Christian Zinglersen Named as Head of the new Clean Energy Ministerial Secretariat at the IEA

23.01.2017

Christian Zinglersen, the Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Danish Ministry of Energy, Utilities and Climate, was named the first Head of Secretariat for the new Clean Energy Ministerial Secretariat, established at the International Energy Agency (IEA).

Mr Zinglersen will lead the CEM Secretariat to support an accelerated global transition to modern and clean energy sources. He takes his position, based in the IEA’s headquarters in Paris, on February 1.

Mr Zinglersen brings a distinguished background to the position, with a career at the intersection of clean energy, diplomacy and the advancement of global partnerships, having worked in the Danish Foreign Service and the Danish Ministry of Energy, Utilities and Climate.

The CEM is a voluntary and collaborative partnership of 24 countries and the European Commission working together to accelerate the global transition to modern, clean energy. Launched in 2010, the CEM pairs the leadership of energy ministers and engagement from the private sector and other international partners with year-round country-led initiatives and campaigns to drive faster deployment of clean energy policies and technologies worldwide.

At the Seventh Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM7), hosted by the United States in San Francisco, CEM ministers made the decision to move the CEM Secretariat, which was hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy, to the IEA.

“By establishing an international Secretariat at the IEA, we have a tremendous opportunity to increase the forum’s impact, particularly through a stronger partnership that draws on the analytical expertise of the IEA, and establish the CEM as a key forum to help countries implement ambitious clean energy policies,” said Mr Zinglersen. “I’m excited at the opportunity to lead this effort.”

Source: iea.org

OPEC Meeting in Vienna Last Weekend

23.01.2017

In December, OPEC’s production fell by 220,900 barrels a day to 33.085 million barrels a day, with the biggest drops coming from Saudi Arabia and Nigeria, according to secondary source data in the group’s monthly report published on 18 January.

The organization agreed to reduce its output to 32.5 million barrels a day, although that total included about 740,000 barrels a day of output from former member Indonesia.

Russia has pumped an average of 11.1 million barrels a day so far in January—108,000 barrels a day less than official government figures for November and December, according to initial data from the Energy Ministry, compiled by Bloomberg. Russia agreed to cut 300,000 barrels a day by April or May.

This weekend the representatives of OPEC and several other major oil producers outside of this group, including Russia, are meeting in Vienna for their first meeting to monitor compliance with the oil output cut agreement.

The meeting will establish a compliance mechanism to verify that producers are sticking to a deal to reduce output by 1.8 million barrels per day, said OPEC’s Secretary General Mohammed Barkindo.

Their plan is to figure out how to confirm that all 24 signatories of this historic deal are keeping to their pledges to reduce output and keep the agreed on amount of supply off the market for six months.

OPEC is keen to demonstrate that it has shed its hard-earned reputation for cheating, and that the group is serious about tackling the supply glut and lifting oil prices.

OPEC’s agreement to reduce output in tandem with non-OPEC Russia and several other producers in December was the first such move in 15 years.

“I have no doubts in Russia’s commitment to continue to participate with us and solidify this platform effectively establishing a stabilizing forum for the short, mid and long-term,” Barkindo said.

International oil prices rose to an 18-month high of more than US$58 a barrel after the OPEC and several non-members agreed on December 10 to end two years of unfettered production and instead cut output. Crude has since slid back down some 5 percent as speculators are concerned that commitments will not be met.

Source: oilprice.com

Phase 3 of World’s Largest Solar Park Slated to Begin this Month

23.01.2017

solar-panels — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

Work on the world’s largest solar park is set to move forward this month. Phase 3 of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai will add 800 megawatts (MW) of clean energy to the enormous solar park. The project could be a big win for the environment, expected as it is to displace 6.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide every year when it is completed.

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) and energy company Masdar are ready to commence Phase 3 of the groundbreaking solar park now that the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract has been awarded. Phase 3 will be 16 square kilometers, or a little over six square miles, when its three stages – adding 200 MW, 300 MW and 300 MW at a time – are complete, maybe in 2020 in time for the 2020 Dubai World Expo, according to New Civil Engineer.

Domingo Vegas Fernández, President of Spanish firm Gransolar, which received the EPC along with Spanish infrastructure company Acciona and Italian construction firm Ghella, said in a statement, “Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park project marks a new global milestone in the development of renewable energy in the Middle East and the world.”

When the solar park is totally finished – probably sometime in 2030 – it will generate up to 1,000 MW. Phase 3 follows a publicized bidding war in mid 2016, where one record-breaking bid for Phase 3 was a cheap 2.99 cents per kilowatt-hour, allowing solar power in Dubai to be even cheaper than coal.

