidies Needed

18.04.2017

Denmark offshore wind giant DONG Energy won the rights last week to build two new wind farms in the German North Sea without any government subsidies. The move represents a major milestone for the offshore wind industry, which has relied on support from European governments.

“The zero subsidy bid is a breakthrough for the cost competitiveness of offshore wind and it demonstrates the technology’s massive global growth potential as a cornerstone in the economically viable shift to green energy systems,” said Samuel Leupold, CEO of wind power at DONG.

As reported by the Financial Times:

Auctions or tenders that force companies to compete against each other have begun to replace earlier types of green subsidies, such as guaranteed fixed power prices, in many countries over the past decade, in a move that has led to much lower prices.

Nearly 70 countries now have such competitive bidding systems, up from a handful in 2005, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency.

Source: ecowatch.com

Report: Offer Londoners Cash to Cut ‘Out of Control’ Plastic Bottle Waste

18.04.2017

plastic-bottles — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

The Mayor of London should look at offering residents free water refills and bottle return schemes in order to combat the capital’s ‘out of control’ plastic waste problem, according to the London Assembly.

A report by the London Assembly’s Environment Committee last week said more plastic bottles needed to be recycled in the capital, citing evidence showing Londoners consume more plastic bottled water per person than anyone else in England.

Moreover, London boroughs have some of the worst recycling rates in the whole of the UK, and litter monitoring has found plastic bottles make up around 10 per cent of all rubbish found in the River Thames.

Members of the Committee urged Mayor Sadiq Khan to do more to combat the problem, highlighting the success of deposit return schemes in Germany where 99 per cent of plastic bottles are reportedly recycled. Similar schemes are also soon to be trialled by Coca-Cola in Scotland.

The report calls on the Mayor to explore the feasibility of enabling London consumers to reclaim some money back in exchange for bringing their plastic bottles to designated bottle deposit machines supermarkets and other places with a view to then trialling the initiative nationwide.

It also said providing free tap water refilling stations across the city and throughout the London transport network was “essential” for reducing plastic bottle waste, as well as promoting phone apps to help consumers locate businesses willing to provide free water refills.

However, the Committee warned against any measures that might encourage consumers to drink more sugary drinks instead of water.

Labour’s Leonie Cooper, chair of the Environment Committee, urged the Mayor to ban the sale of plastic bottled water on GLA premises and to address the wider plastic waste problem in his upcoming Environment Strategy.

“Plastic waste is out of control in London,” said Cooper. “It litters our parks, pollutes the Thames, harms marine life, and adds waste to London’s landfill sites, which may be full by 2025. We have to turn the situation around.”

A spokeswoman for the Mayor’s office claimed the Environment Strategy, due in Spring 2017, would include proposals aimed at recycling food and drink packaging waste, but that national initiatives were neeeded to combat the problem.

“Sadiq is extremely supportive of initiatives to help boost access to tap water on the go, such as stores and restaurants providing free tap water, and, rather than just a London scheme, believes that government needs to consider a national deposit return scheme to encourage the re-use of plastic water bottles,” the spokeswoman said in a statement.

Parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee of MPs has also recently announced an investigation into the combatting the environmental damage caused by plastic drinks packaging, such as bottles and coffee cups.

But Bruce Bratley, founder and CEO of London recycling firm First Mile, said part of the problem was inconsistent recycling bins across the city creating consumer confusion over how to recycle properly.

“Ultimately, only when recycling is simple will absolutely everyone recycle their plastic water bottles,” said Bratley. “If a ‘money back’ scheme is introduced it will need to be easy to claim and provide an incentive for people to act on it.”

Source: businessgreen.com

Etsy Sets Global Zero Waste Goal

18.04.2017

Online handmade items marketplace Etsy has announced plans to secure ‘zero waste’ status across its global operations, following news it has achieved Living Building Challenge sustainability certification for its new headquarters in New York City.

The tech company claims its new Brooklyn HQ is now the largest building in the world with rigorous LBC ‘Petal’ certification, which assesses the building’s impact on the environment, local communities, human health, and staff happiness.

