Spain Will Be Run On 100 Per Cent Renewables, Energy Boss Vows

28.10.2016

The director of one of Spain’s top power companies has predicted the country will eventually become 100 per cent relaint on renewable energy.

Acciona boss Miguel Ezpeleta said there is currently enough wind energy being generated to power 29m Spanish homes every day.

He told Australian news channel, ABC News: “The important thing is to predict and forecast what is going to happen.

“I think people are going to tell me we’re crazy but I’m pretty sure we’ll arrive at 100 per cent for one moment for sure.”

The firm, which monitors 9,500 wind turbines across the world from its base in Pamplona in northern Spain, said a new nighttime record was set in November last year when wind energy provided 70 per cent of the country’s energy.

The daytime record was hit in January 2015 when wind accounted for 54 per cent of energy used.

The drive for clean energy is part of a move by the country, which has no oil or natural gas deposits, to become energy independent.

The European Union has set a target for Spain to fulfill 20 per cent of all its energy needs with renewable energy by 2020 – it is currently at 17.4 per cent.

But critics say the focus on renewables has done nothing to make energy more affordable – with some suggesting the price has increased by up to 60 per cent since 2006.

One local resident in Falces near Pamplona, Maria Angeles Verjara, told ABC News: “Every day is getting more expensive. I don’t know if it’s because of the taxes or why”.

But Acciona said these problems can be combated with proper management.

The director for the Asia-Pacific region, Javier Montes, said: “Properly managed, there should be no issues with that. The examples in Europe show that.

“The one thing going in Spain’s favour is that the electrical system has been built with the goal of making it very reliable and able to take very heavy knocks with extreme weather events or major technical failures.”

By contrast the UK is set to fail to achieve its target of 15 per cent renewables by 2020, the Energy and Climate Change Committee concluded last month.

Committee chair Angus MacNeil MP said: “The experts we spoke to were clear: the UK will miss its 2020 renewable energy targets without major policy improvements.

“Failing to meet these would damage the UK’s reputation for climate change leadership.

“The Government must take urgent action on heat and transport to renew its efforts on decarbonisation.”

Source: independent.co.uk

NEB Report Illustrates Canadian Renewable Power Landscape

28.10.2016

In mid-October, the National Energy Board released a report, titled “Canada’s Renewable Power Landscape: Energy Market Analysis 2016,” noting Canada generates almost two-thirds of its electricity from renewable resources. Hydro is the dominant source of renewable electricity in the country, followed by wind, biomass and solar.

According to the NEB, hydro is the dominant source of electricity in Canada, accounting for 55 percent of total installed capacity and 58 percent of generation. Five provinces and territories generate the vast majority of their electricity from hydro. In British Columbia, the share of electricity production from hydro was at 96 percent in 2015, with 97 percent in Manitoba, 95 percent in Newfoundland and Labrador, and 94 percent in Yukon. The report also notes that four provinces and territories have more diverse electricity mixes, with generation from all sources of renewables at 34 percent in Ontario, 28 percent in New Brunswick, 24 percent in Nova Scotia and 38 percent in Northwest Territories. In addition, three providences and territories currently rely primarily on fossil fuel for electricity, including Alberta, Saskatchewan and Nanavut.

The report notes that a decade ago, wind, solar, biomass and other non-hydro renewables accounted for only 2 percent of total Canadian capacity. That share has grown to 11 percent of capacity and 7 percent of generation.

According to NEB, 11 percent of Canada’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions currently come from electricity production, compared to 30 percent in the U.S. Oil and gas production account for 26 percent of Canada’s GHG emissions, with transportation at 23 percent, buildings at 12 percent, emissions-intensive and trade exposed industry at 10 percent, agriculture at 10 percent and, waste and others at 7 percent.

Nationwide in Canada, biomass currently accounts for 2,397 MW of capacity and 13,107 GWh of generation, or approximately 2 percent capacity and generation. In 2015, biomass accounted for only 1,788 MW of capacity and 7,875 GWh of generation, or approximately 1 percent of capacity and generation. As of last year, hydro accounted for 55 percent of capacity and 58 percent of generation, with wind at 8 percent of capacity and 4 percent of generation, and solar at 1 percent of capacity and 0.5 percent of generation. Biomass resources are more common in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec.