Dubai ruler and United Arab Emirates (UAE) Prime Minister Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, for whom the solar park is named, recently presented the UAE Energy Strategy 2050, which calls for 50 percent of energy sourced from renewables. Dubai aims to boost their share of renewables by “seven percent by 2020, 25 percent by 2030, and 75 percent by 2050,” according to Masdar.

Source: inhabitat.com

Hawaii Bill Calls for 100% Green Transportation by 2045

23.01.2017

Hawaii lawmakers want the state’s ground transportation to run entirely on renewables by 2045. As a majority of their imported fossil fuels go towards transportation, if every car on the road was instead powered by clean electricity, it could make a huge difference for the state’s emissions. But there’s still a long way to go. Not only does the bill need to be passed, but just around 5,000 of the one million cars in Hawaii are currently electric.

Hawaii already leads the United States in renewable energy goals, with a target of utilities sourcing 100 percent of electricity from clean sources by 2045. But they want to go a step further, now calling for 100 percent renewable ground transportation.

The 2045 clean ground transportation goal wouldn’t be a mandate, unlike the 2045 electricity goal under which utilities will be fined if they do not source all their electricity from renewable sources by the deadline. If you live in Hawaii, you won’t have to turn in your gas-guzzling car; state representative Chris Lee, who’s the Energy and Environment committee chairman, said, “Nobody wants to step in and force people to get rid of cars that they might love now.”

The Hawaii Legislature began Wednesday, and there the bill will be introduced. Lawmakers are unsure if funding will be part of the bill. But it is clear that it will focus only on ground transportation and not air transportation, a sector where it’s more difficult to power crafts renewably.

For Hawaii to achieve its goals, other states and countries will have to pitch in. Energy consulting company HD Baker & Co. managing director Hugh Baker said, “Our ability to achieve it is really going to be dependent on what happens throughout the entire automotive industry. We can say we want 100 percent clean transportation technology, but the market in Hawaii is not nearly big enough by itself to move the whole global automotive industry. It will really take more than just Hawaii.”

Source: inhabitat.com

UN Chief Guterres Calls to Curb Climate Change at Davos Forum

20.01.2017

Addressing the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres yesterday called for a new generation of partnerships with the business community to limit the impact of climate change and to reduce poverty.

In an address this morning to a special session on cooperation for peace, the Secretary-General said he was particularly interested in the “alignment of the core business of the private sector with the strategic goals of the international community.”

He spoke about the Paris Agreement, which the international community signed on to in 2015 with the aim of combating climate change by limiting global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius.

“The best allies of all those that want to make sure that the Paris Agreement is implemented, the best allies today in the world are probably in the business sector and it is very important to fully mobilize them,” Mr. Guterres said.

He also underlined the importance of achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, noting that conditions for an inclusive and sustainable development are a main method of preventing crises and conflicts.

“Without the private sector we will not have the necessary innovation, we will not have the necessary capacity to discover new markets, new products, new services and to be able to develop new areas in the economy,” Mr. Guterres said, adding also that only the private sector can create enough jobs to stabilize societies.

He said that a calculation that was recently made shows that the returns on investments that can be generated by the full implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) would mean something in the order of magnitude of $30 billion per year. As such, partnerships with the business sector are attractive for both sides, generating investment for the private sector but allowing the private sector “to play an absolutely essential role in making sure that those goals are effectively achieved.”

Source: un.org

Waste Management Outlook for Mountain Regions

20.01.2017

Last week ISWA launched its latest publication “Waste Management Outlook for Mountain Regions”.This new publication is a cooperation with United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), International Environmental Technology Centre (IETC) and GRID-Arendal.

The Waste Management Outlook for Mountain Regions follows on from last year’s Global Waste Management Outlook, which highlighted the need for a more specific focus on certain regions and landscapes.

Mountains are a fundamental aspect of our eco-systems; they play a role in supplying water, energy food and other services to the millions of people living in mountain regions and downstream. The global waste problem is affecting mountains as much as any region as a result of urbanisation, modern consumption, tourism and illegal dumping.

The waste hazards are not just restricted to the mountain regions, but the problems can be seen thousands of kilometers downstream, even into our oceans. “Mountains are a serious waste management challenge” said Keith Alverson, Director of the UN IETC last week at the launch of the publication in Vienna, Austria.

Source: iswa.org

Obama Gives Half A Billion Dollars To UN Climate Fund

19.01.2017

Barack Obama has transferred half a billion dollars to the UN’s Green Climate Fund, just three days before Donald Trump’s inauguration.