As such, all materials used in the installation and fit-out of the building, including handmade tables and phones, were carefully vetted for toxic or harmful materials, with 60 per cent of the materials sourced from within 500km of the site.

In addition, all wood materials were either salvaged and reused, or sourced from responsibly managed forests under Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification, according to Etsy, which diverted more than 90 per cent of waste from landfill during construction of the building.

The roof is also fitted with 12kw of solar panels to help power the office, which Etsy estimates will also save around 80,000kWh of energy each year by using LED lighting and placing workspaces near windows to make the most of natural light.

In day-to-day use of the office, the company claims to have taken steps to ensure air quality is better inside than outside the building, and systems have been developed to ensure all waste, compost and recycling created on site is weighed and accounted for.

The moves form part of the company’s new goal of achieving ‘zero waste’ to landfill across its 10 global offices by 2020.

Etsy explained this meant it would divert “at least 90 per cent” of the waste it generates from landfill “as well as attempt to reduce our total consumption and waste creation overall”.

Announcing the target last week, Etsy said it would be creating internal programs to encourage employees to recycle, compost and divert as much waste from landfill as possible, while also further promoting waste reduction behaviour among its website users.

In order to track its progress towards its green goals, Etsy has also developed its own software – ‘DIVERTsy’ – to measure a building’s multiple waste streams, with plans to start trialling the system with other organisations in order to assist them in reducing their waste.

Devon Leahy, Etsy’s director of sustainability and social innovation, said reducing waste and consumption was good for the company’s business. “We believe that our efforts to minimise our environmental impact can have a favourable impact on our operating costs in the long term, so this commitment is both good for the planet and for our bottom line,” she said.

Source: businessgreen.com

Walmart Inks Deal for 40MWh of Battery Storage at Selected California Stores

18.04.2017

US supermarket giant Walmart is to install 40MWh of battery storage technology across selected supermarkets in Southern California after signing a deal with clean tech start-up Advanced Microgrid Solutions (AMS).

Under the initial phase of the agreement, San Francisco-based AMS will design, install and operate its ‘Hybrid Electric Building’ technology at 27 supermarkets for “no upfront cost” to Walmart, with the aim of improving energy efficiency and providing flexible grid support for local utilities.

As a member of the Science-Based Target initiative, Walmart is aiming to power 50 per cent of its global operations with renewable sources by 2025, and has so far installed onsite solar PV and other clean energy generation at 350 of its stores.

The drive towards renewables is part of Walmart’s overall target to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 18 per cent between 2015 and 2025, in line with global goals to keep temperature increases below 2C.

By bolstering its clean energy capacity with AMS battery storage systems, Walmart said it would be able to cut costs by permanently reducing each of the 27 store’s peak power demand.

It also said the technology would provide flexible grid support for Southern California Edison, one of the largest grid operators in the US.

Mark Vanderhelm, vice president for energy at Walmart, said cost efficiency was the hallmark of the retail giant’s brand. “Adding energy storage capabilities to our clean energy resources reduces the capacity needed from the grid and is part of our commitment to increase reliance on renewable energy,” he said.

Elsewhere in California, AMS is currently working with Australian investment bank Macquarie Group to develop 50MW of its storage systems at commercial and industrial sites in Los Angeles and Orange County over the next two years.

Source: businessgreen.com

Scientists Say Only 10 Years Left to Save the Planet

18.04.2017

The planet, as we know it, has been given a deadline: 10 years. According to the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, if humans don’t reduce greenhouse gas emissions drastically and maintain carbon sinks, like forests, then the results will be catastrophic for the climate. But they’ve developed a model that they believe could do the trick.

The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, outlines a plan that could simultaneously account for carbon uptake by plants and carbon release by anthropogenic (human-induced) activities.

“The study shows that the combined energy and land-use system should deliver zero net anthropogenic emissions well before 2040 in order to assure the attainability of a 1.5°C target by 2100,” said Michael Obersteiner, coauthor and IIASA director.

The target is in line with the Paris agreement on climate change, which 194 countries signed, promising not to surpass 1.5 degrees Celsius of atmospheric warming. But the agreement allows countries to accomplish this in whatever way they see necessary and doesn’t give clear instructions.

