Vice-President of European Commision Attends Southern Gas Advisory Council Meeting

24.02.2017

Yesterday a ministerial meeting of the Southern Gas Advisory Council was held in Baku, Azerbaijan. Participants discussed bringing gas to EU markets from regions to the south and east of Europe along the Southern Gas Corridor. European Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič and the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, attended the meeting, along with representatives of countries located along the Southern Gas Corridor.

Ahead of the meeting, Vice-President Šefčovič said:

‘Energy Union delivers. By 2020, we will have gas flowing through the Southern Gas Corridor to Europe; further diversifying our energy supplies. Building the Energy Union is not an end in itself. It is a huge modernization programme for Europe, benefiting young Europeans, entrepreneurs and mayors across the continent.’

The EU has identified the Southern Gas Corridor as a route that will make it possible to transport gas from the Caspian Basin, Central Asia, the Middle East, and the Eastern Mediterranean Basin to Central and South East Europe by 2020. This will diversify the sources of gas available to this region and enhance Europe’s security of energy supply, which is one of the five dimensions of the EU’s Energy Union strategy.

Source: ec.europa.eu

Athos Completes Two Large-Scale PV Plants in Iran

24.02.2017

The German company has installed and commissioned two PV power plants in Iran, totaling 14 MW. Project costs of US $21m were all equity financed by Athos.

With the help of German based project developer Athos Solar, Iran has taken an important step towards generating more of its energy from solar power. At the beginning of February, two PV plants with a total output of 14 megawatts were commissioned in the presence of German ambassador Michael Klor-Berchthold and Iranian energy minister Hamid Chitchian.

According to Athos, it took just nine months from first contact with the Iranian developer to complete the two green field plants, both 100 hectares, in the province Hamadan near Teheran. Thereby the majority of all needed components, including 40,000 PV modules from Canadian solar, had to be imported into Iran. Christian Lindner, CEO of Athos Solar said: The collaboration with the Iranian authorities, who were extremely cooperative, worked out smoothly. You can sense a great openness and interest in this kind of energy generation.”

The costs of the project, almost US$21m, were financed entirely by equity from Athos as an investor. According to Christian Linder, this is currently the only way to realize projects in Iran. “Bank financing is simply not possible; even conducting a usual transaction is a daily challenge.

As the project developer reported, the construction of the two PV plants, which were initiated by business partners from Iran and the U.K, represent Athos´ first project in the Middle East. Given the positive experience, more projects are planned but a matter of the political situation in the region.

Source: pv-magazine.com

Low-Carbon Policy ‘Less Vital than Low Energy Bills and Security’

24.02.2017

coal, ugalj, termoelektrana — Photo: Pixabay

Ministers should establish a new energy commission to spur on construction of power stations because successive governments have failed to encourage enough fresh power capacity in the UK, according to a House of Lords report.

Subsidy-backed growth in renewable energy projects, such as windfarms, has deterred the construction of new conventional power plants, the economic affairs committee claimed.

The peers envisage the new energy commission would oversee auctions where all technologies, including gas power, competed for guaranteed electricity prices. The auctions would provide the required amount of capacity and cap carbon emissions.

At present the government only allows low-carbon power, such as windfarms and new nuclear power stations, to compete in auctions for such deals, known as contracts for difference.

The influential cross-party group of peers concluded that successive governments have got their priorities wrong on energy policy by giving priority to carbon emissions cuts – a statutory duty under the Climate Change Act – over keeping costs down and keeping the lights on.

The report has sparked an angry response. Robert Gross, director of the centre for energy policy and technology at Imperial College, London, said: “The term ‘post truth’ has become over-used. Yet it would be possible to take all the evidence the committee presents and tell a completely different story: there’s been huge success in growing renewables and reducing emissions from the power sector.”

Lord Hollick, the committee’s chair, said: “We are critical of the drift that’s taken place over the last 15 years or so, which has delivered on the decarbonisation agenda but very much at the expense of consumers paying 58% more than they were in 2003. On the affordability front we haven’t looked after consumers.”

The peers, who include the former chancellor Norman Lamont, and a former head of the civil service, Andrew Turnbull, said security of supply should become the key aim of energy policy, above decarbonisation and cost.

“Low-carbon but chronically unreliable electricity is not acceptable. Similarly very cheap prices at the expense of frequent shortages would be unacceptable,” the report says, which also claims fossil fuels have remained cheaper than renewable sources.

But Paul Massara, the former chief executive of npower who now runs the renewable energy firm North Star Solar, said the committee was simply wrong to say fossil fuels were always cheaper than renewables, and condemned the report as “backward looking”.

Darren Baxter, a researcher at the Institute for Public Policy Research thinktank, said: “A failure to keep the pace up with decarbonisation, as suggested in this report, would be a disaster for the north [of England] and its growing low-carbon economy.”

Hollick told the Guardian that the government had micromanaged the energy market and did not need to interfere as much. He said the government “should now allow the energy commission to move forward, to run auctions, to fill the gap and to build a properly balanced [energy system]”.