The president-elect has promised to stop all payments to UN global warming programmes.

But announcing the grant, John Kirby, the State Department’s spokesman said there was no “nefarious desire or intent” behind the timing, adding that “the investment had long been planned”.

Trump, a long-time climate change denier who once described global warming as a Chinese conspiracy, initially said he planned to withdraw the US from the Paris Agreement, although his stance has since softened.

Investment in the climate fund is a key part of America’s responsibilities under the agreement.

The latest move will go some way to protecting the fund, which was created in 2010 as a way of ensuring that developing nations could adapt to and mitigate the effects of global warming.

More than 100 organisations and nearly 100,000 people had called on Obama to transfer the US’s remaining $2.5bn commitment to the fund. Despite the fact the investment fell short, the move was praised by climate activists.

“The Obama administration is refusing to let president-elect Trump’s posse of oil barons and climate deniers dictate how the world responds to the climate crisis,” said Tamar Lawrence-Samuel, of Corporate Accountability International, which led the campaign.

Source: huffingtonpost.co.uk

Bulgaria and Serbia Signed Memorandum of Understanding on Gas Interconnector

19.01.2017

Bulgarian outgoing Minister of Energy Temenuzhka Petkova and her Serbian counterpart – Minister of Energy and Mining Aleksandar Antić, inked a Memorandum of Understanding on the project for construction of a gas interconnector between Bulgaria and Serbia, FOCUS New Agency journalist reported.

Under the document the two countries agreed to make maximum efforts to start the construction of the interconnector by May 2019, the latest, so as to launch it in exploitation by the end of 2020.

The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding continues the agreement signed between the two countries on the construction of a gas connection back on December 14, 2012.

The realization of the first stage of the project in the Bulgarian section was finalized on December 31, 2016. It was done with financing under OP Development of the Competitiveness of the Bulgarian Economy 2007-2013.

“Bulgaria has guaranteed financing of EUR 45 million for the project,” Ms Petkova remarked.

“I would like to thank my Serbian counterpart for the constructive dialogue between the two countries so as to have this memorandum a fact today,” she added.

Source: focus-fen.net

We Produce Biogas and Save up to 140,000 Euros per Year

19.01.2017

Plant for the waste water treatment in the Carlsberg beer factory in Čelarevo opened in 2010 in the presence of the top state officials. This brewery is among the first in Serbia which presented this kind of facility. They wanted to emphasize that they care about the broader community and the environment.

The total investment amounts to around 5 million euros and there is a plan for other innovations such as the use of treated water for the watering of green areas, which our interviewee has announced. There is ambition for more efficient use of resources, especially water, since in 2015 3.6 hl of water was used for the production of 1 hl of beer. There is a plan to spend 3.5 hl of water in 2016 for the production of the appreciated drink. We met Marko Mares after the presentation on which he presented Carlsberg as a responsible and active company. He gave us some more details on waste water treatment exclusively for our portal.

EP: At the fair dedicated to water management in the organization of RENEXPO, which lasted from 6^th to 8^th June 2016., you presented Carlsberg as a responsible and modern company that takes care about the waste water treatment and at the same time about the broader community. Tell us briefly what makes Carlsberg an exemplary when it comes to waste water?

Marko Mares: Since the Carlsberg has CSR (Carlsberg Social Responsibility) plan on environmental protection and self-preservation of the local community on a global level, our concern and responsibility about the environmental impact is related to many fields, and not only to the treatment of waste water, but waste water is the biggest and the most significant project in Carlsberg Serbia. When it comes to the plant itself, it is a very modern automated department for tertiary treatment of waste water, which means that the incoming waste water is purified, mechanically – by removing physical impurities, microbiologically – in methane and aerobic tanks and with sedimentation – with the reaction of chemical agents that bind chemical impurities such as phosphorus.

This method of purification has an outstanding result for the efficiency of the department and up to 99% in comparison to the incoming pollutants, for which we obtain confirmation from the Institute for Public Health in Novi Sad by water analysis. The results of the analysis are in accordance with the stipulated standards for discharged water and present ecologically safe water for discharge into natural recipients.

EP: What else does Carlsberg implement in its business policies and ethics which is related to recycling and solid waste? What are your performance data in these areas?

Marko Mares: Brewery Čelarevo holds ISO 14001 standard for Management Systems of Environmental Protection, whose part is waste management.

The Brewery collects all hazardous waste, which includes waste oils, electrical and electronic waste, fluorescent tubes, hazardous waste packaging as well as waste which is non-hazardous and that is: cardboard, plastic, glass, metal, wood, by-products of primary production.