The IIASA model calls for fossil fuel consumption to be reduced to less than 25 percent of the global energy supply by 2100, a drastic cut from the 95 percent being used right now. Deforestation would also need to be cut majorly to lead to a 42 percent decrease in cumulative emissions.

The best case scenario would require renewable energy like wind, solar, and bioenergy to increase by around five percent a year until 2022. However, there also needs to be negative emissions technologies like reforestation and revitalizing ocean ecosystems or the global temperature will still reach 2.5 degrees, missing the Paris agreement target.

China has bumped up their renewable energy consumption, and entire counties like Denmark have committed to 100 percent renewables. In the U.S., President Donald Trump is attempting to rollback climate regulations and even withdraw from the agreement. But that isn’t stopping some states like California and Kansas from developing renewable energy options.

These are some tall orders, but science is showing some countries are moving in the right direction. Overall, there is hope. And the IIASA believes that “success in these areas may explain the difference between reaching 1.5°C instead of 2°C.”

Source: ecowatch.com

World’s Biggest Oil Exporter Sets Ambitious Renewable Energy Goal

18.04.2017

Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest crude oil exporter, is launching an ambitious renewable energy program to transform its power sector.

The kingdom is pledging between $30-$50 billion to develop 30 solar and wind projects over the next 10 years to boost electricity generation and curb oil consumption.

Saudi Arabia wants 10 percent of its electricity to come from renewables in the next six years, energy minister Khalid Al-Falih said Monday at a conference in Riyadh.

He said that the new projects will help the country reach a goal of about 10 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2023. The plan also includes an unspecified amount of electricity generated from nuclear plants.

Here’s what Saudi Arabia’s renewable energy program entails, according to Bloomberg:

“The country is currently seeking bids to build 700 megawatts of wind and solar power capacity in a first round of tenders. It plans a second tender round for rights to build 400 megawatts more of wind power and an additional 620 megawatts of solar plants, Turki Al Shehri, head of the ministry’s renewable energy project development office, told reporters. Saudi Arabia will tender for the wind project in the fourth quarter at a project planned for the northern area of Domat al-Jandal, Al-Falih said.”

The “Saudi Vision 2030” plan seeks to reduce the kingdom’s reliance on oil. Renewable energy projects are a major component of this plan.

Source: ecowatch.com

20,000 Pakistani Schools to Go Solar

18.04.2017

About 20,000 schools in the province of Punjab in Pakistan will convert to solar power, according to government officials.

Punjab chief minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif reviewed the progress of the “Khadim-e-Punjab Ujala Programme” to install solar rooftop systems on the area’s schools at a recent meeting.

The project will kick off in Southern Punjab schools and expand in phases across the province, according to a local report.

The Asian Development Bank and France’s AFD Bank are backing the program, Cleantechnica reported. This is the first program of its kind in the country.

In Pakistan, nearly half of all residents are not connected to the national grid. Residents who are connected to the grid regularly experience rolling blackouts and power outages. And the problem is only expected to get worse in the coming years.

Renewable resources can help mitigate this growing energy crisis. Pakistan happens to be rich in solar, as the Express Tribune described:

“With eight to nine hours of sunshine per day, the climatic conditions in Pakistan are ideal for solar power generation. According to studies, Pakistan has 2.9 million megawatts of solar energy potential besides photovoltaic opportunities.

“According to figures provided by FAKT, Pakistan spends about $12 billion annually on the import of crude oil. Of this, 70 percent oil is used in generating power, which currently costs us Rs18 per unit. Shifting to solar energy can help reduce electricity costs down to Rs 6-8 per unit.”

Solar energy has made great strides in Pakistan in recent years. In February 2016, its parliament became the first national assembly in the world to be powered entirely by solar energy. The legislative body, known as the Majlis-e-Shoora, is in the capital city of Islamabad.

One of the world’s largest solar farms is currently under construction in Punjab. Developers of the 1,000-megawatt Quaid-i-Azam Solar Park in Bahawalpur have already added hundreds of megawatts of energy to the national grid.

Source: ecowatch.com

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