In British Columbia, renewables account for 92 percent of capacity and 94 percent of generation, with biomass at 5 percent of capacity and 6 percent of generation. In Alberta, renewables account for 17 percent of capacity and 10 percent of generation, with biomass at 3 percent capacity and 3 percent generation. In Saskatchewan, renewables account for 25 percent of capacity and 17 percent of generation, with biomass at 5 percent of capacity and 3 percent of generation. In Manitoba, renewables account for 92 percent of capacity and 99.6 percent of generation, with biomass at 0.4 percent of capacity and 0.1 percent of generation. In Ontario, renewables account for 40 percent capacity and 34 percent generation, with biomass at 5 percent capacity and 2 percent generation. In Quebec, renewables account for 98 percent of capacity and 99.9 percent of generation, with biomass at 1 percent of capacity and 1 percent of generation. In New Brunswick, renewables account for 31 percent of capacity and 28 percent of generation, with biomass at 3 percent capacity and 4 percent generation. In Nova Scotia, renewables account for 32 percent of capacity and 24 percent of generation, with biomass at 4 percent of capacity and 6 percent of generation. In Newfoundland and Labrador, renewables accounts for 88 percent of capacity and 96 percent of generation, with biomass at 1 percent capacity and 0.4 percent generation. On Prince Edward Island, renewables account for 56 percent of capacity and 99 percent of generation, with biomass at 0.3 percent of capacity and 1 percent of generation. Biomass accounts for no capacity in Yukon, Northwest Territories, or Nunavut.

A full copy of the report can be downloaded on the NEB website.

Source: biomassmagazine.com

Encouraging Results from ABB’s Hybrid Renewable Microgrids

27.10.2016

Low-carbon microgrids have assumed a place in the strategic agendas of some of the world’s largest power and industrial engineering corporations. That includes Swedish-Swiss ABB, whose roots in the now fast moving microgrid market segment date back some 25 to 30 years.

ABB has adopted a flexible, customer-driven approach as it marshals its resources and expertise in order to capitalize on growing renewable and hybrid microgrid opportunities, a trend that is now global in scope, Maxine Ghavi, ABB’s global director, microgrids, told Renewable Energy World.

“The drivers are different in different regions and among different types of customers,” she said. “It could be resilience, energy security; reducing costs, environmental impacts or reducing reliance on diesel fuel; or providing energy access — the drivers in play in specific markets and situations are multi-polar.”

Flexibility, Standardization and High Performance

The flexibility to integrate a full range of renewable energy generation sources — solar, wind, hydro or biomass — and integrate it with battery technologies such as lithium-ion (LiB) and adaptive intelligent system monitoring and controls are the main facets of ABB’s Power Store microgrid platform.

The fact that PowerStore is containerized and modular, as well as scalable, quick to deploy and engineered using proven, industry standard equipment and technology are other key features, according to Ghavi.

ABB has deployed more than 30 microgrids worldwide to date, and it’s in the midst of deploying them worldwide across its own fleet of manufacturing facilities. That includes announcing a project at its largest manufacturing facility in India, and one already up and running in Johannesburg, South Africa. The initiative is a core aspect of management’s plans to reduce the organization’s carbon and environmental footprints, energy consumption and costs, as well as ensure quality uninterruptible power, Ghavi said.

ABB’s microgrid platform, products and services also provide an opportunity to implement and demonstrate the benefits of ABB’s “Internet of Things, Services & People” strategy, she noted.

Encouraging Results

Tapping into local emissions-free renewable energy resources, making use of advanced LiB systems and using adaptive, intelligent system controls to balance power production, storage, dispatch and consumer load is producing encouraging results, both for customers and ABB itself, Ghavi and Bob Stojanovic, ABB’s Americas’ regional director for microgrids, told Renewable Energy World.

ABB’s microgrid group has played a seminal role in Alaska’s emergence as a leading-edge market for remote hybrid microgrids.

“There was a confluence of events there that created what turned out to be quite a successful situation,” Stojanovic said.

Having determined that the advanced lead-acid batteries originally installed were degrading too fast, ABB’s microgrid group designed and replaced them with an instance of PowerStore that included flywheel energy storage technology for rapid, high-power ramp-up capacity. That has enhanced the overall performance, as well as scope, of the Kodiak Island 9-MW hybrid wind and diesel-powered microgrid in Alaska.

With 2 MWs of LiB capacity serving as a buffer, the microgrid is also able to strike a balance between energy storage and dispatch with the large load required by a newly installed 3 MW electric harbor crane.

Source: renewableenergyworld.com

Electric Cars Pose ‘Resoundingly Negative’ Threat to Oil Companies: Analyst Fitch

27.10.2016

Elektromobil, Punjač, Renault, , Stanica za punjenje — Foto: Pixabay

So far, though, the oil industry hasn’t seemed to give plug-in electric cars much attention. ExxonMobil and OPEC have both predicted that, even by 2040, electric cars will make up less than 10 percent of global new-car sales. But a leading credit agency believes the oil industry should view electric cars as a much more serious threat.

Fitch Ratings believes electric cars pose a “resoundingly negative” threat to oil companies, and that the industry should plan for “radical change,” according to the Financial Times.

In a report on the potential impact of battery technology on established industries, Fitch acknowledged that mass electric-car adoption could be a long, drawn-out process.