Hollick denied the report was anti-renewables. “Exactly the opposite. We see renewables very much as the way forward,” he said, arguing that more public money should go into R&D in renewables and energy storage.

The committee also urged the government to publish its plan B if the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station, which is expected to provide 7% of the UK’s electricity from 2025, is delayed or even cancelled. Hollick said the biggest surprise during the committee’s inquiry was the “fragility” of the government’s nuclear ambitions, which envisage new nuclear reactors in Somerset, Suffolk, Anglesey and Cumbria.

“It is imperative that the government publishes it contingency plans for how it will make up the capacity due to be provided by these plants in the event one or more does not succeed or is delayed,” the report says.

Hollick said he expected the government’s energy back-up plan to be made up largely of new gas power stations and offshore windfarms.

A spokeswoman for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said: “Keeping the lights on is non-negotiable. Our top priority is making sure UK families and businesses have secure, affordable energy supplies.”

Source: theguardian.com

MPs Warn Heathrow Expansion is ‘Magical Thinking’

23.02.2017

UK MPs have said that the Heathrow Airport expansion can only be justified if the government proves it will not break laws on climate change and pollution.

Ministers say a third runway would not exceed environment limits.

However, the Commons Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) has accused the government of ‘magical thinking’ – wishing the problem away without a proper solution.

They say ministers must show the expansion will not fuel climate change.

Committee chair Mary Creagh said: “There’s plenty of talk about how the government wants to solve environmental problems at Heathrow, but a total absence of any policy guarantees.

“The implication of this is that they think other sectors of the economy like energy and industry are going to have to cut their carbon emissions even more so people can fly more – but the government’s been told by its own advisors (the Committee on Climate Change (CCC)) that’s not possible.”

The MPs also criticised the government’s reliance on a projected increase in electric vehicles on the roads to keep local air pollution within safe limits.

Creagh added: “The government has missed already its targets for electric vehicles.

“Our committee has no confidence it will meet its target for 2020 or 2030. Ministers have got to put proper policies in place instead of relying on magical thinking.”

The UK has already breached EU limits in London for the pollutant NO2 for 2017. The committee says a new air quality strategy is needed to ensure that airport expansion does not harm public health.

The government has said after Brexit that EU environmental laws will be imported wholesale into the UK, but the MPs say they have seen no guarantees that the government will keep pace with future EU air quality laws.

Source: paneuropeannetworks.com

Solar Panels Get a Face-Lift with Custom Designs

23.02.2017

Residential solar power is on a sharp rise in the United States as photovoltaic systems become cheaper and more powerful for homeowners. A 2012 study by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) predicts that solar could reach 1 million to 3.8 million homes by 2020, a big leap from just 30,000 homes in 2006.

But that adoption rate could still use a boost, according to MIT spinout Sistine Solar. “If you look at the landscape today, less than 1 percent of U.S. households have gone solar, so it’s nowhere near mass adoption,” says co-founder Senthil Balasubramanian MBA ’13.

Founded at the MIT Sloan School of Management, Sistine creates custom solar panels designed to mimic home facades and other environments, with aims of enticing more homeowners to install photovoltaic systems.

Sistine’s novel technology, SolarSkin, is a layer that can be imprinted with any image and embedded into a solar panel without interfering with the panel’s efficacy. Homeowners can match their rooftop or a grassy lawn. Panels can also be fitted with business logos, advertisements, or even a country’s flag. SolarSkin systems cost about 10 percent more than traditional panel installations. But over the life of the system, a homeowner can still expect to save more than $30,000, according to the startup.

A winner of a 2013 MIT Clean Energy Prize, Sistine has recently garnered significant media attention as a rising “aesthetic solar” startup. Last summer, one of its pilot projects was featured on the Lifetime television series “Designing Spaces,” where the panels blended in with the shingle roof of a log cabin in Hubbardston, Massachusetts.

In December, the startup installed its first residential SolarSkin panels, in a 10-kilowatt system that matches a cedar pattern on a house in Norwell, Massachusetts. Now, the Cambridge-based startup says it has 200 homes seeking installations, primarily in Massachusetts and California, where solar is in high demand.

“We think SolarSkin is going to catch on like wildfire,” Balasubramanian says. “There is a tremendous desire by homeowners to cut utility bills, and solar is finding reception with them — and homeowners care a lot about aesthetics.”

SolarSkin is the product of the co-founders’ unique vision, combined with MIT talent that helped make the product a reality.

Balasubramanian came to MIT Sloan in 2011, after several years in the solar-power industry, with hopes of starting his own solar-power startup — a passion shared by classmate and Sistine co-founder Ido Salama MBA ’13.

One day, the two were brainstorming at the Muddy Charles Pub, when a surprisingly overlooked issue popped up: Homeowners, they heard, don’t really like the look of solar panels. That began a nebulous business mission to “captivate people’s imaginations and connect people on an emotional level with solar,” Balasubramanian says.