The transportation of the collected waste is carried out in accordance to the Law on Waste Management by external operators who have permits for transportation, disposal and waste treatment.

The company Carlsberg Serbia has annual national targets for the amount of recycled packaging which are successfully implemented together with the company Sekopak that is engaged in waste management.

EP: Does Carlsberg Serbia have some specifics in the process of treating waste water and what are they?

Marko Mares: As mentioned before, the station for waste water treatment in Čelarevo is specific precisely because it covers all the aspects of pollution and the water is released form polluters. By doing so, in a methane reactor (microbiological treatment) we get biogas in the form of methane as a product of metabolism of microorganisms which process wastewater. Carlsberg Serbia uses this gas as a replacement fuel for natural gas which we normally use in the quantity up to 18%. This method of biogas utilization generates the savings of around 140,000 euros annually.

EP: Can you tell us something about your new plans and will you improve and modernize the existing procedure?

Marko Mares: Current activities are related to the manufacturing processes in order to reduce the percentage of waste materials and then the preparation of waste materials for easier removal and treatment, which would reduce the load on the station for waste water treatment. This will be regulated by a combination of production processes’ optimization, as well as the inclusion of various technologies such as decanters for the treatment of tropes which would reduce the waste amount of solid matter.

Regarding the further plans for the factory for the waste water treatment there is an idea to further use the treated water for watering green areas, but that project is still in the initial stage.

Interview by: Vesna Vukajlovic

A Six Month Probation?

19.01.2017

The output cuts announced by OPEC and eleven non-OPEC producers have entered their probation period and it is far too soon to see what level of compliance has been achieved. The coming weeks will provide more clarity and in the meantime developments elsewhere in the oil supply/demand balance are very intriguing. Once again we have revised upwards our estimate for global oil demand growth in 2016: we now see growth at 1.5 mb/d, with most of the revision contributed by stronger European demand, mainly in LPG and diesel. Europe has seen two years of year-on-year growth following nine straight years of flat or declining demand.

In 2017, however, we still expect the rate of growth for global demand to fall back to 1.3 mb/d, albeit this is slightly above the average rate seen in this century of 1.2 mb/d. The prospect of higher product prices – assuming that the cost of crude oil rises in 2017 – plus the possibility of a stronger US dollar are factors behind our reduced demand growth outlook for this year.

In non-OPEC countries, the stabilisation since mid-December of Brent crude oil prices around the $55/bbl level, and the assumption that lower output from the parties to the output agreement will probably see prices rise, is offering encouragement to higher cost producers. Attention is inevitably focused on the US shale oil patch where data shows the rig count increasing for six straight months to November after reaching its nadir in May 2016; provisional data for December shows the highest number of new rigs added since the heady days of April 2014.

Not only is the rig count rising, but recent reports tell us that the productivity of shale activity has improved in leaps and bounds. Whether it be shorter drilling times or larger amounts of oil produced per well, there is no doubt that US shale industry has emerged from the $30/bbl oil world we lived in a year ago much leaner and fitter. The IEA has anticipated for some time that LTO production will increase in 2017, but we are now expecting an even larger increase of 170 kb/d, following a decline of nearly 300 kb/d last year.

Non-OPEC production is not all about the US, however. Elsewhere, long-planned projects are coming on stream in Brazil and Canada and their combined production will rise by 415 kb/d this year. In China and Colombia, the sharp declines in production seen in 2016 will be reduced. For the non-OPEC countries as a whole, net production growth will be 380 kb/d – after taking into account the output reduction commitments by eleven countries – and this increase could be supplemented by higher production from Libya and Nigeria, both of which are exempt from the production cuts.

We were reminded on Jan. 16th by Saudi Arabia’s oil minister that the output deal might not be extended beyond its six month expiry date. By saying that an extension was “unlikely” he has issued a powerful reminder that if stocks are drawn in the first half of 2017 by the approximately 0.7 mb/d implied by OPEC producing close to its target with support from other producers, the market will have tightened and prices stabilised but not at a sufficiently high level to allow another bonanza for high cost producers. In the meantime, the market awaits the outcome of the output deal.

Source: iea.org

Green Light for Wyoming Giant

19.01.2017

The US has given the green light to the Power Company of Wyoming’s (PWC) 1.5GW Chokecherry Sierra Madre wind farm, the first part of a two-phase 3GW development.