Not only are battery cells expensive, but owners do not trade in cars every year. Today, in fact, a car on U.S. roads has a median age of more than 10 years.

Nonetheless, analysts predict that electric cars will soon reach the point where they become price-competitive with internal-combustion vehicles. It’s also possible that electric-car adoption will proceed more rapidly than anticipated in “emerging markets,” such as China, the report noted.

China is indeed pushing for greater electric-car adoption to combat rampant air pollution, offering substantial incentives to consumers. Transportation accounted for fully 55 percent of global oil use in 2014, according to the Fitch report.

In an “extreme scenario,” where electric cars achieved 50 percent market share in 10 years, a quarter of Europe’s gasoline demand could evaporate, the report said. As revenues decrease, Fitch also believes worried asset holders may sell their shares in oil companies, leading to an “investor death spiral.”

This has already happened to the coal industry, with multiple bankruptcies of large North American producers. Many analysts now believe that coal yet to be mined will remain a “sunk asset,” or a good with little value that will stay in the ground forever.

While much of today’s oil industry remains ignorant of the potential impact of battery technology, the article suggests that some appear to be preparing for a future of decreased oil consumption. French oil company Total bought battery maker Saft earlier this year, and BP is investing in wind energy.

Aside from oil companies, the government of Saudi Arabia hopes to use saved oil revenue to fund investments, which officials believe could form the basis of the country’s economy if oil production slows.

And it’s not only oil companies, though they may face the largest threat from electric cars. The Fitch report also noted that electric utilities could be impacted by the use of stationary battery packs for energy storage. Energy-storage systems improve the usability of renewable-energy sources like wind and solar by saving excess power for later use. This could make wind and solar more competitive with fossil fuels, according to Fitch.

Source: greencarreports.com

Gas: Use EU Storage Capacity Efficiently and Forge Trade Partnerships, Urge MEPs

27.10.2016

The EU strategy for liquefied natural gas (LNG) must make energy supplies more secure, cut carbon emissions and deliver affordable prices say MEPs in a resolution voted on Tuesday. Parliament calls on the EU Commission to aim to reduce the EU’s dependency on gas in the long term by using it more efficiently and gradually phasing out fossil fuel subsidies.

“There are three great issues we dealt with in this report”, said rapporteur Ándras Gyürk (EPP, HU). ”First, we need supply diversification, to show solidarity with countries which are almost one hundred per cent dependent on a single supplier. Next, completing the missing gas infrastructure is essential for maximising the use of the existing LNG terminals and gas storage facilities, and last but not least, without the much needed-harmonization of rules, procedures and tariff structures, the European infrastructure will only be an empty vessel, unable to serve its purpose”, he explained.

Reducing gas dependency

MEPs highlight “the vital role of LNG and gas storage, in addition to increased efficiencies and renewable energy deployment, in reducing dependence on Russian gas.

Doubling the capacity of the Nord Stream pipeline could have counterproductive effects on energy security, the diversification of supply sources and solidarity among member states, say MEPs. They stress that “if, contrary to European interests, Nord Stream 2 were to be built, this would necessarily require a sound assessment of LNG terminals’ accessibility and a detailed assessment of the North-South Gas Corridor, to be able to compensate for shutting down the supply lines to Central and Eastern Europe.”

EU market – use infrastructure more efficiently

Before deciding to build new LNG infrastructure, LNG supply alternatives and options should be carefully analysed from a regional and environmental sustainability perspective, to avoid stranding assets, improve energy security and ensure the most efficient use of existing infrastructure, say MEPs. The utilisation rate of existing storage infrastructure could be significantly improved through regional cooperation and adequate gas interconnections, as well as by removing “internal bottlenecks”, they add.

International market – step up energy diplomacy

Parliament “supports the Commission, the European External Action Service and the member states in their active engagement in energy diplomacy in order to promote a rule-based, transparent and well-functioning global gas market”, says the text.

MEPs also consider that trade plays a key role in energy security, and that strong energy partnerships, reinforced by the inclusion of energy chapters in the EU’s trade agreements, are essential tools.” They stress that the “EU’s trade policy should enhance the Union’s and member states’ energy diversification and reduce their dependency on imported energy from too few suppliers.”

Source: europarl.europa.eu

UN Environment Finance Initiative’s Global Roundtable Kicks off in Dubai

27.10.2016

H.E. Dr. Thani Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, inaugurated the UN Environment Program Finance Initiative’s 14th Global Roundtable event, hosted by the United Arab Emirates, represented by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment and in collaboration with the UAE’s Central Bank, for the first time in the region on 25-26 October 2016 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Dubai.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Thani Ahmed Al Zeyoudi extended great thanks and gratitude to His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Chairman of the Executive Council, for his patronage of this event and his continued support for the efforts to transform UAE’s national economy to a green low-carbon economy.