Recruiting Jonathan Mailoa, then a PhD student in MIT’s Photovoltaic Research Laboratory, and Samantha Holmes, a mosaic artist trained in Italy who is still with the startup, the four designed solar panels that could be embedded on massive sculptures and other 3-D objects. They took the idea to 15.366 (Energy Ventures), where “it was drilled into our heads that you have to do a lot of market testing before you build a product,” Balasubramanian says.

That was a good thing, too, he adds, because they realized their product wasn’t scalable. “We didn’t want to make a few installations that people talk about. … We [wanted to] make solar so prevalent that within our lifetime we can see the entire world convert to 100 percent clean energy,” Balasubramanian says.

The team’s focus then shifted to manufacturing solar panels that could match building facades or street fixtures such as bus shelters and information kiosks. In 2013, the idea earned the team — then officially Sistine Solar — a modest DOE grant and a $20,000 prize from the MIT Clean Energy Prize competition, “which was a game-changer for us,” Balasubramanian says.

But, while trying to construct custom-designed panels, another idea struck: Why not just make a layer to embed into existing solar panels? Recruiting MIT mechanical engineering student Jody Fu, Sistine created the first SolarSkin prototype in 2015, leading to pilot projects for Microsoft, Starwood Hotels, and other companies in the region.

That summer, after earning another DOE grant for $1 million, Sistine recruited Anthony Occidentale, an MIT mechanical engineering student who has since helped further advance SolarSkin. “We benefited from the incredible talent at MIT,” Balasubramanian says. “Anthony is a shining example of someone who resonates with our vision and has all the tools to make this a reality.”

SolarSkin is a layer that employs selective light filtration to display an image while still transmitting light to the underlying solar cells. The ad wraps displayed on bus windows offer a good analogy: The wraps reflect some light to display an image, while allowing the remaining light through so passengers inside the bus can see out. SolarSkin achieves a similar effect — “but the innovation lies in using a minute amount of light to reflect an image [and preserve] a high-efficiency solar module,” Balasubramanian says.

To achieve this, Occidentale and others at Sistine have developed undisclosed innovations in color science and human visual perception. “We’ve come up with a process where we color-correct the minimal information we have of the image on the panels to make that image appear, to the human eye, to be similar to the surrounding backdrop of roof shingles,” Occidentale says.

As for designs, Sistine has amassed a database of common rooftop patterns in the United States, such as asphalt shingles, clay tiles, and slate, in a wide variety of colors. “So if a homeowner says, for instance, ‘We have manufactured shingles in a barkwood pattern,’ we have a matching design for that,” he says. Custom designs aren’t as popular, but test projects include commercial prints for major companies, and even Occidentale’s face on a panel.

Currently, Sistine is testing SolarSkin for efficiency, durability, and longevity at the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory under a DOE grant.

The field of aesthetic solar is still nascent, but it’s growing, with major companies such as Tesla designing entire solar-panel roofs. But, as far as Balasubramanian knows, Sistine is the only company that’s made a layer that can be integrated into any solar panel, and that can display any color as well as intricate patterns and actual images.

Companies could thus use SolarSkin solar panels to double as business signs. Municipalities could install light-powering solar panels on highways that blend in with the surrounding nature. Panels with changeable advertisements could be placed on bus shelters to charge cell phones, information kiosks, and other devices. “You can start putting solar in places you typically didn’t think of before,” Balasubramanian says. “Imagination is really the only limit with this technology.”

Source: news.mit.edu

Fighting Environmental Injustice in Europe

23.02.2017

Behind the dominant narrative of the Greek crisis, there is a story of resource exploitation that will be all too familiar to millions of people in Latin America, Africa and Asia.

With their soil rich in gold and a mountain of debt, Greece has become a prime target for mining companies looking to do big business at the expense of people and the environment.

In 2013, the Troika of creditors (the International Monetary Fund, European Commission and European Central Bank) forced the Greek government to sign a memorandum that promised to pass legislation to “streamline the system of investment licenses and permits (operational, environmental, land use and use of public infrastructure licenses) by reducing their number”.

As a result, companies such as Canadian Eldorado Gold were given the green light to prepare mining operations in areas normally protected by EU legislation, such as the Water Framework Directive and Natura 2000.

This is problematic in the Halkidiki peninsula, which is home to thousands of olive oil, feta cheese and honey makers, who depend on a healthy soil and clean water to make a living. Aside from gold, their earth is also full of asbestos and arsenic.

The work of Eldorado Gold will create a toxic dust plume of 4324 tons per year, covering the surrounding area.

Annually, they will also unearth more than 20,000 tons of arsenic. That amount would even exceed the limit in China and is enough arsenic to kill every human being on Earth three times over.

Locals have mobilised and were successful in delaying the project, but many arrests and cases of abuse are ongoing, for protecting their land, their health and the future of the next generations.

From the anti-gold mining movement in Greece to grassroots groups fighting for environmental and social justice in Northern Ireland, such frontlines are all over Europe.

Of the 2000 conflicts mapped and documented in the Atlas of Environmental Justice, around 400 are in Europe.