The Federal Bureau of Land Management has issued environmental approval for the construction of 500 turbines, a road network and associated facilities in in Carbon County, Wyoming.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service also approved eagle take permits that include aviation conservation measures. It is likely that one to two bald eagles and 10 to 14 golden eagles per year would be harmed or killed by the wind farm, according to the service.

The 220,000-acre site is located on a cattle ranch consisting of checkerboard private land, federal land and state land. PCW has yet to sign a power purchase agreement but plans to export electricity about 800 miles south to California, Arizona and Nevada.

The entire project is expected to employ 1,200 workers at peak construction and more than 100 permanent operations and maintenance staff. Phase one will generate an estimated $200m in property tax revenue during construction and over the first 20 years of operation.

The 1.5GW scheme will also contribute about $116m from sales taxes and $118m from a state wind-electricity tax over 20 years. PCW is owned by the Anschutz Corporation, a privately-held company based in Denver.

Source: renews.biz

WMO Confirms 2016 as Hottest Year on Record, about 1.1°C above Pre-Industrial Era

19.01.2017

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) yesterday announced that the year 2016 has been the hottest year on record, surpassing the exceptionally high temperatures of 2015, according to a consolidated analysis.

The globally averaged temperature in 2016 was about 1.1°C higher than the pre-industrial period. It was approximately 0.83° Celsius above the long term average (14°C) of the WMO 1961-1990 reference period, and about 0.07°C warmer than the previous record set in 2015.

WMO uses data from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies and the UK’s Met Office Hadley Centre and the University of East Anglia’s Climatic Research Unit. WMO also draws on reanalysis data from the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts and the Copernicus Climate Change Service, which use a weather forecasting system to combine many sources of data to provide a more complete picture of global temperatures, including in Polar regions.

“2016 was an extreme year for the global climate and stands out as the hottest year on record,” said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas. “But temperatures only tell part of the story.”

Throughout 2016, there were many extreme weather events which caused huge socio-economic disruption and losses. Record ocean heat contributed to widespread coral reef bleaching.

WMO’s final statement on the global climate in 2016, which includes full details of regional and national temperatures, extreme events, sea level rise and tropical cyclones, will be published in March 2017. The annual climate reports monitor natural year-to-year variations in the climate as well as long-term climate change due to human activities and serve as a tool to inform decision makers about the need both to control and to adapt to climate change.

Source: public.wmo.int

EDF Opens Edinburgh Office

18.01.2017

EDF Energy Renewables has opened a new office in Edinburgh to support the company’s growth plans in Scotland.

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was present at the opening ceremony, as was EDF Energy chief executive Vincent de Rivaz.

EDF said it already has 270MW of wind power in operation in Scotland, 215MW under construction, 400MW consented and 800MW in planning and development.

EDF Energy Renewables chief executive Matthieu Hue said: “Scotland has huge potential for renewable energy and we see it as key area of growth.”

The company also officially opened the six-turbine 19.2MW Pearie Law wind farm in the Central Belt of Scotland today.

Source: renews.biz

Photo: EDF

Australian Minister Says Coal Power can Help Reduce CO2 Emissions

18.01.2017

global warming, air pollution — Photo: Pixabay

Don’t throw out your climate science books just yet, folks. Australian resources minister Matt Canavan recently said burning a certain kind of coal could help the country slash its overall carbon emissions. He commissioned a study conducted by the Department of Industry, Innovation, and Science that reportedly claimed the country could reduce emissions by 27 percent if they replaced current coal power stations with “ultra-supercritical” coal technology. But experts slammed the findings, saying such technology wouldn’t reduce emissions nearly as much as was claimed.

Australia’s goal is to reduce emissions by 28 percent beneath 2005 levels by 2030, so a reduction of 27 percent with the help of new coal technology seemed almost too good to be true. But that’s the figure The Australian reported this week, although now it appears those statistics were inaccurate or misreported. The coal technology would actually only reduce emissions by around 12 percent, according to The Guardian, which also reported electricity sector emissions would need to be cut down to near zero to meet the 2030 target.

Canavan said in a statement that the coal “has an important role to play as Australia, and the rest of the world, reduce carbon dioxide emissions.” He also attacked “people who oppose the coal industry for ideological reasons,” and some of those people quickly fired back.

Australia Institute economist Rod Campbell said if Australia were to replace old coal stations with ones boasting the new technology, electricity prices would go up, even higher than if renewable energy replaced coal.

Member of Parliament Mark Butler said, “The latest intervention by Minister Canavan trumpeting coal isn’t about securing a reliable and affordable energy future; at its core it is just the latest ideological attack on renewables by a government desperate to draw attention away from the fact it has no plan on energy and climate.”

Source: inhabitat.com

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