His Excellency said: “The process of transformation towards a green economy approach has been slow in many countries as a result of the absence or ineffectiveness of some basic tools, such as policies, partnerships, technology, financing and resource mobilization, to facilitate the transformation process; but that’s not the case in the UAE, which has taken bold and swift steps in that direction.

We are meeting here today to continue the discussion of funding sustainable development projects and we all hope to contribute to the positive atmosphere created by the globally accepted Sustainable Development Goals 2030 and the Paris Agreement on climate change to overcome the obstacles of securing the necessary funding for the process of transformation, especially in the least developed countries.”

Dr. Al Zeyoudi indicated that the issue of financing green investments is a main approach in the UAE Green Development Strategy, launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, under the slogan “Green Economy for Sustainable Development”, and a key element in the green agenda. He also pointed out that, through this approach, the UAE has begun work on bringing about a fundamental change in the finance sector, both conventional and Islamic, establishing strategic partnerships with major local investment and financing institutions that believe in the same principles and strive for the same goals, as well as on developing appropriate policies and regulatory frameworks to stimulate the private sector to invest more in green projects.

“Directing more investment towards research and development, innovation and environment friendly technologies should be given special priority. We have recently witnessed two important developments; the launch of the National Strategy for Innovation in 2014, which aims to put the UAE among the most innovative countries globally, through a range of key economic sectors, including renewable energy, transport, research and technology by 2021, and, last month, the launch of the UAE Strategy for the Future, a comprehensive and integrated national strategy aimed at early anticipation of challenges and seizing opportunities in all vital sectors, including sustainability, environment and climate change”, Dr. Al Zeyoudi added.

At the conclusion of the opening ceremony, UAE financial institutions, who are participating in the UN Environment Program Finance Initiative’s 14th Global Roundtable event, were called upon to sign the Dubai Declaration on Sustainable Financing, through which they confirmed their support for the UAE Vision 2021 and for the process of transforming the national economy to a green economy in accordance with the UAE Green Agenda 2015-2030.

The signatories also stressed the need for cooperation between the financial sector, UAE Government, UN Environment and other relevant institutions to contribute to the process of transformation by improving corporate environmental and societal performance, providing economic, environmental and social opportunities, lend to, invest in, facilitate financing, or provide insurance to the projects, businesses and customers with sustainable purposes as well as support the growth of a successful small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector, as well as taking into account climate and environmental, social and governance (ESG) risk in the institution’s risk management processes.

Source: unep.org

Humans Create Carbon Emissions which Spawn Australia’s Extreme Weather – Report

27.10.2016

Zagađenje, Elektrana, grejanje, Ekologija — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

Carbon emissions from human activities have driven significant changes to the climate in Australia, including about 1C of warming and an increase in extreme hot days and fire weather, according to the latest State of the Climate report released by the CSIRO and Bureau of Meteorology.

This year the report includes new information on the cause of extreme weather, pointing the finger clearly at carbon emissions from human activities, as well as the latest findings on warming in the oceans.

The report said record hot average daytime temperatures in 2014 were mostly caused by the extra carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Researchers found that without the greenhouse gases, the daytime temperatures would have been warm but not record-breaking.

Similarly, another study discussed in the report found that record-breaking temperatures in September 2013 were 85% a result of carbon emissions, and 15% due to natural variations in temperature.

Karl Braganza, from the Bureau of Meteorology, said the science attributing extreme weather events to climate change has matured in the past few years.

“Two years ago, these studies were emerging in the literature. But now we’ve had a good five solid years of these studies in the international literature,” Braganza said.

The report also contained new data on warming affecting the deep ocean, with warming now detected 2km below the surface.

“We now know that the upper two kilometres of the oceans have stored more than 80% of the extra heat that has accumulated since 1970,” said Steven Rintoul, director of the new CSIRO climate science centre.

“And if we include all of the ocean, that increases to 93%. In that sense, global warming is really ocean warming.”

Most of the other findings continued to show the same concerning trends seenyear after year.

The report found that Australia’s surface air temperature and surrounding oceans have warmed about 1C since 1910. Monthly maximum temperatures that occurred just 2.2% of the time between 1951-1980 increased in frequency more than five-fold, occurring 11.45% of the time between 2001 and 2015.

“The main point really is to summarise the state of the science, in particular with regard to observations of changes in the climate science, with a particular focus on Australia,” Rintoul said.

“It further strengthens the evidence that climate change is happening now and having an impact on Australia.”

Braganza said because of the climate changes that are already happening, the Bureau of Meteorology is focusing on helping to inform the country about how to adapt to those changes.