What unites them is a sense of environmental and social injustice, as well as some form of resistance. Worldwide, about 30% of all conflicts mapped so far involve cases of arrests, killings, abuses and other forms of state repression.

The good news is that 20% of these conflicts reach some level of success, thanks to environmental justice organisations.

Another key revelation from the Atlas is that, in more than 40% of the cases, indigenous peoples are doing us all a favour by protecting the natural heritage that we depend on.

The now well-publicised battle for Standing Rock in the US is just one of the more famous manifestations of a global environmental justice movement.

Groups of people fighting for different causes and in different countries have often shown cohesion and mutual understanding, coming together to support one another.

As Leah Temper, coordinator and co-editor of the environmental justice platform EJAtlas, puts it: “Mobilisations are increasingly interlinked across locations: anti-incineration activists make alliances with waste-picker movements to argue how through recycling they ‘cool down the earth’.”

The multinationals are on the rise, but so is the power of multinational resistance.

In light of the numerous social and environmental struggles around the world, and the rise of illiberal leaders in Europe and the US, it is time to rethink our priorities.

The global economy is at war with ecosystems and societies cannot be sustainable. The linear economy based on ever more mass production, wasteful consumption and unregulated trade is depleting the world’s natural resources, alienating societies and creating a backlash.

As the Titanic hits the iceberg, we need bold, progressive and sustainable alternatives.

The inconvenient truth is that scientists say we need to reduce the flow of non-renewable energy and goods criss-crossing the globe, to close the loop of our economy.

This can only happen if we accept that the ideology of exponential growth in the flow of goods across oceans is deeply flawed, unsustainable and often linked with injustice.

So rather than signing CETA to import tar sand oils from Canada, we would do better to build a wall around the US: a carbon tariff wall. We’ll let the Americans pay for it.

Source: euobserver.com

There’s a Bold New Plan to Make Ocean Trash a Thing of the Past

23.02.2017

The way things are going now, our oceans will contain more plastic than fish by 2050. An ambitious United Nations campaign aims to stop this from happening.

On Wednesday, UN Environment announced its #CleanSeas initiative at the Economist World Ocean Summit in Bali, Indonesia. The campaign focuses on two major sources of marine litter: single-use plastic bags and microplastics in cosmetic products. The goal is to eliminate these major sources of marine litter by 2022.

“We’ve stood by too long as the problem has gotten worse,” Erik Solheim, head of UN Environment, said in a statement. “It must stop.”

Each year, more than 8 million tons of plastic ends up in the oceans. Much of it can’t be broken down and will remain in the oceans for centuries. The debris injures and kills fish, seabirds and marine mammals. It also causes fish to be smaller and slower than those raised in clean water.

There’s also a concern that it could be harmful for humans to consume fish that have ingested plastic, but more research needs to be done on the issue.

Plastic pollution costs $8 billion in damage to marine ecosystems each year, according to UN Environment.

Ten countries, which are considered pioneers in addressing the issue, have joined the #CleanSeas initiative. They include Indonesia, Uruguay, Belgium, Costa Rica and France. The United States hasn’t yet joined in.

It’s up to the participating countries to find ways to reduce the amount of plastic being introduced to the oceans.

Indonesia, for example, has committed to slashing its marine litter by 70 percent by 2025. Uruguay said it will tax single-use plastic bags later this year.

Major companies are also getting involved.

Dell Computers announced that its product packaging will incorporate plastic that has been fished out of the sea near Haiti.

The UN also hopes to target the personal care industry’s use of microplastics, which are tiny plastic particles that are found in toothpaste and skin care products. In many cases these plastic beads have replaced natural ingredients. Waste treatment facilities don’t always trap microbeads after they’re flushed down the drain, allowing the beads to find their way into the oceans.

“On bathroom shelves around the world sit products that are destroying life in our oceans,” actress and advocate Nadya Hutagalung said in a statement. “No beauty product is worth destroying the world’s beautiful oceans, not to mention our own human well-being.”

Source: huffingtonpost.com

Building Energy Acquires 4energia

23.02.2017

Building Energy, an Italian multinational that operates as a Global Integrated IPP in the renewable energy industry, has signed a purchase agreement to acquire 4energia, an independent energy trader founded to buy electric power from small and medium scale plants for energy producers in Italy.

The agreement will see the merger of these two established players in the energy industry. 4Energia headquartered in Milan, having been founded in 2014 by Roberto Colicchio, Paolo Esposto, Carlo Mereu and Andrea Russo, managers with decades of experience in energy markets. In 2016, the company’s total sales topped €65 million and its current total capacity is 350 MW.

As part of the company’s constant development strategy, the acquisition will expand Building Energy’s in the energy market. Innovation has always been at the core of Building Energy, but this new addition will drive this forward on the back of the synergies created with 4energia. The latter has always offered a comprehensive approach to every aspect of managing an electric power portfolio and its substantial expertise and know-how. Encompass areas such as energy trading, the management and optimization of its own and third-party energy production portfolio, the development and coordination of the operational and IT processes needed to buy and sell energy from independent producers.

“We are very pleased to announce the acquisition of 4energia,” explained Fabrizio Zago, CEO of Building Energy. “For us, this is a new piece in the strategic jigsaw to strengthen our business in the energy industry. This transaction merges two dynamic companies known for their innovative approaches and it will allow us to develop new growth strategies and synergies to further consolidate our positions in Italian and international markets.”

BUILDING ENERGY

Building Energy is a multinational company operating as Global Integrated IPP in the Renewable Energy Industry on four continents. The company is vertically integrated on the value chain, from the development of projects to the sale of energy. With a pipeline in 24 countries with over 2,600 MW and generative assets being built over the next two years for more than 700MW, the company is positioned to be one of the major players on the international scene in the renewable energy field. For further information, visit the site www.buildingenergy.it.

Drones Are Improving Water Management in Thailand

23.02.2017

Thailand is feeling the impact of climate change – in particular, the agricultural sector has to deal with extreme weather conditions. The disastrous flooding of 2011 was followed by years of drought, which put additional pressure on water resources already compromised by agriculture.

On behalf of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB), the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH has been helping the Thai Government since 2013 to conserve available water resources in the long term. Drones are among the measures used to achieve this. Their deployment means that the rivers and reservoirs used by farmers to irrigate fields can be monitored efficiently – even in the more inaccessible regions. For example, aerial photographs identify points where water basins have been compromised by soil and debris being washed downstream.

Data collected by the drones is also used to develop 3D models that enable experts to simulate the effectiveness of planned conservation measures. The experts use such models to rapidly recreate different weather scenarios, climate developments and impacts. The 3D models can also save up to two thirds of costs: thanks to the aerial photographs and models, protective measures can be implemented with great precision and for maximum impact. Until recently, for example, water reservoirs required dredging on a regular basis. Now, however, vulnerable bank sections have been reinforced with grasses, shrubs and trees to prevent soil and debris being washed into the reservoir.

Expertise in the deployment of drones is provided by the German company IAMHYDRO, which collaborated with Walailak University to develop a course offering basic and advanced training for the required number of drone pilots. So far, around 100 participants have been trained in the deployment of drones. Since completing their course, three graduates have set up a company specializing in the analysis and monitoring of water systems.

Source: giz.de

Green Campaigners Welcome Coca-Cola U-Turn On Bottle and can Recycling Scheme

23.02.2017

Coca-Cola has announced it supports testing a deposit return service for drinks cans and bottles, in a major coup for environment and anti-waste campaigners.

Executives told an event in Edinburgh on Tuesday evening they agreed with campaigners who were pressing the Scottish government to set up a bottle-return pilot scheme to cut waste and pollution and boost recycling.

They told the event, organised by Holyrood magazine, that the company had been examining the merits of a bottle and can deposit scheme, where consumers pay a small surcharge of about 10p per item, which is repaid when an empty can or bottle is returned to a retailer.

The company, the world’s largest soft drinks manufacturer, had previously resisted a deposit return scheme, which is used in countries such as Canada, Sweden, Australia and Norway. It had claimed in 2015 it did not reduce packaging use or improve recyclability.

But in a clear switch in policy, which mirrors its attempts to cut high sugar content in its products, a Coca-Cola executive told the event in Edinburgh its thinking had changed, in part because of experience in other countries.

“The time is right to trial new interventions such as a well-designed deposit scheme for drinks containers, starting in Scotland where conversations are under way,” he said.

The announcement was hailed as a “landmark moment” by the Association for the Protection of Rural Scotland (APRS), which is coordinating a lobbying campaign with other groups and businesses, including WWF and the Marine Conservation Society.

The Scottish parliament’s environment committee has set up a subgroup to examine the proposal, adding to pressure on Roseanna Cunningham, the Scottish environment secretary, to agree to a pilot scheme.

John Mayhew, APRS’s chief executive, said it was an extremely significant moment given Coca-Cola’s position as the world’s largest soft drinks manufacturer.

A poll by Survation for the APRS this month found that nearly 79% of Scots supported a return scheme, while only 8.5% opposed it.

“The momentum is now with the campaign,” Mayhew said. “The crucial next step is for ministers to design a system that works well for the public, for local authorities, and for small Scottish businesses, including retailers as well as producers. We know it can be done, and we will continue to argue for a deposit system which takes account of their needs.”

Political parties in Wales have also floated a deposit return scheme, with a suggested deposit of 10p a bottle. The Marine Conservation Society has said up to 17% of the rubbish found on beaches is drinks containers.

A Coca-Cola spokeswoman said the company’s polling had found majority support for a deposit return scheme across the UK. It said 63% of consumers backed the proposal and 51% of those polled believed it would increase their recycling.

The company said it had made significant progress on sustainability: its bottles and cans were 100% recyclable; packages were lighter and the amount of recycled plastic in its bottles would increase from 25% to 40% by 2020.