“Climate change is obviously happening now,” he said. “We know there is a tangible impact now, and we know the climate system is going to warm as a response to greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere over the next few decades.

“So in some ways there is more of a focus on informing adaptation to what we know is happening, as well as mitigation. For the bureau, that’s sort of where we’re sitting in our operations: informing near-future adaptation.”

Source: theguardian.com

Dong Energy Considers Sale of Oil and Gas Assets to Focus on Windfarms

27.10.2016

wind-turbin-vetroturbina — Photo illustration: Pixabay

The biggest windfarm operator in the UK is considering selling its oil and gas business, four decades after it was set up to manage Denmark’s North Sea oilfields.

Dong Energy, which is majority owned by the Danish government, said it had appointed JP Morgan to perform a strategy review that could result in the sale of the oil and gas business.

Offloading oil assets would result in the company, whose initials stand for Danish Oil and Natural Gas, focus on wind power instead, completing its transformation from fossil fuels to renewables.

Dong did not say whether selling its oil and gas operations would result in a change of name and added that it had yet to decide on the division’s future.

The company floated on the Copenhagen stock exchange this year, saying it would use the flow of cash from oil sales to fund ongoing investment in renewable energy projects.

But on Wednesday, Dong said it might now look to raise funds more quickly by selling the division.

Any sale could help it cement its position as the UK’s leading exponent of wind power.

Dong has stakes in windfarms that can produce more than 2.2GW in total, equivalent to about 4% of the UK’s predicted peak demand of 52.7GW during cold weather.

It has plans to add a further 1.5GW of wind power capacity, including the Hornsea 1 project 55 miles off the coast of Grimsby, which would be the world’s largest offshore windfarm.

Source: theguardian.com

Mexico’s Energy Reform Is Set to Revitalise an Ailing Sector and Boost the Economy, IEA Report Says

27.10.2016

Mexico’s wide-ranging energy reform, which began in 2013, is expected to reverse the country’s declining oil production, increase the share of renewables in the power sector, and slow the growth in carbon emissions, providing a solid foundation for robust economic growth in the coming decades, according to the International Energy Agency.

Mexico’s energy sector is being completely recast by the Reforma Energética. The reform ends the longstanding dominance of Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) in oil and gas, and of the Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE) in the electricity sector, opening up key parts of the energy sector to new players, investment and technology.

As a result of this major effort, Mexico’s total oil production, which has been on a sharp decline in recent years, is projected to turn a corner around 2020 and then rise to 3.4 mb/d by 2040, up almost 1 mb/d from today. The increase comes in large part from new offshore developments, including deepwater drilling, and helps restore Mexico’s position as a major global oil producer and exporter.

These findings are in the Mexico Energy Outlook, part of the IEA’s World Energy Outlook (WEO) series, which examines the long-term impact of the Reforma Energética on the energy sector as well as its economic and environmental consequences.

The report also finds that Mexico’s innovative auction system provides a substantial boost to Mexico’s clean energy efforts in the power sector. More than half of the country’s new power generation capacity installed between now and 2040 is renewables-based, tapping Mexico’s large wind and solar resources. New investment in electricity is essential to meet rapid growth in electricity demand, and allows Mexico to reach its target of producing 35% of electricity from clean sources by 2024.

“This is not a reform, it’s a revolution on an unprecedented scale,” said Dr Fatih Birol, the executive director of the IEA. “This transformation touches every sector of the Mexican energy industry and goes well beyond. However, let’s not underestimate the task ahead. It is a huge undertaking and there will be challenges but the reform has made remarkable progress. The government’s path forward is the right one and the IEA stands ready to assist.”

The report comes a year after Mexico took the first steps in November 2015 to join the IEA. The accession of Mexico would be a major step forward for the IEA’s new “open door” policy and allows deeper cooperation in coming years.

“The Mexico Energy Outlook motivates us to continue in the path traced by the Energy Reform and to double our efforts,” expressed Pedro Joaquín Coldwell, Mexico’s Secretary of Energy. “The challenge for Mexico is to turn into reality the positive predictions presented by the IEA. The report includes some very convincing findings on what Mexico would have faced if the reform has never been enacted.”

Without these energy reforms, the report finds that oil production would be 1 mb/d lower in 2040, electricity costs would be higher, and household spending would be hit. Also, the cost to the economy would be substantial, reducing the size of Mexico’s GDP by 4% in 2040, resulting in a total economic loss of $1 trillion over the period of the outlook.

Source: iea.org

Urbanization: The Historical Cause of Low Oxygen Conditions in European Lakes

27.10.2016

A new study shows that hypoxia, i.e. low oxygen conditions, in European lakes started in 1850, becoming more widespread after 1900, long before the use of chemical fertilizers and climate change. A Canadian and European research team has identified urban expansion as the reason for the low amounts of bioavailable oxygen in numerous European lakes in past centuries. Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the findings of this study directed by postdoctoral fellow Jean-Philippe Jenny and Professor Pierre Francus of INRS suggest that increased waste water pollution at the turn of the 20th century boosted the lakes’ biological productivity, which in turn led to a rise in oxygen consumption.

The researchers analyzed information such as climate, land use, and lake sediment data from more than 1,500 European watersheds. For the first time, they compared reconstructions of land occupancy and land use dynamics on a continental scale to their own data of oxygen depletion over the past 300 years. This allowed them to identify urban waste, primarily phosphorus, as the factor responsible for triggering hypoxia at the bottom of lakes starting at the beginning of the 20th century.

“Accurately identifying the source of the nutrient responsible for oxygen depletion was a real challenge because of the variations in environmental stress factors throughout the region and their interactions, as well as the reliability of long term data,” explains Professor Francus of the INRS Centre Eau Terre Environnement.

“Point and diffuse sources have always contributed to nutrient supplies in lakes, but at intensities that vary in time and space,” adds Jean-Philippe Jenny, now affiliated with the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry in Germany. “Our results show that urban point sources of phosphorus are the dominant cause of eutrophication of European lakes during the Anthropocene.”

The researchers recognize, however, that during recent decades, diffuse sources have gradually become the major cause of fresh water eutrophication in developed countries with the increase in the use of chemical fertilizers and the elimination of point sources due to the installation of waste treatment plants.

“Despite the many cleanup initiatives in the 1980s, the deepest layers in the lakes we studied still are not being reoxygenated and the hypoxia persists. This illustrates the importance of studying historical land use and the need to put long-term strategies in place to maintain and restore water quality in lakes,” say the study’s authors.

Source: sciencedaily.com

Western Australia Must Embrace Dawn of Renewable Energy Era or Risk Being Left Behind

27.10.2016

Last year the world’s governments finally got their act together on climate change, agreeing to limit global warming to well under two degrees. To meet this commitment, we need a rapid global transition to net zero greenhouse gas emissions. The fossil fuel age is over.

The new era, powered by renewable energy, will be swept in on a massive wave of investment. According to Beyond Zero Emissions’ report, Renewable Energy Superpower, the world will invest $US28tn in renewable energy and energy efficiency in the next 20 years.

But Western Australia risks being left behind. Here investors have poured more than $100bn into liquefied natural gas (LNG) over the past decade yet the state has little to show for it. Another $60bn is slated for LNG development, but with current low gas prices, the sense of that investment is questionable. Energy consumers fork out for coal-fired power that goes unused and endure endless debate about grid privatisation. Meanwhile Western Australia’s electricity-related emissions are rising, just as almost all other states are managing to reduce them.

The irony is that Western Australia should welcome the dawn of the renewable energy era. The state’s enormous resources of sunshine, wind and wave mean it could become a renewable energy superpower of the future. Our report shows how Australia’s world-beating renewable energy resources represent a huge economic opportunity. Incredibly the report shows that in Western Australia alone, there is enough wind and solar, available at competitive prices, to provide almost 9% of the world’s energy every year. In other words Western Australia has more renewable energy than fossil energy.

There are in fact signs of life in Western Australia. For example, Perth start-upPower Ledger is trialling software enabling neighbours to trade energy between homes – an Australian first. And Carnegie Wave Energy is conducting one of the world’s most successful wave energy projects, generating power for the naval base on Garden Island. Carnegie has recently won funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (Arena) to help develop its CETO wave energy technology which could attract interest from around the world.

Opportunities in the renewable energy era extend beyond the energy sector. In a low carbon world, a cheap and plentiful supply of renewable energy will attract energy-intensive industries. With its abundant mineral resources, Western Australia could become the world-centre for zero carbon metals like steel and aluminium.

What can Western Australia do to seize this opportunity? Firstly, like the ACT, the government needs to set a target of 100% renewable electricity. Such a target will attract investment and stimulate development of local technologies that could be sold to the rest of the world. Secondly, the government should set up an innovation fund for the development and commercialisation of new energy solutions. With Arena’s funding slashed, it is vital that the Carnegies of the future are not thwarted by lack of investment.

The government should also call a halt to the expansion of the gas distribution network. There’s nothing gas does for us that electricity can’t do more efficiently. Government and business should work together to encourage the uptake of high-efficiency electric appliances such as hot water heat pumps. At the same time, electric transport should be promoted. BZE has shown that a complete transition to electric cars in 10 years is affordable, and would reduce dependence on foreign oil.

The reward for this type of forward-looking policy would be investment, jobs and a head-start in renewable energy era. Nature has given Western Australia all it needs to ride this wave. Now it just needs the vision.