Even so, it accepted it needed to do more and had begun a substantial review of its sustainability strategies. “We are focused on our packaging, the role of our brands and the ways we can collaborate with others to improve recycling rates and reduce litter.

“Our sustainable packaging review is ongoing, but it’s already clear from our conversations with experts that the time is right to trial new interventions such as a well-designed deposit return scheme for drinks containers, starting in Scotland where conversations are under way.

“From our experience elsewhere in Europe, we know that deposit schemes can work if they are developed as part of an overall strategy on the circular economy, in collaboration with all industry stakeholders. We are open to exploring any well-thought-through initiative that has the potential to increase recycling and reduce litter.”

Richard Lochhead, the previous Scottish environment secretary, said he backed the scheme and believed Coca-Cola’s change of heart would influence other drinks manufacturers and the Scottish government to support the proposal. “This injects momentum and credibility into the debate in Scotland. We can lead the UK on this issue and this helps brings the introduction of such a transformative policy a big step closer,” he said.

Source: theguardian.com

Stuttgart (Germany) to Begin Selective Banning of Diesel Cars during High-Pollution Periods in 2018

23.02.2017

The city of Stuttgart in Germany will be home to occasional selective bans of diesel cars during periods of high pollution beginning in 2018, going by a recent announcement from state officials in Baden-Württemberg.

The intent of the selective-ban introduction is to limit diesel pollution within the state’s capital city during periods when air pollution levels are already quite high.

To be more clear on this count, not all diesel cars will be affected by the selective ban, just those that don’t meet the Euro 6 emissions standards that were introduced in 2014. As it stands, though, only around 1 in 10 diesel cars on Germany’s roads meets Euro 6 standards — so the selective ban will cover most of the diesel cars in the country.

Here’s more on the subject from Germany:
“Stuttgart, an industrial city located in the bowl-shaped Neckar valley, regularly reports particulate levels from diesel vehicles above the EU’s designated safe levels.
“Officials said speed limits would also be tightened, public transport improved and new cycle lanes introduced in the 600,000 population city.
“Stuttgart, which is home to German automakers Mercedes-Benz and Porsche, last issued an air pollution alert on January 9, when 78 micrograms per cubic meter of fine particulates was recorded in the city’s air. EU regulations set the limit at 50 micrograms.”

The decision to implement a selective ban on diesel cars follows on an attempt to introduce “a system of blue badges for low-polluting vehicles.” That plan, though, was met with a lot of resistance, apparently.

Notably, Germany has been warned by EU regulators multiple times in recent years about its relatively high air pollution levels (in some regions), which are primarily the result of the widespread use of diesel cars in the country.

To be more specific, the European Commission has threatened the imposition of fines after finding that air pollution levels regularly exceed EU limits in 28 regions of the country, including in Munich, Berlin, Cologne, and Hamburg.

Source: cleantechnica.com

DfT Eyes EV Charge Point Boost and New Rules for Insuring Self-Driving Cars

23.02.2017

car-chargers — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Insurance rules for self-driving cars and measures to improve the provision of electric vehicle charge points have been set out by the government in a new Bill aimed at making the UK a “world leader” in clean transport technologies.

Published for the first time yesterday, the Vehicle Technology and Aviation Bill aims to break down some of the barriers which the Department for Transport (DfT) said could limit companies from testing new low emission vehicle technologies.

Measures in the Bill – such as forcing motorway services and large fuel retailers to provide EV charge points and hydrogen refuelling stations – would help ensure easier access to infrastructure for the growing market for electric vehicles, according to the government.

Other measures in the Bill are also designed to make information about the location and availability of charging stations more openly accessible for EV drivers, following a consultation on EV charging infrastructure last autumn.

Transport Minister John Hayes said that to encourage the take up of EVs the associated infrastructure needs to become more widespread than the 11,000 charging points currently in place in the UK. “If we are to accelerate the use of electric vehicles we must take action now and be ready to take more action later,” he said in a statement. “We are determined to do all we can to make electric vehicles work for everyone and these new laws will help make this a reality.”

However Steve Nash, CEO of the Institute of the Motor Industry, said that the measures in the Bill weren’t enough to encourage EV uptake, highlighting research by the organisation which found 40 per cent of people were unwilling or unable to pay the insurance premiums currently levied on battery cars. Moreover, he said there was still a “serious” gap in expertise needed to foster the wider rollout of plug-in car infrastructure.

“It’s not rocket science,” said Nash. “Small businesses are uncertain about future demand for work on electrified cars and won’t risk investing in the skills they need without help from the government. This means insurance and servicing costs will stay out of the reach of many drivers and car buyers will still be attracted to diesel cars as the most fuel efficient alternative, keeping them on our roads in significant numbers for decades to come.”

Elsewhere in the Bill introduced yesterday, it seeks to improve protection for autonomous vehicle drivers by enabling them to purchase a single insurance product to cover them while they are driving, as well as when the car is in self-driving mode.

The rules would also give Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling the power to classify which vehicles are ‘automated’ and therefore subject to the new insurance arrangement.