Source: theguardian.com

World Bank Approves $1.8 Million Grant to Boost Chilean Geothermal Market

27.10.2016

The World Bank Board has approved a US$1.8 million Clean Technology Fund grant to strengthen the Chilean Ministry of Energy’s capacity to further develop the country’s geothermal sector and improve its energy security.

The grant will contribute to Chile’s Energy Agenda and the Energy Policy 2050, which aims to boost the use of non-conventional renewable energy (NCRE) and reduce the cost of electricity.

World Bank on Oct. 12 said that the government of Chile has made a concerted effort to develop its nascent geothermal energy industry, but despite what appeared to be a promising start, a number of issues stymied exploration investments. The goal of the new funding is to resolve those issues and improve the geothermal energy market conditions.

“Developing geothermal technology allows Chile to meet its growing energy demand, provide energy security, in an environmentally sustainable manner, boost the country’s economic competitiveness, and promote investments in remote rural areas, where poverty is more concentrated,” Alberto Rodriguez, World Bank director for Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela, said in a statement.

The Ministry of Energy will be the lead implementation agency for the project, with support from the International Cooperation Agency of Chile within the Ministry of Foreign Relations. The grant has a four-year implementation period, World Bank said.

Source: renewableenergyworld.com

New Ways to Finance Cities

26.10.2016

The international community has ended the global housing conference in Quito with the ratification of common guidelines for sustainable urban development in the form of the “New Urban Agenda.” KfW attended many of the conference’s events and presented its activities in cities and worked with other attendees from around the world to find solutions for rapid urbanization.

The aim of the “New Urban Agenda” is to serve as a guide for sustainable urbanization around the world. It stands alongside the international Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the global Climate Agreement and the Development Finance Agenda. Habitat’s Executive Director, Joan Clos, described the new agenda as an “important instrument for enabling national, sub-national and local agencies to achieve sustainable urban development”.

The 24-page agenda also references financial cooperation issues. For example, it explicitly refers to the importance of sustainable financing for the successful implementation of the agenda. The document also mentions residential property finance, urban transport, and the general provision of basic services to all city dwellers.

One of the ways that Germany is helping to implement the agenda is with a new initiative called the “Transformative Urban Mobility Initiative” (TUMI). As part of the initiative, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) will increase its efforts to promote sustainable urban transport in the emerging economies and developing countries. KfW is playing a crucial part in implementing the initiative on behalf of the German Federal Government, as underscored by KfW Director Marc Engelhardt: “As a development bank, we are playing a very central role in TUMI. We already serve as a reliable partner for sustainable urban development in many different countries. We want to significantly expand our activities in the field of urban mobility in particular. I expect us to commit to new projects with a total volume of around one billion euros both this year and next.” These funds will mainly go towards public transport.

KfW as a municipal financier

Representatives of KfW were involved in a total of ten events at the conference: at the German stand, the UN pavilion, and various official side events including one held by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB), which was opened by State Secretary Gunther Adler. At the event, KfW presented its activities in connection with the financing of municipalities: “We make crucial contributions and fill in gaps that are not covered by the commercial banks and other investors, both in Germany and in our partner countries,” added KfW Director Felix Klauda.

During the conference it was repeatedly made clear that many cities suffer from a chronic shortage of funds. Against this backdrop, in a discussion with representatives of municipalities in Mozambique, Senegal and Bangladesh, KfW Director Klaus Gihr stated “We have to find new ways of helping cities in developing countries with the financing of projects.” Although there are many of challenges to overcome, it is also clear that “Cities have to make better use of their own resources, and require access to additional funding. Development financiers can and must help them with this.”

At the German stand, KfW reported on projects in India, Bangladesh, and the Palestinian territories in several well-attended podium discussions with its partners. The bank also described its experiences in promoting energy-efficient buildings in Germany and India.

Source: kfw-entwicklungsbank.de

Energy Community Secretariat Establishes Dispute Resolution and Negotiation Centre

26.10.2016

A Dispute Resolution and Negotiation Centre was established today by the Secretariat. Its launch comes as a response to signals that the settlement alternatives currently available for energy disputes no longer respond to the needs of national authorities and stakeholders, in particular small and medium enterprises and consumers.

Arbitration and litigation proceedings tend to be lengthy, expensive and often fail to take into consideration the foremost prerequisites of stable energy markets, namely the necessity for integration, security of supply, investment, as well as interests of energy consumers and the environment. In the Secretariat’s view, such aims can be achieved while preserving the relation between the parties to the dispute by working together for a solution which is mutually acceptable, and not by lengthy adversarial proceedings.

The Centre will focus on negotiations and mediation of investor-state disputes and offer negotiation support to national authorities in their negotiations with private parties. The Centre also aims to facilitate the swift closure of dispute settlement cases under the Energy Community Treaty via tailor-made negotiation and mediation facilities.

The Centre is attached to the Legal Unit of the Secretariat and is chaired by Mr Dirk Buschle, the Head of the Legal Unit and Deputy Director of the Secretariat. The Secretariat, which has already facilitated negotiations in several high-profile investor-state disputes, will be supported by a group of distinguished individuals with experience in the areas covered by the Centre.

In all cases, the services provided by the Secretariat will be free of charge. Procedural rules will be adopted shortly and published on the Energy Community’s website.

Source: energy-community.org

Victorian Government to Boost Solar Energy Tariffs from July 2017

26.10.2016

Victorians with solar panels will be compensated for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in a planned reward scheme set to increase power costs for other households.

Tens of thousands of rooftop solar homes on minimum feed-in tariffs will reap more generous payments, including a new environment benefit bonus, for generating surplus electricity fed back into the grid.

Australian Energy Council chief Matthew Warren warned non-solar households that had already forked out for overly generous subsidies for a decade, would be further penalised.

Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio said the planned changes from July next year would allow renewable energy feed-in tariffs to be set in a fairer way, and reward “environmental value”.

“Victorians should be fairly compensated for the power they generate — plain and simple,” Ms D’Ambrosio said.

Opposition energy spokesman David Southwick said it was effectively a green tax, with retailers tipped to pass on millions of dollars in higher costs to other consumers.

The current 5c per kilowatt hour minimum feed-in tariff for 60,000 homes will be replaced with an average 6.5c-7c per kWh payment, earning them an estimated average $17 extra a year.

The flat rate will switch to a time-of-use system so retailers potentially pay up to 8c per kWh for excess power generated during the 3pm-9pm peak, and less at off-peak times.

“This is the first time the tariff has been increased in the last six years, rising by approximately 20 per cent,” Ms D’Ambrosio said.

The Government estimates the system will cost non-solar households about $2.50 each annually.

The Opposition’s Mr Southwick said: “It’s pretty much a new environment tax that will be subsidising a very small proportion of the community at the expense of those without solar panels.

“This comes at a time when Victorians are threatened with higher electricity prices in anticipation of the Hazelwood power station closure.”

The Essential Services Commission will determine actual rates in February next year.

About 90,000 premium 60c feed-in tariff customers retain that rate until 2024. Another 70,000 on standard and transitional tariffs will have payments dramatically cut when their schemes soon expire.

Solar Citizens consumer campaigner Reece Turner said solar energy ultimately pushed down electricity costs for the entire community, as less money needed to be spent on expensive poles and wires.

Source: heraldsun.com.au

Is Infiniti now Ready to Launch an Electric Car, After All?

26.10.2016

Nissan Leaf, elektromobil — Photo: Pixabay

Nissan’s strong commitment to electric cars has not, so far, extended to its Infiniti luxury brand. While the six-year-old Nissan Leaf is the bestselling electric car in history, the company has repeatedly postponed plans for an all-electric Infiniti model. But Infiniti’s on-again, off-again electric car may now be back on again.

Motivated by demand in China, Infiniti is once again considering an all-electric production model, Bloomberg reports. Any electric car from the brand would be designed “for China definitely,” and China would be the first market where it would be sold, Infiniti President Roland Krueger told Bloomberg during a recent interview in Hong Kong.

Last year, China overtook the U.S. to become the world’s largest market for plug-in electric cars.

The surge in sales was due in part to generous government incentives, which have created renewed interest among manufacturers in electric cars and hybrids tailored specifically for China. Once a decision is made, Infiniti could put an electric car on sale “very fast,” Krueger noted.

That’s because it could lean on parent Nissan and its alliance partner, French automaker Renault, for technical expertise. Infiniti took that approach with the LE concept it unveiled at 2012 New York Auto Show. The LE was a four-door sedan based on the current-generation Leaf.

It used a 100-kilowatt (134-horsepower) electric motor with 240 pound-feet of torque, and a 24-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack. It also featured wireless inductive charging, using a 50-kW DC charging pad that would be placed on a garage floor.

The LE received generally positive reviews at the time of its debut, but Infiniti executives vacillated about committing to a production version. If Infiniti were to revisit the LE, it could well opt for the underpinnings of the next-generation Leaf to make the car more competitive.

The next Leaf is expected to have a 200-mile range, which the Infiniti model would need to compete with the promised Tesla Model 3. But so far, Infiniti has shown more interest in improving the efficiency of internal-combustion powertrains than in developing electric ones.

At the 2016 Paris Motor Show, it unveiled a variable-compression engine, which can alter its compression ratio on the fly. Several automakers have experimented with these engines, but Infiniti will likely be the first to put one into production. It will arrive in 2018 in an unspecified vehicle as a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder turbocharged gasoline engine.

Source: greencarreports.com

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