Having consulted on the issue of insurance for self-driving cars back in September, DfT said the new rules would mean innocent victims involved in a collision with an automated vehicle would have “quick and easy access” to compensation.

It follows the high profile fatal crash of a Tesla self-driving vehicle in the USA last year, which raised concerns about the safety of the technology, although the EV company blamed the incident on human error.

David Williams, head of underwriting at insurance firm AXA UK, said the measures would help provide clarity to insurers and also help encourage early adoption of some “really impressive technology”.

“The vast majority of accidents are caused by human error and we see automated vehicles having a massive impact, reducing the number and severity of accidents,” Williams said in a statement. “As well as making our roads safer, insurance premiums are based on the cost of claims and therefore we expect substantially reduced premiums to follow.”

Source: businessgreen.com

IEEFA Norway: Why the World’s Biggest Sovereign Wealth Fund Should Invest in Global Renewable Energy Infrastructure

23.02.2017

We published a report this morning that highlights how Norway is at a historic crossroads in how it manages some of its vast national wealth bound up in the Government Pension Fund Global (GPFG).

Indeed, GPFG is facing an unusually opportune moment this summer, as Parliament considers whether to enact a mandate that would have the fund put up to 5 percent of its $900 billion in wealth into unlisted infrastructure holdings.

Such a move would allow the fund to capture value and reap stable returns especially from the fast-growing global renewable energy sector.

The fund would be joining an investment trend that is gaining momentum—62 percent of sovereign of wealth funds held infrastructure investments in 2016 and an additional 7 percent were considering doing so.

Our report outlines how GPFG can proceed and describes the opportunity in renewable-energy infrastructure in detail. One of our core findings is that assets bought and sold across this space now—in wind farms and solar plants— yield returns and retain value.

A mandate by Parliament would mirror a recommendation already in place by Norges Bank.

While Norway’s Finance Ministry has been reluctant to approve such a move, citing concerns over assorted risks, Parliament has the authority to advance such a move.

Skeptics may very well argue that renewable energy comes with too much risk. And indeed, while renewable energy is no more immune to regulatory and political risks than investments that that include telecommunications and transportation holdings, these risks can be mitigated, as has been demonstrated for quite some time now by well-managed funds that have developed robust methods do just that. Our report shows how risk mitigation can be accomplished through a combination of in-house expertise, co-investment and strategic investment strategies.

Infrastructure is a long-established asset class embraced by many of the world’s leading investment funds, and renewable energy accounts for roughly 42 percent of all unlisted infrastructure transactions. It is practically becoming a separate investment vehicle unto itself.

The industry outlook is positive. Government regulators and energy ministries in most countries are finding that wind and solar developers are offering competitive prices for power generation. This lowers the cost of electricity for host-country businesses and households and makes such investments that much more appealing. More and more governments recognize also that technology-driven, market-based renewable energy solutions will help address climate change—a fact that increases their appeal further and that adds to the growing global momentum around renewables.

Growth across the global economy over the next several years is expected to create demand for $3.3 trillion in various infrastructure investments, particularly in emerging economies.

Well-managed infrastructure investments bring returns of 12 to 15 percent annually, with investments in renewable infrastructure producing steady, returns that exceed expectations. Brookfield Asset Management, among the models mentioned in our report, operates exemplary funds that return 10 to 20 percent annually.

The renewables sector is no longer the experimental space it once was, having entered a long-term growth cycle with a strong outlook driven by low costs, competitive prices, policy advances and rapid uptake. The sector is also diversifying by adding wind and solar investments to long-held hydropower portfolios.

Our report includes five recommendations on how Norway can move forward on this front:
By creating an investment mandate requiring managers to invest 5 percent of the fund’s assets in unlisted infrastructure, including renewable energy investments.
By expanding GPFG specialized in-house professional staff resources, with a focus on developing a team comparable in quality to those found among other top institutional investors.
By establishing partnerships with established investment funds that have a track record in the unlisted infrastructure field, and co-investing with those funds under mutually beneficial arrangements.
By setting aside a portion of the fund’s infrastructure investment for listed utility companies that have significant and promising portfolios in renewable energy.
By putting a firm and prudent commitment in place to invest in infrastructure projects in emerging markets.

These five moves would allow the fund to capture value from a growing market that offers reliable returns. These investments would not be correlated to the fund’s equity and bond portfolio, which is to say they would add risk diversification. They would provide steady cash flow and they would be anti-inflationary.

The opportunity in infrastructure investment is enormous and immediate—in developed and emerging economies alike—and the risk is manageable.

Source: ieefa.org

OPEC Secretary General speaks at IP Week conference in London

23.02.2017

OPEC Secretary General, HE Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo, two days ago delivered a keynote address at the International Petroleum (IP) Week conference in London. The session was moderated by Manus Cranny, Markets Editor/Anchor, Bloomberg TV, who followed the Secretary General’s speech with a number of questions, including some from the audience.

The Secretary General initially highlighted how much has changed in the industry since the last time he spoke in London at the Oil & Money conference back in October 2016. He highlighted the landmark and historic decisions reached by OPEC and non-OPEC at the end of last year, stressing that “collaborative and timely intervention was taken to address the prevailing market realities.”

The Secretary General reiterated that the implementation of these historic decisions taken had thus far been very encouraging. He added that all 24 countries involved remained resolute in their commitment to the ongoing process and are determined to implement their obligations in a full and timely fashion to help ensure a more balanced oil market on a sustainable basis. In addition, he stressed the establishment of the Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee and the supporting Joint Technical sub-Committee to oversee and monitor implementation were “prime examples of OPEC’s support for data sharing, openness and transparency.”

He also spoke about the gravity of the sharp contraction in oil industry investments in both 2015 and 2016 and stressed that “the industry cannot afford to see investment levels fall for a third year in a row.” He said that the industry needs regular, timely and sustainable investment to guarantee security of supply to the global community.

In this regard, he added, “we believe that the recent decisions taken by OPEC and non-OPEC are already creating the favorable conditions for the industry to deliver the necessary medium- and long-term investments for our energy future.”

IP Week, hosted by the Energy Institute is a highly respected global annual conference where leaders from the global oil and gas industry share their wealth of knowledge and experience with fellow experts over three days of conferences, seminars, roundtables and social events.

This year’s event also sees the awarding of ‘The International Oil Diplomacy Man of the Year Award’ to HE Dr. Mohammed Bin Saleh Al-Sada, Qatar’s Minister of Energy & Industry, and the OPEC Conference President in 2016. The OPEC Secretary General said that “the judgement, patience, guidance, consistency and dedication” shown by HE Al-Sada in bringing together OPEC and non-OPEC in 2016 “were a cornerstone of the great efforts aimed at rebalancing the market, supporting sustainable stability and ensuring that the necessary industry investments return.”

Source: opec.org

Shell Launches its First Hydrogen Refuelling Station in the UK

23.02.2017

Shell announces the launch of its first hydrogen refuelling station in the UK at its Cobham service station on the M25. The new hydrogen station has been supplied by ITM Power and is the first fully branded and public hydrogen refuelling site in the UK. It is the first of three hydrogen stations Shell plans to open in the UK in 2017.

Matthew Tipper, Vice President, Future Fuels at Shell said: “Hydrogen has the potential to become a clean and versatile transport fuel for the future, and the Cobham hydrogen site is one of the ways Shell is encouraging the use of alternative fuels to contribute to the energy transition. This will provide customers with hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles the ability to refuel simply and quickly, at one of the largest petrol stations in the UK.”

The opening of Shell’s first UK hydrogen site follows the success of sites in California, and in Germany where Shell is part of a joint venture with the ambition to open a network of up to 400 hydrogen sites by 2023. Shell is in the process of assessing the potential of future projects in the United States, Canada, Switzerland, Austria, France, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

In addition, Shell is a founding member of the Hydrogen Council, announced at Davos in January 2017, comprising energy companies, OEMs and technology partners with a collective pledge to accelerate investment in the development and commercialisation of the hydrogen and fuel cell sectors.

Hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles convert hydrogen into electricity and produce only heat and water when driven. They offer an alternative to the conventional internal combustion engine, a driving experience similar to electric cars, and no local emissions. Hydrogen vehicles can drive up to 700 kilometers without refuelling and can be refuelled in a few minutes at a standard forecourt with a hydrogen pump.

Sinead Lynch, Shell’s UK Country Chair, commented: “We believe the journey to a low-carbon economy requires a coordinated and collaborative approach among organisations in the transport sector, including providers of energy and transport vehicles, users of transport vehicles, local authorities as well as government. The Cobham retail site is a small but significant first step toward developing infrastructure needed for increased usage of hydrogen vehicles.”

The hydrogen is generated on-site using an electrolyser which requires only water and electricity to generate the hydrogen gas. The hydrogen station at Cobham is the third hydrogen site in the UK to be supplied by ITM Power and opened as part of the HyFive project. The initiative has been partially funded by the European Fuel Cell, Hydrogen Joint Undertaking, and the UKs Office of Low Emission Vehicles.

Dr. Graham Cooley, CEO of ITM Power, said: “ITM Power is pleased to partner with Shell to bring their first forecourt hydrogen fuelling site to life. Electrolytic Hydrogen is the cleanest and lowest cost renewable fuel available for fuel cell electric vehicles. We look forward to working with Shell to introduce additional hydrogen stations on their forecourts in the UK in the near future.”

Bart Biebuyck, Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU) Executive Director, commented: “While FCH JU project HyFIVE already delivered significant results and contributed to addressing major EU challenges, we are very pleased to see an important industry player joining the venture. The opening of Shell’s first station in UK occurs one month after the Hydrogen Council announcement at Davos, and reinforces the industrial commitment towards decarbonisation.”

Shell’s Cobham site opened in 2012 and was built for the 150,000 vehicles that travel on the M25 on a daily basis. The site received more than a million customer visits in 2016.

Source: shell.co.uk

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